My Oily & Acne-Prone Skin Care Routine

Dear beauties,

Those who have a super oily and acne-prone skin, you might be interested to read through my post.

As I mentioned many times earlier through my previous blog posts, I have been struggling with acne (and dermatologist) since I was in Junior High School. I consumed everything; high-dose vitamin A, infused vitamin C, antibiotics, other supplement, etc just to keep the zits away from my face. What I really hate of having acne-prone skin is that we cannot just stop the doctor's medication since the skin would be back to its 'original' condition after a while. This non-stop vicious cycle was once really, really irritating me.

When I got pregnant and had a baby around 3 years ago, I decided to take care of this problem on my own, since some of the medicines were not allowed for pregnant mom. I mean, my last dermatologist said that my acne caused by hormones, and there was nothing I could do about it. Only less than 20% factor came from outside, for instance; make up residue, dirt, etc. I can prove this to you, that even if I didn't wear any make up in daily basis, and tried to wash my skin 3 times a day, my skin is never ever free from acne. The new acne would still be forming when it was close to my menstruation period, and yes, as you could already expected, the acne scars left behind are so annoying and looked like it would stay forever in my face. That is soooo sad.

Thus, last year, I started to tried on several products (skin care) on my face, and as you can assume, I started it from the least expensive or drugstore products. The consequence of doing trial & error, my face could become worse after trying one products. Please be noted that in terms of make up, I have never experienced any case of irritation or severe breakout (only once, with Body Shop compact powder. strange, huh?). But for skin care, yes. In conclusion, I am very allergic to Clinique skin care range and Hada Labo. That really made my skin in trouble. US products are generally safe for me, but I have to admit that Japanese products and me are not good friends. I've never felt satisfied with them (perhaps, except my current most-wanted Majolica Majorca mascara!). As for Korean products, they usually didn't make my skin bad, but definitely not better too. I would say that they just have so-so products for my skin.

Jump to my skin routine (I hope you feel enough with my intro above), let me just tell you that I am wearing regular make up in daily basis. You name it: foundation (or BB cream at the least), powder, blush on, highlighter, eyeshadows, eyeliner and lipstick. I sometimes only skip mascara if I am in hurry. You can imagine that I applied this make up at around 6-7 in the morning, and remove at around 6-7 in the evening. In total, I always wear make up for approximately 12 hours a day, almost 7 days a week (I will let it bare only when I don't go out of home).

I know that it sounds too harsh for my skin. But once again, my skin is not very sensitive and I didn't get much benefit if I let it bare for a quite long time. Below I wanna share with you about how I deal with my skin care routine everyday. I started to realize that skin is a very important asset so I was trying to find a higher end moisturizer and night serum to get this long-term investment.

CLEANSER

How I love using local product Sariayu milk cleanser to remove the make up and dirt on my face everyday. It feels light, the texture is nice, it also has a very good scent from natural ingredients: lime, rose, kenanga, gambir, etc. My favorite is the rose one, because it has a fresh floral scent and it's so gentle. I have never had any bad experience using this product so I never think the need to buy expensive milk cleanser for my daily routine. Yes, once or twice I tries other products too yet so far my second favorite was the Body Shop Cucumber Milk Cleanser which has been discontinued here :(


EYE & LIP MAKE UP REMOVER

To be honest, I don't like using eye & lip make up remover until I found this from Clarins. I simply love this and I think this eye & lip make up remover is very refreshing. It doesn't have terrible scent, too. Though it's a bit pricey, but it can last up to 4 months because we only need a little to remove eyeshadows and lipstick residue.


FACE WASH

Speaking of face wash, I think this is the best product and the best range from the Body Shop that suits my skin condition. Yes, I love the Tea Tree range since long time ago and always fall in love with its scent. This facial wash is quite light and it gives a decent benefit for my acne skin because it has anti-bacterial agent and also reduce impurities. For me, this product would always be there in my bathroom stash.


FACIAL SCRUB

Let me tell you that this facial scrub from Kiehl's is a true winner. The Amazonian White Clay extract is really good to remove the excess oil and tighten gigantic pores like mine. I use this product three times a week or whenever I think I need just because my blackheads and whiteheads are sitting up on my nose. I also use this for my entire face but still I focus the pressure around the nose. Voila! The blackheads gone in second and my face feels really clean after that. Yes, its price is kinda steep, but this is a little goes along the way. So, don't worry. It will last up to 6 months for regular use. I have reviewed this product before, here.

DAY CREAM

I am going to tell you my deepest secret, that I've never worn any moisturizer in my life because I thought every moisturizer would only make my face greasier and oilier. Hey, where have I been? There are a lot of choices of moisturizer for oily skin, and we really need moisturizer to keep skin hydrated and balanced. I was so wrong before, I knew. So, after reading a lot of reviews for the best moisturizer for oily skin, I finally found Clarins Daily Gel-Cream Energizer that been said targeting young people in 20-ish. As my age is still 29, I thought, why didn't I give a shot? LOL :D Seriously, I am so freaking our with the rich moisturizer outside because even in air conditioned room, my face would be oily just after 4 hours applying make up. And moreover, I am living in a humid and sometimes-too-hot Jakarta. I am freaking out that somehow a moisturizer would melt my foundation in the middle of the day. After I found this (and tried this for 2-3 weeks), thankfully, I found that this one is a very good moisturizer. Its gel-like texture is kinda light, not too creamy and rich, it gives me a natural radiance during the day (I think that because its Vitamin C and turmeric extract), but the best thing is....it could reduce the appearance of acne scars in my face just within 2 weeks! I am not kidding you here as I have a lot, so I would notice if it's significantly changed. I super love this moisturizer and will keep buying this. Besides, it didn't cause any breakout (like Clinique) and the scent is very very fresh like citrus! How I love it made my skin supple, smooth and well-moisturized, just with the portion I exactly need.


