My First Beauty Product Allergic Reaction

For as long as I've known my skin...I mean really known my skin (maybe the past 8-10 years), my face is pretty durable, whatever I put on will either work or not work...never cause any horrible madness.

So, I bought MAC Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50 last week, and after putting some on the back of my hand, I thought it would be good for me because it was a high SPF, and it applied pretty dry. I used it and I kinda liked what it did. It was a sunscreen that didn't feel too much like a sunscreen, in that it didn't have a super greasiness to it, but it does have a slight greasiness, not too much to grumble. I've been experimenting with a couple of other sunscreens, like the Neutrogena Liquid Moisturizer SPF 50 and a CVS one too, but they were too greasy that my face oiled up within an hour or two.

After my somewhat pleasure in this product, I started to notice that I was getting weird, small "pimples" around my mouth and my forehead was starting to look really bumpy, like it did when I was in high school. I didn't really think too much about it, but that I was weird because it isn't near my "time" of the month, and on top of that, mine was a couple of weeks ago, and that's when I really break out. Another weird thing was that the pimples by my mouth were really small, and like whiteheads, which I only get in larger pimples. I also had some right next to my lips that were more like clogged pores, which were really hard to extract (yes...I gouge them).

So after all these "weirdnesses" to my skin, I came across an article in beautylish (if you don't know about beautylish, here's my description) about some sunscreens causing allergic reactions. It also talked about how it's usually chemical sunscreens (that absorb UV rays) that will cause a reaction rather than physical ones (that reflect UV rays). However, this primer is actually part chemical (Octinoxate), and part physical (Zinc oxide). Anyway, it's probably too much of the Octinoxate, so I have since stopped using it and am using the Shiseido one that protects against environmental damage (the one I got as a sample in my last haul). My skin hasn't broken out since, so I am going to assume that it is either the amount of Octinoxate is too much for me, or there's something else in the product that I am allergic to, since there is Octinoxate in the Shiseido product I am using today.

My hunt for a high SPF primer/moisturizer (that doesn't leave my face a greaseball after an hour or two) continues!!

My Skin Story, Part 1: Oily Skin & Moisturizers and Primers

So in my last post, I talked a bit about how gross my skin can get, but I though I'd share a more in depth look at my struggles with my skin.

So let's start with oiliness. As far as skin care is considered, I've tried so many "oil-control" products, it's pretty ridiculous.

I've tried Murad Oil Control Mattifier SPF 15, which worked ok, it was one of the first ventures into this world of oil-control. I thought it was a pretty good product, but my face was still very oily by the end of the day.

Another moisturizer I've tried is the Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Skin Rev-er Upper. That stuff was not as great as the Murad stuff, but I liked it enough not to return it, it helped make my face feel matte, but still produced the oils.

When I made a trip to the MAC store quite some time ago (for the Viva Glam Gaga lipglass), I was coerced into trying their Oil Control Lotion and their Pro Longwear SPF 10 Foundation (NC30). Now, when the makeup artist demoed the products on my face, she also used the Prep + Prime Skin as well, but I didn't purchase it. I am curious if I use that plus the other MAC stuff if it will make a big difference? Anyway: when I tried it, it felt nice, it felt like I wasn't wearing anything AND it also felt matte. What I wanted to tell her was that I wanted to stay for another couple of hours so that she could see how crappy my skin is and the oil slick that would have formed...but all in all it worked ok (like the Murad stuff).

The next thing I heard about was the Shiseido Pureness Mattifying Moisturizer Oil Free. I went to Sephora, and for the life of me I couldn't find the Shiseido stuff, so I asked someone, and then I found it, and asked for a sample (the reason why I never got samples of other stuff was because I didn't even know they did that :/), and so the person who helped me also pointed out that Bliss also makes a pretty good oil control moisturizer, so I got a sample of the Bliss Steep Clean Mattifying Lotion. I tried both, and decided since Sephora gave me a $30 gift card, I'll give the Bliss one a try because it seemed to work better, but I didn't really get a good trial because the person at Sephora didn't really give me a whole lot. So I bought myself a full size bottle, too bad I didn't know it was $48!!! At least I had the gift card...right?? Anyway, I have been using that, switching between that and the MAC one, I think the MAC one may be better. I use the Bliss one mostly at night now.

A couple of other noteable mentions in the moisturizer department is the Boscia Oil-Free Daily Hydration SPF 15. I've tried it as a sample size (the ones that come in those sets that Boscia makes a lot), and when it was time for my skincare challenge reward at Sephora, it looked like the only thing my skin would come close to liking. Out of all the products I already mentioned, I really LOVE the packaging on this one. It's in a tube type of thing, but it has a pump, so I can store it anywhere, and would be good for travel too, but there's the convenience of the pump. The actual product isn't that great, I think it made me more oily than some other stuff I've tried, but it was eh... for me. Another moisturizer that wasn't horrible, but not great was the Clean & Clear Finishes Pore Perfecting Moisturizer SPF 15. I didn't really notice any pore minimization, but it was ok, and has SPF 15, so it wasn't bad for my skin.

To talk about makeup primers now. I've tried many. Here's the ones that I have tried that left me quite oily: Smashbox's Photo Finish (original) and Photo Finish Light, MAKE UP FOR EVER's HD Primer (not exactly sure what it was called, but I think it's discontinued now, there's other primers, but I don't think any of them are the one I tried from a 100 point perk), Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Prime Time (I tried it before the oil-control one came out), Urban Decay De-Slick in a Tube Mattifying Gel, MAC Matte, and MAC Skin Refine Zone Treatment. But the stand out one for me was actually the Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Prime Time Foundation Primer Oil Control. I liked it, but I was still oily, so it sat on my conter for a while, and I think this is the reason why when I tried to start using it again, it made my skin peel A LOT! I am pretty sure it didn't do that when I used it the first time. It's on my list of stuff to buy when I have money. However, I found that I think when I mix those two MAC products and put it all over my face, that kind of helps...a little.

Will talk foundation later...my fingers are tired!