The Skincare That's Keeping My Skin Really Clear Right Now
The fact that I struggled with my skin over the later half of 2016 isn't something that I've been shy to share. And I could never pinpoint where these breakouts were coming from as they were always in the same patch and whilst they healed temporarily nothing was getting rid of them for good. They behave almost like a rash rather than traditional breakouts which isn't something I'm used to. Whilst I've still never quite got to the bottom of why my skin is being problematic I have found a few things that have been helping it stay pretty clear and are helping to heal the scars that the breakouts have been causing.
A CALM & REGULAR ROUTINE
I love products that can brighten and tighten the skin, there is absolutely no denying that but when you've got sore breakouts that are tender the last thing you want to be doing is aggravating them anymore with harsh products. Luckily, there are very few products that do that in my routine anyway but I've been really strict on myself to use gentle products only whilst my skin goes through a little bit of a meltdown. So things like the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish has been an absolute staple, it's truly one of the best cleansers in my opinion when your skin is going through a rough time. As well as reaching mainly for calming products I've also made sure that I've really not scrimped on the cleansing in the AM & PM, even if I've not worn makeup all day it's still not an excuse not to properly wash my face.
HORMONES
Over the past few years, I've noticed that the blogging world is a lot more open to talking about periods and hormones which I'm so thankful for. After having the contraceptive implant completely destroy my skin it made me so much aware of the hormones that I'm pumping into my body. After having a horrendous experience with the implant causing problems with my skin and my digestive system I knew it wasn't something that should be taken so lightly which I often feel it is. As of right now my skin seems to be ok with the hormones it's having as well as the rest of my body and I always get the one hormonal spot on my chin right before my period starts and that's it. When your skin freaks out it's so easy to blame everything else but your form of contraception I know but it's something to be aware of.
THE PRODUCTS
FIGS & ROUGE DARK SPOT CORRECTOR*: I've been trying out a few products from Figs & Rouge who aren't a brand I'm all that familiar with apart from using one of their lip balms many years ago. They've got an entire skincare line dedicated to the issue of dark spots and this serum is lovely. It doesn't feel like anything revolutionary when you apply it and generally seems like a standard formulation upon first impressions. It's hydrating on the skin but not so much so that it will interfere with the balance of the complexion which is something that is important to my skin right now. This product contains retinol which is a known ingredient to be used in products that are aimed at diminishing the appearance of scars and dark marks and even though I'm not sure on exact percentage it seems to be effective on my skin. My chin is a little bit of a mess right now and this has really approved the appearance of the scars as well as the general tone and texture of my skin overall too. At £21 I would say it's a more reasonable option for a corrective treatment as they can really wrack up in price.
FIGS & ROUGE TARGETED BREAKOUT CORRECTOR*: A dedicated spot treatment isn't something that I've used for years as I've never quite found one that really worked all that well. Usually, they can be super drying and cause irritation to the rest of the complexion which I find off-putting. Another item from Figs & Rouge I've been testing out has been their targeted breakout corrector which is an almost watery type of moisturiser that you apply directly to breakouts. This doesn't just aim to stop breakouts in their tracks but can also help to diminish the marks that breakouts give. At first, it's hard to tell a difference with this as it's a little bit of a slow burner and unlike every other blemish treatment I've used you can't detect it on the skin. It's safe to use over a general area of skin for this reason and I like to use it all over my chin to help with breakouts. If you've got particularly sensitive skin then I would say this is a great targeted spot treatment as it's so gentle.
MERUMAYA CONCENTRATED SPOT TREATMENT*: This is a more traditional spot treatment as you can really feel it on the skin when you apply it and it does sting ever so slightly [something I don't really mind]. It contains salicylic acid which is why you can feel it on the skin and I've found it to the best option for stopping those pesky white heads from properly forming. I had one spring up not too long ago and I popped this on it overnight and by the morning it had gone, its probably not going to that effective on all breakouts but on those tiny but annoying little blemishes it works a treat. I'd be wary about using this on larger patches of skin as I can imagine it would be a little drying but directly on the spot it's awesome. It's also cheaper than the Figs & Rouge item making it a great budget friendly beauty product. So if you're after an effective spot treatment than this might be worth checking out.