NIGHT SERUM

Oh, hello all ladies outhere, let me introduce you to my HG serum; Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. I think there are a lot of good reviews for this product as this one seems one of the Kiehl's best sellers. The price is yeah, just 3/4 cheaper than my mom's Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair (that focuses on more mature and aged skin), but it worth every penny. Seriously! First I felt doubtful and unsure whether this oil-based serum could give a good benefit to my skin as I already have a tons of oil supply :D But after using it for 3 months, I realized that this oil is veryyy goood to balance out my skin and makes it much more supple. It feels like heaven, smells like heavenly lavender, and it's also almost 100% purely extracted from natural oils (see the ingredients). No paraben and fragrance, so it will also be perfect for sensitive skin. I am using this every night and wake up with a baby-soft skin in the morning. It also successfully reduces my formation of blackheads. I am definitely SOLD for this product. A Rp. 630,000 per bottle could last for at least 6 months. Think about good long term investment for your skin :)

So, now, have you ever tried one of these products? What do you feel about them? Feel free to share : ~xoxo~

Kiehl's Rare Earth Daily Pore Cleanser: Scrubbing Never Felt This Good

WARNING: Those who has problem with blackheads, whiteheads and the gigantic pores overall, you must like this product from Kiehls.

Trust me, I have experienced the messiness of having blackheads since I was in junior high school. Unluckily I inherit the super oily & acne-prone skin from my Dad, because my Mom has a quite dry-sensitive skin for the rest of her life. Oily skin gives a lot of trouble; discoloration, large pores, especially the appearance of acne that comes almost everytime or when we are too lazy to clean up and rinse off make up and dirt from our face. Needless to say that going to bed with extra clean face is mandatory.

So, is cleaning our face just with facial foam is enough?

It depends on what you wear for daily. As I never going out from home without base (can be foundation,, TM or BB cream), of course it isn't. My cleaning routine starts from milk cleanser, though milk cleanser is not supposed to be given to oily face, but in my case, milk cleanser is only the first step. Afterwards, I still rinse off its residue with light facial foam and toner. That's the toner which works for the oily skin most, because it will balance out the sebum secretion and the moisture level of the skin. But, for some people, toner which usually contains alcohol, is too harsh.

Well, a daily scrub then can be an alternative.

But what kind of scrub do we need actually?

I've been trying the daily scrubs outhere and many of them feel irritating and not safe to use twice or once a day. Moreover, it also will worsen the growing acnes, that's why dermatologist never recommend using scrub to blemished skin.

Until one day, a friend of mine introduced me to this product. Meanwhile, I also have heard that this is one of the winners from Kiehl's. I went to Kiehl's after trying out this product as my friend gave me sample in the small plastic jar. When I first tried this, I was in love.

This scrub has a creamy texture and subtle scrub. I mean, the scrub, you will not notice because it's barely there. But once you applied to your face, after rubbing your palm with a little water, you will feel that the scrub is working. Rinse it off with lukewarm water and it left your face soft and supple. Not dehydrated like most scrub give you as finish. Only a soft, supple and balanced skin.

Kiehls describes this as:

Exfoliates and detoxifies. Formulated specifically for normal to oily skin types to purify and thoroughly cleanse, this non-stripping foaming formula contains Amazonian white clay particles to gently remove surface debris, toxins and oils which can enlarge the appearance of pores. With ingredients sourced from the Marajo Island at the mouth of the Amazon River, this unique formula is rich in minerals and helps detoxify by eliminating surface toxins from the skin. Deeply cleanses to help reduce the appearance of enlarged pores for fresh and healthy-looking skin. 

Is it safe to use daily?

• If my skin is breaking out like crazy, I will only apply this to my nose, the area where I found most of the blackheads and whiteheads. I apply in circle motion gently, for around 5 minutes, and wipe off with tissue first before rinse with water. I love to see that the blackheads successfully come out in a clean white tissue. It's 2 times more effective than using pore pack. And it feels 3 times cleaner! 
• However, in good condition, I used to apply this twice a day -- morning and night-- to replace my regular facial foam (I am still religiously using The Body Shop Tea Tree facial wash). 
• If you have sensitive skin, you are recommended to use 2 times in a week.

Overall, I give this score 4.2/5.0

For a product that deserves a thumb up, the downside is always be the price. It's quite costly at IDR 285,000. But since the tube contains of a lot of product (150ml), it can last for 6 months. For me, this is the best scrub product in the market. It also has a subtle nice clay smell which I love.

Since using this, I could say farewell to my clogged pores. My T-zone area, though yes it's still oily especially in these hot humid days, I now can feel it's well exfoliated. ~xoxo~