8.25.2011

# Reviews # Skin Care

On Skincare: How I Control Breakouts and The Brazilian Peel



This week’s video (which I shot before I left for England) is a review of the Brazilian Peel Clear Acne Control System being launched at Sephora. (I will spare you the suspense and tell you flat out that I adore this highly effective product). To see the video, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

And now for this week’s post:

I have a confession to make- my skin has suffered from breakouts my entire teenage and adult life. This now probably explains to you my near obsession with skin care. When I was a teenager I just figured it was normal to have my skin break out- I didn’t have a bad case of acne but the odd blemish every few days or so that would irk me to no end. I used a few things to remedy the problem- mainly products from the drugstore- but nothing I tried actually worked. So as a teenager I decided to wait patiently until I ‘grew up’, turned 20 and would no longer have to deal with those pesky breakouts.

Ah, if only. I had never actually considered that the breakouts might continue into my adult years. Looong into my adult years- which, of course, they did. Sadly, they did not magically go away when I turned the big 2-0 and even still hadn’t gone away when I turned the big 3-0! (In my upcoming book I have a humorous anecdote about what happened in Paris when my skin misbehaved.)

Now again, I never had a severe problem- but even one small blemish can wreak havoc on one’s self confidence so I have made it my skin care mission to banish them once and for all. And it has taken over a decade for me to figure out how to do it but after tweaking my skincare routine ever so slightly- by Jove I think I’ve got it!

Here are the top things that have contributed to my clear skin:

Cleansing: I no longer cleanse my skin in the morning. When I get up I just pat it with warm water and put a moisturizer and then sunscreen on. I made this change because I recently read an article saying that if you cleanse your skin too much it does not get to produce its natural oils and then goes into overdrive producing too much oil- hence the breakouts. Reading that was a majorly illuminating moment for me. It makes perfect sense! And just by doing this one thing- not cleansing in the A.M. I have already seen a major change in the amount of blemishes that come my way.

Clarisonic: I use the Clarisonic every (or every other) evening in conjunction with my cleanser to help remove makeup. I think a main part of my problem- other than hormones was insufficient cleansing of the skin. If you would like to see my Clarisonic video, click here.

Diet: My eating habits are the best they’ve ever been and I can thank pregnancy for that! When I was expecting my baby I added more fruits, vegetables and water into my diet and have continued the good habits- I feel great and the nourishment has had an impact on my skin.

Brazilian Peel Clear Acne Control Kit: One of the great things about doing this blog is I am introduced and allowed to try products I might otherwise never have known about. The people from Brazilian Peel- who have just launched their revolutionary acne control kit at Sephora sent me their Clear Acne Control Kit to try out. I jumped at the opportunity because even with the above three changes to my lifestyle, I would still get breakouts- especially in the chin area. So I tried the one month supply and can honestly declare to you that this is the best acne control system I’ve ever tried (and I have tried so many). The peel successfully thwarted two potential blemishes on my chin area by literally fighting them away. It is not harsh, doesn’t dry out my skin and the peel (in conjunction with the booster pads) actually feels like it nourishes my skin- thanks to the açai berry extract.

The kit sells for $60- which is pricey, I know- but depending on what kind of blemish problem you suffer from it could benefit you. If you have severe acne you could use this kit every month and it could seriously help you. If you are like me and get an occasional breakout every now and then you do not need to purchase the product every month but rather only use it when you feel your skin is getting out of control- which is exactly what I intend to do. If you are interested in seeing the product and learning more, my above video should be really informative. To learn more about the product you can visit Sephora, Brazilian Peel or Advanced Home Actives.

There you have it… I would love to know… do you suffer from breakouts? And if so how do you control them?


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6 comments:

Carole Poirot said...

Great post, I think nutrition can help a lot, but I have to admit that I have mostly been pretty lucky and don't get too many spots... Oh what a subject ;-) Have a lovely evening xo

Merveilleux said...

Fascinating! The last product I used with salicylic acid in it made my skin inflamed.. I think I might be allergic to it (benzoyl peroxide does the same thing to me).
I'm intrigued by this though.. Do you think it would be possible to do a patch test with the peel before applying it to the whole face or once you open that "syringe" it has to be used right away?
I hope you're having a great time in England!

Merveilleux said...

PS- I can't wait to read your book!

Lacey R said...

I'm with Merveilleux, I'm also looking forward to reading your book! I experience some of the same skin problems you do so this post is interesting for me....also the fact that you no longer use a cleanser in the morning...very interesting. I might have to give that a try!

The Daily Connoisseur said...

Mademoiselle Poirot- You are lucky- for years it seemed that no matter what I did I got them. I have veered away from 'spot' themed posts in the past because it's not exactly a refined subject but I'm so excited I've finally found a way to live without them I had to share it! :) xo

Merveilleux- I don't think you could do a patch test because you are supposed to use the product immediately upon dispensing it... Hmmm. Perhaps the company could send you a sample? Actually I know that anything you buy at Sephora is returnable if it does not work for you so you could always get your money back. Good luck! I have very sensitive skin though and this didn't bother my skin in the slightest. I've used Proactiv in the past and it gave me a horrid rash... for example. Let me know if you try it xo

LR- You must try not using a morning cleanser- it's been amazing! It really makes a huge difference. I hesitated for a long time because I felt like my skin would be dirty if I didn't use it but it has improved dramatically. xo

Unknown said...

I think youngster are really prone to pimple breakouts, but when you're getting older that problem should go away. It is wiser to use cleanser in the morning and in evening to help cleanse the face.

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