Current skincare regime

I have struggled with my skin since I was a teenager. Now in my early 30s, I continue to have acne, and now also have acne scars, texture, melasma, sun spots, redness, psoriasis. I describe my skin as sensitive, dehydrated, oily, breakout prone.

This for me has carried a great emotional weight. People feel the need to comment on my skin - pointing out blemishes, offering unsolicited advice. I will never understand this. As a person with acne, I know I have acne. I am acutely, often painfully aware, that I have acne. People talk about acne as if it were a moral issue - that someone with acne must have done something wrong to “deserve it.” Often, oversimplifying the complexity of this disease, that it must be a lack of willpower, action, know how. When really, it can be quite complex in its origins, and challenging to treat.

As I get older, however, I work to radically accept the skin I have, in any state it is in. That I will love it, and care for it at all times.

Makeup can be a very powerful tool here. But it’s this catch-22 where if I don’t cover up, strangers ask me in restrooms if I’m okay. If I do wear makeup, there is judgment that this action is shallow, frivolous. You just can’t win.

And that is why I have boundaries in place - I enforce my boundaries when people attempt to talk about my appearance, and direct comments elsewhere. I wear makeup for me, to please me only. I take care of my skin, treat it well. Accept it for what it looks like, how it reacts.

Here below is my current skincare regimen as of late, that my skin seems to like. This is not advice on what to do, but rather my current reflections on what is working for me.

1. Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm

   I am a believer in the double cleanse method - a great way to make sure your face is cleansed of SPF and makeup, without stripping natural oils. This stuff gets the job done. A great value for money - I’m convinced that this is the most affordable balm cleanser - the price is lower and the volume is bigger than most cleansing balms. This is something I use a lot of, so I don’t want to get the priciest version if I don’t have to. I like that its a squeeze tube and not a tub for better hygiene (I also use less this way, so it lasts longer). Does leave a residue, but that is what 2nd cleanse is for. This doesn’t irritate my skin or make me break out.

2. Bybi Oat Milk Cleanser
   My skin is so sensitive, that even the Cervave gentle cleanser makes me break out. That’s what I’m working with here! (Cerave makes a great cleanser that would work for most people). The Bybi cleanser, however, delightfully does not break me out. It’s a very gentle but effective 2nd cleanse step. Importantly fragrance free. My skin feels clean but not stripped after using this. Very cool, eco friendly, recyclable sugarcane-derived bioplastic packaging.

3. Honest Beauty Hydrogel Cream
   This is such an amazing moisturizer. I need something that hydrates dehydrated skin, but one that isn’t so heavy that it causes breakouts, or sits on top of my skin looking greasy. This one is such a winner - the Goldilocks correct amount. I can use it under makeup during the day - soaks in and plumps up skin. It’s enough moisture for nighttime, too.

4. Saie Slip Tint tinted moisturizer
   I thought this product was for teens with perfect skin who needed SPF. I’m so glad I tried it on my non-perfect skin, anyways, because I was wrong. This product is great, and I think it would suit a lot of people. It is very light coverage, that’s true, but the finish is very natural looking, and most importantly - smoothing. It helps cover some of my texture. It dries down a bit to a comfortable, skin like finish, and has good longevity. The coverage isn’t nothing - I find it dulls my redness, but still lets my freckles show. I go in with some concealer after, and it gives me the exact coverage I am looking for, with SPF in it. Most SPFs break me out. Not the case with this product. My skin actually looks healthier and better after I use this, and not more irritated.

5. The Ordinary Peeling Solution
   This is a mask I use rarely (less than weekly) when my skin is feeling very congested. This gets compared to the baby facial from Drunk Elephant. This product is much more affordable and works better, while being gentler at the same time. This does not irritate my skin, but I make sure to use it only for a short amount of time, and rarely.

Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.