I Have Acne-Prone Skin: Here Are The Products I Use All The Time

These work for me, they might work for you, too!

*A little bit about my skin*

I’ve never really considered myself as having ‘good skin’. Growing up it was always more on the oily side, and even when I didn’t have active acne, I always had a lot of texture, which stopped me from getting that ‘J-Lo glow’ I so craved. My skin is also very dramatic and loves to freak out (and break out) over the smallest change in my routine. After years of trial and error, these are the products that I’ve found work well with my skin type, have genuinely improved my skin, and hopefully will work for you, too!

1. Simple moisturising facial wash.

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The whole Simple range is highly rated for being kind to sensitive skin, and this facial wash is 100% soap-free with no harsh chemicals. It’s also surprisingly good at removing makeup – I can personally vouch that it takes off every last speck of mascara. Now, I won’t lie to you: this does make your skin feel slightly tight if you leave it too long before moisturising, but if you follow up immediately with serum and moisturiser, you’ll be good to go!

Price: £4.68

2. NIP+FAB dragon’s blood fix serum.

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Just like its name suggests, this serum is like the stuff of myth and legend. It’s amazing for adding hydration without going over the top (or breaking you out): it kinda makes your skin feel hydrated from ~within~. I press two pumps of this onto my skin after washing it, and before applying moisturiser in the evening, and when I forget to use it my skin looks noticeably less plump and smooth in the morning. I don’t know what wizard conjured this, but my skin is eternally grateful.

Price: £8.98

3. Pure cold-pressed sweet almond oil.

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This is great as a night-time moisturiser. Although it might seem like madness to add oil to a probably-already-oily face, I’ve found that when I use almond oil as opposed to a water-based moisturiser, I actually wake up with a less shiny (and genuinely *glowing*) face! Just make sure you don’t put too much: two to three drops should be enough. As an added bonus, almond oil is known for reducing dark under-eye circles and nourishing eyelashes to promote healthy growth, so feel free to add a drop here too!

Price: £6.49

4. Simple micellar cleansing wipes.

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Sometimes my skin can get really sensitive to changes in water, or over-exposure to hard water in general. If you're the same and your bank account isn't really set up to refit your house with filtered water pipes, you might wanna try these out. The wipes are soaked in micellar water, which means you can remove your makeup without needing to actually wash your face. They’re also helpful for when you’re travelling and don’t want to bring your entire makeup-removal collection along with you. I find that I don’t even need to moisturise after using these: the lack of harsh chemicals means they won’t leave your face feeling tight and uncomfortable.

I usually buy them in bulk – trust me, you’ll go through these like water.

Price: £10.50 for a pack of 6

5. Pixi glow tonic.

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This toner uses a low concentration of glycolic acid as a chemical exfoliant, which basically buffs away dead skin and impurities, and refines your pores to prevent breakouts and give you the baby-soft, glowing skin of your dreams. If you have super-sensitive skin (especially the kind that breaks out at the drop of a hat) it’s best to start using this slowly. Try it once a week, then every other day, working your way up to using it every day: even though this toner is infused with aloe vera and is friendly to sensitive skin, it does contain acids which may irritate your skin if you don’t introduce it slowly. I use this in the morning instead of a cleanser or physical exfoliator, and it gives me an excellent base for applying makeup – just make sure you use SPF afterwards!

Price: £20.98

6. Clinique city block sheer SPF 25.

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We all know pollution isn’t the best for our skin, and that constant exposure to it can make you break out: enter this moisturiser, which claims to create a shield over your skin to block out all the nasties from your morning commute, as well as the sun. The oil-free formula won’t clog your pores, meaning you’re less likely to break out! Now, I personally dislike a matte finish in my moisturiser, preferring my skin to look more ~alive~ and this moisturiser gives me the perfect skin-like, non-greasy finish. It does have a bit of a tint to it, which helps to even out skin tone, but the colour will be a bit noticeable on deeper skin tones.

Price: £20.00

7. Mario Badescu drying lotion.

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Hands down, the best spot treatment I’ve tried. You only have to use a tiny amount on the end of a cotton bud, so the small bottle goes a long way!

Price: £19.00

8. La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+.

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Meet the holiday sun cream of your dreams! The high SPF gives long-lasting protection for sensitive skin. The ultra-light formula also won’t clog your pores, leaving a glowy-not-greasy finish with a minimal white cast, and you only need a tiny bit to cover your entire face and neck.

Price: £15.68

9. Pixi glow mud cleanser.

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I use this whenever my skin is feeling a bit clogged up (around every two to three days) as a second cleanse after I’ve removed my makeup. This cleanser works in a similar way to the glow tonic, cleaning off the surface layer of dirt and impurities to reveal glowing, goddess-like skin beneath.

Price: £21.75

10. NIP+FAB glycolic fix night pads extreme.

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These are great for when your skin is feeling really congested. The three musketeers – glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and lactic acid – are all here to help fight and prevent your break outs. Now, the concentration of acids in these is much higher than the everyday variety (see: ‘extreme’) so I wouldn’t use these very often, maybe once or twice a week. It’s important to build up a tolerance for acids before you use these for the first time (by using Pixi's more gentle glow tonic for example) but once you know that they work for you, texture will be a thing of the past, and the pads help to fade acne scars over time too!

Price: £7.47

11. And finally, this pore extraction tool set.

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I like to give myself a DIY facial once a week, and using these little tools has made all the difference in the world to my pores and texture. After steaming my face – for 10 minutes over a bowl of hot water – I extract (basically, gently scrape out) the gunk from my newly-opened pores. Sounds so gross, but trust me, it’s so satisfying. Make sure you clean and disinfect the extraction tool as you go (I use Clean and Clear deep cleansing lotion on a cotton pad) and close your pores again once you’re done with a splash of cold water or a soothing clay mask kept cold in the fridge before moisturising.

Price: £3.19