Dry Sponge

Every beauty magazine ever will always tell you that the key to beautiful skin starts with moisturizer.

Obviously. 

It's a rare bit of advice that I have actually been following for a long time. Because of my work I have incredibly dry hands, as well. Dry to the point of being painful every time I wash my hands. So my go to was Aveeno, like it is for many people. 

It is also impossible to find a humorous picture of Aveeno. I tried for like, three minutes.

Aveeno was my go-to, all-purpose skin savior. I might as well have bathed in it. I have a bottle in my bathroom, bedroom, car, purse, and at work. Hands, body, face. Yeah. My face. 

Then one day I was doing research on coconut oil (which I use to remove my makeup at the end of the day) and some blog or another said how great it is, but be careful because it's not noncomedogenic. Words we all know, but suddenly it occurred to me that I wasn't entirely sure of their definition. 

Coconut oil is comedogenic. Usually when things are NONcomedogenic it says so right in the bottle. Aveeno is dermatologist recommended, it has to be noncomedogenic, right? RIGHT?!

No. In fact, it is comedogenic. Pore clogging, blackhead causing, skin suffocator. On. My. Face. 

No wonder the pores on my nose look so revolting all the time! Auuugh! But I was terrified. That meant that I would have to 1) pay for a separate lotion specifically for just my face.  I'm a cheapskate. I'm sorry. I like to pretend that it's frugality but secretly I know better; and 2) would have to try new products until I found one that worked for me.

My skin is the definition of an English rose. Pale porcelain with naturally pink cheeks. It's so sensitive that the least deviation from stasis sends my face into a tailspin. Red, dry, scaley patches, or cystic zits, or crazy overproduction of oil. It's very annoying to search for products that work on my skin. Once, a pal of mine gave me an expensive MAC facial cream that was heavenly, until my entire forehead scaled and peeled off. 

I've tried a handful of things ranging from "Oh god, why would someone put this on their face?!" to "This is so expensive, why would anyone pay that much for this?!" I think I've finally found a nice middle ground. Guess where I got it? If you said anything other than Target, then you haven't learned a thing about me since I've restarted blogging all of a week ago.

So the winner is: 

I can't believe the answer has been so simple all along. I've been using it about a week and a half by now. My pores looked infinitely better within two days. My nose isn't nearly as oily as I've been accustomed to. The dry spots on my face I think are still acclimating, but they're not flaking, not red, not itchy. It's amazing! I know adding a facial moisturizer isn't really that much of a change in my beauty routine, but I still didn't want to. I am so happy I did though. My face is happier. All because I had the sudden realization that the word "noncomedogenic" actually has a definition.