My (Acne) Skin Care Routine

This is what I do morning and night and it has helped keep my acne at by while also helping reduce my acne scars. I have super oily skin with mild acne/moderate and super huge pores. Using this routine I still get ~1 – 2 pimples a month (due to hormones) but it’s a lot less than what I used to get. This routine has also drastically reduced my acne scars (thanks to the Olay Complexion Renewing Lotion).

(I have the Proactiv toner in a pump dispenser so it's easier to use)

Night

St. Ives Acne Scrub (I know this is bad but I use this to take off my tinted moisturizer, and it does come off after I use this! It works for me because with my oily skin, 30-40% of my tinted moisturizer has already disappeared from my face throughout the day)

Proactiv Toner (to remove excess scrub/makeup – I notice that when I skip this step, I get a few more pimples than normal even if I use the acne treatment)

Olay Pro-X Complexion Renewing Lotion (The best dark spot correct I have tried, hands down. There were noticeable results within the first week of use.)
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel - Best gel moisturizer ever. Pretty standard moisturizer, it helps keep my face soft and I just love it!

Proactiv Step 3 - Acne treatment w/ 2.5% Benzyol Peroxide (As long as I use this every night, my acne stays away [in combination with step 2])

(Garnier Moisture Rescue for dry skin – I use this whenever I feel like it)

Clinique All About Eyes roller eye cream (I’m too lazy to dip my hand in a jar so I like roller balls)

Morning

Simple Refreshing Facial Wash Gel (I LOVEE this cleanser because it's so gentle on the skin and leaves my face very soft. I like this in the morning because I don't want to strip my face at the beginning of the day. It's also a dupe for the Clinique Liquid Facial Soap!)

Proactiv Toner (The cleanser doesn’t completely clean my face so I follow up with this)

Olay Pro-X Complexion Renewing Lotion 
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel 

Clinique All About Eyes roller cream

If there is only one thing for me to recommend you try, it’s the Olay Pro-X Complexion Renewing Lotion. You can find it on Amazon for $8.49 (it’s so cheap because it’s a discontinued product) and you will see your scars –even old ones- noticeably fade in a week.

If you suffer from mild acne and have oily skin, I would recommend you try Proactiv (I get the 120 day set on eBay for ~$65 and the jumbo sized bottles last me about 8 months which is about $0.50 a day for clear skin!) If you have dry or sensitive skin, you can try this but I wouldn’t recommend it because all these products will dry your skin out.  

Update: I used to use the Proactiv cleanser but it started irritating my skin so I switched to the Simple Refreshing Gel

Dupe for Clinique Liquid Facial Soap

I've been a fan of Clinique's Liquid Facial soap for almost 5 years now. It's the perfect simple cleanser. It doesn't strip your skin and after you wash it off, it makes your skin feel very soft. 

When Simple was still new to the market, they had a promotion where they gave out free deluxe sized samples of their Refreshing Facial Wash Gel. Honestly, it's been in my beauty storage for about a year because I forgot about it. My skin was feeling very dry one day so I wanted to change my cleanser to a normal one instead of using my Proactiv one.

Guess what? I loved it.

It is EXACTLY like the Clinique Liquid Facial Soap. The consistency is the same, gel. It also leaves your face feeling very soft and clean. The only difference is that if I remember correctly, the Clinique one has a slight fragrance to it (ever so slight) but this one has no fragrance at all. I also feel like I treating my skin better when I'm using this since Simple products are better for sensitive skin.

I will definitely repurchase!

If you want a cheaper alternative to the Clinique Liquid Facial Soap, you have to give this a try! Or even if you're on the lookout for an everyday non stripping cleanser, this would work great! (I have oily skin and this makes my skin feel so soft!) 

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel Review

This product is one of my all-time favorite moisturizers. (I got this in a set of 2 for $40 from the Cosmetics Company Outlet.)


Let's start out by saying, I have purchased at least 4 bottles of this stuff since I found out about it from Juicystar07 (now it's at 6).

You can really see the gel's texture here.

It has a lightweight-gel consistency (not runny at all) and does not feel oily at all. I never liked the original moisturizing lotion because I felt that felt too oily on my skin. 

This is my go-to moisturizer in the spring/fall months when my skin needs some moisture but not too much and (or whenever my other moisturizer runs out). I always have a bottle of this stuff on hand because I can trust it to not break me out and keep my face soft and moisturized.



Quick Review of the rest of the products from the 3-Step line

I've also tried the Liquid Facial Soap Oily Skin Formula from the 3-Step System from Clinique and it was a pretty good cleanser. It did not strip my skin and also made my skin feel really soft. I would recommend it to anyone with combination/oily skin. I stopped using this because I needed a cleanser that would treat my acne but I would purchase this again during winter months.

The Clarifying Lotion 3 was an OK product. It was a pretty typical toner. It didn't necessarily help with my acne (though it doesn't claim to but I wish it did). I wouldn't repurchase. I also got the jumbo sized version and never got to finish it because there was so much.

Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer in Custard vs MAC Prolongwear Concealer

Shade: Custard

I received the Nars concealer as a birthday present from a friend. The Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer retails for $28. 

Shade: NC 25

The MAC Prolongwear Concealer retails for $19.

MAC Prolongwear Concealer (NC 25) on the left and Nars Creamy Concealer (Custard) on the right.

