skincare gem: Murad Acne Clearing Solution

bonjour, beauties!

have you heard of or tried the new Murad Acne Clearing Solution yet? if you battle acne on a mild to moderate level, you're familiar with plenty of treatments and products that address this issue. this is one i think you should check out...

the older i get, thankfully, the less i experience breakouts. i still do get a pesky zit or two every now and then, but they're small. of course who wants to have a pimple at all?? what i love about Murad Acne Clearing Solution is that it not only helped clear my skin of a pesky spot quickly, but i do believe it's helping to keep the time between breakouts even further few and far between.

meant especially for daily use, Murad's Acne Clearing Solution combines salicylic acid with other acne-fighting ingredients {tea teea oil and queen of meadow extract} to treat and prevent breakouts. in a study, 96% of users saw clearer skin in 72 hours*. i personally found that it sometimes worked faster. another thing i love about this Murad gem is that it's not drying {i made sure to pay special attention for any excess dryness or irritation since it is for use on a daily basis}. i haven't had any peeling or irritation, and overall, using this has been fab. i highly recommend!

visit murad.com for more info about Acne Clearing Solution as well as the plethora of skincare goodies for any and every skin concern you may have. 

*in a Murad sponsored study. product sent to me for review consideration; pic taken by me :)

skincare review: Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Triple-Action Toner

if this time of year is stressful and your skin is showing the signs through breakouts on your skin, i'd like to suggest a great product: Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Triple-Action Toner from Neutrogena...

if you're familiar with the brand, skincare is what Neutrogena does the best {at least in my opinion}. i've been using the Triple-Action Toner on and off for a couple of years, and it's a fabulous product!

to begin with, it actually smells good. so many blemish-fighting toners smell so intense they can be  hard to use. Triple Action Toner has cucumber extract in it, so i believe that helps. the formula is also a little less harsh, so that may be a factor in the way it smells as well…

in a addition to the milder-than-your-typical-acne-toner smell, this toner is gentle yet so effective. i don't get many breakouts these days, but i still swipe a bit of the toner across my face at night following my cleansing routine. when i do spy a little bugger trying to show itself on my skin, i use it twice a day, and it never gets the chance to fully develop {take that acne, haha!}.

the brand credits the effectiveness to its clinically proven MicroClear delivery system, which helps get the medicine down into pores, clearing up your skin; Triple Action Toner also helps eliminate oil and shine and prevents future oil clogs. and finally, the unique formula of skin-soothers {such as green tea and as i mentioned before, cucumber extract}, reduces redness and irritation on the skin.

count me in as a fan...

tell me: have you tried or do you use the Triple Action Toner? what do you use to keep your skin clear during stressful times??

you can find Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Stress Control Triple Action Toner in drugstores and mass retailers {like Target, where i buy mine}, both in store and online. 

visit neutrogena.com for more info.

i bought this; pic taken by me :)

SensiClear Acne System

i consider myself to be a positive attitude type of girl. when it comes to my attitude towards acne, i would say it's anything but. there's nothing worse than having pesky little blemishes popping up like uninvited guests. thought my skin has been relatively clear these days, i've been using SensiClear, an acne treatment system with a patented ingredient called Retextra-- this ingredient, i am told, makes this system the most advanced for acne available without a prescription-- and i have had ha good experience with it.

although i only used this system once a day, i have to tell you that i found SensiClear to be extremely gentle-- my skin never dried out, and each product left my skin feeling refreshed, never tight or irritated. i do, however, believe that there is potential for a more harsh reaction to the products simply because the use of salicylic acid used a couple of times a day can be harsh on the skin. here's the run-down (from my experience) of each product:




Purifying Cleanser
this cleanser cleans my skin and leaves it feeling soft. i use this after first cleansing and removing most of my makeup with Philosophy's Purity Made Simple. i found that this was not only an aid in removing excess oils from my skin, but also any makeup left behind.




Balancing Toner
after cleansing, i use this toner all over my face and neck. isn't a liquid, but a gel, which, at first i thought it was strange, but once i discovered it left my skin feeling refreshed and clean, i was a fan.




Blemish Free Acne Treatment Lotion
the final step in this system helps to treat and prevent blemishes in a gentle and effective way. i didn't use it every night, but every other since i had no major breakouts to combat. this lotion lightweight and absorbs beautifully.




Blemish Free Acne Spot Treatment
to speed up the process of getting rid of a pimple, this spot treatment does the trick. i only had to use it a handful of times, but after each time i did (usually a couple of days), those little zits were running for cover.


i recommend you research this line for yourself. like i said, this review is simply based on my own experience. overall, i think these are good products-- not amazing, just good. they did help keep my skin on the clear side, but since i don't have severe acne, i don't know how this would work for that.

visit SensiClear.com for more info.

xo

PCA Skincare

there are so many lines of products out there, but PCA SKIN is one brand that i came to know of from my days in beauty school. i had the opportunity to experience some of their products recently, and i have to say i really enjoyed them!


PCA SKIN’s medical grade products incorporate the latest in medically and scientifically researched ingredients to nourish, hydrate and rejuvenate skin, delivering optimal results. free of color additives, synthetic fragrances, harsh alcohols, comedogenic oils and other known sensitizers, they are designed to deliver results without irritation and are especially effective for helping to treat such varied skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, hyperpigmentation, rosacea and fine lines and wrinkles. PCA SKIN daily care products are available only through physicians and licensed medical professionals.



pHaze 1 Facial Wash works well at removing makeup and dirt. formulated to be best for more normal skin types, i found that after using this, my skin never felt tight, only clean and fresh. lactic and citric acids worked to gently exfoliate and give my skin a new glow.





the pHaze 35 Acne Gel became a fast favorite. with 2% salicylic acid and 5% azelaic acid, i found it to work quickly when i had a blemish (be gone zits!)








pHaze 43 Hydrating Serum gave my skin a nice "drink" without being greasy or heavy. hyaluronic acid, sodium PCA and vitamin B-5 attract water moisture into the upper layers of the skin, improving appearance and elasticity.






pHaze 7 Protecting Hydrator SPF 25 felt light going on, which was nice because really, who want to fell like they have a heavy layer of sunscreen on their face?








pHaze 30 Perfecting Body Hydrator SPF 30 keeps skin on the body hydrated and protected. we all know keeping the skin on our faces protected is crucial in preventing sun damage, but the skin on our body also need protection everyday! this truly light formula made me forget that i was applying something with an spf.






stay tuned as i will be bringing you more from the PCA SKIN line! until then, be sure to check out their website, pcaskin.com



xo

photos: pcaskin.com

Murad Acne Spot Treatment

if it were up to me, i would never have acne again. i'm sure if you have any experience with it, then you feel the same.

Murad Acne Spot Treatment is formulated with sulfur to fight bacteria, salicylic acid to exfoliate and hydrolyzed oat flour to help counteract dryness and flaking. sounds so great, right? like it will solve all of you blemish woes the instant it touches your skin?

well...

i'm not saying it didn't work. it did, just not as well as i thought it would. what with all of the hype and the good things that have been said about it, i just expected it to work better. it did help my blemishes to not get bigger. but they hung out a little too long for my taste. of course, i still use retin-a, and i used a great mask to speed up the process, so i know my skin is in good hands.

so is this a favorite product? no.

would i recommend it? yes, and only because i know that not everything will work the same on every person with the same condition. as is the case for everything on the market: what doesn't thrill me might become your HG product and vice versa.

so find out more about Murad Acne Spot Treatment at Murad.com




xo

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photo: murad.com

Bioelements Amino Mask

if you have acne prone skin, like me, and are looking for a fabulous new way to control it, i recommend you get yourself Bioelements Amino Mask. it's the best, most effective mask i have ever used! i think i can say it's an HG product!

i have used many masks to control my acne. and not to say that they didn't work, but they didn't work like this one. i usually would have to use a mask several times before i saw results. the Amino Mask shows skin improvements overnight. i know, i know, there are other masks on the market, one in particular comes to mind, that claim to work overnight, but they didn't work for me.

Bioelements Amino Mask is a salicylic acid mask that also contains sulfur, a great anti-bacterial ingredient. it helps to unclog pores and control oil-production (an added bonus), as weel as calm the skin. it gives a cooling sensation while it sits on my face, which feels lovely (especially with the weather i've been living with lately!). 15 minutes later, my skin feels fresh and soft. the best part-- it clears up exsisting acne, and prevents new flare-ups.

i have two kids, who are now both home on summer break, so i'm a little stressed sometimes! and as you might know, stress can sometimes show up on the face. now i don't have to worry about it. this mask, that could also work well as a spot treatment, has got my back.

find Bioelements Amino Mask can be purchased at dermstore.com and glow.com

xo

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photo: glow.com