skin care routine

Hello, lovelies! Hope you're having a good Easter break! Unfortunately, because I work all weekend and the chances of someone covering for me are slim to none, I'll be staying in College Station over the break. :( But that's not so bad, because I have a test on Monday that I wouldn't study for if I were home.

Speaking of tests, I have been so stressed out from school lately. Which, along with my usual college kid diet, means that pimples are popping up like bluebonnets. Eek! Luckily, I have an extensive nighttime beauty routine that helps me combat my break outs so that I don't look like a pubescent boy.

Cleanser

I first start out with Shea Moisture African Black Soap Acne Prone Face and Body Bar. When my family came into town in December for my grandma's funeral, my cousin suggested using it. I know that the fact that it's literally a bar of black soap can be off-putting, but trust me - this stuff is amazing. You can either use a wash cloth or simply your hands, lather it up, wash your face, and rinse. Done! It is the perfect twice-a-day cleanser. And it smells good, too!

Scrub

One of my biggest problems with acne is blackheads. They're camouflaged by my freckles, thank goodness, but that doesn't make them any less irritating. In order to combat them, I use Clean and Clear Blackhead Clearing Scrub. It helps get the gunk out of my pores and helps minimize them.

Toner

In order to further shrink my pores after washing my face, I use Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Toner. This toner advertises fighting breakouts before they form, and since using it, I've definitely seen an improvement in my skin. My face feels nice and clean afterwards.

Blemish fighter

As I mentioned in my March Birchbox post, I received a sample of Evologie Blemish Serum, which I've been using every night before bed. I have seen a significant decrease in the size and redness of my blemishes after using it for a couple of days; however, my sample will soon be finished. Luckily, my mom, a known essential oils expert, gave me some tea tree oil, which is used to help fight blemishes, and is one of the active ingredients in the Evologie serum. So once the serum is gone, I'll be using tea tree oil instead.

Eye makeup remover

While my toner and blemish fighter are drying, I take off my eye makeup with Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover and cotton rounds (which I also use to apply my toner). I love cotton rounds because they don't leave the stringy residue that cotton balls do, and they have a bigger surface area.

Moisturizer

Lastly, I use Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturizer SPF 15 to keep my skin soft and hydrated. It doesn't make my face feel greasy or oily at all, and it has SPF 15, which means my face is protected from sun damage when I go out. It smells like sunscreen, but if you can get past that, this is a wonderful moisturizer.

It feels like a lot of work, especially since after I still have to take out my contact lenses and brush my teeth, but keeping my skin clean and clear makes it worth doing. I still get the occasional spot or two, but my acne has significantly decreased since taking the extra time to care for it.

What do you use to take care of your skin? Leave me comments telling me your favorite skin care products!

Much love,
Sydney