Last weekend, my sister got married. I was both the maid of honor and the officiant of the wedding, but easily the most stressful element of the entire situation was preparing my skin. Since I am me, I’d been mentally and physically preparing my beauty regime for the event since circa early August. I took a bit of a risk and decided pre-wedding would be a good time to try out new masks, moisturizers, and exfoliants; I was really eager to take my skin to the next level and I had a bit of time to see how my face would respond. I sprinted to ask all my trusted beauty peers to ask about any new products for smooth, bright, glow-y skin.
A couple weeks to go, and things were going great — all the suggestions I had incorporated into my routine were working, and I started to feel like my skin was possibly in the best shape it had ever been in. Then, a true nightmare occurred. About five days before the Day, a combination of bad cyclical timing and pre-wedding anxiety left me with red, blotchy, itchy skin and an unfortunate spot right in the center of my chin. Though this was quite literally devastating to me, I also accepted the challenge. I had four days to take my skin from disastrous to flawless. Again, I was not the one getting married — but I sure knew how to make it about myself.
Sorry if this is TMI, but it’s that time of the month and I’m starting to notice that my skin is getting really red and patchy. At first I think I might be over-exfoliating but I also notice there’s no textural change, so it’s probably not an allergic reaction. Regardless, I stop exfoliating my face. To combat the redness, I return to my beloved Tatcha Recovery cream, a moisturizer that specifically combats redness and dehydration. I’m also beginning to notice some burgeoning blemishes around my chin area which I’m not happy about. I pick at one problem area — and while I’m trying to calm down the side effects, I’m also relieved to have gotten the blemish out of the way and begin the healing process. So, to fight this redness and flare-up, I sprint to use the My Beauty Diary Aloe Mask.
The redness has subsided, but I notice an intensely painful, under-the-skin spot has emerged on my chin. ANOTHER blemish. This is, naturally, disastrous, but I know what to do. First, I dab a bit of tea-tree oil with a Q-tip onto the blemish.
Right after that, I combat the spot with the Leaders Clinic AC-Dressing mask, which has some of the most positive reviews of any sheet mask.
The pimple is doing better, but she’s not gone. My co-workers are starting to panic too — more than one stops by my desk to ask: “How are you going to get rid of this before the wedding?” I instantly message a friend who is as psychotic as I am, who suggests I find a dermatologist who uses medical light to get rid of redness and inflammation. Luckily for me, I have the Neutrogena light therapy mask, which is a similar at-home treatment. Even though the mask claims to work best after a longer period of time and multiple uses, I have faith that it will help.
Before using my Neutrogena mask for ten minutes, I cleanse my face with my Biologique Recherche Lait U cleanser.
Then, I pat the Sunday Riley U.F.O. Ultra-Clarifying Oil just over the distressed area.
I finish the day with my beloved Tatcha recovery cream.
I wake up and see that my blemish is doing much, much better. She’s still there, but she’s less red and raised, and is therefore significantly easier to conceal. In the morning before work, I use the Cosrx Holy Moly Snail mask, an old favorite of mine. It helps my skin out a lot with hyperpigmentation and gives me an extra boost of hydration. At night, I follow a similar routine — cleanse, light therapy, essence, moisturizer. I skip any spot treatments or abrasive serums so that my skin looks calm and hydrated — sometimes these treatments can make my skin get a little flaky.
Great news: There is still some redness there, but for the most part she has flattened out. In the morning, I use one of my favorite (and inexpensive) vitamin C masks to brighten up my skin.
I got my makeup done — the woman used the Nars radiant creamy concealer over the affected area, buffed it out with a damp beauty blender, and I’m not joking when I say it was basically invisible.
You know I love to distract by over-highlighting my eye area, so I basically smothered my eye lights, cheekbones, and brow bone with Pat McGrath’s Skin Fetish 003.
I kept a compact of the M.A.C Mineralize powder for touch-ups throughout the night. WHAT SPOT?
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best women’s jeans, rolling luggage, bed sheets, coffee makers, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.
