So I’m gonna get really real today and talk about a body part that has plagued me for nearly three decades of my life. My skin. I have had troubled skin for as long as I can remember and it has been a long, hard road to finally feel confident with the way my face looks. Acne is a frustrating problem that many teenagers face, but it becomes infinitely more difficult when you are still struggling with breakouts well into your thirties. I have been to many dermatologists over the years and I have tried EVERY medication. Antibiotics, Retin-A, Accutane, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, etc. I have cried tears of frustration, not let people see me without makeup and at times avoided going places so I wouldn’t be seen with extreme breakouts. I have religiously washed my face twice a day, even when I stumbled in at 2:00 in the morning after a night out drinking in college. I’ve learned a few things over the years and I have finally found products that I believe have been complete game changers for my skin. And now I can share these findings with you!

AM Skincare Routine

1. CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser– I wash my face morning and night with this cleanser based upon my dermatologists recommendation and it is my favorite cleanser that I have ever tried. It clears away oil and makeup completely without drying the skin and restores the skin’s moisture balance with added ceramides. There are no added fragrances to irritate your skin and it is non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog your pores. I use the formula specifically designed for normal to oily skin, but there are formulations for many different skin types.
2. Clinique Turnaround Daytime Revitalizing Moisturizer– I LOVE the lightweight, silky finish of this moisturizer almost as much as I love that it never clogs my pores and causes breakouts! As anyone with troubled skin knows, nothing is more frustrating than having dry, flaky patches mixed in with oily, broken out skin. What in the world are you supposed to do with that?!? Luckily, this moisturizer comes to the rescue and dries smoothly enough to be worn under foundation. It is my absolute favorite!
3. Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream– This is the perfect eye cream to apply in the morning before priming your eyes for eyeshadow. I love that the lightweight, non-greasy formula never causes my eyeshadow to crease the cooling applicator helps to reduce redness and puffiness.
4. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment– After I wash my face, I swipe on a bit of this lip treatment to exfoliate and moisturize my lips. While I work on the rest of my makeup this stuff works it’s magic and my lips are perfectly primed when I’m ready to apply my lipstick.

PM Skincare Routine

1. CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser- I pump this onto the brush head of my Clarisonic for my nightly washing.
2. Clarisonic Mia Fit Facial Cleansing Brush– My sister-in-law calls this a tootbrush for your face, and there might be some truth to that. The Clarisonic brushes use tiny rotations of the brush head to gently remove all traces of stubborn makeup and dirt. It also gently exfoliates any dead skin cells, revealing brighter, healthier skin to make you look younger. There are many different types of brush heads to choose from, depending upon your specific skin type. I am an avid fan of this product and I think it should be a part of every women’s cleansing routine.
3. Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover– Eye makeup is my favorite part of my daily routine and I wear some heavy duty eyeliner and mascara to prevent running or smudging. That is fantastic for 14 hours of the day, but it can prove difficult to remove some of these formulas when the day is over! I love that this Clinique eye makeup remover can easily remove even the most stubborn eyeliner without any tugging. Put a little on an cotton ball and wipe all traces of your eye makeup away.
4. Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Intensive Eye Contour Cream– I know we women hate finding evidence of aging with fine lines and wrinkles around the eye area. I have been on a quest to turn back the hands of time without going under the knife or having fillers injected into my face. For that reason, I am willing to spend a little more for this amazing eye cream to hopefully prolong my youthful appearance(or at least be given the illusion that my appearance is still youthful!) Shiseido’s cream feels so thick and luxurious and I wake up each morning with freshly hydrated skin around my eyes.
5. Epiduo Forte– To say that I love this product would be a gross understatement. This is a prescription, so you need to see a dermatologist to use this product, but if you are an adult suffering with acne I highly recommend it. I contains adapalene and benzoyl peroxide and I have noticed a huge difference in my breakouts since I started using it. As an added bonus, adapalene is also an exfoliator that can help prevent fine lines and wrinkles. Two for the price of one! I have noticed that while using this product, my pores are tighter, my skin looks brighter and I avoid cystic acne breakouts completely.

I hope you found these product recommendations useful.  I know how frustrating it is to struggle with sensitive skin, so if I can help one person see an improvement in their own skin it will have been worth it.

All the ❤︎,

Nicole