Lost in the sea of sephora skincare products

[Kfeurer]

Help needed! I have never spent time or money on my skin (especially my face), but the older I am getting the more I realize how important it is and will be in the future. I love to be in the sun & fake tan every now and then to get that natural glow and dry my skin to reduce the breakouts - can this be fixed with products? I have oily/combo light-medium skin, I breakout often, I always have blackheads on my nose and chin, and rather enlarged pores. I wash my face with water and a washcloth because it is super sensitive and sometimes I use Jergens lotion. Can someone steer me in the right direction? I am lost in the sea of sephora skincare products.

[Kfeurer]

So basically my every night routine should be:

Step 1: Cleanser (any of the ones suggested above)

Step 2: Moisturize 

Then potentially 2x a week I should exfoliate or use a mask? 

[TrysBeautyItems]

That should be enough to ease into a routine. You can add a serum, leave on acne treatment, toner etc. If you feel the need.

Depending on the cleanser, since not all of them remove makeup, you'll need a pre cleanse, like an oil, balm. If you do want the washcloth feel, Sephora has a soft cloth (washable) to remove light makeup, then follow with cleanser.

http://www.sephora.com/black-magic-set-2-makeup-remover-cloths-P397407

I do use these, every so often much softer than a washcloth.

[myumew]

I am acne prone as well; if I don't properly cleanse my face for a day I get breakouts. My skin has completely changed for the better once I started double cleansing. I use an oil based makeup remover (e.g. Clinique's Take the Day Off balm) and then follow up with a low pH foaming cleanser and Clarisonic (every other day with Clarisonic). 

Like @TrysBeautyItems mentioned, black heads and such are usually due to a lack of thorough cleansing and exfoliating. 

There's a whole world of exfoliating out there.. from chemical to physical! I don't know too much about chemical exfoliating besides the typical AHA and BHA peel wipes by Dr. Dennis Gross. The wipes come in various acid strengths.

I really like Kate Somerville's Exfolikate as well. I use it on some days where I'm too lazy to use the Clarisonic. If you're interested in the Clarisonic, they offer a wide variety of brush heads to fit a lot of skin types. I believe the cashmere brush head is the softest one and could fit your sensitive skin needs!

[TrysBeautyItems]

Yes, cashmere is the softest 🙂 I've used most heads.

[Kfeurer]

I always thought breaking out was due to my hormones but at 26 I think it may be due to my lack of cleaning/caring for my face. I definitely appreciate the help and will absolutely check out the balm you suggested (not sure I ever would have thought to look at a "balm" as a cleanser.....) and the exfolikate you suggested - maybe some day I will front the money for the Clarisonic it just never looked like it would work to be totally honest.

[TrysBeautyItems]

Part of the breakouts is due to the skin not being cleansed. If you wear makeup, what do you use to remove it?

What causes your sensitivities? I'm hypersensitive and a washcloth is too harsh. How often do you wash it? I also have a separate towel just for my face.

The basics are a good cleanser, facial moisturizer and spf daily. Exfoliation start 1x week or so, to help cell turn over and one leave on acne treatment.

[Kfeurer]

I wash the makeup off my face with water and a washcloth - my mascara with a eye makeup remover. I only use a mineral powder and an eyebrow filler, so not too much to take off, but maybe the washcloth is too harsh for me too (I was every night before and after the gym). 

Anything really seems to make my face breakout, which is why I have stuck with the simplest thing water and washcloth.

And do you have any specific ones to recommend? I am very open to trying a cleanser, moisturizer, and exfoliating, but not quite sure which one is "the best".

[TrysBeautyItems]

Unfortunately just water isn't getting gunk out of the skin nor breaking down the makeup (even though it's lightweight) hence why it seems everything causes breakouts. Once properly washed the skin may bring the gunk up to the surface at first, don't let that deter you.

Cleanser, philosophy purity made simple, there's a travel size available to try. Also removes makeup. I would just use clean hands, 2x day. Give the skin a break from the washcloth, as it keeps bacteria.

If philosophy irritates, there's dermalogica ultracalming cleanser and cetaphil gentle cleanser both can be used without water.

For the gym, Murad acne wipes until you can wash completely.

For a physical exfoliator, Origins modern friction, it becomes a bit creamy when water is added, there's sensitive skin directions on it.

There's also Neutrogena fresh foaming cleanser (soap free) and oil free moisture sensitive, both (bad) alcohol free.

Possibly a mask too, to draw out impurities like Origins Clear Improvements, there's a sample size available. However I use on the area where needed, instead of all over.

Paula's Choice and Mario Badescu (some products are very similar to Kate Somerville and cheaper) both will send samples when contacted directly.

[Anonymous]

@TrysBeautyItems makes a very good point here! @Kfeurer don't worry if it seems like if all this information feels like a hassle and can potentially be time consuming! 

You are already taking the time to wash your makeup off with water and a wash cloth, so adding a cleanser into your routine is no chore at all! Simply replace water with a cleanser, and after getting it all over your face like you'd normally do with water, towel it off with a wet washcloth instead. 

If balms feel weird to you that's okay, you can try Clinique's Take the Day Off Cleansing Oil instead. At first, it'll feel like you're slathering kitchen oil all over your face, and it'll feel weird for sure. But this step is kind of like how you would normally use water instead. So think of it in that sense! 🙂 

I hope this helps! Give this a try for a few weeks and see if anything changes. Take it one step at a time. It helps to keep the motivation going when you start seeing results 🙂