Makeup Makes Me Breakout

[lisam]

Lately I have been trying to put some effort into solving my skin problems.  I finally ditched my cleansers/toners etc that were for acne and switched over to using dove soap.  My skin is no longer dry and flakey, which is awesome.  It also has helped my acne lessen a little bit.

I feel like my skin does better without makeup, but I put on makeup to cover my acne, which in turn, makes my acne even worse.  I am stuck in this endless cycle.  I have been using Bare Escentuals, but I feel that even this is making my acne worse.

Any suggestions?   

[Deleted]

How often do you clean your brushes? Frequent cleaning helped me.

Also, I ultimately needed antibiotics to really improve my skin. So don't be afraid of seeing a dermatologist.

[nsl]

Mineral makeup makes quite a few people break out. I'd switch brands (you can get samples from Sephora so you can try several without committing to buy) and see how things go from there.

[h]

Bare Escentuals totally breaks me out, but regular liquid foundation does not. I use the Dior airbrush kind in a spray can now, and it doesn't break me out at all. The month or two I tried to use BM were the worst my skin has looked as an adult.

[Deleted]

Ditto h, liquid all the way, using a brush. I have to be very careful about what I use. I am currently using Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk (which is way $$$ and I wish I didn't love it so much). I also had good luck with Givenchy Photofinish, Makeup Forever HD Invisible cover, and Origins Stay Tuned foundation. (Origins is the least expensive of those, I use this in the summer because I am a darker shade and dont want to spend $$ on foundation).

I also find the skincare products I use make a huge difference. Even Dove dries me out, so I use Fresh Soy Cleanser- its super gentle. I use a gentle scrub 2x a week (Right now also Fresh, but I also love Suki Scrub), and I use an antiaging product with salicylic acid - Origins Plantscription- that helps a ton.

For moisturizers, I use Fresh Soy Cream or Origins VitaZing in the AM, and argan oil in the PM. Oil actually helps me prevent acne but I know thats not the case for everyone. I have dry-ish skin (not super dry though) and oil restores balance for me.

Its been a lot of trial and error for me, and everyone's skin is different, but this is what is working for me. I used to look like a 15 year old when I was using Bare Minerals, and then other products that just didn't work (Laura Mercier wasn't good for me, neither was cheap drugstore foundation like Maybeline and even Neutrogena)

I also wash my brushes weekly.

[halfpint]

Mineral powders made me break out like crazy.

My skin has cleared up a LOT since I stopped using heavier foundations and most powders. I'm also diligent about either cleaning my brushes or spraying each day with Sephora's brush spray.

What has worked best for me have been BBs or tinted moisturizer. Gentle cleansers that aren't harsh anti-acne treatments. I use Origins now, and an argan oil moisturizer. My skin looks great!

[lisam]

Feb 22, 2013 11:23:54 GMT -5 halfpint said:

Mineral powders made me break out like crazy.

My skin has cleared up a LOT since I stopped using heavier foundations and most powders. I'm also diligent about either cleaning my brushes or spraying each day with Sephora's brush spray.

What has worked best for me have been BBs or tinted moisturizer. Gentle cleansers that aren't harsh anti-acne treatments. I use Origins now, and an argan oil moisturizer. My skin looks great!

Thanks Halfpint - out of curiosity, what is a BB?  Did you get that and the tinted moisturizer at Origins?

[lisam]

Thank you so much for the helpful responses, I am so glad I am not alone!  I totally feel like a 15 year old and get frustrated that I am still dealing with acne issues.

I will start cleaning my brushes once a week - previously I was not cleaning them that often.  I also just made an appointment with a dermatologist, so thanks for the push in that direction.  I am still a little hesitant about the antibiotics though because DH and I will be TTC in a few months.  But maybe they will have some other helpful, more natural advice.

I'll also check out some of the other brands that you mentioned for foundations.  Samples sound like a good way to start.  Do I just go into Sephora and ask for one?

Thanks again!

[halfpint]

Feb 22, 2013 13:05:32 GMT -5 lisam said:

Feb 22, 2013 11:23:54 GMT -5 halfpint said:

Mineral powders made me break out like crazy.

My skin has cleared up a LOT since I stopped using heavier foundations and most powders. I'm also diligent about either cleaning my brushes or spraying each day with Sephora's brush spray.

What has worked best for me have been BBs or tinted moisturizer. Gentle cleansers that aren't harsh anti-acne treatments. I use Origins now, and an argan oil moisturizer. My skin looks great!

Thanks Halfpint - out of curiosity, what is a BB?  Did you get that and the tinted moisturizer at Origins?

Beauty balm.  Lots of companies make them, so it's a bit of trial and error.  I know cosmos has said she had a handful that she really didn't like.  I'm using Tarte's Smooth Operator, and love it.  Just enough coverage, but it's much kinder to my skin.  Now I find I don't even need that some days - just a bit of under eye concealer.

Laura Mercier is my favorite tinted moisturizer, but I pretty much exclusively use Tarte's now.  I find they have roughly the same effect, and both have SPF in them.  

 

[Deleted]

Feb 22, 2013 13:09:04 GMT -5 lisam said:

Thank you so much for the helpful responses, I am so glad I am not alone!  I totally feel like a 15 year old and get frustrated that I am still dealing with acne issues.

I will start cleaning my brushes once a week - previously I was not cleaning them that often.  I also just made an appointment with a dermatologist, so thanks for the push in that direction.  I am still a little hesitant about the antibiotics though because DH and I will be TTC in a few months.  But maybe they will have some other helpful, more natural advice.

