When it comes to your skin what goes into your body can be as equally as important as what you put on it, and while it’s a bit trickier to maintain a healthy diet all the time because… well cookies you can take satitisfaction in knowing you’re cleansing it properly.
Washing off your makeup at the end of the day is probably the single most effective way to keep your skin healthy, vibrant, and acne and wrinkle free. I don’t know about you blog reader, but I have a really difficult time finding a cleanser that is strong enough to remove my makeup (you know us blogger tend to wear makeup a lot for shoots), but gentle enough not to dry my skin out. By fiddling around with some different products I think I’ve finally found a combination that works for my sensitive acne prone skin.
For the past couple weeks I’ve been testing out these products from GM Collin. I like to get a solid feel for the products before I recommend them to you (or anyone); it’s not enough for me to use them a handful of times, and just fire it up on the blog. I don’t work like that.
I’ve been using both the PURACTIVE + Mild Cleansing gel most evenings while cleansing off my makeup, and alternating with the Deep Cleansing Solution every other day. The Deep Cleansing Solution does exactly what it says it’s a deep clean and it’s designed to remove oil, so if you’re like me and you dry out easily you both need this deep clean, and oil removal, but you can’t do it everyday.
Cue the PURACTIVE + Mild Cleansing Gel! It’s gentle fragrance-free and alcohol-free foaming gel easily removes impurities and your makeup, but also allow for hydration as well. The Oxygen Puractive+ line is formulated with a synergy of 100% natural ingredients and seven plant extracts that: hydrate, tighten pores, protect from environmental stressors, and moisturize the skin so that the complexion looks, and feels great.
Of course the weekend I decided to give these products a test run I had been battling the WORST breakout. It was so odd too because it was like a line down my face of perfectly symmetrical zits. I changed my pillow case, as I thought this could have been the culprit because it was clearly happening on one side only and that’s the side I sleep on. Fun fact if you break out a lot it could be bacteria from your pillowslip so make sure to change them often. It makes sense if you think about it.
Because of this little breakout fiesta that was happening I was really excited to try the Essential Oils Complex. Rich in essential oils this product “soothes and refreshes” acne prone skin without causing dryness (holla)! It’s said that it’s great to improve the look of localized imperfections and comedones, so naturally I went to town on those little suckers and using a cotton ball I applied this product twice a day until they dissipated. This product is also great if you have oily skin, as it’s complex helps create a matte finish.
When it comes to acne prone skin, and taking care of it there’s one thing you should never skip and that’s toner. Now I’ve had a long and miserable battle with toners, and I almost always hate them. It’s really tricky for me when I’m chatting to people about my skin because once they hear acne they think you’re skin is oily, and while that can be true I actually find my skin very dry, and also very sensitive to redness.
Almost always people suggest products that are too intense for my skin, and then I never use them because I find it’s too harsh. My skin feels tight, and it’s flakes because it’s too dry, and it’s just a miserable experience so I figure why bother? And I throw in the towel. When I asked about what toner would be best the lovely (and knowledgeable) lady from GM Colin suggested trying one of these treating mists that she assures isn’t overly drying. She also suggested that you should consider testing them both out first because you just never know how your skin will react.
Toner is a very important step because despite the best efforts of cleansers there’s almost always something still left behind. It always amazes me how much makeup comes up on my cotton pad (I mean I do wear a lot of blush lol so that could be a huge part of it), but acne is caused by bacteria, so you want to minimize that as much as possible. DON’T SKIP THE TONER!
When you’re acne prone like me you really do rely on a good clean, but you also need products that are light on the skin. You’ll probably find that you do well with gel based products rather than creams which are a bit heavier.
Which is why I truly adore the Rosa Sea Gel Cream. Perfect for sensitive or reactive skin, and even helps to reduce redness. Which I can actually attest to when I apply this gel cream at night I actually do find I’m less red in the morning. I’ve also warn this product under my makeup and it sits fine, and doesn’t disrupt my application or how it feels throughout the day at all. This is probably one of my favorite new products that I’ve tried from GM Colin. I have the most difficult time finding hydrating products that don’t break me out, and this one has been great.
This may seem like a lot of steps, and when you’re zonked at the end of the day I get it you don’t want to go through all these steps, but if you’re piling on the makeup you’re really going to want to cleanse your face well. Just think, cleanser, toner, moisture, and you should be in the clear! Add in a little exfoliant (I like this one) into your routine every few days, and you’ll see some dramatic results I promise (if not now, but in your distant future).
This is pretty much my basic nighttime routine for the past little while, and I simply wash my face with water in the morning, and use a cotton pad with a little toner on it before applying my serums, sunscreens and what not for the day. More on those coming soon!
Hope you found this helpful! Let me know if you have any questions I’d be happy to answer them.
xx
Short Presents
