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I’ve been on this adult acne journey for a while now. A few years ago I had horrible cystic acne that was soo painful. On top of having super sensitive skin, nothing was working to Controll it. In 2020 I started curology and I haven’t looked back.

Curology and my Adult Acne

Since I am turning 30 this year (and a red head) I wanted to add some proactive aging products to my resume in addition to Retinol. Vitamin C is all the rage right now, so I’ve been doing some research on Derma-E Vitamin C Concentrated Serum with Hyaluronic Acid and Probiotics. It has only been a week (and its that time of the month) I want to give it some time before I commit, but so far so good. It was on sale at Target, you can also get it at Wholefoods and likely Walmart as well for a decent price. I was researching some of the best Vitamin C serums and they can get pretty pricy, this is more within my range for clean products.

Let’s talk about eyes. This is the part of my face that has started to age the most. My curology formula does address aging, but sometimes you need more. So I have two favorites I use every day, Sephora’s Brightening Eye Cream and Neutrogena Retinol Under Eye Cream. If you use Retinol, you MUST use SPF daily! No, your makeup doesn’t count, you need both. For SPF that is super light weight, Curology actually recommended that I use Unseen Sunscreen by Supergoup since it is so light weight and non comedogetic (which means it doesn’t clog your pores so acne safe.)

It was a while before I could add in things like masks. For my own mental health, I LOVE face masks. Honestly can cure a whole shitty week with one … that’s a stretch, I work in staffing. BUT still like to stick to my clean ingredients. My aesthetician recommended Aveeda’s Mud Mask and I love it! I really feel like it resets my skin and clears out my pores. I am very prone to blackheads and my greasy Italian skin doesn’t help. This keeps it managed.

This is just a small snapshot, but these are the items I use daily. Likes I said, its taken me so long to get to this point of being comfortable to branch out a bit, but I know how hard it is to navigate all of this so let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below!

XOXO

Tay

Beauty on a budget! I have listed a few items on my LTK that are for budget conscious beauty lovers on a budget!

Inkey List

I personally have not tried this brand, but a few of my friends swear by it. honestly, you can get amazing products like Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid for AMAZING prices. This is a brand you can get at Sephora and pick up in store. If you want to, you can visit their website directly to find out what products are best for you! One note, if you do try retinol, MAKE SURE YOU WEAR SUNSCREEN. I use retinol on my under-eyes, it can cause so much damage when exposed to UV rays. Check out my 7 Day gift guide and try out Supergoup.

Hawaiian Tropic Self Tanning Foam

When I have the chance and $$ I go to may girl Francesca at Plush Beauty Bar for a nice spray tan (she does gift cards). But when you need something quick, this gives you an amazing color. I personally love this foam and feel it goes on even and lasts. Leave It on for about 6 hours and then rinse it off after if you are pasty like me. Another lotion I have used time and time again is Australian Gold Gradual Tanning Lotion. This one isn’t as dramatic as Hawaiian Tropic, but it does the trick!

Raw Sugar Living

This brand is amazing. I stopped using it for a while to try out other brands including Native which I have wrote about in the past, but honestly just grabbed a bottle of their moisture loving body wash and I don’t know why I switched! Great for stocking stuffers or for someone who just likes bath products.

Kristen Ess Hair Care

Honestly, this is my favorite affordable option. I’ve heard mixed reviews from some of my friends but I really love this line. I still have some in my back stock and pull it out every once in a while, especially when company comes. Sorry, I don’t share my Olaplex hahaha.

Next post will be my affordable home items gift guide. Items you can find at places like Target.

XOXO, Tay