Do you find yourself in a constant battle with fighting away the dryness, oiliness, or acne scars that reside on your face? Don't worry girl, you aren't fighting this battle alone. For years now, I have been trying to eliminate the cystic acne that's been on my chin with no victory in sight. Eventually, my mom decided it was time for me to visit a cosmetologist and it was definitely well-worth the consultation. If you don't know what skin type you have (dry, oily, or combination) or cannot find any effective products to combat your acne, I highly suggest that making an appointment with your cosmetologist will serve as a beneficial first step towards healthier looking skin.

The price probably varies per person, but I ended up paying $100 for a consultation with my Kaiser cosmetologist. $100 down the drain just to talk about your skin doesn't sound so worth the price, now does it? That's what I thought at first.

I sat in a room that looked much like a dentist's room and my cosmetologist told me to explain what my everyday skincare routine consisted of and where I typically see acne appear. Generally, I have a few blemishes pop up randomly on my forehead or cheeks near that time of month, but then they disappear within a couple days. However, my chin has ALWAYS suffered from a terrible case of cystic acne where the pimples would look ingrown, huge, and just not a pretty sight to see. Because of this skin problem, I have always been embarrassed with showing my bare face in public and have always caked on foundation. Also, I've transitioned from product to product and found NOTHING that permanently fixed my acne - I was pretty much blowing off money on ineffective products and needed to find another way to tackle this dilemma.

The most important thing to know before you even purchase acne solutions is to know your skin type - and that's where your cosmetologist steps in. She informed me that I had dry skin on my forehead and cheeks, yet oily skin and cystic acne on my chin. I was so confused on how to treat this particular case and never knew that you could have different skin types on different portions of your face. Thus, she prescribed and recommended a few products for me to try, but did not FORCE me to purchase anything at all and that's what I really loved about our consultation. I've received a few facials in the past and there's nothing more I hate than someone pushing you to buy their products.

Because I saw a little glimmer of hope towards clearer skin that day, I decided to go big and purchase all of the recommended products, which totaled up to approximately $120. Eek, there goes all my money, haha. Besides antibiotics that my cosmetologist prescribed, I also picked up three products. Below, I will explain the function of these products and how often I use them.

1) OBAGI 360 Exfoliating Cleanser (Morning use only)
Although it was recommended to use this cleanser only 2-3 times per week, I use this cleanser once every morning. Specifically, I only apply it to my chin by squeezing a dime-sized amount on to my wet palm before massaging it on to my skin in a circular motion. I rinse off the excess cleanser with lukewarm water and then move on to step 2.

2) Topix Glycolix Pads (Morning use only)
I love how there are 60 pads in one set, which will last me approximately two months. After using my aforementioned morning cleanser, I simply swipe one pad over my chin. It leaves a really cool and relieving effect afterwards.

3) Cerave Facial Moisturizer & Sunblock (SPF 30) (Morning use only or whenever I need to reapply suncscreen)
Purchased from CVS, my cosmetologist uses this herself and recommended that this would be a great facial moisturizer for me to use. She actually convinced me to purchase the OBAGI Sunscreen too, which I did, but I found that this specific product left my skin more drier and flakier than normal so I stopped using it. After switching to Cerave, my skin is no longer flaky and feels a lot more smooth and protected to tackle the day's errands ahead.

4) Sulwhasoo Snowise Ex Brightening Serum (Morning and night use)
Now, I ended up collaborating with Sulwhasoo a couple weeks back because I have heard a lot of great things about this brand and I didn't expect it to become a part of my everyday routine, but it did! Seriously guys, this serum works like magic. I don't know what it is, but the serum goes on so lightly and makes my skin feel so much smoother than any other lotion I've ever applied in my life. It's a pretty pricey formula ($200) for a small bottle, but this has been my absolute favorite Korean product byfar and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who's looking for a new skincare brand.

Also, I wanted to introduce to you guys a new skincare brand that I am incorporating into my everyday skincare routine called Peach & Lily. Peach & Lily is a Korean skincare company that has in-house estheticians who customize a skincare formula for your skin type.

How does it work, you ask? After answering a list of skincare questions, the estheticians choose three individual serums that they believe suit your skin needs. Once received in the mail, you are supposed to mix these three serums into a glass bottle that they provide for you called "Your Daily Dose Skin Inc. Serum". Popular Youtuber Bubzbeauty shares how she uses Peach & Lily here and this video really helped me with the step-by-step procedure to create my own serum.

The three serums that I received include Licorice (relieves skin), Vitamin C (rebalances skin), and Hyaluronic Acid (replenishes skin). After creating my Daily Dose Skin Inc. Serum, I now incorporate this serum between steps 2 and 3 of my everyday skin care routine because you are supposed to apply it before using a moisturizer.

In my mixed solution, you'll spot tiny beads, which look much like those exfoliating beads that you see in facial scrubs. These tiny beads represent the active ingredients of each serum, which stay fresh in my Daily Dose bottle. I use my Daily Dose serum twice per day, once in the morning before my moisturizer and once at night. All I have to do is squeeze three droplets on to the palm of my hand and pat my face lightly until all of the serum is absorbed into my skin. After using this formula for a week in addition to my other skincare products, I've noticed that I've been breaking out less and that my skin looks a lot more hydrated and refreshed.

And one thing that I'm excited to share with you all - I've stopped using foundation! Foundation used to be my number one go-to makeup product if I ever needed to step out of the house because I always wanted to make sure that my skin looked clear and acne-free when I left. However, with the help of all of these products, my skin has actually improved a LOT and I can physically see the results.

Honestly, I am so happy to feel that I don't need to wear foundation every day, but only on special occasions. So the moral of this story (and super long blog post) - make an appointment with your cosmetologist to see what you products you need to combat your acne or check out Peach & Lily and have the estheticians take care of the work for you! :)

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