How I Keep My Skin Looking This Good on a Budget
Before we dive in, let me tell you something that might surprise you: I have suffered from horrible acne for most of my life.
Teenage and young adult me used to skip events because of cystic and inflamed acne.
Current me hasn't worn a lick of face makeup in years, and is forever thankful that I found miracle products that have changed the life of my skin.
Here's a sneak peek into my daily routine and products that have changed my life (and my overall spending on beauty products).
FYI: Once I found products that worked, I found myself spending LESS on constant trial/test products and on makeup to cover the acne.
🔥Facewash
Facewash, evening only: I used to wash my face AM & PM to 'scrub' the acne away. Once I started not using facewash in the morning, I found that it brought me skin to a more balanced state. Every other morning, I splash my face with water. Otherwise, I don't touch it AT ALL.
Face Wash: SkinCeuticals Glycolic Renewal Cleanser ($42, lasts 6 month for me = $7/month).
Face Wash Cloth: My facialist recommended buying a huge basket of rough hand towels / face cloths to lightly scrub in my evening face wash. It helps remove dead skin without being harsh. They're nothing fancy; I think I bought a big pack at Home Depot of white towels.
🔥Lotions
Night Time (or morning if needed): Kiehl's Super Multi Corrective Cream ($76, lasts a year for me = $6.30/month). The BEST!!! Brings moisture, reduces redness, fades acne scars. Worth every penny and you don't need a lot daily!
Night Time: Luna Sleeping Night Oil ($55, lasts a year for me = $4.58/month). This has also helped me skin reach a balanced state of not being too dry or oily & fading redness.
Under Eye Cream (morning): The Ordinary Caffeine Solution ($9.20, lasts 3 months = $3.06/month). This gives an instant reduction in dark circles and puffiness, and over time, has reduced overall dark color under my eyes.
Musely The Spot Cream: This one is a game-changer. I have spent years laying in the sun to try to ‘dry out’ my acne, and now have the freckles and sun spots to show for it. I just started using this cream a month ago and it has already lightened my spots and my old acne scars. https://www.musely.com/darkspots
🔥Makeup
Green Tinted Lotions: Dr. Jart Cicapair. Literally everything in this line is magic. The oil helps for overnight redness reduction, the cream helps instantly reduce redness during the day. The gold winner though is the Color Correcting Treatment, which is a green cream that gives your skin a makeup-like glow!
Concealer: NYX Color Correcting Concealer Palette. My go-to to cover a little bump or redness. Also works great for undereye cover up.
Chapstick: Burt’s Bees or Carmex.
Mascara: Lash Paradise by L’Oreal.
🔥NUTRITION
Vitamins: I’m not a certified nutritionist, but I can tell you what has worked for me. First, DIM capsules - I used this a few years ago and it completely clear out my deep cystic acne. Now, I take a variety of vitamins (vitamin D, B12, and MCT oil).
Fruits and Vegetables: I do meal prepping on the weekend, make a lot of soups loaded with vegetables, have smoothies + add in a superfood powder, and add extra veggies to most recipes (like enchiladas, casseroles, etc.). I also drink a lot of homemade pressed juices (carrot, apple, orange, spinach, celery, beet).
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These are the things that have changed the game for me! What about you - what are your go-to beauty products that don’t break the bank? Share your thoughts with me on Insta.
