Cassandra can remember being 16 and her acne taking over. She felt like  acne was something that made her unworthy. So, she would cake on layers of her foundation, concealer, and powder just to try and feel confident. To this day, having acne has impacted Cassandra so much. She wishes someone would have given her some quick tips for clearing her skin. So, in this blog, we're going to cover three different ways you can use your skincare to improve acne. You don’t have to buy new products. You can use the ones you have. The key is using them differently!

#1 Use your cleanser as a face mask.

A lot of people who use acne cleansers will put it on their face and just rinse it off. That’s great, but acne-medicated cleansers often have ingredients like salicylic acid, sulfur, or benzoyl peroxide wash. If you want these active ingredients to penetrate the skin, leave it on your face for around 1-3 minutes. You can also put this on your face before showering, and once you step in, you can wash it off.

PanOxyl 4% Creamy Facial Treatment Wash - $9.89  

For example, you can put this on your face, chest, and back. Since benzoyl peroxide is an active ingredient (medically proven to treat acne) you can leave it on for a few moments. And then, you can wash it off.

#2 Good acne treatment is preventative. It isn't always reactive.

A lot of people who have acne look for spot treatments like sulfur and salicylic acid. These will dry out a pimple, and this is great. But overall, it won't prevent acne. It doesn’t prevent our skin from creating acne from within. It's more useful to use something all over the skin. Likewise, retinoids prevent acne from popping up on the skin. There are different strengths of retinoids. There’s retinol, retinal, and tretinoin.

The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane - $14.01  

This is a great OTC choice. If you have dry skin and acne, this can help lock in moisture from your other products while treating acne. There’s also Adapalene gel which is stable to use during the day or the daytime. If you don’t have a doctor, and you want to access retinal or tretinoin, some of Cassandra’s favorite companies are Dermatica and Agency. They offer a blend of ingredients along with retinoids to help acne and redness. 

Agency's future formula is fantastic. It's customized. On the other hand, Dermatica is great too, especially if you’re in the UK. Dermatica sends their products monthly. There’s also Apostrophe. You don’t need to have medical insurance or access to a dermatologist for any of these services. 

Inkey List Retinol serum - $12.99

This is another Retinoid option that works.

 

#3 Use makeup that works for acne.

Live Tinted Hueskin Serum Concealer - $26

You can start using makeup to treat the spots and blemishes that acne leaves behind.

 

This has niacinamide, bakuchiol, niacinamide, and vitamin C. Bakuchiol is a plant-based alternative because it's less potent than a retinoid. This concealer also has niacinamide. Niacinamide helps to control oil. It's lightweight, and if you’re struggling with acne, this concealer is great. 

Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Flawless Finishing Powder - $30 

Cassandra has loved this powder for years. It has sulfur in it which fights acne. It’s a beautiful, lightweight powder that you dust on your face, and it gives you great coverage. So, while the live tinted concealer fights acne, this is a gentle powder for acne prone skin. 

# 4 Use your sunscreen or as a primer. 

Primers help makeup stick to the skin. If you want makeup to stick to the skin, sunscreens are a great place to start. If you want great, friendly, and acne-prone sunscreen, Elta MD has the UV clear.

EltaMD Skincare UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46 -  $41 

This has niacinamide, and while it's expensive, it's very good.

 

Isntree Purple Protector Onion Newpair Sunscreen SPF 40 

This is purple, but it blends down invisibly, and it helps with acne. Cassandra helped make this with Isntree!

Zitsticka Megashade Breakout-proof sunscreen serum - $26 

This is very nice and lightweight. As mentioned before, you can simply use an acne-friendly skincare product in place of makeup primer. Normally, makeup primers have ingredients with silicones which can be problematic for those with acne. That's why using sunscreen as a primer can be a helpful choice.

 

#5 Use an acne-friendly setting spray or use a serum to set the face.

Cosmetics Prep + Prim + Fix Setting Spray - $40 

Don’t forget about setting sprays. Setting sprays decrease the cakiness of  powder, and they set everything in place. So, don’t be afraid to use an acne-friendly spray. There are a lot of good sprays for acne-prone skin with ingredients like salicylic acid. This may not be the product's original intention, but you can still use it as a makeup setting spray. 

Mixsoon H.C.T. Body Mist - $22.50 

For example, this is a body spray, but it works on Cassandra’s face as a setting spray.

Paula's Choice Clear Acne Body Spray - $29

This is another good choice.

 

 

Face Reality Skincare 8% L-Mandelic Serum - $43.52  

This is lightweight, but it still gives you a good hold and base for makeup. Face Reality is a brand that Cassandra uses as an esthetician. If you don’t want to spend this much though, the Inkey List has a mandelic acid spot treatment that you could use as a makeup primer or base.

 

Here are just a few hacks that Cassandra learned overtime. Of course, these hacks did not make her skin flawless as the skin is supposed to be textured. They just helped her manage her skin and move forward on her skin journey.