For the Eighth Anniversary of My Google Doc, I Updated It
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I can’t believe it’s been eight and a half years since I publishedmy first Google doc of skin care. I return today at 31 years old, with the same hormonal acne and penchant for internet skin-care sleuthing, accompanied now by a broken spirit and lower back pain. But jokes aside, as a beauty writer, I find theseanniversary Google doc articlesto be a deeply recentering exercise. Yes, it forces me to reckon with the agonizing passage of time, but it also allows me to pause, reflect, and reassess how my skin has evolved over the past few years. Plus, it’s interesting to take stock of products that have earned a permanent spot in my routine and say good-bye to the ones that no longer serve me.
Since we’ve been friends for a long time now, I feel comfortable being honest: I sometimes get annoyed thatacnestill plays such a major role in my skin-care routine. I’m always hopeful that one year, I’ll return with a routine focused solely on smoothing, hydration, and skin-plumping, as if that shift would finally mean I’ve reached Adulthood. Having said that, I was doing some reflecting as I geared up to write this article, and I had an incredible revelation: I haven’t had a breakout in five-ish months. To some, especially in my age group, this might seem unremarkable. But as someone that’s experienced one breakout a week for as long as they can remember, who also, just months ago, battled a brutal surge ofclosed comedones, this was a very big deal.
Right before my wedding in July, my skin erupted in what I could only describe as one of my most unrelenting breakouts to date. Every single morning, I’d wake up to new patches of small, pebbly bumps around my jaw, chin, and —for the first time ever!— cheeks, and these were accompanied by one or two inflamed whitehead pimples. This in and of itself was, obviously, incredibly frustrating, but what made matters worse is that it led to this awful cycle of really bad picking habits that resulted in tons of scarring.
The breakouts andscarringwere so unyielding that for the first time in my career as a beauty writer, I was at a complete loss as to what I should do. When I say I tried everything, I mean everything: from researching products, to switching my pillowcases daily, to wearing no makeup, to using a shower filter. For months, I endured a relentless cycle of trial and error, desperately searching for a solution. Then one morning, for the first time in what felt like forever, I woke up to a clear face — no new breakouts in sight. Skeptical but hopeful, I waited. Day after day, my skin remained clear, and for the first time in months, I finally felt a sense of relief. It seemed I had finally discovered a routine that was able to stop my breakouts in their tracks. So today, for this Google doc, I’m going to take you through all the products, tips, and tricks I did to clear my acne just in time for my wedding.
Morning routine
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A lot of my skin care in the evening focuses on treating and preventing my acne. While I wouldn’t say these products are super stripping, I also wouldn’t say they are actively hydrating, either. So in the morning, I really try to use products with no acids that help moisturize my skin to ensure it stays soft and balanced. This skin-quenching toner from CosRx is a longtime favorite of mine, as it’s lightweight yet deeply moisturizing and has really great calming and soothing qualities for reducing any redness or irritation on the skin. As an ingredient, propolis (which is a resinlike substance made by bees) is said to not just be moisturizing and anti-inflammatory but also have antibacterial benefits, which is what makes it such a great ingredient for people like me who have the finicky skin type of both dryandacne-prone. After splashing my face with some water, I add a few drops of this toner into my hands and pat it gently into my skin.
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I use the Sofie Pavitt Omega-Rich moisturizer both during the day and at night. I always gravitate toward a moisturizing sunscreen formula, but seeing as the moisturizer is doing most of the heavy lifting, my SPF essentially just needs to work well on top of it and look nice underneath my makeup. This one from SKIN1004 I originally picked up at Manhattan’s Senti Senti in Chinatown, after one of the girls that worked there raved about how lightweight yet hydrating the consistency is for the price. I’ve been buying this as my go-to sunscreen ever since. It’s hydrating without being too greasy in conjunction with my moisturizer, and it never pills underneath my tinted moisturizer.
Evening routine
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Since I was suddenly breaking out on my cheeks — an area where I had almost never had acne before — I had a gut feeling that something external was triggering, or at the very least contributing, to my skin issues. (I was right! My detergent was contributing!) With that in mind, I knew I had to take my cleansing routine seriously to ensure I was getting everything sitting on my skin off before bed. In general, I love the silky, hydrating consistency of cleansing balms and the way they effectively remove makeup without irritating my sensitive skin. But a lot of cleansing balms out there include potentially pore-clogging ingredients like coconut oil and cocoa butter, so it was important to check the ingredient list of any new product I wanted to integrate into my routine. I’d never heard of the brand Dr. Althea before, but I was sent some of its stuff in a PR box, and when I saw that the ingredient list on this balm was all clear, I decided to try it out. I’ve since bought about three jars.
This packaging itself is pretty unique: You twist the jar, and it dispenses enough balm for you to wash your face. There’s no scooping or digging necessary, so you never come into direct contact with the product, making it an especially good choice for anyone acne-prone who is being overly cautious about bacteria getting on their skin.
The cleansing balm feels soft and sorbetlike, and the formula incorporates lots of acne-friendly, anti-inflammatory ingredients like centella asiatica and green-tea seed oil. It does a really good job of removing foundation and eye makeup — my face towels are always spotless — but never leaves my skin feeling stripped or dry, nor does it leave that greasy film behind that some overly conditioning cleansing balms do.
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I noticed the first big positive change in my skin once I started using a toner pad. This confirmed that my issues were in some way stemming from my skin not being adequately clean from whatever was triggering my breakouts. Frustrated by the single-use nature of this product, I tested many different iterations of double-cleansing, but none were as successful in helping me treat my breakouts as this was. Toner pads also not only allow for that extra bit of cleansing of the skin, they infuse a ton of hydration and acne-fighting ingredients into my skin. So it’s kind of a twofer.
