As if 2020 couldn’t get any weirder, now is the time that my years of writing about acne and spot-fighting products have paid off as it seems everyone is struggling with a breakout or two, here and there, courtesy of the dreaded “maskne” so I have lots of hints, tips and tricks to share, although my skin is currently a disaster zone so I’m working my way through a lot of different products.
I have a long-term love for K-Beauty as there are so many things about it love; the products are always incredibly pretty, sensibly formulated and they straddle that tricky space between results-driven and pampering. I also love the fact that they encourage so many steps as skincare is so very personal, sometimes all you need to do is tweak it here and there with a bit more hydration or something a bit more soothing to get it spot on.
Kosame Beauty is a fantastic UK store that stocks some of the very best K-Beauty brands. The founder of Kosame Beauty, Melusine, is so on the ball with finding the newest and most interesting K-Beauty launches, so it’s a great site that’s really worth keeping an eye on as they get new stock in all the time. I’ve been sent various K-Beauty blemish busters from Kosame Beauty, so here’s a look at some of the products and brands that provide decent products for tricky skin:
Dr Ceuracle is a really interesting brand – one of those that you end quickly developing a shopping list with – particularly since they have ranges that focus on some of my favourite ingredients, such as Cica, Hyaluronic Acid and Tea Tree Oil. I have the Dr Ceuracle Tea Tree Purifine 95 Essence and I think this is one of the best products you could add to your routine if you’re suddenly struggling with breakouts but don’t want to adjust your routine too much, as this is a very light essence that absorbs quickly and plays well with other products. At the moment, there’s a set on Kosame Beauty that contains minis of the corresponding Cleansing Foam and Toner for the same price as just the essence alone. Find the set here – link – for £33.
Another Dr Ceuracle product I have is the Jeju Matcha Clay Pack, which is your typical clay mask that works to absorb as much of the surface oil and dirt as possible whilst calming existing blemishes. This is a bit too strong for a full face mask (for me) but it’s great for multi-masking, or even just applying to areas of breakouts. It’s £22.90 here – link.
I have a few products to share with you from Dr Althea and I have quite a lot to say about them which I’ll save for a full post, but I wanted to mentioned them because they’re approach to treating acne is one that I very much agree with; their products are all about soothing the inflammation and tackling the underlining issue, rather than just attacking the superficial spots and causing more long-term problems in the process.
The two creams I have, the Resveratrol 345NA Intensive Repair Cream and the Azulene 147HA Intensive Soothing Cream, are both designed to help with acne and you pick either one depending on what your other issues are. This is so key when it comes to successfully addressing acne because it’s so often a result of other things, so just taking the approach that spots are caused by oil, so get rid of the oil, can be incredibly detrimental – my skin almost always settles down when I’ve got the balance right and my skin is well hydrated and calm.
I’ll also say that I’m a little bit in love with the Dr Althea Sheet Masks as they are such a good fit! Just enough stretch so you can get them to cover every nook and cranny, but not so stretchy that they slide around; they’re one of the few sheet masks that I can wear and feel like I can get on with things without having to keep still for fear of it falling off. Check out the full Dr Althea range as Kosame Beauty here – link.
The Benton Aloe BHA Skin Toner deserves a special mention as it’s just one of those really easy products that does what it says on the tin; it’s soothing an gentle, yet lightly exfoliating too. It’s quick thick, so you could use it as an essence, but I use it as a toner by wiping it over my face before following with the aforementioned Dr Ceuracle essence. Aloe and BHA are such a great combination for acne prone skin! It’s here – link – for £19.
Kosame Beauty have a whole section devoted to acne which you can find here – link.
Disclosure: PR samples. I was not paid to feature.
