So, I wanted to talk about my skincare routine at the moment and I'm going to be really brave and put up a picture of my skin with no make-up on at all eek! I wanted to do this because I don't know anyone with skin as bad as mine and it doesn't even look too bad on this photo, sometimes it's much worse! I would love to hear from any of you that suffers from problem skin and what you do to try and battle the spots! Anyway, here goes...
As you can see, it's pretty bad! I have lots of acne scarring as well as spots, I don't really have any in this photo but I get big lumps under my skin which I think is cystic acne (not sure) which are really painful and take ages to go away. As well as the spots I'm really pale and I always think my skin is really dull and almost grey and I have black circles under my eyes. I'm really not sure why because I drink 2 litres of water a day, I eat plenty of fruit and veg and I try to look after my skin. Maybe it's hormonal? Does anyone else have these problems despite looking after yourself?
So for the last month or so I have been using Clinique's 3 Step System. Step one is the Facial Soap - I use the oily skin formula. Step 2 is the Clarifying Lotion which is a toner - I've got number 3 which is combination to oily. There is a number 4 which is for very oily skin, and while I do think I'm very oily I do have some dry areas as well so I thought I'd better go for the combination. (For those of you with dry skins there is also a range available to cater for dry skins too) Step 3 is the Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel (the dry skin range has a cream instead).
I use these 3 steps twice a day, morning and night, so what do I think of it so far? My verdict is that I really like it and I would definitely purchase it again but that it isn't a miracle worker. I really enjoy using it and I look forward to washing my face. It makes my skin feel lovely, but it hasn't stopped me from getting spots it has just improved them. My spots haven't been as big as they normally are but I still have to use spot creams to try and keep them at bay!
If you are thinking about giving this range a try I would definitely recommend giving it go. You get quite a lot of product for your money so it is good value. The soap is 200ml, the toner is 400ml and the moisturiser is 125ml. Let me know if you have tried this and what you thought about it.
Z x
Ok so I will try to comment again, after my ladt one didn't show.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, what I said was:
I used to have acne.. So so bad. And it really depressed me so much, I hated looking people in the eyes. And makeup just couldn't even attempt to hide it.
I tried everything on the market, every face wash, every lotion & potion.
In the end I had enough and went to see my GP.
She said it was quite severe and prescribed antibiotics for 3 months.
2 months in, nothing had changed, so she prescribed a stronger antobiotic for 2 months + the dianette contraceptive pill, this is used to control acne. She also gave me a little lotion to apply to the infected areas, to stop it spreading.
After a few weeks, the spots started drying up.
After 1 month no new ones had come.
And I'd say maybe 2 months in total, I was spot free. Completely..
I was over the moon, and going to see my GP saved me a fortune in buying products that was never really gonna get the acne away anyway.
Often acne comes from hormonal causes or diet, so really no products will ever get rid of them..
Caffeine is also really bad for spots, really aggrivates them.
So my advice would be see your Doc, it might be the best thing you ever do.
It's been 2 years now, and I haven't even had a single spot since then.
My scarring faded fairly quickly and now my skin is smooth and clear.
Hope that helps a bit :)
Thanks for posting this again, it's really good advice. I did go to the Docs once and what he gave me made me have an allergic reaction but he did mention there was something else to try so I might have to give that one a go. I've tried Dianette before too and that worked for the spots but it made my eyes reject my contact lenses for some reason...man I'm wierd lol!
ReplyDeleteI'll let you know how I get on.
Thanks hun x
Hi Zoe
ReplyDeleteReally enjoying your blog :)
I don't suffer from acne but do get the occasional hormonal breakout. I used to use Clinique but the best range I've ever tried is Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish and toner. I had quite a lot of blocked pores on my nose, chin and forehead, and these are basically all gone since starting to use these two products 3 months ago: amazing!
Rach xx
Hi Rach, thanks very much for commenting and I'm glad you're enjoying my blog, I'm trying to improve it all the time :)
ReplyDeleteI am actually planning on purchasing some of the Liz Earle cleanse & polish tonight. Think I'm just going to get the small tube to start off with until I know what it's like on my skin!
Z xx