I'll also check out some of the other brands that you mentioned for foundations.  Samples sound like a good way to start.  Do I just go into Sephora and ask for one?

Thanks again!

I went to the derm when we were TTC and she wouldnt give me anything. But honestly, my skin has gotten much better through trial and error of different products.  

I love Origins, I feel their products really work well for my skin. Fresh has also been awesome and has taken it to another level of awesome, but its more expensive.

[Deleted]

Feb 22, 2013 13:11:15 GMT -5 halfpint said:

Feb 22, 2013 13:05:32 GMT -5 lisam said:

Thanks Halfpint - out of curiosity, what is a BB?  Did you get that and the tinted moisturizer at Origins?

Beauty balm.  Lots of companies make them, so it's a bit of trial and error.  I know cosmos has said she had a handful that she really didn't like.  I'm using Tarte's Smooth Operator, and love it.  Just enough coverage, but it's much kinder to my skin.  Now I find I don't even need that some days - just a bit of under eye concealer.

Laura Mercier is my favorite tinted moisturizer, but I pretty much exclusively use Tarte's now.  I find they have roughly the same effect, and both have SPF in them.  

 

BB doesnt work with my skin because of the color and coverage.  I found they didnt cover my acne scars and I couldnt find one that matched my skin tone (I'm medium-light-- BB creams seem to all be too fair for me).  But I know they must work for a lot of people since they are the crazy right now.

I thought I loved Laura Mercier's TM but I did break out from it.

I love Origins VitaZing which is also tinted, but not as much coverage as a TM. I like to use it as a moisturizer and then am able to use less foundation.  If my skin is really behaving, I dont need anything else besides Vitazing and a concealer- but thats usually in the summer when my skin is better. But, I know other people complained that Vitazing wasn't good for their skin tone color.

I'd go to Sephora and get a ton of samples. Play around  And the best thing about Sephora is their return policy. You can buy something, try it out for a few weeks and return if its not working out.

Something else I forgot= PRIMER!  I believe primer helps with the acne as well, because it provides a layer between your skin and the foundation.  I use Hourglass, which I adore, but I also recommend just using something like Monistat Anti-chafing cream to start (not for yeast infections!)- its cheap and works really well. I may go back to it when I run low on Hourglass until the next Sephora Friends and Family sale

[nsl]

Feb 22, 2013 13:09:04 GMT -5 lisam said:

Thank you so much for the helpful responses, I am so glad I am not alone!  I totally feel like a 15 year old and get frustrated that I am still dealing with acne issues.

I will start cleaning my brushes once a week - previously I was not cleaning them that often.  I also just made an appointment with a dermatologist, so thanks for the push in that direction.  I am still a little hesitant about the antibiotics though because DH and I will be TTC in a few months.  But maybe they will have some other helpful, more natural advice.

I'll also check out some of the other brands that you mentioned for foundations.  Samples sound like a good way to start.  Do I just go into Sephora and ask for one?

Thanks again!

Yep, just go in, find a SA, and ask them to help you find some foundation matches.  Tell them about your acne issues and that you want samples to try out at home before you make a purchase.  They should give you a number of options (and test out shades on your skin to be sure you're getting the right shades) and 3 multiple use samples that you can test out on your own.

Good luck!

[awkwardpenguin]

I second what PPs said about skincare making a huge difference. My first derm visit, he actually just made me change my skincare. He recommended Cetaphil stuff, but it totally doesn't work for me. I've been using Yes to Cucumbers gel cleanser and Cerave regular moisturizing lotion.

I have the most sensitive and breakout prone skin EVER, and finding products that work for me is a major drag. Basically, I had to wait until I had my skincare figured out and my skin looked pretty good. Then I add ONE product at a time, and use it every day for a week. That's really how long it takes until I can tell if my skin is handling it okay.

I use the Monistat Chafing Gel as primer and it's great. I actually think it has huge, untouted skincare benefits. It makes me less likely to get a sensitivity rash from a product, and it's the only thing that prevents my windburn hives in the Chicago winter. The only drawback is moisturizer + primer + makeup can take a bit. I need to let the moisturizer absorb and then the primer dry before applying my makeup, or the texture gets weird.

Finally, as it turns out, my biggest acne triggers are caffiene and stress, and not actually anything related to my skincare or makeup. Too bad - those are much harder to control than which makeup I use!

[lisam]

Hi,

Ask and you shall receive: a small update

I was on school vacation last week so I ditched makeup all together.  I feel that helped a bit, but I teach high school so I couldn't keep that up with returning back to work this week.  Over the weekend I went to the Origins counter to look for a foundation.  While I was there she cleaned my face with a foamy wash, toner, and then moisturizer.  Then she applied the foundation.  At the end I walked away with samples of all of it, I was so proud of myself for asking!  Who knew that was ever an option? 

I was going to stick to my dove soap and just try the foundation first to see how it reacted, but the next morning I could already see a difference in my acne - it looked better.  So since Sunday I have been using the Origin's wash, toner, and moisturizer at night and then I use the dove soap and purpose in the morning.  It seems that alternating is helping my skin not to become too dried out. 

The foundation is a good color match.  So far it doesn't seem to be causing breakouts, because the acne continues to look a teeny bit improved each day.  I am not loving the lack of coverage though, I feel like the Bare Minerals covered better and hid a lot of acne.  When I was there I asked about using a primer or something to set the foundation and the lady looked at me like I was crazy and said no need....  So I'm not sure about that.

I'll continue to keep you guys updated.  Thanks again for such wonderful feedback!!