True story: my skin has plagued me much of my life. I had acne all the way back in third grade, when I remember frantically rifling through my mother's makeup drawer the morning of my school's maypole dance for something to cover my blemishes with. (I settled not on concealer but a shimmery white Clinique eyeshadow - cringe). I've been on three courses of Accutane, one of which spanned most of my 20s. The drug is nothing short of miraculous but is (in my opinion) unfairly maligned.
My skin is finally clear, no thanks to genetics or even age; I credit all the years of Accutane. I am now (mercifully!) to the point where I don't feel it necessary to wear foundation - oh to not have to worry about blemishes! (I never thought I'd see the day.) But since I'm no longer taking potent oil-stopping medication, my face is definitely on the slick side if left unchecked. Don't get me wrong, I'll take that over my past skin woes any day. Especially because these three products (two of which are bargains) are proving to be such an effective oil-stopping regimen: Murad Oil Control Mattifier SPF 15, e.l.f. Studio High Definition Powder, and Palladio Rice Paper Blotting Tissues.
See? Maybe I'm a bit glowy after two hours in 90-degree temperatures at the beach, but certainly not greasy. (I use La Roche-Posay Anthelios 45 Ultralight Fluid on my face when I know I'm going to be roasting outside.)
What are your skin secrets?
P.S. Natalie, Jillian, and Becca shared their summer skin secrets too.
9 comments:
have been thinking of accutane but am so scared of side effects. did you notice any - reddening, chapping, blood issues etc?
Thanks for sharing, two hours in that heat and you look like is not even hot! Not greasy at all! got to try these ;)
I had really bad acne too, but in early high school. What worked for me was a miraculous tube of Retin-A-Micro! Now I just try to keep it simple with a face wash, good moisturizer and dab of Argan oil from time to time. The simpler, the better, I say!
The Palladio rice paper sheets are awesome. Once I run out of the Clean & Clear, I'm going to get them. They're so much cheaper too.
Anonymous, if you can find a dermatologist willing to prescribe it (no easy feat), I would highly recommend Accutane. There is now an FDA-mandated program called iPledge in place that is such a hassle for both provider and patient that most doctors won't touch it with a ten-foot pole. (Pharmacists have told me that it's easier to dispense heavily-controlled narcotics than Accutane.) Plus, the threat of malpractice lawsuits is a huge concern for docs.
With the caveat that I had a very high threshold for side effects, I must say that I don't think they were that bad. When I was on two six-month courses of Accutane at 80 mg/day I had very dry, peeling skin on my face (which I was able to manage somewhat with moisturizer, and which I also just lived with - it got better toward the end of my course). I had very dry lips and was never without chapstick - to this day they are still very dry. When I was on a 10mg/day maintenance dose, I had no side effects.
Jillian, I prefer the dry powdery-ness of the Palladio sheets to the plasticky Clean & Clear sheets. My husband is the opposite of me (he sometimes swipes my sheets!).
Gaby, you won't be in the sweltering heat much longer though :)
Yeesh, I have such terrible skin. I'm still getting blemishes in my thirties! For spot treatment I use B. Kamins Acne Gel. I would like to try this mattifier. The B Kamins can be a little intense sometimes. In any case, I would never have guessed you had skin problems when you were younger. You look beautiful!
Thanks for sharing! Isn't it the worst to feel self conscious about your skin everyday? You look gorgeous now! I had awful skin growing up too and did a round of Accutane during college. While I won't say it's a miracle drug, it definitely was a turning point with my skin. These days I'm still on the greasy side and love Bare Minerals foundation to soak up some of that extra oil. I will have to look into those sheets too.
It seems as though whenever the seasons change my face tends to break out. Usually I'll wait it out to see if it clears up, but this time I bought Proactiv. I've used the product many times, and it always does the trick. I swear its gold in a bottle!
Mario Badescu changed my life!
you know what is a great oil blotter, in a pinch and free? seriously, starbucks napkins. not kidding.
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