Everyone deals with acne. But breakouts in your twenties start becoming embarrassing. My face never got the memo that puberty was behind us. As I tried to become a certified, real adult, getting jobs and applying for loans, my acne stared out into the world. I shut my ugliness away in the house, smearing hundreds of creams on my face. But nothing could cure me. I was cursed.
It wasn’t that bad, but it sucked. With every year, I felt more embarrassed by my skin.
I’ve put lemon juice, toothpaste, and Advil on my face. I’ve tried salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, glycolic acid and lactic acid. I’ve tried drugstore and high-end face cleaning products. I’ve exfoliated and not exfoliated. My face has seen an endless amount of creams, washes, toners, foams and masks.
But I was still cursed with acne.
I’ve listened to beauty bloggers, read forums and researched international trends.
Nothing ever worked.
Until I embraced French beauty trends.
When I was last in Paris, I sought out a bottle of Bioderma. The micellar water has been praised by beauty bloggers everywhere, so I was intrigued. I used the micellar water to cleanse my face twice a day and used my regular cleanser at the time only once a day.
I wasn’t cured of my ugly, but there was an improvement. I didn’t understand how, as micellar water is just water, but I was less spotty than before. When I was lazy, I would only use micellar water (Garnier’s once I ran out of Bioderma), and my face became even clearer.
I was experiencing a french beauty phenomenon. The more simple, the better.
The wise words of Lisa Eldridge came back to me; if you treat your skin with harsh chemicals, it is more susceptible to breakouts.
I threw my salicylic acid cleaner in the trash and set out to buy a more gentle general cleanser. Micellar water is great, but it isn’t a cure-all for the acne prone.
Once I stopped abusing my skin, it cleared up. I used a gentle Mario Badescu cleanser I found in Ulta that was highly recommend online. Instructions said to use it only 2-3 times a week. I wash my face daily, twice a day, and couldn’t imagine how cleaning my skin less would be beneficial, but I followed directions. Aside from micellar water to wipe away dirt and oil in the morning and evenings, my face was barely touched.
And my acne disappeared. My skin brightened. I wanted to scream and shout to the heavens. I no longer look like a 13-year-old with a pizza addiction. Sure, I’ll always be acne-prone, and my skin isn’t flawless, but I can go through the days with little to no BB cream and maybe a spot or two of concealer. It was like my face appreciated me finally treating it like the delicate thing it is.
Now, I feel très femme-Francaise. I can proudly walk around bare-faced, like some sort of Parisian cool girl, and I follow in the ancient skincare footsteps of french women.
I recommend all the general popular french products, such as La-Roche Posay and Avene. French skincare brands generally have a much ‘cleaner’ chemical list and are more gentle on the skin. The American ‘Proactiv’ approach does more harm than good.