How can I improve my skin?

[Snap8TheCat]

I don't really do anything to it apart from wash it with water and occasionally moisturise it with olay face cream.

However, I often get giant spots on forehead, chin and at the moment my nose!

I have a red t zone and my pores are quite large meaning make up makes it look even worse.

I only wear light make up on special occasions not daily.

Anything I can do or is it just bad genes?

I'm sure there is something you can do, I think all skin can benefit from a bit of tlc. I won't be much help though as I have dry sensitive skin. If I were you though I'd probably go for a skin care consultation. Depending on your cash flow The Body Shop is good, No7, Lancôme are always helpful. I'd be thinking about a cleanser, serum, eye cream and moisturizer, maybe a face scrub and mask if you have the cash.

Have a look on Caroline hirons blog for the cleansing cheat sheet, it improved my skin no end.

I agree with buster re tlc. I was once like you, then I used dermalogica gentle cleanser, their mousturiser twice a day and gentle cream exfoliant every few days and it turned my skin around more than I could have imagined. It's almost a year and my bottles aren't empty!
I don't think the brand matters too much, just commit to a regime, give it a couple of weeks and see if there's improvement.
I haven't seen the need to buy all the "add on" products, just basics.

Those big spots could be hormonal, not much you can do but I found reducing dairy helped a lot. And take fish oil supplements.

Double cleanse and use a pore cleansing serum from The Ordinary (I can't recall which one it is but it's on their website).
Maybe a toner with salicylic acid and glycolic. And use sunblock every single day.

I got one of those facial brushes from Clinique and it has totally transformed my skin. I thought they were just a gimmick but all the very visible pores on my nose have almost disappeared and I now get comments from friends asking me what I use!

Eye creams are always good as well, I try to use one before I got to bed.

Unfortunately you have to be quite strict and committed to keep skin looking nice but you don't have to spend a fortune. Exfoliation and moisturiser seems to be the key for me!

If you're only washing with water then there's definitely room for improvement, and Olay probably isn't the best thing for the spots.

I don't spend a lot - I rate Johnson's Clean & Clear cream wash (not the exfoliating one) and their mosturiser too - the wash isn't drying but is very good for oily enlarged-pore types, and the moisturiser is light enough not to make the grease worse, and carries on spot-fighting.

If I'm feeling flush I like the La Roche Posay Effaclar range but it can be a bit drying.

YES to sunblock though.

I'd definitely look at the clean and clear range, its affordable but it is brilliant for oily skin. I use the cleansing face wash with an electric face cleanser and then moisturise with the clean and clear oil free moisturiser.

When you wear make up there is an AMAZING primer that I sware by, it reduces shine and oil and minimises pores, its by smashbox and its the purple one, think its called pore minimising primer. Creates a great base for your foundation but its quite pricey, think the last time I bought it, it was £28 but it lasts me 6 months plus maybe more because I only use it on weekends and a little goes a long way

Wow lots of suggestions here thanks. Not sure where to start actually. I have a bit of money to spend so that's not too much of a problem.

They also usually do smaller versions of the Smashbox primer too, not sure about the purple one but they do a few different options (in Boots).

It took me years (and I am in my 40s) to understand that the only way not to get spots was to clean my skin very well. I don't know why I didn't think it was needed.
I now wash my face morning and evening with a gentle scrub wash and when I dry it I scrub it even more with the towel, so that dead skin gets removed. This makes my skin brighter, I have no spots and make up sticks better.

Ive always had spots and never really use makeup. I switched to temple spa range 6months ago and now rarely get spots. I use the way to go cleanser, matte moisturiser and toning essence. Also the purification mask, well worth the money. I also use mo7 hit clith with a cloth at night time.