My Facial Skin Care

*Disclaimer- In no way am I a professional in this field and I speak only from experience*

Clinique facial products really are VERY good. I say this because I have recently started using them and my skin was transformed overnight (literally), and has gotten even better over the past few weeks (I have been using it for almost four weeks).

Before I talk a bit more about the products I'll start with a bit about my skin and my acne...

I started to get spots really quite young, which got worse towards the end of primary school, at about the age of ten (I'm now fourteen). By this point my mum and I had tried many, many of the washes, scrubs and creams you can readily buy in Supermarkets and drug stores. Some ranges/brands that come to mind are the Tesco's own, Simple, Dermalogica, Freederm, Neutrogena etc... as well as various face masks, witchhazel products, tea tree oil and more. 

At the age of about eleven I was prescribed antibiotics at the doctors for acne and then went on to try a few more different antibiotic combinations to find one that worked for me (I tried three in total). When you go to the doctors with acne, they will prescribe you antibiotics and give a stronger/different combination if the previous one doesn't work. If none of the antibiotics work then you can be put on various different pills and medicine, which thankfully, I didn't get to (so I also don't know much about). The antibiotics I tried came in liquid form which you 'dabbed' onto your spots/problem areas and as creams.

The antibiotic that finally worked for me was good, however, it did sometimes make my skin quite dry and, occasionally  very red a swollen. After a while my spots reduced a little and I decided that I didn't need the antibiotics any more. I then went back on it a few months later and came off it again as, whilst it was reducing my acne, it was also agitating my skin too much for my liking.

For most of the time I was using the antibiotics I used Neutrogena's visibly clear 2 in 1 Wash Mask, which I do recommend as it was very good and I used it for a good couple of years. I continued to use it after I stopped using the antibiotics, along with a few other moisturisers and spot 'zapping' creams to reduce red, inflamed spots- I recommend Freederm's gel and Dermalogica's Clean Start Welcome Matte Moisturiser.

About a month ago now, I started using Clinique's anti-blemish range, which has worked wonders on my skin. I find that there are many good ranges for your skin out there, some that target black heads, deep cleansing, others that attack red inflamed spots, others that reduce grease and white-heads  For me, one of the main reasons for this range being so good is that it does pretty much all of the above in one set, perhaps apart from reducing and drying out larger red spots quickly ( I am also still using my Freederm for that) although I do believe they have a product which does that, not in the range. It is perhaps best that way as creams that reduce such spots can really dry out your skin if you use too much or if you don't really need it, which many people who could use the range may not.

 The products I have been using recently

I am reluctant to give a full review of the products as skin care really does vary, depending on the person and their skin type. I have, however, been extremely pleased with the products and do think that they are worth a go if you have troubled skin, like mine. They are quite pricey, the tester kit I started on costs £30 and lasted me for about three weeks, although, I would definitely say they are worth the money. You can also buy them separately so you could use only one or two products from the trio, although I'm not sure that you would get the same results.

Firstly you use the cleansing foam to wash your face with...

...then apply the clarifying lotion with cotton wool...

...and finish with the moisturiser. 

The trio (which I use twice daily) works very well together for me, all of the products feel fresh on my face and sink in well.

They do also sell other trios of products if this one would not suit your skin type.

All of the anti blemish products can be found on this section of their site, here and are also sold in Boots. There is also an offer at the moment where you get a selection of mini products when you buy two or more Clinique products. 

I have also been using my freederm gel to reduce larger, inflamed red spots which you can buy from supermarkets and Boots as well as online.

I have used this face mask to reduce build up in my pores a couple of times recently, which I found  very good- it left my skin feeling soft, hydrated and clean. I found it a while back on sale in Topshop for 50p, but am sure you can pick them up in Boots/Superdrug. I have also found an on-line link for it here. 

Little bit of advice :)

I am very lucky that my acne has gotten a lot better while I am still quite young (fourteen) and that it never got TOO bad. It does, however, affect many people, mostly teenagers and young adults and I think that there are a couple of pieces of advice I can give from experience. While my acne was never that bad, I was aware of it and self concious of my skin. For some people it can literally take over lives and be constantly on their minds. If you have acne, or and spots at all, to just keep trying products that work for you. You may have to change products every few months/years as your skin changes or if it gets too used to a product, so don't be disheartened if one stops working. It may also be worth visiting your GP, they may have something for you even if your skin isn't that bad.

It is also very important for people to consider what they say to someone with spots, as something not meant to be negatively can often be a bit offensive and more often simply show the person with spots that they are visible and on show to others...

Never tell someone they have spots- people have told me, meaning no harm, but only ever confirmed to me that my spots were clear to others. Believe me, if a person has spots they will know.

Don't give basic skin advice unless they ask for it- Avoid telling people tell me things such as 'try one of the washes you can buy in Boots' or 'you should eat less chocolate'. If they have bad skin, trust me they will have done their research and will know their stuff and will have followed all of the basic skin advice. Even though you're only trying to help, it could have a negative affect.

Don't moan about your one or two spots- It/they may be making you self concious or uncomfortable, but don't talk as if you have really bad skin, especially to someone with many spots or acne. Again, you won't mean any harm but it is really annoying to hear for people who actually have bad skin and acne.  

I'm sure there is much more advice I can give, those are just the things that stand out to me :)

I hope this has helped someone, just remember that I am not qualified but do speak from experience.

The next post will be a lot shorter, I have a couple of look-books I intend to make as well as make-up looks and a nail polish catch-up.

Until then, 

Grace x