The Best Make-up for Acne Prone Skin: Tested Through 12 Years of Unwanted Experience

Acne prone skin and make-up is a Catch 22; you feel like you have to put more make-up than other girls to cover the acne, and then that make-up turns around and bites back by making you break out more. Unfortunately, make-up is not the only factor in causing acne; there are hormones involved.

After 12 years of fighting acne, I have learned a few tricks and found some amazing products I want to share with you. Before starting, I should warn you that my acne, according to my dermatologist, was between an A- to B-, at worst. I did go on Accutane for 6 months, but my acne continues to come back since then, but at an A- stage; therefore, if you are experiencing severe acne, also known as Acne Rosacea, these make-up tips might not be as effective as they were for me.

Here goes:  

I have tried many foundations through my whole acne-span from Lorreal to MAC to Clinique to more. And one thing is consistent, even though they say "oil-free," my skin felt incredibly greasy only after wearing the foundation for a few hours. And voila, next morning, zit-mania!

It was not until I went with my mom to a free Estee Lauder make-up consultation did I find the miracle of miracles foundation! I was very hesitant to give into the brand because I was a teenager and Estee Lauder's brand image did not scream young and hip like the others.

The Estee Lauder make-up artist first applied the lotion, another product I became fond of immediately. Lotion is an acne-prone skin nightmare, since mosturizing means wetland means zit happy producing territory. This lotion mosturized but dried up quickly; leaving no greasiness behind. It is called "Estee Lauder, Clear Difference- Advanced Oil Control Hydrator."

Now to the foundation, Estee Lauder's Equalizer Smart Makeup for Combination Skin was amazing. I had never seen myself with glowing skin until he showed me the mirror after applying this product. It feels barely there and makes your skin completely even; no more red blotches. In fact, sometimes it feels as though it is drying out the pimple during the day.

According to experts, make-up remover found over the counter at grocery stores, Walgreens, CVS pharmacies, etc are actually better than those made by expensive make-up brands. I've tried make-up removers from Estee Lauder, Clinique, and MAC; and found that the simple Neutrogena oil-free eye makeup remover is actually the best. It removes the most make-up without having to scrub. Warning: remember to shake the bottle before using otherwise the oil does not mix together and it makes your face feel oily.

Proactive never worked for myself; some friends swear by it. For those that tried Proactive or other topical cremes to be left with spots of acne. I recommend Epicuren Medicated Acne Gel; I purchased the creme due to three aggressive pimples. By morning, all three had dried out; and within 24 hours completely disappeared. For not needing a prescription, this stuff works just as good as Differin; if not, better.  

• Brad Pitt - Named one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world, he once had to fight acne like the rest of us.
• Cameron Diaz - She only washes her face with Evian. A tip for us acne fighters?
• Jessica Simpson - Her late-night Proactive commercials used to appear in my dreams when my college roommate left the tv on at night.

Use these facial concoctions to remove dead skin and unclog pores. Originally, this facial recommendation involved Glen Ivy Hot Springs' "Club Mud" mask, but recently they changed their formula and it is now too strong for facial acne; meaning, it will dry out your skin too heavily. Use the "Club Mud" mask only on your body for body acne. Here is a more friendly facial that you can use weekly:

1. Lightly scrub entire face with St. Aves Apricot Scrub to remove the dead skin.
2. Apply Origins Clear Improvement mask with your fingertips. Warning: this mask is hard to remove, so use a sponge for ease. Sponges should be changed every few weeks to avoid contamination. 
3. Remove face mask. Apply facial lotion, best for acne prone skin is Estee Lauder Clear Difference Advanced Oil Control Hydrator, to make skin glow.

Over the years, I've learned some valuable advice about acne:

• Eating too much diary can put your skin into overdrive. Cut out cheese, milk, sour cream, chocolate, etc for a few days and you will definitely notice a difference.
• If the pimple is white, you can pop it; it is just full of puss and will then disappear after 24 hours or when the redness goes down.
• Even if you wash your face a million times, it won't prevent acne. In fact, it will most likely dry out your skin to the point of leaving dead skin cells behind that cause more pimples.
• Toothpaste does not work, instead it makes a disaster on your pillow and dries out your skin too much to be beneficial.
• Wash your pillowcase every two weeks. Treat your acne like you would any common-cold and change out your pillowcase, face towels, body towels, etc every few weeks. Anything that comes into contact with your face should be "clean" before use.
• One doctor told me that acne around the lips, cheeks, and forehead is caused by hormones; therefore the best treatment is birth control. I replied, "Cheeks, Forehead, Lips???...That is basically my whole face."
• Birth control does not work on everybody; one dermatologist told me with 33.33% it gets better, another 33.33% stay the same, and the rest of the 33.33% get worse. My acne stayed the same, and my college roomate's improved significantly. Each person is different.