I found that maintaining a skincare routine that agrees well with acne or pimple-prone skin works best. Just make sure to keep the momentum up. It can be quite difficult to find stuff that doesn't upset my skin, but so far, the following work really well for me:
1. Snoe Awesome Poresome Beauty Bar - I use this day and night, alternately with my #2 (which I use for when I came home from the gym and need a thorough scrub-like feeling to get all that gunk out from my pores), but yeah, I lather it on to my face, leave it for about 2 minutes, as instructed, let it work its magic, and I rinse it off. It stung like crazy the first few times, but after I while I got used to the pain, and I must say, I feel like it's delivering up to its promise of minimizing my pores and keeping those sneaky pimple outbreaks at bay. I still have a stubborn zit come out from time to time, but it's not as wild as before.
2. Pond's Acne Clear White Facial Foam - I used to have this within reach, before I got my #1, but like I said, I use this for when I need a bit more thorough and a more foamy feel on my face. I don't think it solved my pimple breakout problem completely, but it didn't aggravate it either. It managed to dry up already-there zits, but as far as dark spot and acne mark whitening goes, you're gonna need more than this to work those out.
3. Deoproce Green Tea Essence Mist (Toner) - I use this twice a day, best applied with a cotton pad. It has a cooling effect on the skin and it really helped maintain my minimized pores (for when I use the Awesome Poresome) and it gives my skin a healthy glow, instead of a drenched out desert-like finish, as what alcohol-based toners would. This one's working wonders for me. The scent is not too strong, the consistency is a bit more viscous. I think it's also more gentle on my skin (comparing it to other toners I've used in the past). I got my bottle from SM Santa Rosa, but I also saw this in SM Makati, in the beauty section.
4. Simple Light Moisturizer - Ugh, I can't even begin how I love this moisturizer. It's lightweight (as it says in the product name), has SPF 15, goes on like a dream once applied, and is in no way oily or greasy. I got mine from the US, but I also found one in Duty Free here, I am so in love that I already got my second bottle of this bad boy. It's not fussy and it gets absorbed my skin really quickly! I use this during the day, before anything else goes on top of my face. (oh, after toning!)
5. Ilog Maria Royal Jelly Facial Oil - I do not use a night cream, just this. The smell can be a bit off-putting, but once you get used to it, it's really no biggie - worth looking past for its benefits and goodness to my skin. I never really realized how important it was to moisturize at night until I felt my skin to be a bit taut in the morning and I end up producing more oil during the day because of it. Poor skin. It overcompensates for my lack of care. Ever since I used this on my face, the redness is not as noticeable, my skin feels more soft and supple in the morning, my oiliness has been lessened (it might sound odd because it is an oil, but I rinse it off during my morning routine), and my undereye area is not as tired and the lines are not as visible (I'm only 22 but since I don't care much for moisturization, my undereye area was really dry for a while). I just shake it up, use a cotton ball to apply it, and let my skin's thirst be quenched!
I'm not in any way an acne expert, but I'm just sharing the routine that has worked on me so far. Perhaps some of the products I use may work on you, perhaps they won't. Let me know if you've decided to give any of these babies a shot and tell me all about your skincare journey.
