Current skincare for hormonal acne

I've spoken a few times about my hormonal (menopausal, ugh!) acne & after a re-jig of my skincare, I seem to have found the perfect products that have really helped to clear up my skin in the last 7 weeks so I thought I'd share them with you.

Cleansing

After using my Simple eye makeup remover cream, I take the bulk of my makeup off with the Garnier Micellar water & then follow up with a deep cleanse using the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil.  I love this silky, lightweight oil as it never feels greasy or leaves a film on my skin.  I always use a clean flannel every day to remove this as the lightweight muslin cloths leave too much product behind for my liking - Primark luxury facecloths/flannels are excellent.

Exfoliate/toner

These Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Pads by Nip + Fab are a recent discovery, bought on a total whim one day when I spotted them on offer but I'm soooo glad I found them!  I noticed a huge difference in my skin after using these for just a few days - my blemishes starting clearing up immediately & redness was reduced.  Don't be put off by the 'glycolic acid'  or 'exfoliating' tags as these pads are so gentle on the skin but incredibly effective.  The acid is the exfoliating agent whilst they also contain witch hazel to tone, hyaluronic acid to hydrate & blue daisy to soothe.

If my skin is having a particularly bad breakout, I give it a light spritz with this Serozinc by La Roche-Posay.  I don't think it particularly treats blemishes but it helps to mattify the skin without drying it out.

Treatments

Another new purchase is La Roche-Posay Effaclar A.I.  This is a targeted breakout corrector cream & I apply this on any new blemishes.  You only need a tiny amount & it really helps to immediately reduce imperfections & reduces the chance of scarring.

Another wonder product from LR-P here & one I've spoken about before on the blog - Effaclar Duo+.  This lightweight gel-crème helps to rapidly clear up any breakouts & refine the skin's appearance & I'm now on my third tube of this.  It's really helped to reduce the scarring on my chin & any redness is immediately soothed - I love this stuff!!

Hydrate & nourish

More new products, this time from Vichy.  After Vichy kindly sent me the Liftactiv Supreme to try (read my review here) & I loved it so much, I decided to buy their Aqualia Thermal serum.  It's so important for all skin types to keep really well hydrated so I always use a hydrating serum under my moisturiser.  I had been using Hydraluron & Clarins Hydraquench but I really like this from Vichy too.  One pump is enough to cover my whole face, neck & décolletage & teamed with the rest of my skincare routine, my skin still feels really well hydrated when I wake up in the morning.

My skin has cleared up enormously since using this regime & scarring is reducing all the time.  My breakouts are not so regular - or horrific! - now & overall, I'm much happier.  It's amazing how much having acne can zap your confidence!

Are there any other skincare recommendations out there?

Vichy Liftactiv Supreme

I posted back in June that I was approached by Vichy to see if I'd like to try their Dermablend range (see my review here) & the new Liftactiv Supreme moisturiser.  I reviewed the foundation straight away but wanted to give the moisturiser a fair trial before posting my opinion.  I've now been using this cream for 6 weeks & I have probably enough product left for another 3 or 4 days.  During this time, I've used no other day or night creams or facial oils, just the Liftactiv Supreme for normal/combination skin & a hydrating serum underneath.  

On receiving, I did the usual texture test & even though this felt rich & immediately nourishing, because it is more of a gel-crème formulation rather than a heavy cream, I knew my skin was going to like it.  The only thing that slightly concerned me was the merest hint of shimmer given by the the white micro-pearls as in the past, any product with 'illuminating' properties (ie, anything with shimmer so most highlighters & a lot of other primers & creams) have broken my skin out terribly but I'm very happy to report that I had no reaction whatsoever to this - yay!!  You can read more in depth product information on the Vichy website, I just want to give you my findings on this today, not bamboozle you with science!