This particular pad is drenched in ingredients like centella asiatica (which calms redness and inflammation), niacinamide (which helps improve skin texture), and allantoin (which calms irritation). I rarely notice any visible dirt on the pad when I’m done, but it does give that extraoomphthat makes me feel confident my skin is as clean as possible before bed, all while delivering acne-fighting and soothing ingredients to my skin. When I’m done, I also use the used toner pad to wipe away any toothpaste or dust that’s sitting on my sink, so I feel like it’s not a totally single-use product.
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I tested this product many years ago and remember liking it justfine, but after reading testimonial after testimonial of praise on Reddit, I decided to give it another go. This doesn’t do very much for my bumpy, textural issues, but it’s a total game changer when it comes to preventing and treating any swollen, red, or inflamed acne, like whiteheads and cysts. It helps reduce the redness and just general angriness of my breakouts while also keeping future inflamed acne from sprouting up.
This very lightweight, liquid exfoliating toner incorporates the acne-fighting ingredient salicylic acid, which is a beta hydroxy acid that penetrates into your skin and helps dissolve dead skin cells and unclog pores. It also includes soothing and hydrating ingredients like green tea and water-attracting methylpropanediol, so it’s not too spicy and harsh on my skin. When I first started using it, I incorporated it into my routine every other day. But now that my acne has for the most part subsided, I tend to use it only once a week as maintenance.
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As far as my textural issues go, the only thing that’s helped smooth out those irritating textural bumps — andkeepthem gone — is azelaic acid. After researching pebbly breakouts (also known as closed comedones), I discovered that azelaic acid is an especially effective treatment because it regulates cell turnover, addressing the root cause of their formation. What makes azelaic acid even greater is that it also works to treat hyperpigmentation, making it a really ideal ingredient for anyone who has found themselves poking and prodding at their closed comedones in the mirror.
This product is more of a paste-like consistency. When I apply it, I take small, pea-size amount and rub it into any areas of my face where I tend to break out. I swear, with weeks of using this booster and the BHA exfoliating liquid, I noticed the inflammation and redness of my acne begin to subside without any new spots forming. I use this about three times a week to help prevent closed comedones from forming and help fade any hyperpigmentation.
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My routine was working wonders at finally getting rid of my acne, but because of the new acids and treatments I was incorporating into my routine, my skin was feeling a bit drier than usual. I knew I needed a heavy-duty moisturizer to balance it all out, but I really struggled to find one that was rich enough to quench my skin while simultaneously would be safe on my super-temperamental, acne-prone skin.
I was able to discover a few moisturizers that didn’t seem to clog my pores — like the Ordinary’s NMF Moisturizer — but they were never quite hydrating enough for my skin. This was until I tried Sofie Pavitt’s Omega Moisturizer, which, in my humble opinion, is the moisturizer to end all moisturizers.
As someone who has struggled withdry skinandeczemamy whole life, I’ve always loved the feel of thick, rich creams (like Weleda Skin Food, for example) on my skin. However, these formulas were often packed with comedogenic ingredients, like essential oils, silicones, and butters, that instantly broke me out. So when I first tried Sofie’s moisturizer and felt how ultrarich and luxurious it was, I was ecstatic. The Omega Moisturizer is a deeply hydrating, thick cream that delivers this enormous surge of moisture to your skin instantaneously. The cream is a cocktail of fatty acids, squalane, and jojoba and argan oils, which work together to condition the skin and soothe any irritation while avoiding any comedogenic ingredients that could potentially clog pores. It feels so luxurious to apply, and whenever I apply it before bed, I wake up with smooth, bouncy, ultrahydrated skin. It’s more expensive than what I usually spend on a moisturizer, but a little goes a long way, and the formula really is worth it.
My go-to device
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I may have wished my skin-care routine were less acne-focused and more anti-aging, but that doesn’t mean my skin isn’t aging — I’m spotting wrinkles in places I never even thought about.
If the price on this is making your blood boil, I understand, but I’m kindly asking you to put your pitchfork down and allow me to explain myself. I didn’t do much treatment-wise leading up to my wedding (I got two facials: a peel for acne scarring withNicolette in Los Angelesa few months out and a Biologique facial withSofia Visan in NYCa month before). I didn’t skip injectables for moral reasons; I just had a teeny-tiny, ten-person wedding and didn’t feel like wasting my first Botox on my mom and dad. I could, however, rationalize investing in a device that I’d be able to use for years to come.
If you didn’t know, the ZIIP device is a skin-care gadget that looks like a computer mouse and uses micro and nano currents to boost your skin’s collagen and tone facial muscles for a smoothed and sculpted look. The device hooks up to an app that helps guide you through all different kinds of treatments, from cheekbone and jaw contouring, to jowl and brow lifting, to even acne fighting (I don’t understand the science behind the zit-buster treatment, but I have anecdotally had some luck with it).
Leading up to the wedding, I tried to do the 12-minute, all-inclusive treatment as often as I could whenever I was loafing around or sitting in front of the TV. And I have to say, I did notice a really big difference in the generallifted-nessof my skin. I wasn’t expecting it to totally get rid of all my wrinkles, but I saw that my forehead lines and crow’s-feet looked softer and that my brows had a bit more of an arch to them. Admittedly, this is one of those things that you really have to stick to in order to see a difference (the effects start to wear off if you don’t use it regularly), but whenever I stick to it, I’m super impressed with the results.
I will say if you’re acne-prone, it’s really important that you buy alcohol wipes to properly clean your ZIIP before every use.
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