My Steps to Soft, Smooth and Clear Skin!

Acne has been a nightmare for me since around the

No Make-Up Late Night Face

end of eighth grade. It is hell having to approach someone with a big pimple in between your forehead. It feels as though every person in the world is staring and talking to the huge white headed pimple on your face instead of you. My skin is normal to combo and also quite sensitive - which can be hard to find amazing face care products. I've been through various products and brands to get my skin clear and fresh and finally have found the right ones for me!

The brands I use include: Clean & Clear, Simple, Biore and Lush. I find that these products don't break me out and keep my skin feeling fresh and clean. Depending on the season I use two different Clean & Clear Collections. Right now since it is summer, my face tends to be a lot more oily than usual so I use the Clean & Clear Essentials Foaming Facials Cleanser in Oil Free followed by the Deep Cleaning Astringent -also in oil free- to help treat and prevent pimples. I found these products to help me extremely well during the summer time and help treat my breakouts before they occur. Moving on to every other season of the year - when I am not oily - I will use Clean & Clear Advantage: Acne Control Kit. The kit comes with three items: A Cleanser, Moisturizer, and A Spot Treatment. Now I use this moisturizer year round when I do not have my Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. It is an amazing moisturizer that is also extremely affordable. My favorite thing about this kit is definitely the spot treatment. The spot treatment has helped me so much with breakouts. I will put it on before bed and when I wake up my pimple is barely noticeable and I absolutely love it! It is a great product that gets the job done fast. If you're like me and you get blackheads all over your nose, I suggest Biore Deep Cleaning Pore Strips. They really dig down deep to unclog the pores. For Exfoliates I use Angels on Bare Skin by Lush and Clean & Clear's Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub. Both are absolutely amazing and leave my skin feeling soft and fresh. For my type of skin type I recommend using Lush opposed to Clean & Clear because although I love Clean & Clear's Scrub, I find that it is actually rather harsh on my skin and leaves me with pinkness on my face. On the other hand, Angels on Bare Skin is very smooth and gentle which not only leaves smoothness and freshness but actually balances out my skin tone as well taking away all the pinkness from my face which I absolutely love! It leaves my skin feeling radiant and beautiful. A bonus to this product is that it is made with lavender oil which makes my skin smell delightful.

5 Tips to keep in mind while trying to clear up your skin:

1. ALWAYS take your makeup off before you go to bed. You've probably heard this tons and tons of times but seriously I cannot stress this enough. Going to bed with a face caked with makeup will clog your pores leaving you with blackheads and pimples and things you don't even know could be on your face. Leave some makeup removing wipes next to your bed for those nights where you're insanely tired so you can just do it right there! My favorite is Simple Skin Cares Cleansing Facial Wipes. It really gets the job done great and fast. 
2. Don't over wash. I know back in middle school I thought washing my face constantly will clear my skin faster and just make my skin better. It won't. If you over wash your skin is being stripped of natural oils making it unbalanced and not very healthy. Two times a day should be the max.
3. Exfoliate - don't scrub. Exfoliating is great! It leaves your skin soft and smooth - which is an amazing feeling. Don't make the mistake - like I did for so long - to scrub. Scrubbing can cause your face to be irritated and actually hurt your skin from roughness which isn't good at all. Think of your skin like Fine China. You must be gentle to make sure you don't harm it. 
4. Don't touch your face or put anything dirty on your face. You've probably also heard this a lot too. It is just when you put your hands on your face all the bacteria on it from the day is going to travel onto your face leading to pimples. You also don't want to put any other objects on your face either - for instance - don't put your phone on your face when you talk either use speaker phone or hold the phone a couple inches away from your face so it does not touch it. 
5. DO NOT pop your pimples! We hear this time and time again but popping your pimples create more pimples and acne scars. I would be lying if I say I never pop my pimples; it is an instant instinct. But trust me, your pimple will be gone faster if you do not pop it. 

Even Though I have found my way to clear skin does not mean I never get breakouts anymore. I am a teenager, It's going to happen. Honestly, It is going to happen to all of us for the rest of our lives. It is just how life is. We need to realize that beauty is only skin deep. It doesn't matter if you have pimples all over your body or you have the clearest of skins. Who you are on the inside is going to show on the outside.

"Beauty to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick." - Gwyneth Paltrow