My Favorite Things- Good Skin Edition

Always a contradiction, I am a huge product junkie, but I am also extremely cheap.  My budget (and common sense) requires me to bargain shop, coupon, and skimp where I can in order to purchase the things I need to be beautiful.  Because of that, I use exclusively “drugstore” products.

I have hereditarily bad skin.  My teenage and early adult years were plagued with a horrible complexion, many dermatologist visits, medicine galore, and, finally, a round of Accutane (which is a seriously intense acne medication, requiring blood tests, birth control, etc etc).  FINALLY, after hundreds of dollars and a lot of heartache, my skin was clear!  Hallelujah!  My complexion completely changed and was perfect.  Years later, however, I found myself breaking out a little bit more.  I tried Proactiv again, which was a waste of money.  THEN I started using Neutrogena’s Complete Acne Therapy System about a month before my wedding.

This stuff is amazing!  It is truly a complete system, which uses both Salicylic Acid AND Benzoyl Peroxide to combat both acne and blackheads.  I was so pleased with this system- until they stopped selling it everywhere!  I think it can still be found online, but not in any stores near me.

So I set out to find my own similar products that would work the same way as the complete system.

Some people’s skin might be too sensitive to use a scrub every day, but I have found this to be the best thing for me.  I use Neutrogena’s Oil-Free Acne Wash Daily Scrub twice a day.  I am very careful to wash off all make-up before bed, so that my breakout-prone-skin won’t have any extra stuff clogging it.

I use this religiously in the mornings.  It hydrates my skin and keeps me from breaking out during the day (which, apparently, is a huge problem for me.  I can have perfectly clear skin in the morning and three or four new zits when I go to bed.)

I use this stuff religiously at night.  It is fairly strong and can have the tendency to dry out my skin.  If I feel like my skin gets a little dry, I just skip it for a night and everything is back to normal.

All of these products work together to keep my skin looking fresh, smooth, and clear- thank GOD!  After years and years of horrible skin, I feel like I finally have the clear, beautiful skin I always wanted.

PS Stay tuned for My Favorite Things- the Make-Up edition, in which I will reveal the LIFE-CHANGING make-up secret that has drastically changed my skin!