How to deal with a serious zit -

*I hate that I had to use the word "zit "in the title of this one.
Sometimes I have mega skin breakouts and I still have to go out in public. Why do I have tiny eye wrinkles of a 35-year-old and blemishes of a 15 year-old?  I don't know, but I can't wast energy on that.

source

As you know I work from home, but recently I had to make a good impression with people I don't know very well.  As Karma would have it I was also due for a serious face breakout (I knew I should have been nicer to someone as some point - that Karma is picky). Like the kind of breakout where the "blemishes"  actually throb and hurt. Gross, I know.  Having the good life is not for the feint of heart.  So a spot on my chin and jawline  (thank you hormones) decided to erupt 2 days before I had to exist in public. Blurg.



After I tried a few attempts to make them disappear I realized I was in deep and this was happening no matter what, and I better just settle in or make a plan. I'm pretty sure other people do not notice my skin imperfections - probably everyone is thinking about their own bumps or whatever to notice other people's.  But since I believe that when "you look good, you feel good and when you feel good you do good" - I knew I needed to make a plan to still feel good with my face in this condition with the inability to hang out at home.  Who can call in "zitty" to work anyway?

So I thought about all the things that, in my opinion, improve a breakout (or some face imperfection) when you can't actually fix the blemish. Please note that I have no formal training in blemish camouflage, but lots of experience. Please follow these ideas at your own risk and know that if you google "how to cover up a zit" you will get completely conflicting advice from what I am about to share.

She doesn't look very happy about this dress, but I would be.
I am open-minded to this color block trend and I LOVE Trina Turk.
This would make me feel better about a breakout. 
This one is cute too.

1) Clean hair - always my plan for when I need to feel better.  I feel infinitely more confident, smarter and shinier, in a good way, with clean hair.

2) Make your hair look simply nice-   no complicated up and back do's or sideways braids on these days, no messy bun - just very simply washed and done. Some people belive in distraction - I do not.

3) Less make-up.  This seems counter-intuitive I know.  But in my opinion the only thing worse than a big chin zit is tons of make up all over that face and concealer gunked on a big zit. I think it looks messy and low-class and kind of dirty. Unless you have a professional do your makeup, chances are things can sometimes shift and smear and such.  Less is more on zit days.
I just use my usual base or BB cream, a very small amount of blush or bronzer, and a teeny bit of my lightest eyeliner. I do touch up my eyebrows and curl my lashes every day, and on these days I would add a little mascara.

4) A concealer that matches your skin (easier said than done) and use it sparingly.  I have two - one is a Mary Kay something or other that is very light. I would rather go too light than too dark - dark looks dirty and as I mentioned clean is always my goal. I dab a smidge of that cream stuff on and gently work it around the blemish - it's important to use a sponge or something to get all in there.  Zits are 3-D afterall.  This is such an uncomfortable subject for me.  

Then I have a Sonia Kashuk Take Cover concealing stick in "Daylight."  It matches my skin color perfectly (harp music) and I take a q-tip or my clean finger to work this over a blemish as well.  A very little bit. I would rather show up looking really nice, healthy and simple and have a big red zit on my chin, rather than a big red zit on my chin and gobs of makeup to try and cover it.  There is no covering. It is there and big and red and you can't really "hide" it - in my opinion. The smidge of concealer just makes it a smidge less red.


kind of a creepy drawing,
but also kind of interesting

5) A really nice outfit. Frankly, something more simple and more expensive is put on on days like that.

6) Small or no earrings - less attention at the face; less is more.


7) A 1000 watt smile (that never fails actually - just do that all the time).

8) Being friendly, keeping the topic on the other person, never mentioning the unbelievable thing(s ) residing on your face.

On a side note - this product, in my opinion does NOT work: Neutrogena Skin Clearing Blemish Concealer.
 It works the first two days - shrinking and covering up the zit, but even if you stop using it the zit turns to a dark spot - like a scar - and also the area is so dry that it then peels. So then instead of a zit you have a a peeling brown spot that lasts longer than the zit.  That's my experience with it and so no thanks.



I am all over 11, 12 and 13 - Thank you hormones - you jerks.

If you have to pop it (for many reasons we just really won't discuss). I recommend wetting a clean washcloth and zapping it in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds. Then holding the warm towel on the spot until  the cloth gets cool. Then unfold to find the hidden inside warmth and press some more.  If you have a magnifying mirror crank that up and see if it is easy to pop.  If not then let it go, and if so then do it gently.  I recommend doing this at night before bed obviously so it can heal and de-swell overnight.  

What an ick topic this is.

This girl is so stinking cute I'd probably listen to anything she shared.  She has several vlogs about covering blemishes, but I liked this one the best.  She believes in more makeup to distract which obviously works for her - again with the cuteness. 





On a last side note, my breakout last week was so heinous I actually chose seating at my conference where people had to sit on the OTHER side of me. I am not totally neurotic, I just want to have nice skin. I can be a out of shape or grumpy or self-deprecating, or not the smartest person in the room. I am cool with my Wal-Mart top or disorganized nature - but I want clear skin dammit. And now I am on the floor in the fetal position.

Seriously if you have a miracle product you better stinking share it.