how I felt with my acne
I wish I could open this up by saying I have a minimal skincare routine. I envy the women who are on Into The Gloss talking about how little makeup they wear and how they barely do skincare. I’m all about embracing your flaws, but I’m also someone who likes wearing makeup and strives for the best skin possible. I don’t have perfect skin; not even close. I’m 36 and have two small kids. These three things have made a pretty big impact on my skin. I also work in an industry that offers me a lot of skincare and makeup to test (hey, I’m not complaining), but it’s been in the last few months where I’ve had to start asking myself a very important question, “Will this give me acne?”
I’ve been in a toxic relationship with my hormonal acne for around 4 years now. Just when I think I may be getting out of it, it finds its way back to me! This isn’t just acne, either. It’s the painful, ugly, cystic acne that leaves you terrified when the next lurker is about to break free! Dealing with this kind of relentless acne is not something I wish on anyone. If you are battling it currently or have in the past, you know how difficult it can be to get rid of. Well, after years of battling it, I’m finally feeling optimistic about my skin. I’m not totally out of the cycle, but I think I may have found something that works for me.
There have been countless things I’ve tried to knock this acne. I have tried diet, different makeup, different makeup brushes, different skincare and different hormonal birth controls—none of which have worked. A few months ago, I decided to finally go to a dermatologist and she prescribed a benzoyl peroxide product for me to apply to my face and she recommended I do this for at least six weeks. I don’t judge anyone for using whatever they need for their skin. To each their own, but I was immediately uncomfortable using this product. I didn’t like the idea of something so harsh on my skin. It made me peel, made my whole face hurt and it was causing my skin to be inflamed. I knew that I probably needed to keep using it to get used to it, but after a few days, I was so irritated I couldn’t handle it anymore.
There was also another issue. I use mostly natural, organic skincare and I love it. I feel good about the products I use on my skin. Except now I’m not sure my skin was in agreement with me. Despite the products being safe and natural, I am starting to think that my skin can’t tolerate a lot of the essential oils in the products I’ve been using. I also think I may have been doing too many cocktail skincare recipes. It was time for a new approach.
I had read tons of reviews on Sephora, every article on Into The Gloss and watched pretty much every YouTube video out there on Drunk Elephant. Like with everything, there were some haters out there, but overall, the line has glorious reviews. So I decided I would start a pretty strict diet of only Drunk Elephant and a few other hero products for three months. I was highly skeptical.
Here has been my routine:
Morning
I don’t do a lot of skincare in the morning. I usually skip cleansing in the morning due to having very dehydrated skin. I only do it if I feel I need it. I usually do some kind of facial spray to wake me up followed by serums and sunscreen.
I will start with a generous spritz of Indie Lee CoQ-10 Toner. This stuff is amazing at waking me up and leaves me refreshed (thanks aloe vera and hyaluronic acid). Bonus: her new packaging finally comes with a spray! No more pouring into my hands and making a mess.
Then I start with my Drunk Elephant routine.
I start with the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum. This product is very popular and for good reason. It’s a potent vitamin C serum that has great results in clearing skin and giving it hydration. The stuff smells like bacon, but in a way it gets me going for breakfast. It also helps with pigmentation issues. Then I add a layer of Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Face Oil—this is my favorite part of my skincare routine. I’m a hydration junkie, and this stuff feels like liquid gold. When my skin was at its worst with inflammation and red, painful pimples I started using this to help soothe my skin and instantly it looked and felt better. I make sure to add it to my neck and hands every morning, too.
I then add my sunscreen. I wear it every single day. Currently, I’m using EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 because my dermatologist recommended it for acne, but I have read some reviews that it’s not super clean. Because I try hard to use mostly clean skincare, I have been dabbling in using Drunk Elephant Umbra Sheer Physical Broad Spectrum Daily Defense SPF 30 and it seems to be working well. However, I still have to use it more to be sure it won’t cause breakouts.
Evening
My evening skincare routine is one of my most treasured parts of my day. After working and doing the nighttime routine with the kids, I feel exhausted come 8 p.m. My pamper time is my much-needed “me time.”
I start by removing my eye makeup with a facial pad (these are by far my favorite ones) with BioDerma Sensibio H20 Micellar Water. This stuff is the best at removing stubborn makeup and doesn’t bother my super sensitive eyes.
Then I cleanse with CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser. This is super gentle. I have tried countless cleansers, but the easy and gentle ones are the best for me. If I feel I need a double cleanse, I will either just use it again or sometimes I will use La Roche-Posay Pigmentclar Dark Spot Face Wash. The verdict is still out on if this actually works, but I really enjoy how foamy and thick it gets. I feel squeaky clean after.
*I did try the Drunk Elephant Pekee Bar + Juju Bars for cleansing after reading a lot of great reviews, but I immediately broke out after. The jury is still out if it was from them or something else, but I have been too afraid to try again.
Then I will spray the Indie Lee CoQ-10 Toner for moisture. Followed by Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Frambroos Glycolic Night Serum. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is the true hero product for improving my hormonal acne. It stings sometimes so you need to be careful about it getting too close to your eyes, but it’s pretty gentle overall. Then I add a generous layer of Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Face Oil.
I’m skeptical of the effectiveness of eye creams but I still use them. The Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream is really soft and gentle. I love the feel of it around my eyes.
I started a few new things that I am testing. I’ve read that moisture can really help with Post Inflammatory Erythema (which is what I suffer from). These are purply, red marks left from sun damage, acne or trauma to the skin but not actually hyperpigmentation. I’ve been adding a layer of essence to my routine, like Tata Harper Concentrated Brightening Essence, which ain’t cheap but man does it feel good!
On super dry nights, I sometimes will add CeraVe Healing Ointment to the areas to my cheeks where I have the marks. I know that sounds scary for acne sufferers, but for me it seems to be OK and feels really nice.
On Sundays, I will do even more, like apply a sheet mask (I love Snail Bee High Content Face Mask) or Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial, which is incredible!
Results
The part we all have been waiting for! What do I think of this after three months of this routine? It’s working! Four years of having nothing change and for this to work is so exciting. I still have the dark marks, but they are fading little by little. I still have some acne pop up, but nothing like I had before and they also seem to go away faster than they did before this routine. You best believe I’m sticking to this! As exciting as it is, sometimes it’s hard with my job. I have so many amazing products to test, but I just have to be really careful and patch test any new product that comes into my routine.
I also have a new birth control that could be helping (TBD) and I also take vitamins. I take Ritual Essentials for Women every day and fish oil. I was also taking HUM Daily Cleanse for two months, but recently stopped and my skin seems to be doing well without it. I would still recommend it though.
I have read a lot of amazing reviews about the Marie Veronique skincare line. I have yet to try it, but I plan to. I have been on a wait list for a year to meet with Kristina Holey (she collaborated with Marie on the skincare line) and next month I finally get to see her for a consultation. Read this raving article about her. I also read Marie’s book on adult acne and it was so informative.
I really hope this helps you. I know when I was at my worst, I felt depressed and helpless as to how I would ever get over my acne cycles. I still have a way to go, but I finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.
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*This post is not sponsored in any way. Drunk Elephant has sent me products to try, but never require me to post anything about them. This is my true, honest experience.
