Facing up to it...

Pimples and wrinkles? Really? Seriously, Mother Nature that is so not cool.

Over the years I have tried so many different products for my sensitive, break-out prone skin. And now that I am in my thrilling thirties I have a whole new issue to contend with-the wrinkles. Ack! Which means there is no more solving things with something harsh and drying (not that this was an awesome look even before wrinkle consideration).

With time and trial and tribulation, I have found a number of awesome products which seem to work well in symphony with keeping the acne at bay, and do not seem to accelerate the aging process while they do. All of them are affordable (I have seen enough 20/20/Good Morning America expose's about how you really only pay for the packaging and the perfume in the pricey products-I'm hip to it peeps.) Most importantly, all of them are kind to both the teenager and geriatric living beneath my epidermis.

In the morning I wake up my skin in the shower with good 'ole Neutrogena. There is actually an anti-wrinkle anti-pimple cleanser in this line (genius) but I found the scrub in that to be not as scrubby and there is a higher percentage of benzoyl peroxide in this particular scrub. There are lots of little beads in it, it feels really exfoliating and invigorating but not at all drying or brillo pad-dish and it leaves your face nice and soft.






I follow with some Oil of Olay Complete for sensitive skin on face, neck and chest. It is nice and light so my face does not resemble an oil slick by noon, and I like that it has sunscreen.

This eye gel from Mario Badescu helps to de-puff and moisturize around my eyes.

At night I am a firm fan of a nice warm washcloth and some Cetaphil cleanser. I don't use traditional one which is milky. I have found a clear one billed for "normal to oily" skin. Instead of buying those over-priced and environmentally unfriendly pre-soaped wash "cloths", buy a stack of real white cotton ones, and use those instead. They are much bigger, more soothing (a warm wet cloth covering your face at the end of a long day feels soooo nice-they have them in First Class on airlines-that's why people pay the big bucks), and have much better exfoliation abilities.

Once you use one, toss it in the wash, and use the next one. (Yeah...don't be tempted to dry it and use it again-it's best to keep the stuff you put on your face squeaky clean, same with the towel you use to dry your face-use it just for your face and wash it often. Oh, and protect it from your kids. *Shudder*

Anyway the wash-cloth/cetaphil combo works brilliantly. If I skip this part of my routine (and just use the soap without the cloth), I notice it almost immediately in the texture of my skin.

You really don't get all the make up off if you just swish cleaner and soap around with your hands. It just moves the make up around, really. There has to be something to wipe it all off with-trust me, I have been investigating this issue for years. The thing about the white wash cloth is that you will be able to tell when it is all off and your face is perfectly clean.

After this I finish up with Proactiv repairing cream. When my skin is feeling too dry I follow up with a little moisturizer on top of that, but generally the repairing lotion does the trick if I get it on soon enough after I pat my face dry. I have used Proactiv for many years. The results have not been that outstanding to be honest. I have found just as good (actually, better if you must know-sorry Proactiv chicks on the TV), results from the Neutrogena cleanser, and it is a lot more affordable. But I have always liked the repairing lotion. It is not too drying and it does seem to keep things under control so I will keep using it until I run out and then revisit my loyalties.

Since I'm old now, I have tried to be more consistent with using a night eye-cream. This one by Mario Badescu was given to me as a sample (they are awesome about giving generous samples) and I have been using it for months. A little goes a very long way. My mother taught me that you should only ever apply anything around your eyes with a patting motion and your 4th (ring) finger because it is weak and cannot pull at the delicate skin too violently. Huh. Who knew. Anyway, I obey my mother.


Tragically, pimples happen, peeps. And although this routine has done the best job so far of keeping the facial coast clear, the hormones-they are mysterious and powerful. When I do get a zit I use this wonderful amazing drying lotion. I saw it advertised for years and years in magazines as the amazing go-to solution for the stars when they got zits on Oscar night. (Egads!) It always looked intriguing to me but I never saw it at any store. When my sister came to visit we walked into a French home decor boutique of all places, and found a little display of Mario Badescu products including the mystical pink stuff. The lady there told us that you generally don't find it for sale at stores but they are online. You dip a q-tip into it and get some of the pink stuff that lives at the bottom of the bottle and plonk it on the spot. It's fun although you can end up looking as though you have chicken pox and have been at the calomine lotion if you get too carried away. (I hate to waste, and so I just dot it randomly around my face when I have leftovers. It's a look.) It is truly amazing. It gets rid of the spot but does not dry the skin around it or make the molehill into a mountain the way some on-the -spot acne products can.

I'm one of those people who does not feel dressed without my make-up on. A lot of make-up irritates my skin though, and causes me to break-out. I have recently found Almay pure blends foundation. It is 97% natural and eco-friendly. Very light and natural coverage, does not irritate or clog my skin at all. It comes in a neat little tube which dispenses far more accurately (and hygienically) then a bottle, and I am a fan.


Honourable mention goes to the honey almond scrub by Mario Badescu and for their Drying Cream (good for the sort of under the surface bumps). I have used samples of both and am super impressed. The are next on my list to try, is a MD facial mask. I really recommend that check out the Mario Badescu website. They are surprisingly affordable and Martha Stewart loves them. What more is there to say.

So that's what works for me-my little arsenal for dealing with the hills and valleys. Haha I just made that up-hills and valleys!...HA!...ahem..moving along.... As my dear mom has taught me, in the end, consistency is key. Whatever you decide to use just make sure that you use it every day- religiously. Sensitive skin is not forgiving to little lapses in routine. Even if you did stay up 'til past midnight to post your WFMW.

Here's to faces as soft and smooth as a baby's booty. And sticking it to Mother Nature. Wench.

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