I've turned to the skincare guru Caroline Hirons for some advice (her post here). Just in the nick of time Caroline swoops in and delivers a post that I have been longing for for the past week.
At first it was just an angry cheek spot, but then my forehead went bonkers with my chin in tow!
My skin hasn't been this bad since I was about 14, so I was a little surprised when it decided to go a bit mental. I always scan Caroline's blog for her great skincare advice, I believe that she is the reason why I'm always spending so much on skincare bits and bobs.
Long story short I followed her advice down to the letter and these are the products which have been nursing my skin back to its original state.
The main steps to this are to:
Acid tone - Clarins Gentle Exfoliator
Spot treatment - Soap & Glory Dr Spot
Facial Oil - Clarins Lotus Oil
Moisturise - La Roche-Posay Toleraine Fluide
After cleansing your skin ensuring that all make up has been removed follow with an acid toner. My toner of choice is the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator £25.00 which is soaked onto a cotton pad and swiped over the face once and then again on blemishes for good measure. The trick is to leave this for about a minute before continuing on to the next step.
Once you've waited a bit, apply your chosen spot treatment. The idea isn't to necessarily dry the spot up but to reduce the inflammation which is causing all of this red bumpiness. The treatment from S&P Dr Spot £8.00 is full of salicylic acid (any stronger and you'd have to buy it over the counter!) which helps combat redness and exfoliates the blemish eliminating dead skin cells. I used this last night - although quite frequently as I'm following Caroline's tips, and by this morning my spot is no longer painful, it's just there *sad face*.
Next is a facial oil. Caroline will tell you that mineral oil is a no-go for skin as it clogs the pores and will give you more spots, but plant oils are a skin's best friend. Clarins Lotus Oil £30.00 is specially formulated for combination to oily complexions, the plant extracts in this act as an astringent on the skin, and the oils help re-balance the oil that your skin is producing. It's a wonderful night product that can be used alone or under moisturiser. I've had this for a while and you only need a couple of drops every night for this to reveal its magic.
Lastly is my new moisturiser from La Roche-Posay - Toleraine Fluide £14.50 (thank you Amelia Liana!). This moisturiser's main component is spring water meaning that is can be completely absorbed into the skin. Caroline recommends using very little silicone in this routine as you want your skin to absorb absolutely everything you're putting on it. Silicone acts as a barrier, that is why it's so great in make up primers in mattifying the skin and keeping oil at bay. This moisturiser is also for extremely sensitive skin and it's soothing, calming properties are going to help your skin. This should be put on last in your routine.
Hopefully in a few days you should see some progress (I'm hoping to anyway!) The main thing is that your skin has to be kept nourished. For some people drying the odd spot will work perfectly, but sometimes being gentle is the better route. Look for products that are anti-inflammatory as well as exfoliating and moisturising. And if there's one thing to buy at this time of year is a creamy and thick moisturiser for the night time. Oily or dry, most skin is dehydrated and this weather does not help!
Thanks for reading,
Steph
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