Acne Treatments


Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash 60 Second Mask Scrub, $8; Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash, $6; and Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Gel, $7. All available at drugstores nationwide.

Every year when the weather switches from cool and dry to hot and humid (i.e. springtime), most skins totally freak out. They inevitably spend a few weeks a greasy, zitty mess. Yuck. But this time around, check out a trio of Neutrogena products designed to conquer even the most clogged pores. Here's what you do: Every morning smooth the Oil-Free Acne Wash 60 Second Mask Scrub all over your face. At night, use Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash before going to bed and Rapid Clear Acne Elimination Gel, which you should dab on any visible spots. By the third day your skin should be clearing up. After a week, not only should you have fewer zits, but your skin should be less oily over all. What more could you ask for?

Philosophy "On a Clear Day" Kit, $45, www.sephora.com

If you're one of those girls who falls asleep with her makeup on and then wonders why they wake up with a big gigantic zit. To make things worse, you poke at it, put tons of zit cream on it, and cover it up with heaps of foundation 'til your face looks like a dried up prune (but, naturally, the zit is still there — red, irritated, and flaky, and more noticeable then ever). Not a very mature way to handle skin problems, that's for sure. Every morning and every night, wash with Superwash. It doesn't make skin feel all weird and tight like some cleansers do. Then, smooth on Protective Cream, a little tube of stuff you put on under your makeup. It makes your skin feel smooth, which it actually feels like it. At night, after washing, slap on some H2O2, the cream to keep your skin moist. It's water-based (hence the name), so it gives your skin a little glow and a lot of smoothness. Keep this excellent kit handy, in case you do fall asleep on the couch again someday.