saving face redux

when i started my blog i spoke a bit about the products that have saved my skin. well now that it's been a while since i started this whole thing, and i've tried many different products since, i thought i'd bring you back to what still saves my skin.

not much has changed since that last post, but i do know even more now about what works for my skin.

i don't wear bare escentuals anymore like i did back then. i don't hate the product, but the finish no longer works on me. i got sick of the itchiness and to get the coverage i want i had to layer it on too heavy and i didn't like the feel of it on my skin.

but as far as what i use during my cleansing and moisturizing stages, i'm sticking with these 4 products.

i start off with philosophy's purity cleanser to remove all my makeup, dirt and oil from the day.

i then use proactiv's renewing cleanser to keep my acne in line. this also takes care of my exfoliating (although sometimes a little stronger exfoliant is needed occasionally if i have too many flakies).

i then use clinique's dramatically different moisturizing gel. this is a super lightweight, but still moisturizing gel. i use this year round. day and night.

for a little extra moisture on areas like my cheeks (especially this winter) i add some of clinique's moisturesurge. during the summer i don't use this as much, mostly just at night. but this winter i've been using it constantly. my skin soaks it up, i love it.

i've tried all sorts of different products for my skincare routine, but i keep coming back to this one. i used to use clinque's whole 3 step system when i started getting my acne but it didn't help and i wasn't a fan of the toner. i stuck with the liquid soap for a while but once i switched to purity again (i used it once a while back before i had a real routine for my skin) i found it removed impurities a lot better and is really gentle on my skin. i even tried bare escentuals moisturizer for a while but i felt like it was making my blackheads worse. there have been many products here and there, but most of them don't last.

another product not included in this post is cover fx's skinprep fx which i've already written about. i do consider that part of my daytime skin routine as i find it does some really good things for my skin besides just being a primer. it's new to my routine which is why i have yet to say that it's a tried and true product for me, but i am loving what it's been doing for me.

i don't have flawless skin, i've tried to achieve it, but i'm starting to think flawless skin is a myth. maybe all the imperfections i see aren't even noticed by others as much as they are by me. and all the people with "perfect" skin probably have all those tiny flaws that only they notice.

i do have acne issues among others, but i'm finally beginning to feel better about my skin, and my routine has a lot to do with it. it takes a long time to figure out what works for you, but eventually most of us do, and even if we stray, we always come back to it.

*disclaimer: all items have been purchased by myself, i have not received any free items or money for this review/post.