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Writer's pictureK Beauty Hobbit

SOS Routine for Breakouts


I’m a very fortunate person - my skin behaves most of the time. I eat well, cook 99% of our food from scratch, exercise almost every day and obviously cleanse and moisturize daily. Ok, that all sounds a little bit “look at me, I’m so perfect”. In reality, we can’t really afford to eat out often, and if I don’t consistently exercise, I start looking a bit like Michelin Tire Man, so this is all out of necessity (if I could eat chips and sit on the couch all day and still fit into my pants, I totally would!). Despite all of that, my face still likes to throw in an occasional plot twist. I have combination skin with an oily t-zone and dry-to-normal cheeks.

Recently, for example, I randomly erupted with not one, not two, but THREE painful hormonal pimples (chin, cheek, eyebrow). OUCH! Since I’m not typically acne prone, I don’t necessarily stock “troubled skin” products for daily use, so I thought I’d share with you how I make my typical routine work when this sort thing happens.

I discovered these blemishes in the evening, so let’s start with the evening care.

Evening SOS skincare:

  1. Double cleanse - the last thing my poor face needs is to get clogged with the remnants of sunscreen, dirt and dust. I use Huangjisoo cleansing oil (review here) and cleansing foam (review here). These products are gentle, don’t have any irritating ingredients, and are EWG certified “green”. Available on eBay and Amazon.

  1. Toner - the absolutely irreplaceable Purito Green Level Centella Toner (review here). This thing is magic. I don’t use it daily, but if my skin freaks out it’s definitely a must have. Centella is long known for its antibacterial and soothing properties. Available on eBay and Amazon.

  1. Spot treatments - CosRx pimple patches (review here). These little transparent discs suck out all the oil and infection, make the zits flatter and less painful, and either help them heal or get them ready for a nice extraction. Plus, they keep wandering hands from scratching and squeezing before the pimple is ready. Available on eBay and Amazon. I keep these on hand at all times.

  2. Serum - Purito Snail Repair Advanced Serum (review here). A long time favorite of mine - I’m on my second bottle. It dramatically speeds up the healing time of any eruptions. Sold on eBay and Amazon.

  3. Lotion - Etude House Soon Jung 10 free moist emulsion (review here). A very gentle, safe, non-irritating lotion that won’t make the breakout worse. Sold on eBay, Amazon and Cosmetic Love.

  4. Night mask - depending on how my skin feels, I might skip this or do Etude House Bubble Tea Sleeping Pack (review here). The light gel reduces redness without giving a heavy feeling. Sold on eBay and Amazon.

By morning, things should be significantly better, but probably not totally perfect.

Morning SOS skincare:

Peel off the CosRx patches and if you can see a clear whitehead, then GENTLY squeeze it out (use tissues or q-tips, not nails).

  1. Cleanser - usually Purito Defense Barrier Cleanser. It’s mild, won’t irritate the already angry skin, and helps blemishes heal faster (review here). Sold on eBay and Amazon.

  2. Toner - Purito Green Level Centella

  3. Serum - either Purito Repair Advanced Snail or Purito Green Level Buffet. The latter is a somewhat recent addition to my arsenal, but I’ve been really enjoying it (review here). Sold on eBay and Amazon.

  4. Lotion - Etude House Soon Jung.

  5. Sunscreen - Make P:rem UV Defense Me Blue Ray Sun Cream. I never skip sunscreen and generally prefer mineral ones. It’s hard to find mineral sunscreen without drying alcohol (which can further irritate the skin), but this one has a clean list of ingredients (full review here). Sold on eBay and Amazon.

  6. Makeup - I’m a minimalist when it comes to decorative makeup. If there’s no crazy redness, I just use this Skinfood peach powder and some mascara. If I feel like going out without bb cream in public will make small children cry, then I add this Purito BB cream before the powder.

I repeat this regimen for as long as needed, usually just a day or two, until my skin is back to its normal self. Recently, I’ve been adding the Purito Centella face cream in the morning if my skin feels dry or at night instead of the night mask (review here) if I have any redness/breakouts.

What are your best tricks for acne and pimples?

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