Why does my makeup do this??

[noideamumma]

In need of some advice please!

As you can see i suffer with acne, am currently using clindamycin/ tretinoin every evening. (Still yet to make a difference). From using this cream my skin has purged a good amount, spots, dryness (my skin is naturally red toned so my acne appears very inflamed)

I am due to return to work after maternity leave, i am dreading it because of my skin!! I just want a way to cover my acne, not full coverage as my face will dry far too much! Just something light to reduce redness...i have tried multiple foundations, concealers, BB creams etc and i always end up with this texture of nothing soaking into my skin more so just sitting on top and being patchy?? Why?? Do i need to exfoliate to remove the dead skin cells from the cream (however told its an exfoliant as it is). I just want something i can put on my face and not have to worry that it looks patchy or is drying the hell outta my face and i look like a mess!

Any help is much appreciated! Thanks!

:)

What cleanser are you using? I would look for a cleanser that is gentle (non stripping, non drying) but also a bit exfoliating. Cerave Renewing SA Cleanser could be a good one, it also has salicylic acid which will help with acne.

Thank you i will take a look into that!
I currently use the Cerave hydrating cleanser!

That cleanser ought to be pretty good actually although it doesn’t have the exfoliating effect.

TBH I find the most effective exfoliation is at the end of a longish shower, when skin is very wet, gently massage the dry areas with a muslin cloth or your fingertips and you’ll find the dry skin balls up and comes off.

I think any makeup is going to have this issue unless you can get the dry skin off, but key thing is to be gentle so no scrubs/microbeads etc

I have very dry skin but not acne although I do get that patchy, scaly look from make up clumping. I use Liz Earle cleanse and polish a couple of times a week to take off my make up because, as @minipie points out, the muslin cloths that come with it are gentle but do the job. I've also found using a good primer has helped a lot (I reckon I'm quite a bit older so this makes my eye lines look better too) and I've finally settled on Bobbi Brown's vitamin E primer which is more like a moisturiser. I've got very, very thirsty skin so I moisturise the shit out of it.
All of this works for me but your skin type is particular to you and might react differently. I suppose it's trial and error which must be extremely frustrating. I hope you get sorted!

Thank you everyone for your replies!
Like you say it's trial and error, i hope i can figure this out!! Such a stress!!

I had bad hormonal acne when I was returning to work from mat leave. Bare minerals used to do a blemish primer which might also help.

There’s a Sam Bunting moisturiser that’s been recommended for supporting the effects of retinol etc (it was recommended by Wayne Goss) you could give that a go? drsambunting.com/products/flawless-moisturiser-intense

I appreciate that reactive skin has a few causes, not all of which are easy to identify or treat. I get rosacea which sometimes gets worse without me knowing why. Years ago my skin got so dry and dehydrated that I had a similar situation to you, where make up wouldn’t sit on it at all, at a time when I had most desire to cover it up. It’s frustrating and makes you feel self conscious.

The foundation I wear at the moment is either No 7 Hydraluminous or L’Oréal BB. They are both quite moisturising. But perhaps try the above moisturiser first. It’s not perfumed and quite gentle.

Do you use a primer before your foundation?

Green concealer will colour correct the red.

@hoarahloux yes i have tried primer currently have tried the rimmel hydrating primer and it seems to do the same thing 😩

I would use a Muslin cloth with the CeraVe wash,that will sort out exfoliation.

If you use Double Wear sparingly with a buffing brush it'll sort out all the redness. Important to get correctly colour matched or it'll look mask like but used almost like a concealer it's amazing.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor thank you i will give it a go! Would you recommend i cleanse before i apply my prescription cream at night, or would it be more effective for me to cleanse/exfoliate as such in the morning?

I am uneducated as to which is best haha sorry! And for context i use skin food by weleda for moisturiser

Could you try a different type of foundation? Something like this

I wonder if your moisturiser is irritating you? Does that have essential oils in it? I’ve used it for my body but wouldn’t for my face

@totalnamechanger i have just read it says 'natural essential oils'? And i have the one that says can be used on face. It seems to be the only thing ive found that keeps my dry skin away (unless foundation is applied)

If it’s not irritating you, of course that’s fine but essential oils can sometimes irritate the face. There are some that I’d avoid on my face- geranium being one. I’m also very reactive to strawberry seed which is found in a moisturiser I loved (it looked like if burnt my skin). I prefer natural scents and used to try and use wholly natural products but unscented can be less reactive.

I've got the Erborian CC Red Correct which does the trick for my red cheeks (not acne though). It comes out green but settles into a light foundation colour after being set into the skin. I found putting small dots and patting in the spaces I need it to be enough.

@noideamumma I would also recommend Sam Bunting products

Is it just the skin around your mouth and chin that is most affected? It could be perioral dermatitis. I had this when I started tret with Dermatica and ended up switching to skin & Me who prescribed antibiotics for two months. It still took ages to settle down and 18 months later I still just use moisturiser around my mouth and limit the tret to my forehead and cheeks.

I cleanse in the morning and evening.

I'd also give Skin Food a rest and try Cerave moisturiser if you get on with the cleanser. I know it's supposed to be natural etc etc but I find it really harsh and it irritated my skin.

@Confundo yeah so ive always suffered with bad skin during teenage years but since ive had my girls my skin has got increasingly worse! Ive tried multiple creams, antibiotics etc think next step is a tablet?

But here is a picture of me now, ive just micellar watered my makeup off and my face/acne is very prominent/red.

I know it looks awful!! Im fed up with it, im 27 and have skin of a teenager 🤦🏼‍♀️

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor ok i will cut that out thank you :)

What moisturiser are you using?

I'd look at Cerave PM or this
https://www.boots.com/bioderma-sebium-ultra-nourishing-cream-very-dry-acne-prone-skin-40ml-10202418

@TheOGCCL thank you! Ive not seen this before