My skin has been all but terrible lately, and it’s all but my fault. My breakouts, dryness, redness, blotchiness, sensitivity, and unidentified non-pimple bumps covering my forehead have either everything or nothing to do with my recent proclivity toward sleeping in my makeup, staying out late, eating terribly (but deliciously), hanging out in smoke-filled rooms, making out with dudes with abrasive facial hair, and finally, because I am The Worst, going off the antibiotics prescribed to me for acne because I ran out and didn’t feel like making a trip to the drugstore that day. It turns out that the libertine lifestyle is not conducive to maintaining clear, calm skin — who knew (and, more importantly, how do all of my favorite celebrities do it)?
I have a veritable apothecary full of cleansers, toners, masques, moisturizers, spot treatments, serums, oils, creams… and the more I piled them on in unlikely combinations hoping for some small miracle, the worse my skin got. Even my tried-and-true lifesavers were like, “Fuck yo’ skin.” I’m always hesitant to try new products when I’m having this kind of facial meltdown, but something about the claims touted by Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer compelled me to take a leap of faith. Maybe it was the reasoning that it addressed skin’s response to external stressors (like, um, my friends, always making me do things, geez), or maybe it was just that classic Kiehl’s packaging that did me in. But whatever it was, I eschewed my customary routine of cleanser/toner/as many other things as I can pile on in favor of this single product. Gulp. Keep reading »
