My Acne Story and Skincare Routine.

^ That is an attractive face :/ haha! Click the video for the blog into to hear a little about my acne story and see my face without ANY makeup.

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Did you watch it? Okay, then you are up to speed. So lets get started!

So I started getting acne in Middle School. I was about 14 years old. Usually, acne starts with puberty but it happened to me several years before that. Lucky me, right? My three sisters have really clear skin and I have never really seen them with pimples or acne but for some reason I have it! It is frustrating but it is easy for me to control now and it doesn't bother me for the most part. I have tried pretty much everything to clear my skin so I will share with you what worked and what didn't!

I have tired pretty much every drugstore cleanser from Biore to Clearasil. But I thought I would share the more expensive brands I have used with you so you don't waste your money on these products! The first acne clearing system I tried was by the brand AcneFree. I bought this kit at Walmart for about $28. At the time I thought, $28 to clear my acne? Sold!

Sadly, this product did not work for me. It comes with three different cleansers and it was just too much for me to keep up with. I used the entire system until it was gone and just did not see a significant change in my skin. So then I decided it was time to try something new. So I chose to spend a little bit more money thinking it would have a bigger pay off. I bought the Boscia Clear Complexion kit at Sephora. This was around $40-$50. The cashier swore by this stuff and told me I could even return it if I didn't like it. This one came with five different products but they were all very small. I found that I had used most of it up within weeks. I hated the smell of it and it was just not a great fit for my skin. Remembering what the cashier had told me, I returned it weeks later and got my money back. Now, everyone has heard about Proactiv from all of their celebrity endorsements. I don't think any of them even used this product by the way. I bought this at a local mall for $79.99. This is a four part system and the bottles were a good size. I did enjoy the toner and the refining mask but other than that Proactiv fell short for me. I returned this after a month (I had a 60 day money back guarantee). Now I am not at all saying that these products 100% absolutely won't work for you but they did not work for my skin. One thing to take away from my failed products is to always get a guarantee and know your return policy. I saved over $100 that way!

I decided to go get a facial when I was about 17 because I thought it would help clear up my skin. I spent about $50 on this facial. It was relaxing and made my skin soft, but it did nothing in the way of clearing my skin. Actually, the woman who gave me my facial suggested Proactiv (what good that did). So finally I asked my mom to take me back to the Dermatologist. I had been there once before when I was fifteen. This time I went by myself and was prescribed a medication to clear up my skin.

Now this might of actually worked had I kept taking it daily. I hated how dry this particular medicine made my skin feel. It become so dry and flaky I couldn't even wear makeup. I just didn't even want to go in public. So I refused to take it. Finally, everything changed when I had heard that taking birth control could clear up your skin. So I went to the Gynecologist and told her I wanted to start taking it for the sole purpose of clearing my skin. She recommended it and said it could really help my skin. It did! It started to clear up my skin within a month and really kept it clear for the last two years. The dosage of estrogen was a bit too much for my stomach so I was just prescribed a lower estrogen dose. So that is why my skin is going crazy right now! Once I start taking it again and let it get into my system my skin should clear right up!

These are the products I use to clean my face and body in the morning and at night! I love these cleansers by Neutrogena. The first is my Oil-Free Acne Wash that was recommended by my dermatologist. I love this because it smells good and leaves my skin feeling fresh. The next is the Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub. I still have blackheads on my nose because my birth control hasn't seemed to help that. This scrub is exfoliating and has reduced the amount of blackheads I do have. I use their Body Clear Body Spray when I leave the gym. I still have some acne on my back and chest that can be really annoying! But this and my Body Clear Body Wash have significantly cleared this up! I just want to say this is all my opinion and I was not paid to advertise for this brand. Although, clearly I should be. Call me Neutrogena ;)

I also like some other brands though. I have used Clearasil Daily Pore cleansing pads for years and I always repurchase them They have several different formulas and kinds. I always like trying the new ones. These are great for getting the makeup that you missed with your remover off your face and BONUS they help clear your skin. Now my favorite face product is the Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturizer. This is a lotion that is safe to put on your face, chest, and back. I love this because I can put this on my face and see a drastic difference in my skin when I wake up. My sister uses this as well. It is so gentle yet works so well! I mentioned this in our October Favorites video.

It took me while to find the right products for my skin because I did not know my skin type.

Now I know that I have combination skin. These are from WebMD. Check them out and get to know your skin! This will help you greatly when finding the right acne treatment.