Makeup 101: Clear That Skin

By Ali

In middle school I had horrible skin. Constantly. By the end of high school it had really cleared up, but I feel like my years of pre-teen suffering were sufficient for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, middle school awkwardness does not justify a zit free life, and sometimes pesky pimples still pop up; like before a big party, exciting date or run-in with an ex. Perfect.

This happens to just about everyone, (or at least this is what I tell myself) so here are some good spot treatments to clear up that annoying blackhead (hopefully) before you finish your pre-game.

Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Spot Gel: I use this spot gel whenever I get a little zit and it zaps it away pretty quickly. It is meant to seriously reduce pimple size within 8 hours, so if you put it on right before bed you should notice a difference in the morning. It’s not sticky and goes on smoothly and can be found at a local drug store for cheap!

Clinique Acne Solutions Spot Healing Gel: I have also used this spot treatment and find it really works. It can be a little stickier than the Neutrogena one, but it dries up zits pretty quickly, and is invisible over and under makeup.

Bare Escentuals RareMinerals Blemish Therapy: I’ve never used this product but it looked really cool and got pretty good reviews. And, well, I endorse almost anything Bare Escentuals. This is a powder (that comes with a brush). It contains sulfer like most acne spot treatments, but is in a different format. While it’s fighting off the blackhead it also helps neutralize the color to cover it up! You can put it on before bed or in the morning under your makeup.

Sepohora Double Ended Blemish Extractor: No, this isn’t a torture device, it’s meant to help pop pimples. Yeah, my mom told me not to pop zits, and that is a valid piece of advice, however, one of the reasons you don’t want to pop zits with your fingers is because they are dirty and get bacteria in already clogged pores. Unlike your fingers, this tool can be properly sterilized and then used to extract a zit. First, put warm water over your face to make the extraction easier. Then put the loop around the pimple and slowly pull until the zit is, well, popped. Don’t force it if the zit is too big to be eliminated this way!

Here are a couple of other tips to help with frustrating pimples.

-Washing your makeup brushes and removing makeup after each day is a great way to ensure that your skin stays clean and clear

-It’s okay to cover a zit with concealer, just make sure it’s one that will not further clog pores. Here are a couple of concealers with great coverage.

-If you are on vacation and don’t have any spot treatments with you, you can put some toothpaste on the zit (the pasty kind, not the gel kind). I don’t recommend walking around all day with toothpaste on your face, so try this at night, and make sure you only put it on the zit! It should help reduce the pimple size by the morning.