The Acne Diaries
Photo by Jazmin Quaynor on Unsplash
Hello lovely girls!
It’s time for another series on the blog!!
Acne. My long time companion. My constant struggle. I have sooooo much to say about you.
Here’s the deal. I’ve struggled with acne for a long time. Like 11 years at this point. And by now I have tried just about everything under the sun to get rid of it. I’ve also done hours and hours of research and I’ve learned a lot about the largest organ in the body, the skin. And now, I want to share everything I have learned with you!!!
I plan on doing a whole series on this. I want to share all the things I’ve tried, the things I do every day, the mistakes I’ve made, and things that worked, with you. But for today I’m going to start with makeup.
Actually, before I go any further I want to say that you by no means NEED makeup to make you beautiful. You are stunning. With or without makeup you are perfectly made and you have to be confident in who you are bare faced and beautiful. Makeup should be fun!! It shouldn’t be something you need to be confident it should be something you enjoy. Be confident in the skin you’re in no matter what it looks like!! But, if you have acne and you enjoy makeup, this is for you my friend.
If you struggle with acne and wear makeup, no doubt somebody has said “well if I wore makeup I would have acne too” to you. I literally can not count the amount of times I’ve heard this! I’ve also gotten a lot of “do you wash your face?” But that’s another story for another blog. Basically, there is a very common misconception that makeup causes acne. And here I am to go ahead and just debunk that myth. Makeup shouldn’t break you out. I have believed that for months at a time and even gone without makeup in hopes of clearing up my skin at times. But after a lot of trial and error and research I learned that if you are wearing makeup the right way, it just isn’t going to be the problem with your skin.
Now, that being said, makeup most definitely can break you out if you are wearing it in the wrong ways or using the wrong products. So, I’m going to share my top 5 tips for wearing makeup with acne prone skin. Here we goooo!!
Wash your face. Seriously. This is 100% my most important piece of advice for anybody who wears makeup and struggles with acne. Don’t ever sleep in your makeup! I know it’s hard, but even if you’re home super late your skin will benefit like crazy from the consistency of getting rid of the build up and dirt of the day and allowing your pores to breathe throughout the night. You should also be washing your face every morning before you put makeup on. If you put makeup on over skin that has dirt, or sweat buildup from the night, you are just going to lock that junk in there and clog your pores for the day. So, as simple as this tip may sound, it’s vital to maintaining healthy skin if you are putting makeup on every day.
Don’t use pore filling primers. I get the temptation. We all want that flawless and texture-less Jaclyn Hill complexion. But, for one, a pore filling primer will not give you that flawless complexion, it will help a little, but it won’t solve all of your problems. And two, it will most definitely break you out. The last thing we want to do is clog our pores friends. Those babies need to breathe!! All day. When we clog them up we are begging them to become swollen little monsters.
Find a foundation that compliments your skin type. If you have dry skin, dry to find a foundation with a dewy finish. You don’t want something that will dry you out more than you already are. If you have oily skin, go for more of a matte finish. It will help balance out all of that excess oil. The important thing with foundation is that you find something that works for YOU. Foundations are not a one size fits all formula. You might have to try a few to find the one that fits your skin. You want something that doesn’t dry you out, make you more oily, or irritate your skin in any way. I also recommend using something lightweight. Something like the Urban Decay Naked Skin line and the IT Cosmetics cc cream have both been amazing for my skin. Both of those foundations will give you pretty full coverage, are buildable, and give your pores room to breathe. But, like I said before, it’s not a one type for all situation. What works for me may not work for you.
Makeup + sweat = acne. If it is hot out and you are going to be outside all day sweating, do your best to go without makeup, or at least go with minimal face coverage. Never workout with makeup on. For real guys. Anytime I work out with makeup on, I am guaranteed a solid little breakout on my chin. Like I said in my first tip, trapping dirt or sweat beneath your makeup will clog your pores and break you out.
Just have fun with it. Don’t worry too much about how perfectly your acne is covered. Makeup shouldn’t be a chore, if should make you happy!! Take some days and go without makeup just to remind yourself that you are beautiful and loved with and without makeup!!
So, there they are. My top 5 tips for wearing makeup with acne. I want you guys to know that you are so not alone in your struggle with your skin. I know how hard it is. I know how difficult it is to push past the way it looks and be confident in who you are. I know how bad it physically hurts. And you are more than welcome to reach out to me to chat about it, ask questions, or just commiserate.
Thanks for reading girls!
Love, love, love you all!!
Sarah Paige xoxo