The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: How to Properly Take Care of (and Possibly Reduce) Enlarged Pores

My favorite part of the coldest months here in Chicago is that the markets always have a steady stream of mikan (clementines).  Those juicy & sweet little oranges instantly transfer me back to my childhood spending winters in Japan, sitting at a kotatsu, watching cartoons and eating mikan after mikan until I was so full I’d fall asleep under the kotatsu like a cat… And while mikan is one of my favorite fruits, I hate that over the last few winters, I’ve noticed the texture of my skin become more and more like a mikan, with crazy enlarged pores.

How to take care of enlarged pores

In horror, over the last 3 years, I’ve noticed that my enlarged pores spread from closest to my nose, to down across my cheeks.  And I noticed them getting noticeably worse during the winter months.  Nothing I did made them better.  In fact, I know now that I probably did more harm than good.  Unfortunately, everything I read in the past about reducing enlarged pores didn’t help, and probably made it worse with products that were too harsh for my skin.  But since discovering Korean skincare, I’ve learned to nurture my skin with milder products, with amazing results.  In doing so, I’ve finally(!) understood what was making my pores become enlarged over the years, and finally(!) begin to properly take care of them.

After less than 3 months of practicing my new skincare philosophy, I’m excited to see a reduction in my enlarged pores.  Some of them have reduced by as much as 1/2 it’s original size!  And I’m hoping that they’ll reduce more over time.  Even if they don’t, I’m just glad that I’ve finally learned to properly take care of my pores and hopefully never have them grow dramatically on me again!

The condition of your pores is a really good indication of the overall health of your skin.  So don’t just cover them up with primer and makeup.  Pay attention to them and see how they respond to your skincare products.  Once you do, I promise you’ll start to understand how to take care of them too!

Continue reading

Review: Tarte Maracuja Oil – and a little lesson on face oils for acne prone skin!

Oh, Maracuja Oil, how I love thee! Let me count the ways…Tarte Maracuja Oil

So there are already a lot of reviews out there on Tarte’s Maracuja Oil, but I just want to use this opportunity to gush about the fact that this face oil is ama~~~zing for acne-prone and sensitive skin!  So if you’re like me and suffer from skin full of extremes (dryness, rosacea, oiliness and cystic acne) read on about how Tarte Maracuja Oil (aka Passionfruit Oil) is now a crucial part of my daily skincare regime and get yourself some asap!

Continue reading

Review: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Liquid Recovery

first aid beauty ultra repair liquid

I used to be a huge fan of First Aid Beauty’s products.  The Ultra Repair Cream was a good moisturizer and seemed to calm down my sensitive skin, but I recently realized it was also contributing to my acne (due to its inclusion of Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, and Cetearyl Alcohol).  I got First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Liquid Recovery because the ingredients list was safe, with no acne-triggers, and because my skin was feeling incredibly dry from the change in temperatures.  But despite its promise to hydrate, repair stressed skin, and reduce redness, I found that it didn’t really do any of it.  At least not enough that made me want to dish out $38 again for an incredibly tiny bottle.  I guess I’ve become spoiled from Korean skincare, but I just expect my products to work.

Continue reading

Review: Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid

I have heard people mentioning this product for years, but it wasn’t until I read that it was part of Kerry’s daily routine on http://www.skinandtonics.com that I decided to finally give this a try.

Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid

And I LOVE Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid!  I’ve used it for about 6 weeks, my trial bottle is almost empty, and will definitely be purchasing the full size soon.

Continue reading

Acne, Rosacea, and Enlarged Pores, OH MY! How I Learned to Nurture My Skin to Eliminate Acne and Sensitivity

image

As I already talked about in my little “About Me” blurb, I’ve been waging war against hormonal cystic acne since I was 14.  I say “waging war” because over the years, I’ve treated my skin like a battlefield, using stronger and stronger medication or anti-acne treatments that would work for a little while, but then end up in super sensitive or dull skin.  When it came to skincare in the past, there was never any real “aha” moment where the products felt just right for my skin.  I was Goldilocks – If one product wasn’t strong enough, I’d end up with cystic acne.  And if a product was too strong, my rosacea would flare up.  After almost 20 years of searching, I finally reached an “aha” moment and figured out that my previous approach to my skin was all wrong and finally found a system that feels just right for my skin.

Continue reading