Skin Care: List of Products I've Used

Like a good amount of young women my age and younger, I have had serious troubles finding a skin care regiment that works well for me. My skin is sensitive, oily, blemish prone, occasional redness and uneven texture, medium pores...I could go on for a while. Basically, it's very hard to find a product that works well with my skin and works longer than 2 months.

Below is a list of skin care face wash products I've used. Next to each product I will note a rough estimate of how long I used it, whether or not it helped and how it improved my skin if it did help, and if I still use it. There are a few products I've used that either didn't work at all or obviously didn't make much of an impact on me. I've also tried a few moisturizers which I will include at the end of the list.


Proactive
- 6 months (first time), 2 months (second time)
- First time it worked wonderfully until a few months in I noticed my skin had become used to it. Second time it irritated my skin badly.
- I have not tried the "New and Improved" version of this product

Clean and Clear Morning Burst Wash and Scrub
- about 8 months
- It was a nice, invigorating product that didn't really irritate my skin and kept it pretty blemish free. After a few months, again, my skin became used to it and the blemishes returned.
- I still use the scrub occasionally which is gentle enough to use everyday. It smells great and while it doesn't really do much for my acne, it keeps my skin mildly exfoliated and soft.

Aveeno Clear Complexion
- 3 months
- I found it very light and clean which was great for removing dirt and makeup, but there wasn't enough of a powerful ingredient to get rid of my acne. I would recommend this, however, for those of you who have mild acne.

Dermatologist Product (I can't remember the name)
- 3-6 months
- I don't remember how long I used this exactly, all I know is that it worked pretty well. I spoke to my dermatologist about my skin type and issues and he gave me a custom fitted regimen that cleared my skin up decently and kept it that way. Unfortunately, I thought it was cheaper and easier at the time to just buy drugstore products and once again, my skin got worse. Plus, it didn't fully clear up my skin so I developed this stigma against dermatologists that they didn't really know what was best for my skin. 

St. Ives Makeup Remover and Facial Cleanser
- 6 years on and off
- When I first used this product I loved it! (I think it was about 2005 spring) It kept my face clear, didn't over moisturize or dry it out, and left my face soft and glowing. It was the perfect balance because it was a simple cleanser and not overloaded with things that were promised to clear up your acne. I used it for about a year
and when I went to purchase more they changed the label. I didn't think the product had changed but when I used it it had a totally different affect on my skin.Every time I would see it in the store after that, it seemed to have a different label and the product still wasn't working the same.
- I recently picked up the product again and I've been using it as just a makeup remover on days I don't want to over dry or irritate my skin by using my acne wash more than once or twice. I don't know if it's just me, but it seems to be closer to what I remember it being.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser
- 1 month
- I thought this product would be similar to the St. Ives and perhaps clean my skin even more, but it was very lackluster.

Burt's Bees Deep Cleansing Cream
- 3 months
- Again, I was going for another clean, fresh cleanser that didn't have specific acne fighting ingredients in it like St. Ives to see if I could clear my face. While this worked for the first month or so, I found it didn't really do the job like I wanted it to. It also has this cooling feeling which, while very invigorating and soothing, doesn't work as well as the St. Ives product when you want to remove makeup from your eyes.


Clearasil Ultra Daily Face Wash
- 2 months
- This one wasn't too bad. I just recently stopped using it because it wasn't doing enough for my skin. It says it gets rid of 100% of acne and while it did keep my skin clearer than most products, it wasn't really for me. I didn't really like the consistency and I found I had occasional whiteheads that would pop up one at a time.

Clean and Clear Advanced + Acne Mark Eraser Kit
-2 weeks (and counting)
- I just recently bought this product and so far I'm really enjoying it. It's taking a while for the mark eraser portion of it to kick in, but I can already see a difference. The only problem I have with it is that the skin on my cheekbones is getting irritated. However, I think it's from overusing the face wash product. It says on the label that if irritation occurs to use only once a day or skip a day entirely. That's when I use the St. Ives product to sooth and gently clean my face.
- I will definitely keep everyone updated on this product!

Clean and Clear Morning Burst Morning Glow Moisturizer
- 8 months
- I used this along with the Morning Burst wash and scrub. Being that I have oily skin, I never thought I needed a moisturizer so I thought I'd try this one first. It was pretty light for a scented moisturizer and protected my face against the sun, but after a while I noticed it started clogging my pores.


Olay Regenerist UV Defense Regenerating Lotion SPF 15
- over 1 year
- For the size of the bottle this product goes a long way. It's a very simple product that gives me the moisturizer I need without keeping me oily or clogging my pores. I also found that the little wrinkles I do have developing were softened!
- I still use this from time to time but wanted to try another product to see if it could clear up my redness.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 15
- 1 month
- This is the moisturizer I purchased recently to help get rid of my redness and uneven skin texture. So far, it hasn't dramatically changed anything but it does sooth my face after the Clean and Clear Advanced system and I haven't had any problems with it.
- I'll keep you updated on this product as well.

Hopefully this list helps you in your search for the right skin care products!