Out of Control

My skin, that is.

Awful. Just awful.

What's even more awful is the rental car I've been pimping as of lately.

I've respectfully nicknamed her "EGG".

Fitting, right?

Egg has an oh-so-glamorous hatchback and one (yes-one) functioning radio station.

...iiiiin Spanish.

I'm sure these next 2 weeks we'll be spending together are going to be just delightful.

Good work, Enterprise.Good work.

Oh! Where were we??

This is not a pity party so don't go feelin' sorry for me. Well, you can feel sorry for my ridiculously uncool rental car but as far as my skin, I've always and forever had skin issues.

Here lately, it is all jacked up and I've had it.

[HAD. IT.]

I'm the girl who puts on makeup just to go to the gym, pool, beach, river, lake, you name it...just to cover up all the redness..

Three main causes:

1. Birth Control 

I had been on it since I was 15 and just got off a little over a year ago. Needless to say, the birth control did help my skin tremendously however, learning that counterfeit hormones (such as BC pills) contribute to not only breast cancer but many, many other hormonal issues later on in life, I chunked 'em mid-pack last October and never looked back. (Sorry, Beau)

2. Dad

Yep-got his oily skin genes. Although I constantly curse him for it, at least it's one thing that reminds me of him on the daily. 0:) Thanks, Dad!

3. Hormones 

Working for all-natural hormone doctors, I've learned I'm not the only twenty somethin' woman out there with this problem so girls-looks like we're not alone.

Anywho-I have tried countless cleansers, toners, astringents, on-the-spot treatments, all natural make up...you name it and still suffer with those deep, cyst-like bumps around my chin and jawline that are not only super painful but they last forever...purely adult/hormonal/cystic acne. 

Great.

From Pro-Activ to Skyn Iceland to Bare Minerals to the Clarisonic...nothin' changed.

Nothin'.

(Well...nothin' but more bumps.)

Talk about makin' a girl feel self conscious?!

[Insert Mr. Badescu]

 Mario Badescu, that is.

Three weeks ago, I remembered reading a post on Meg's blog where she raved on and on about his product line, specifically the Buffering Lotion so off to Ulta I went...

to "just get the Buffering Lotion"

Pssh ya-we all know how that goes...$60 later and a bag full-a-goodies, 

I had myself a new skin care line. (Actually-I think it was around $54 but who's counting?) I needed something to "prevent" future breakouts rather than just "treat" the ones that I am prone to having.

Voila!

Acne Facial Cleanser

Special Cleansing Lotion "C"

Buffering Lotion

Drying Cream

As with any new product line, I'm always skeptical but for $54 and a face lookin' more like a hormonal 16 year old boy that a 25 year old woman, I was willing to test it out.

As for the Acne Facial Cleanser, it's a little different but I think it definitely helps in getting majority of your makeup off. It's kinda weird because it doesn't bubble or anything but I think I like it. It's extremely gentle, which is a bonus because my skin is el sensitivo. Plus-for a little 6 week trial-sized bottle for $8, I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try. After all, what I've been doing clearly isn't working.

Onto the Special Cleansing Lotion "C"-LOVE IT. This is the bread and butter right here. You put several drops on a cotton ball after you wash your face and continue doing so until your cotton ball comes out clear (not brown). This is what gets every bit of your make up off and leaves your face feeling squeaky clean.

Now for the infamous Buffering Lotion. It's an on-the-spot treatment for erupted pimples. Works like a charm! I even put it on the big cyst-like bumps that never erupt and I swear they don't even stand a chance in lasting 2 weeks like they used to.

And last, but definitely not least, the Drying Cream. This one takes the cake, too. It's a cream that dries out any and all pimples and since it is nude in color, it actually covers the redness to so you can wear it under your makeup AND treat your bumps ALL. DAY. LONG. 

[Angels just sang.]

Sooooo overall I'm not completely, postitively, 100% sure the products I'm using are totally "preventing" breakouts considering I still get a few patches of bumps on my cheeks/jawline here and there but what I can say is that the bumps don't last near as long as they used to. I'm gonna go ahead and run out of everything that I have and see how it fares.

If I don't see a dramatic difference within the next few weeks, I'm considering switching to Rodan & Fields' (creators of Proactiv) new skin care line called "Unblemish" which is a line of products formulated especially for adult skin. Adult, hormonal, cystic acne skin, that is. They have a 60 day, empty bottle guarantee. 

Win/win? I think so.

Forgive me if this totally bored you all to death but I need any/all feedback you might have. For those of you with flawless skin, I envy you like nobody's business. For those of you with troubled skin like mine, have you tried any of these products before? Do you have any advice for little ol' me to get my skin in top-top condition?!?! I'm willing to do [almost] anything.