After numerous “OH MY GOD I LOVE YOUR SKIN” comments (and the much less startling “may I inquire about your skincare regimen?” ones — thank god for sane people, you keep me… well, sane!) I’m finally posting about my skincare regimen.

Applause.

Skin is one of the things I keep fairly drugstore, simply because I think that you can get great skincare stuff for cheap! Unless you have major problem skin, spending $90 on a .5oz moisturiser just doesn’t make sense.

Cleansing

I’ve been using something that just got discontinued (GOD DAMMIT) so I won’t tell you what it is. However, I’m going to switch over to Aveeno’s Ultra Calming foaming cleanser for the nighttime and a rosewater/glycerine blend in the morning, to try and help with the dryness (which I’m hoping is in part becasue of over-cleansing, though knowing my luck it probably isn’t.)

I have used the Aveeno once or twice out of curiosity, and it looks good so far! No adverse reaction, and it’s quite hard for a cleanser to make your skin breakout in my opinion – they clean, and promptly are cleaned off. The only reason they should be causing acne or oiliness is if they aren’t cleaning enough!

Moisturising

This changes on a daily basis for me, depending on what sunscreen I’m using. But, for the most part, I use Olay Complete for Sensitive Skin creme both in the day and the night. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, right? It’s only SPF15 (boo) but I’m hesitant to try other things because I’ve only encountered failure when trying out new moisturisers.

It’s much more likely to screw up your skin with a moisturiser than it is to screw it up with a cleanser, as these stay on your skin all day long! However, you must be sure to wait at least 28 days before judging a new moisturiser – if it truly is clogging your pores, that’s about how long it will take for you to break out. Anything else and it’s either a coincidence or a form of allergic reaction (or irritation. It’s possible that a moisturiser will make it look like you’re breaking out after only 24 hours, simply because your underlying acne surfaces/reddens due to irritation!)

Priming and toning

Quite frankly, I rarely do either. My skin is still young enough that neither is really necessary, though I do on occasion prime. (For this I love The Body Shop’s Vitamin C Skin boost, a gorgeously smooth, fresh, and incredibly luxe moisturiser/serum/treatment.)

As for a toner? I’ll be switching over to morning-cleansing with a toner soon (once I can find a bottle of rosewater, dammit! Everyone is out of stock!) not because I want to tighten my skin, or extract oil, or anything along those lines. Rather, I’m doing it because I don’t want to over-cleanse!! I’m thinking that’s why I’m super-dry during parts of the day and slightly oily during others.

Acne

Fortunately, I’ve never really had a problem with facial acne – my problem is on my back! (ick.) To treat this, I’ve used Neutrogena’s Oil-Free Body Wash religiously (for the past three years or so!) following up with Clearasil Ultra Vanishing Cream (2% salycilic acid, 1.5% benzoyl peroxide). I still have acne, so this isn’t the holy grail duo for me, but they do really help tone it down. Plus, the body wash was released about a year ago in another scent – grapefruit, one of my favourits! It smells fantastic.

When I do have acne on my face – and I almost always have one pesky little zit, don’t get me wrong – I treat it with one of two things: Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 (not available in Canada, so my sister and I stock up while we’re in the US. Canucks, you can pick up Persa-Gel 5, but not 10. 5/10% benzoyl peroxide.) or Mario Badescu’s Drying Cream (sulfer). The latter is a new addition to my skincare routine, and it’s been incredibly effective!

(Plus, the Drying Cream is meant to be used during the day and layered under concealer – it’s amazingly opaque and has very good hold, so not only does it treat, it helps colour-correct/conceal!)

*for those of you with major “teenage acne”, consider $50/month on a facial instead of on tons of expensive skincare products. It’s fun, feels great, and will help a ton (as long as you’re getting the right facial!) Just find a facialist that you like who knows his/her stuff!

** on another note, make sure you keep your phone and cellphone clean to keep bacteria off your cheeks. I’m not even kidding. Spray it with some alcohol every couple of weeks or every month!

LOLfacials.
Did you really think all these images could be serious?!

Suncare

Always wear it! Please see the following links: PureScreen, specific listings, Skincare: sun

Masks etc

I only use one mask on a semi-regular basis: Queen Helene’s Mint Julep Mask. It’s very cheap and very effective – what more can you ask for? And, just for the record, it’s great on both my t-zone and my mom’s very oily one. (I just have to make sure I rinse mine off earlier if it starts to feel too tight as it dries.)

Other

Feel free to ask about any skin-specific recommendations and so fourth! Though I cannot promise I’ll be able to answer all your problems right now (oh god! Busy!) I do have a number of lists compiled for various products and for various skin types, found through reading a lot of reviews on sites like drugstore.com, Sephora, and Makeup Alley.

Aside from that – just don’t stress about your skin. We all have skin problems and they’re all understandable! Stress only makes it worse (yes, stress can cause acne!)

So here’s my big skin secret, and the reason why it always looks flawless:

For me, this means spot-concealing only where I have to, and setting only in those areas. Keep those hands away from your face – they get dirty when you’re out and about. Who knows what bacteria you picked up off that doorknob? Do you realy want that on your face? Powder (like my HG silica) is special-occasion-only, and foundation? Blog-look-only! I cleanse right when I get home, cutting down the amout of time my skin spends in makeup by half. And nothing on the weekends!

I know, I know, it sucks. But five years with mild acne and having it fairly exposed, as opposed to ten years with major cystic acne and a slather of foundation over it? I choose the former. Trust me – you’ll thank yourself for it when you’re twenty-two and have gorgeous, scar-free skin! (Unlike all of your friends. Poor things never got a chance to read this post *ahem*)