Skincare Advice please?!

Feb 8, 2016

Kelsey B.

So I have rather enlarged pores around my nose and cheeks.
I also have dry skin and tend to get a lot of blackheads.

What recommendations are there for a skincare regime/products that help get rid of and prevent black heads without drying the skin?

And also to make my pores more refined?

Thank you

Feb 8, 2016

Mim I.

I have dry skin and hugeeee pores lol (but no black heads) I use Aveeno positively radiant daily facial moisturizer! And it's amazing! It keeps my skin moist all day long and I have really dry AND sensitive skin! Plus it also even out my skin tone! Highly recommended! And I also use Mario Badescu rose water facial spray to set my makeup and make my face extra moist without the oiliness lol.. And for pores I use Smashbox photo finish primer pore minimizer! Good luck! 😊

Feb 8, 2016

Hannah K.

I have basically the exact same problems!

I do not wash my face in the morning, usually, unless I happen to be taking a shower that morning as well. If I do wash my face in the morning, I use the Ren Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Balm, and follow that up with the iS Clinical Pro-Heal Serum, no moisturizer because the cleansing balm gives enough of that on its own.

at night, I use a multistep process...
-Wash my face with my Clarisonic & a face wash. At the moment this is the Face Soap and Clarity from Soap and Glory, which is a really great face wash that leaves my skin feeling super clean and nice. I also absolutely cannot function without my Clarisonic. I'm not prone to breakouts but I do get blackheads and a few days without my Clarisonic absolutely screws the texture of my skin.
-I follow this with the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads, which really do a great job of getting rid of my blackheads over time. it's a two step process that uses glycolic acid to dissolve dirt and impurities.
-Shiseido Whitelucent Serum, I use this to ensure I don't get any dark spots from picking at my face, it's been doing a great job so far! I adore the packaging, as well, since it's an airtight pump and a single pump is enough for my whole face.
-iS Clinical Pro-Heal Serum, I adore this stuff. It's a Vitamin A serum that does an additional bit of exfoliation and makes my skin glowy.
-Face cream. At the moment this is the Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins, which is super thick and glorious for hydration, it smells like creamsicles and you need the smallest amount to get your whole face hydrated and amazing.
-Eye cream, any old eye cream will work, but at the moment I'm using one that I got in a Birchbox that has caffeine in it because I'm a student and it helps with my puffy, dark circles from lack of sleep.

I also exfoliate every few days with the Kate Somerville ExfoliKate, which is an enzyme exfoliant and leaves my skin so amazingly smooth. Follow that with a lot of moisturizer, though, because otherwise your skin will get even more dry than normal.

I also am a big fan of the pore strips, which aren't great for you if you use them too often but every now and then I'll use one to remove the newer blackheads on my nose.

I also use the Origins Charcoal Mask every week or so, which is a great mask that uses charcoal to reduce the impurities that are in your pores. I use this by applying it to my skin and then getting in the shower. I'll wash my hair, shave my legs, wash my body etc.and then I'll rinse this off, since I've found that the steam helps the mask penetrate my skin. I'd like to warn you, though, it will leave your skin extremely dry so make sure to follow it up with a heavy duty moisturizer or moisturizing mask, like the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Overnight Mask or the GlamGlow ThirstyMud.

I also really, really recommend going to an esthetician for a facial every 4-6 weeks. They are invaluable fonts of information, and they can get blackheads that are impossible to remove at home. In the three years that I've been seeing my esthetician, my skin has improved to a ridiculous degree.

I'd be happy to give you more product recommendations if you'd like, or any other information that you could possibly need =)