Once in a while, we all get the epic acne breakout. While topical treatments like benzoyl peroxide or extractions do help, they can cause a lot of dryness, flaking, irritation…or more breakouts – throwing you in a frustrating cycle of shelling out dough on piles of products and painful extractions that just make things look worse. Instead of hiding under layers of full makeup or bunkering up indoors, we went seeking gentler home alternatives, and the beauty gurus at The SW1 Clinic were kind enough to oblige.
Keep acne-prone skin under check through the holidays and beyond with a #15minutefacial that’s easily accomplished while you’re on a Netflix binge, with anti-acne skincare you can stock in your very own bathroom apothecary.
STEP 1: Skin Laundry III Sapphire Cleanser
The first step of an anti-acne ritual should be to purge oil and dirt. Skin Laundry III is a mildly foaming detoxing cleanser which provides a clarifying wash, leaving skin velvety smooth. It contains salicylic, glyolic and lactic acid which lifts debris off troubled skin.
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STEP 2: Clear Tonic
Next, apply Clear Tonic, a skin clearing toner which cleans off any remaining trace of debris, refining the skin and leaving skin refreshed and matte.
STEP 3: Sapphire Purifying Peel
Now for the ultimate purge. This acne purifying peel contains AHA and BHA enzymes which plunges deep into pores to unclog and clarify skin. A home chemical exfoliant, you only need to apply it to the face for about 1 minute at most once a week for a deeply purified and radiant-looking skin. Avoid the eyes with this one!
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STEP 3: Clear Bliss
This is the science of pimple treatment incorporated into a simple and pampering home treatment. Clear Bliss soothes red and irritated skin with niacinamide and aloe vera extracts, while Clindamycin works to kill bacteria.
Step 4: Sleep Mode
This gentle home peel takes the final plunge to decongest any residual cellular gunk choking up pores for a crystal clear and soft, supple skin. This miracle in a bottle contains glycolic acid in a soothing aloe vera base, so it cleverly keeps the grease out of the pores without drying up the skin excessively. Sleep Mode also helps lighten my pimple marks, controls sebum and shine, tones skin texture and offers anti-ageing benefits on the longer term.
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Step 5: Flawless
This professional strength oil-free serum clears existing comedones and regulates sebum production. Although Flawless can clear skin if used daily for 4 weeks, the beauty gurus at SW1 Clinic say that it is highly effective as a spot treatment. I apply this to pimples directly, rather than the whole face.
