4 Steps to Clearer Skin With the Neutrogena #LetsSolveIt Campaign

Somewhere between trying to squeeze in as much outdoorsy time as possible in the second half of summer, a bunch of stressful side projects, a particularly bad bout of insomnia (I keep waking up around the Witching Hour and then can’t fall back asleep) and the steady stream of ice cream I’ve been eating after dinner (even though I know what happens when I have too much dairy), I’ve started breaking out.

It’s nothing too bad…yet (knocks on wood), definitely not as bad as the huge humdingers I get sometimes along my jawline. These are just little whiteheads on my chin and around the edge of my forehead, and a couple of body breakouts on my chest and booty.

Yes, girl, booty — specifically, my left butt cheek, if you must know.

Is that TMI? Probably, but it’s not like I’m the first person (or the last) to get a painful pimple on their bum.

Anyway! When Neutrogena and Walgreens asked if I was down to switch up my acne-fighting game with their #LetsSolveIt campaign and take the quiz at SolveMyAcne.com, I thought, “Good timing!”

I’ve had great luck with Neutrogena skin care over the years, and I dig Walgreens (I used to go there on my breaks every day when I worked in SF), so I said “sure!”

Getting back into the swing of things at school after summer break is stressful enough. Who needs the ADDED stress of a bad breakout? Get expert skin care recs with the Neutrogena #LetsSolveIt campaign by taking the Acne-Fighting Quiz at SolveMyAcne.com, and feel fabulously confident in clearer skin.

First step: the quiz. And it’s not one of those quizzes that they say is only going to take two minutes but ends up taking 20. It really is just a handful of easy questions.

Like so…

Based on my answers, here are the four products the quiz recommended for me and my combo dry/oily skin:

• Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Power Cream Wash ($8.99): This creamy, oil-free face wash works without stripping or drying the skin. It contains salicylic acid (2%), and cucumber and green tea extracts, to fight breakouts while reducing redness and clearing up oil.
• Rapid Clear Maximum Strength Acne Treatment Pads ($9.49): These soft, textured oil-free pads also contain salicylic acid (2%), and they’re soaked with something unique to Neutrogena called MicroClear, a proprietary technology scientifically proven to push medicine deep into pores to both fight the acne you can, and the acne you can’t, see.
• Oil-Free Moisture Sensitive Skin ($10.99): This lightweight water-based moisturizer doesn’t contain alcohol or any fragrances, so it’s ideal for sensitive skin.
• Body Clear Body Wash Pink Grapefruit ($8.49): Pink grapefruit. Those are the magic words for me right there. 🙂 This gloriously grapefruit-scented wash also contains chamomile, green tea extract, vitamin C and 2% salicylic acid to treat body breakouts on the shoulders, back and chest while keeping new breakouts from…breaking out.

I like the idea of a whole acne regimen that only involves four products. I can handle a four-step process, so I put my regular skin care favorites aside, and I’ve been using these for two weeks.

Step 1: Acne Stress Control Power Cream Wash

Every morning and evening, I washed my face with the Acne Stress Control Power Cream Wash (which smells mildly minty). I like how it leaves my skin feeling slightly tingly (it’s a good pick-me-up in the morning!), and that it doesn’t make the dry parts of my skin feel tight or otherwise uncomfortable.

Step 2: Rapid Strength Acne Treatment Pads

Then, right after using the face wash, I wiped one of the Rapid Strength Acne Treatment Pads all over my face, paying special attention to the little whiteheads along my jawline and around my forehead. At that point, there was usually some leftover product on the pad, so I’d also wipe the areas where I was breaking out on my chest (as well as that one annoying pimple on my bum).

Step 3: Oil-Free Moisturizer

After using the pad, I finished up my face routine by moisturizing my face and neck with the Oil-Free Moisturizer.

And I did this every morning and night before bed after my shower.

Step 4: Body Clear Body Wash in Pink Grapefruit

Lastly, while I was still IN the shower at night, I used the Body Clear Body Wash in Pink Grapefruit all over my chest (and, again, my booty), and then my regular body wash to wash everywhere else.

The results

As I said earlier, I’ve had really great luck with Neutrogena skin care products over the years, so I was stoked to try these four, and the only one of them I think I’ve tried before is the Pink Grapefruit Body Wash.

I’ve definitely noticed an improvement in my skin over the past two weeks, especially with the pimples around the edge of my forehead, which are — YAY! — nowhere to be found.

Take that, zits!

I still have one tiny little whitehead on my chin…but it’s at the point now where I know it’ll be gone within a couple days.

I was a little concerned that the face wash and pads would dry out my cheeks (which are already so, so dry), but they haven’t yet. I really like them both and plan to continue using them.

Oh! And guess what? I figured out that you can get more bang for your buck if you cut the pads in half. Yes, I use a pair of scissors that I keep in my medicine cabinet.

Hey, Walgreens and walgreens.com shoppers! Earn 3,000 Walgreens Balance Rewards Points with the purchase of $15 or more in select Neutrogena products through August 28, 2015.

As for the Oil-Free Moisturizer, the oilier spots on my face really like it, like my forehead, nose and chin. My cheeks, however, which are always epically dry, need more moisture than this, so I have to layer an additional, richer moisturizer on top.

I may still use it on occasion when my skin is leaning more toward the extra oily side, but I think it’ll probably work better if you have straight-up oily or normal skin.

As for the Body Wash, WOW! — it smells amazing. I love crisp citrusy scents, and this one rocks.

And it works well, too, because the breakouts on my chest are almost completely gone. No more aggro red pimples, and the few non-aggro pimples that are left are tiny and look like they’re on their last legs. Plus, it didn’t dry out my skin.

The zit on my bum (am I crazy, or wouldn’t that be a GREAT name for a band?) is also less painful and smaller.

All in all, I had a great experience with these acne-fighting products, and I feel more confident in my clearer skin.

I’m ready for you, fall!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen