In January I did a fully updated morning and nighttime skincare routine after seeing a dermatologist. I do recommend reading those posts because I will be talking briefly about some of the products I was using then but am not using now and why. You also can learn more about my skin history but to summarize, I have PCOs which causes me to have hormonal acne. I’m trying to get pregnant so I can’t take any kind of acne mediation and can only use topical products. I’m going to review the newest products I’ve added into my skincare routine first and then I’ll show pictures of how my skin is looking now.

Reviews:

Toward the end of January I bought the Skinfood Aloe Vera Soothing Gel and the Pura d’or Argan Oil. The Skinfood Aloe Vera Soothing Gel is $8.00 for 300 milliliters or a little over 10 ounces. This is a huge tub of product and in two months of consistent use I haven’t even made a dent in it. It is 93% pure aloe vera and can be used all over the face and body. This is NOT a moisturizer, it is only a soothing gel. I use this right after I apply my Azelaic Acid because the acid stings my skin. This completely soothes my skin and helps with the irritation. This does feel slightly tacky when first applied but it dries very quickly. If you suffer with any kind of skin irritation I recommend trying this.

The Pura d’or Argan Oil is $20.00 for 4 ounces. It can be used on the skin and hair. I bought this to replace an oil I was using from e.l.f. because this one is a much better deal. Argan Oil is supposed to help reduce acne and moisturize the skin. I do like this oil. It’s not what I would consider a “dry” oil, like the e.l.f. one. This one does stay slightly oily on my skin after application which I’m not crazy about. This hasn’t harmed my skin but I’m not sure it has really helped either. As of right now, I just haven’t found a facial oil that I’m in LOVE with but this one isn’t bad and I probably will repurchase it because the price works for me. If you’ve been wanting to try an argan oil I don’t think you’d be disappointed with this one.

The Ulta Beauty Brightening Red Clay Body Bar and Derma E Radiance Toner are fairly new additions to my routine. The Ulta Beauty Brightening Red Clay Body Bar is $5.00 for 5 ounces. It contains: Red Clay to help calm and smooth the skin, Glycolic Acid to help remove dead skin and Licorice Root Extract to help balance the skin. I LOVE this soap! It has a very clean scent with a tinge of licorice. It leaves my skin feeling clean and smooth but not overly dry. I primarily bought it to help with acne scarring and as of right now I’m not sure if it is but I’ve only been using it for around a month. I do use this soap on my face and body but NOT my lady parts. I think it would be a little too abrasive for sensitive areas. If the ingredients of this bar sound like they’d help your skin, I recommend it!

The Derma E Radiance Toner is $15.00 for 6 ounces. I also bought this to help with acne scarring because it contains glycolic acid and rooibos. It is an alcohol free toner. I’ve been using this every morning and I love it as well. It leaves my skin feeling so soft, clean and moisturized. It’s very gentle on the skin and I honestly like it more than the Thayer’s Witch Hazel Toner. Just like with Red Clay Body Bar, I’m not sure if it’s helping my scarring as of right now but it is benefitting my skin overall and I recommend it.

Products I’m No Longer Using:

• e.l.f. Bounce Back Jelly Cleanser– I ran out of this and I’m now just using baby wash to initially remove my makeup. It works the same and is much cheaper.
• Mario Badescu Chamomile Cleansing Lotion– I mentioned in my initial review of this that I wouldn’t be repurchasing it and I haven’t. It’s kind of pricey and did nothing for me.
•  CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum– This serum was fine but it didn’t do anything miraculous for my skin. I haven’t used a serum since I ran out of this and I honestly haven’t noticed a difference.
• e.l.f. Antioxidant Booster Drops– I replaced this oil with the Pura d’or Argan Oil mentioned above.

My Skin Now:

The top two pictures were taken on 12/12/18 when I went to the dermatologist and the bottom two pictures were taken on 03/09/19. I’m honestly so happy with how far my skin has came. Most of what is left on my face now is redness and scarring. I definitely do still break out and typically have at least one pimple everyday.

I’m planning to do another skincare update around June or July. Hopefully by then I will have removed some of the scarring. I hope seeing my routine or these reviews was helpful to you! I know how awful dealing with acne is so I like sharing the knowledge of what works for me. I’d love to know how you handle breakouts! Thanks for reading and have a great day!