The concealers blended in.
This photo did not do my arm hair justice :(

NARS Concealer Review
As far as coverage on a concealer goes, I would say the NARS concealer has a medium coverage. I have super dark circles so this concealer kind of covers them but not as much as I would have liked. This concealer also does not last long on my face at all. I'm not the type of person to bring concealer in my bag to touch up so by the end of the day, the concealer is half gone from under my eyes.

It is not super thick and pretty easy to blend in. I find it to be very easy to control the amount to apply (since it is a doefoot applicator). This concealer is actually a tad bit too dark for my NC 25 skintone. In certain lighting, the concealer looks a little orange under my eyes (it's slightly too dark for me). 


MAC Prolongwear Concealer Review
This concealer has a medium-full coverage. Slightly more full coverage than the NARS concealer but still not enough coverage to be a full coverage concealer in my books (I consider full coverage concealer to be those tattoo covering concealers.) This concealer lasts pretty much all day (maybe 15-20% has faded throughout the day but that is an acceptable amount for me since I have super-oily skin and since my dark circles aren't showing it's good enough for me!) 

The concealer is a slightly thicker liquid consistency than the NARS one but also watery. I put a little too much on the back of my hand today and it ran down a little. (With this pump, it's a little hard getting the correct amount out.)


Overall:
To gals with dark circles like me get the Prolongwear Concealer! It has more coverage and lasts longer on your face. And it's cheaper! Best one I've tried so far!

Clear Total Care Shampoo and Conditioner Review

I bought this set from Target for $10. I have typical Asian hair, straight, normal, oily, with occasional split ends.

Clear Total Care Shampoo

I apply this only to my roots. This product foams up pretty well and smells really nice. But after rinsing this off, it leaves my hair squeaky clean feeling and I feel like it strips my hair after every time I use it. I would not repurchase this shampoo again.

(I'm on my second bottle of this conditioner because I love it so much!)

Clear Total Care Conditioner

I LOVEEEE this conditioner. I apply this all over my hair (from the roots to the ends). My friend who is super obsessed with hair-care told me to put conditioner in my roots because that is where healthy hair starts from and I can honestly say, I think this is true. My hair looks and feels a lot healthier and I have a lot less split ends. As long as I rinse this product properly out of my roots, it does not make my hair unnecessarily oily (but my scalp is naturally oily to begin with). This stuff is super hydrating and leaves my hair so soft and smelling nice. I am on my second bottle of this and I will definitely repurchase. This was a great buy for the winter season because it was so hydrating. I don’t know if I will continue to use this in the summer when my hair gets 324x oilier. I might consider switching to a thinner conditioner but I will definitely come back to this during the colder months! 

Products I Regret Buying

Sorry, I don't have any personal pictures for these products because I hated them so much I threw them out.


Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Oil Free B.B. Cream in Light/Medium, Combination to Oily Skin (for reference, I am a MAC NC 20-25)

I bought it from Rite Aid for ~$12.The consistency of this product was pretty nice, it was liquidy and slightly runny. The coverage was light - light/medium. After using it 2-3x, the product exploded out of the packaging and get really messy if you don't store it upside down (this happens every time you open it). The coverage does not last all day. Your face would get oily SO FAST from this product, definitely do not try it if you are oily!


BRTC Blemish Recover Balm

I bought this from eBay for ~$15. This product was pretty thick for a bb cream and the finish looked very unnatural. I bought this product in hopes it would help with my acne/scars but it didn't. I used this product 2-3x before I threw it out. 

Jouer Matte Moisture Tint Review in Nude

This is going to be a review for one of my favorite-est foundation/tinted moisturizers. (For reference, I am between a MAC NC 20 and NC 25 depending on the season.)

I first found out about this product through my Birchbox subscription. They sent me a tiny sample size version of it (in a color that was wayy to dark for my skin) but I put a little on the back of my hand to test it out anyways. I was blown away when I tested it. It had the consistency of a mousse (so it was very lightweight) and it also had decent coverage. The tinted moisturizer dries to a natural matte finish (not like the super obvious finish that some powders give you). 

(I took these pictures with flash so it might look a bit shiny but it's actually matte!)

I mostly use this everyday since it's so light and it also stays on my face by the end of the day (maybe 20-30% of it is gone because of my super-oilyness but I'm fine with that because for every other foundation I have tried, there might have only been 50% max left on my face). 

I also have a few acne scars around my mouth and this product does a pretty good job in minimizing the appearance of them. (This is not a full coverage product so don't expect it to completely cover your scars.) But this product does make the scars less noticeable to the point where you almost don't see the scars unless you are less than a foot away from my face. I tend to go for a natural-coverage foundation so I don't mind a slighttttttt scar peeping through.

This product does an ok job in keeping your face matte (mind you, I'm SUPERRRR oily) but I'm fine with blotting ~every 3-4 hours since I have to do that no matter what product I use. I wouldn't recommend this for someone with dry skin but if you have normal-combination skin, go for it!

I purchased mine from eBay for ~$25 instead of the retail price of $38. I never thought about buying it on eBay until I read it in a comment on MakeupAlley. I'm pretty sure I got an authentic foundation because I did not break out from this and it feels just like the sample version I got from Birchbox. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend you buy this product if you are looking for something that stays on your face all day, feels lightweight, and is light-medium coverage. Not sure if I would buy it for $38 but at $25, it is definitely worth it!