i was pretty acneic when i was a teenager with those pimples lingering into my early 20s. i wasn't always like that. no baby is born with a face full of pimples right??? so when your mom tells you "when you were a baby, you had such beautiful soft pale skin like an egg shell (trust me, sounds better in chinese)" you feel the sting. ugh. but of course puberty had to happen and bless my parent's hearts for taking me to the dermatologist and the herbal doctor when puberty REALLY HAPPENED. holy shit that was no fun. nothing i did seemed to work and that kind of constant defeat just made me not care about my skin.
up until my wedding i held this same attitude. i cleanse with whatevers, i put whatever lotion on, and sometimes i used sunblock. SOMETIMES. my skin must have been a mess cuz my MIL actually purchased a facial package for me to use before my wedding, OK, I GET IT. dang.
so after becoming inspired by my wedding make up artist and also after acknowledging that science has advanced so much that there are many quality products out there that can make your skin become the best it can be (giving a nod to your gene pool of course), i went to search out the best for me and my combo asian skin.
cleansers: i've tried all natural jurlique ($23), shiseido purifying cleansing foam ($30.50), shiseido extra gentle cleansing foam ($30.50), and murad essential-c cleanser ($35).
jurlique is a good natural alternative. takes off your make up, but can leave your skin feeling tight. i use this in conjunction with my clarisonic. after finishing this tube, i'm not sure i will repurchase because of the tightness i feel in my skin after using it. however, i do appreciate the natural aspect of it.
shiseido is a great brand that's been around for a long time. i love their foaming cleansers but do not love that it's chocked full of parabens and artificial crap. their purifying cleansing foam has tiny exfoliation beads. their extra gentle cleansing foam is great if you have skin conditions that require a little tlc. my husband started developing a rash near his eyes and now uses this cleanser which has worked wonders for him. this is a good line to "fall back on" when my search for more natural alternatives takes a hiatus.
murad is paraben free and full of vitamin c. the cleanser has a nice orangey scent and works well as a morning cleanser. if you use it to wash off make up, you will find that it still leaves a trace of your bad behavior from last night. it also does NADA for eye make up removal. i will repurchase this cleanser to use as part of my morning cleansing routine.
