An acne cure? Nah... but close.

I've been battling acne since I was old enough to look in the mirror and find my blackheads. Yuck. I'll admit, I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my complexion. When I tell others I'm going to a dermatologist to try this new lotion or pill, they look at me like I'm crazy. "What acne?" they say, but I don't care. I can see it and that is what matters to me! I have tried every modern form of acne medicine even Accutane, the supposed "cure," twice in high school. But the acne always seems to come back. I was on antibiotics this summer and they did an exceptional job. For once, my skin felt baby soft and blemish free for two whole months. The problem is you can't stay on the antibiotics forever, so after a month or two off them, my acne and blackheads were back. My doc suggested Retin-A, a lotion with a type of Vitamin A in it, but I haven't been too impressed. I'm not always good about applying it every single night, which hinders its effectiveness, and it causes my skin to flake evrywhere. Yuck.

On a whim, I picked up Philosophy's Acne Kit at Sephora, with 4 of the On a Clear Day products. Usually I wash my face with cheap Cetaphil for Normal/Oily skin, but it doesn't seem to be cutting the bacteria enough. I like that the kit is benzoyl peroxide free (I hate that stuff, it burns my face and ruins my sheets and towels!) and uses ingredients like sulfur and salicylic acid. Both have been researched extensively for their effectiveness at disinfecting and exfoliating, important in the fight against acne.

So far, I love the kit. It was a great value at $47! The 2% salicylic acid Serum alone is $30, and all the products are full sized. The face wash feels very gentle and your face feels very clean afterwards. The Serum stings a little, but you know its working. I know my skin gets sensitive sometimes, so I skipped it this morning, after using it twice yesterday. The hydrogen peroxide cream is very different than anything I've used, but it seems like a gentler version of benzoyl peroxide creams. I'll probably use it every other night, so I don't over dry my face. I thing my favorite is the protection cream, which is supposed to seal in the other products and keep out the bad stuff. It feels a bit like a primer since it smooths out the texture of of skin and makes it makeup ready. So if you are in the market for a new acne fighting regime, try this one out. I know its only been three days, but I think I'm going to like the results. I just have to keep it up! No more sleeping in my makeup, its battle time!

Cleanse Lovely!