if you're a longtime reader, you may remember this post from november 2006, wherein i bemoan my stupid acne-prone face. i wanted to revive the conversation a bit, because i've tried a couple of new things since then, and i'm still not 100% happy. maybe some of you share my plight and have ideas?
i am so super duper sick of feeling like i'm always working around at least one blemish on my face. it's driving me bonkers. i've had some really bad patches over the past few years, and lately it's been better, but not better enough, if you get my drift. the minute something clears up, something else pops up, and i just want to have a normal 35-year-old face like all of my friends and colleagues. is that so wrong? i used to be able to go out without makeup and not feel like i looked gross. my sister doesn't even wash her face, ever, and she doesn't have to wear makeup. how did i end up on the shallow end of the skin pool? MEH.
anyhow, i mentioned in that post way back when that i had started using dermamed, which is from canada. i love it because it's so simple--only four ingredients--and it's relatively effective. it's a bit drying, so i switch to a slightly heavier moisturizer than i would otherwise use, and that pretty much takes care of that. i used it for about 13 months or so, and then switched to a different product because my face still wasn't quite as clear as i wanted it to be. in december of 2007 i started using mychelle products, which are lovely because they're all-natural, but they aren't all vegan so it means a bunch of label-reading. anyhow, i settled on several products in their acne/oily line, and i liked them a lot, although they are very expensive, especially if you buy them at whole foods. i eventually found several of my regular items on amazon, which helped save moolah, but still--lots more expensive than one bottle of dermamed, which lasts for a billion months.
switching to the mychelle stuff added a bunch of steps to my regimen: i went from cleanser & moisturizer to a cleanser, toner, serum, & moisturizer. i also used a mask (which i have done forever, so no net gain there) and a peel from the mychelle line, basically alternating nights. a lot of products and a lot of money, but it seemed to do the job relatively well... but not truly fantastic results or anything. i used mychelle from december 2007 until about a month ago--so, almost a year and a half--when i decided once and for all that i really didn't need to spend all that money to get basically the same results i was getting with the dermamed (i'm stubborn when it comes to this stuff, and i like to give things a few months to work themselves out, and then i get stuck in my rut).
last month, i decided to go back to the dermamed, because i had almost an entire bottle still in my cupboard and i figured what the heck. i went through the same drying routine, but after a few weeks that's under control with the right moisturizer. i'm still incorporating the mychelle mask and peel every other night, because i have them to use up, but i'm not sure if i'll stick with them for the long haul. i'm just really tired of playing this game, and i hate that every time i try something new i have to commit to two months of(even worse) breakouts while waiting to see if it will work. i know that nature's gate has a "kit" for acne and so does aveda (holy spendy!), but i don't know anyone personally who has used either one, and i'm wary of getting involved. heh.
thanks for letting me whine. if any of you are fellow sufferers, let me know if you've found your magical solution yet.
I have issues with dryness and oily/acne...the dreaded combination skin, I suppose. Anyway, I don't know if it is vegan or not, but I was using MDformulations which I thought was pretty nice and is not too cheap but not too pricey and you can get at Ulta and places like that. I think Ulta will let you sample some of the line to try it out.
BUT, about a year ago I tried Arbonne and I loved it. I ran out of everything but the cleanser though, and have yet to rebuy because I am broke. But if I had even a little bit of funding, I would totally buy Arbonne again. And I might anyway because I miss using it.It's the NutriminC Re9 face line. I would totally recommend it.
The best thing is you can ask a local rep to do a party and you can try the whole set and see what you think. Of course, it's several steps, but even lazy me thinks it was worth it and some of them you can skip or do more infrequently. And if you become an official rep, even if you don't sell to anyone else but yourself, you can get discounts on your own orders. At least that is what I have been led to believe and what I think I am going to do.
Posted by: La Phoenicienne | 28 May 2009 at 01:01 AM
oh, arbonne! i've heard so much about it but i've never actually tried any of their stuff. i'll have to file that one away. thanks, phoe!
Posted by: girl least likely to | 02 June 2009 at 09:31 PM
The party samples are free...in case I didn't mention it. :)
Posted by: La Phoenicienne | 05 June 2009 at 01:21 AM
did you find anything yet? i have been using this and it seems to be working:
http://www.danielkern.com/
no animal testing or products used.
Posted by: tm | 13 August 2009 at 06:09 PM
tm, thanks for the link! i'm actually trying to avoid benzoyl peroxide, because of the drying/bleaching aspects (i used proactiv for years and i got soooo sick of that part of it). i am, however, becoming desperate, so you never know. ;)
Posted by: girl least likely to | 16 August 2009 at 09:35 PM