THE ORDINARY SKINCARE: The Top 5 Must-Have Products for Combination, Acne-Prone Skin

THE ORDINARY SKINCARE: The Top 5 MustHave Products for Combination, Acne-Prone Skin

By Neasa Gorrell

Today we will be ranking the top five musthave products from The Ordinary Skincare range when combatting acne, and advise on how to use and apply each one.

Having struggled with acne from the age of twelve, I have tried many different skincare products over the years that promise to support the skin and prevent acne breakouts. The vast majority of these didn’t help, and I ended up turning to medication until I found The Ordinary. I have used a range of The Ordinary products to treat my combination skin for almost a year now, and some have become a crucial part of my skincare routine in trying to prevent acne flare-ups. I use these products as well as medications, as a way to support the maintenance of my complexion. Here I will name the top five products I have used from The Ordinary which help keep my combination, acneprone skin clear.

Hyaluronic Acid – The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 This product helps to retain moisture in the skin, which is essential when treating acne. If you are continually applying harsh acids or drying solutions to the skin, it is vital not to overdo it as this can cause the healthy moisture barrier to breakdown, making your skin look very dull and dry. This is where Hyaluronic Acid comes in, as the step before applying your moisturiser, as it helps retain the moisture within the skin and enable it to penetrate deeper, giving a glowing complexion as it hydrates the skin from the inside.

Squalene Cleanser – The Ordinary Squalene Cleanser The product is a soothing and gentle cleanser, which is perfect to use to help soothe irritated and angry skin. Recently I had a very angry and sore breakout around the lower half of my face, and I was recommended this cleanser to use during the day, after wearing a facemask, to refresh the skin and prevent pores from clogging. It is a lovely cleanser to use, as it melts in your palms and forms a cleansing oil on your skin. I would use this cleanser during the day before using a CeraVe Foaming cleanser at night, and the two work well together.

Peptide Serum – The Ordinary “Buffet” Peptide Serum This product also helps to soothe the complexion of the skin, as it boasts a

By Anastasia Burton

Hello, my darlings and we are back to the beauty bag review! Last issue we spoke about my end of the month review of the items I used throughout the month of October. Here I talk about the items I think I will use throughout the month, what I think about the products, and how close I am to hitting pan. Hitting pan is part of my makeup decluttering process, where I use a certain make-up item to where I am happy with the usage and can move on to the next products. It’s a great way to get through your collection and actually get your money’s worth and avoid getting an item that you never end up using to the point where the product ends up expiring! You will see items here that we have mentioned before since I have yet to finish them! 1. Essence Fresh & Fit awake primers This primer is a replacement for my Maybelline baby skin primer which I used up in October. So far, I have only used this primer a total of five times and have to admit I’m not a huge fan. Usually, I would go through a primer in three months, but I think I will have to pass this one on to a friend. multi-technology peptide complex, as well as healthy Amino Acids for the rejuvenation of the skin. It actively prevents skin ageing, which is necessary when fighting acne. I would use this in the morning and at night after cleansing, to help boost the texture of my skin.

Salicylic Acid – The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Masque This masque is ideal for fighting acne breakouts while giving a glowing after effect to the complexion of the skin. Salicylic acid actively cleanses pores and prevents clogging and has become a staple to my skincare routine. The mask is dark charcoal in colour so it is easy to apply to all of the areas where you may need it most, which for myself is often the T-Zone area. However, I would be careful not to over-use the masque, or any salicylic acid product, as it is tough on your skin and overuse of it may do more harm than good.

AHA and BHA – The Ordinary 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution This is a hard-hitting and deep cleansing skin peel solution, which lifts dead skin cells, deeply exfoliates to soothe verge of hitting pan on “mercury”, “new wave”, “adorn”. The rest of the shades will take some more work, but I am confident that by March of 2021 I will have hit pan on each shade in the palette. 3. SoSu complete contour palette I have hit deeper into the shade 3 and 6 of this palette and am making progress on shade 2. Shade 1 is completely used up and I am very proud of myself. It’s a wonderful palette but I really dislike shade 5, the highlight shade, and shade 4 because it’s too light for my skin. 4. Illamasqua precision ink eyeliner I have used this eyeliner a couple of more times since the October beauty bag review, but I still dislike it. It bleeds super easy and the wand makes It super difficult to do anything creative or elegant with my liner. I will probably end up binning it. 5. Balm Beach long wearing blush Since I don’t use blush that often I’m not surprised it’s taking so long to hit pan on this product. I feel like maybe by the end of this month or next we will get a peek at pan. hyperpigmentation, and decongest the appearance of the skin. As my skin is sensitive, I only apply it when I know my healthy skin moisture barriers are strong enough for its use. I recommend washing your face, then applying it with clean fingers to all areas of the skin, except for around your eyes and mouth. It is only recommended to use once a week, but even for myself, I would use it once every ten days. It is a rich solution and works wonders for making the skin appear brighter and smoother, which is ideal when combatting acne.

Aside from The Ordinary, there are a few other products I use to complete my skincare routine. I use a Niacinamide Acid solution on pimples to help dry them out and balance sebum production to these areas of skin. I also use a CeraVe foaming cleanser before bed with a few droplets of Salicylic acid mixed in, to prevent acne breakouts overnight. A toner I love to use after cleansing is the PIXI Glow Toner, as it has active Glycolic Acid, which exfoliates the skin also. All of the products listed above are incredibly affordable and won’t have you out of pocket, which is another excellent bonus. a highlighter, I don’t know how people do it. I feel like it will take me at the very least three more months to see pan. 7. Essence #insta perfect foundation This foundation is very lovely on the skin and gives full coverage, definitely better than the Flormar foundation. I think I will use up this product by the middle of January! 8. Essence camouflage matt concealer I can’t recommend this enough; it covers up the darkest circles and gives a flawless finish. I will finish this tube by the end of December if not sooner. 9. Essence Lash princess mascara I feel like the mascara still has lots of life in it, but I can’t get over how much I hate the hand. It is terribly uncomfortable to use and if you apply more than one layer your lashes tend to end up looking lumpy. 10. Freedom professional

London eyebrow pomade Slowly but surely, I am getting through this product. I feel like in the next two months I will either have to use it up or bin it since it is quite old!

That’s all for the November beauty bag! Why not start your own?

November Beauty Bag

As someone who has suffered from acne throughout my teenage and early adult years, I would recommend to anyone, those who feel self-conscious or don’t feel beautiful because of having acne-prone skin, to seek help. Whatever you do, don’t let acne prevent you from

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enjoying your life!

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