So, after 6 weeks of twice-daily use, what are my thoughts on this cream?  Hand on heart, it's been a long time & a lot of products since I've used a moisturiser that I've loved this much.  I've noticed a tremendous difference in the texture & firmness of my skin, my face just looks a lot 'fresher' at the moment!  When I wake up in the morning, my skin still feels plumped & hydrated & that hasn't happened in years, believe me.  Also, I could be imagining it but I'm positive that the fine vertical frown lines I have between my eyes are less noticeable now - I'm so annoyed I didn't take a closeup 'before' photo as proof!!

 I was so impressed with this & happy that this suited my skin so much that after only 3 weeks of using it, I ordered the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Serum to replace my depleted stocks of Hydraluron & Clarins Hydraquench Serum & another pot of the Liftactiv Supreme.  Never before have I used a product that I've felt the need to replace before I've even finished it so that in itself speaks volumes!! Thank you so much Vichy for sending me this & bringing your lovely products back to my attention!

Liftactiv Supreme is available from Boots at £31.00 but shop around online, as other sites sometimes have it on offer. 

Vichy Dermablend

Just after my birthday in April I had a monumental breakout leaving me with very red, sore, bumpy - and extremely unattractive - skin, mainly around my chin area.  I know this was down to a huge hormonal surge due to my ongoing peri-menopausal symptoms (read about it here) & it was really leaving me feeling very depressed & self-conscious.  Without going on some very heavy-duty acne treatments, which I didn't want to do, I knew I was going to have to give my skincare routine & makeup a huge shakeup so I really couldn't have been contacted at a better time by the lovely folk at Vichy.

They asked me if I'd be interested in trying their Dermablend Corrective Foundation & their new Liftactiv Supreme moisturiser, and knowing the benefits of the Dermablend range, I took them up on their very kind offer!  After choosing my shade & skin type from the options on their website, I received a parcel from them a few days later & discovered they'd also very kindly enclosed a Dermablend Corrector Stick to me to try.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Dermablend range, it is known & well-loved for it's fantastic camouflaging abilities, covering skin imperfections such as scarring, redness, uneven skintone etc. without leaving your skin feeling like it's been totally caked in thick, heavy makeup.  The SPF 35 foundation has a medium consistency & blended evenly.  The website recommends to apply using fingertips or a damp sponge, although I'd like to try it with a Beauty Blender too so that's next on my list to order!  It's easily buildable should you require more coverage but for me, I only used a very small amount for my entire face & neck.  I chose the lightest shade Opal, which was just a tad on the pale side for me, especially as I now have a hint of a tan on my face but I will buy another one in a slightly deeper shade - it's just that good!

The SPF 30 corrector stick, as you can see comes in a twist-up bullet & has a much thicker consistency, but the coverage is seriously unbelievable with this!! I had at the time of photographing, a big red bump on my chest & I very lightly patted the teeniest amount of this over the top with my fingertip & it just vanished with absolutely no hint of redness to be seen.  And it did not shift or melt away all day, amazing, really!  You can see this with the before & after shots I've taken.

As I have rosacea & acne scarring, I am the perfect candidate for trying this & showing it to you because I am truly very impressed with these products!  Unfortunately (for me, that is!!) this means that I have to be completely bare skinned & makeup free for all the world to see which is some feat seeing as I haven't been seen in public sans maquillage since 1990!!!  But to be totally fair to the product & to show it's coverage honestly, here are my totally untouched before & after shots, redness,  lumps, bumps & all!!

Completely bare skin, eeeek!

With a very light application of Dermablend foundation, no other makeup

Dermablend foundation & corrective stick, blush, eye makeup & nude lip balm

Muuuuch happier!!  (I was also testing my new Eyeko liquid eyeliner pen, review to come!)

Such a happy camper aren't I, I honestly don't feel as miserable as I look here!!  But look how it's completely evened out any redness & even though a couple of bumps can still be seen on my chin, the coverage is amazing!!  It's so highly pigmented, you really do need the tiniest of amounts so the tube will last for ages, you can't fail to be impressed!

What do you think?!  Is anyone else a fan to the Vichy Dermablend range?  Keep an eye out for my review of the Liftactiv Supreme, coming very soon!!