I used a lot of great skincare and makeup products over the years, but some products for whatever reason become absolutely necessary for a certain period of time. I started blogging in the summer when my skin behaved the absolute worst. Since it’s my first time blogging, and my first ”Best of Year” post, I decided to focus on the absolutely NECESSARY and FOOL PROOF products of 2012 that worked on my wrecked and ravaged SPECIAL NEEDS skin.
1. Tazorac
Without this my skin would have taken weeks to remove spots and extra months to reduce the pigmentation level of the post-inflammatory acne spots left behind. Instead, hormonal acne eruptions were brought down within days, post acne hyperpigmentation marks reduced greatly in a few weeks.
2. derma E Cleansing Enzyme Mask
Tazorac is not the most effective on cystic acne where the infection point can TAKE forever to really migrate out into the superficial lapers of the skin. This sucker forced out the gross stuff into visible white points within a few days of consistent use.
3. Decleor Rose D’Orient Serum
No moisturizer I have ever used has ever successfully soothed and moisturized OVERLY tazorac’d skin which is raw, hyper sensitive, and peeling pre-sunscreen and post foundation use. Without this extra layer of protection, my skin would have been burning and irritated on contact from sunscreen and foundation use, and it would not have prevented my sunscreen and foundation from balling up with my skin peelies. This was a great duo purpose product. However, I must say Hourglass’ No. 28 Primer Serum may end up being the cost effective version of this product for 2013!
4. Shiseido Urban Environment UV Protection Cream, SPF 35 or SPF 40
I use alot of different sunscreens, and many are great, but when my skin is super sensitive, irritated, dry and peeling and most things make it burn on contact, I need SPECIAL sunscreens that won’t melt away in the heat, but will still not irritate my skin. I used up a few bottles of this even after I was introduced to it over this Spring. Honorable mention goes to Josie Maran Argan Oil Daily Moisturizer SPF 40 for winter Tazorac’d skin.
4. Lancome Maquicomplet Full Coverage Concealer
Seriously? Without this my cheeks and jaw line would have looked ravaged! This was my face tarp for those days I did not want the world to know how really wrecked my skin was over the summer. No matter how dry, peeling and red – this covered it up without adding to the problem with no application issues despite my SPECIAL NEEDS skin. Creamy, opaque and blendable. Even not being the ”best” skintone match – it WORKED.
5. Edward Bess Compact Rouge for Lips and Cheeks in After Sunset
You’d think I would have avoided blush on my cheeks during the difficult times my skin experienced. NOPE. I am a naturally light, green-tinted, yellowy sallow color – I need blush – ACNE BE DAMNED. But powder blushes became an issue, as did certain formulas and textures for cream blushes on my tazorac’d, wrecked and ravaged skin. The exception? Edward Bess Lip and Cheek Rouge in After Sunset, which was wonderfully blendable, and did not dry, or pull, on my skin, or accent peeling. It also did not feel unpleasantly tacky during super hot, humid summer days. An honorable mention goes to Becca Creme Blush in Turkish Rose for being a close second.
Even when not the best, oil cleansers generally can get the job done. But when you skin is being blitzed with tons of exfoliative, stripping and drying agents, and you are applying non-budgeable asian sunscreens, concealers or foundations, and blushes, you need a SUPERSTAR product that does it ALL and will NOT require a second cleansing product to degrime the skin. This 1) deeply cleaned my skin, 2) gently without irritating it, 3) or drying it out, 4) rebalanced dehydrated skin with moisture, 5) while not leaving an oily film, 6) and did not create further breakouts. BONUS - it does subtlely brighten your overall skintone the longer you leave it on. This product is a STAR and I will not be without it. I purchased this bad boy in the beginning of 2012 and I am just about a month away from buying my third bottle.
These products were the absolute BEST for my SPECIAL NEEDS skin in 2012! What makes them even more amazing is that my skin doesn’t have to be wrecked in order to benefit from these products. They are star products.
