Beauty School - Clean & Clear

Beauty School - Clean & Clear

Clean & Clear... Is that even still available for sale? I remember my Mum buying it for me in my early teens, bless her heart. It eventually made the sides of my nose super sore.
We’ve come a long way since the limited options we had available in the early 1990s, but Salicylic Acid (the key ingredient in Clean & Clear) is still a vital tool in the fight against breakouts and clogged pores.

 
Despite being 42 with combination/dry skin, I do still suffer from blackheads and clogged pores, and visible sebaceous filaments in my nose (they look like blackheads but actually aren’t). I make it so much worse by constantly squeezing and picking, and then I promise myself I will stop doing it, and then I’m visiting somewhere and there’s a bathroom mirror with exceptional light and I see something that needs squeezing... and the cycle starts all over again.
 
So I’ve tried to take a better approach to unclogging my skin, but with trial and error I’ve discovered what mostly works for me.
 
One of the brands that has become a staple in my skincare is The Ordinary. Beauticians seem to scoff at it but in all honesty, once I started using it (in conjunction with microneedling) my skin really improved.
 
My favourites:
 
Note that I don’t use any of these extras in the morning under foundation, as I find that they mess with how my foundation adheres.  So my morning routine is just Antipodes Baptise H20 Ultra Hydrating Water Gel, The Ordinary Moisturising Factors moisturiser and Nivea 50+ SPF Shine Control sunscreen.

 

My other can-not-live-withouts:
 
Juvenate Uplift Eye and Lip Serum – this is a bit expensive (around $120), and only available in person from participating beauty spa stockists but wow is it good. It’s NZ made and I’ve heard the newer packaging comes with a vibrating device that helps massage the serum into the skin and stimulates the muscles, so I can’t wait to try that when my current one runs out. It’s supposed to be used morning and night but I find it does not sit well under foundation so I only use it at night. You put it on and let it dry before you put moisturiser over the top.
 
Antipodes Baptise H2O Ultra-Hydrating Water Gel – If you’re already using Antipodes and you don’t know that it’s available at Chemist Warehouse at a reduced price, then girl I just did you a solid.  I use this water gel in the morning under my foundation as it gives a hydration boost without affecting how my foundation adheres to the skin under my eyes.
 
Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream – Very hydrating, I wouldn’t recommend this for oily skin but I wake up feeling super juicy when I use this.
 
Don’t forget to wash!
With facial cleansers I seem to flit between them with no real loyalty, so I have no recommendations here.  I’m going to try The Ordinary’s Squalane Cleanser when I run out of my Colourpop Bloom Service Cleansing Balm (which is really quite nice and does the job but I wouldn’t say it was life changing, yaknow?)


Stay cool 'till after school,

Nicole

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