Skincare for the Face: A Discussion of Pregnancy, Products, Likes, and Dislikes

     Through the course of my pregnancy, I’ve been surprised to find that my non-pregnancy and during-pregnancy facial skin acts pretty much the same—oil slick city. I am oily around my nose, on my chin, and (less so but markedly) on my forehead. I’ve got some visible pores on my nose and upper cheeks, right below my eyes, so the skin there gets oily as well. My jaw under my ear and my lower cheeks remain innocuously normal—not dry or oily. As I’ve been dealing with oily skin since puberty, this was just more of the same. I think that the areas around my nose are even oilier than before, but treatment remains pretty much the same.
    Pregnancy does restrict the products one is able to use to control acne, however. Both salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are either not recommended or not proven safe, so the opinions from doctors can vary from “go ahead and use it,” to “better safe than sorry.” I have avoided both ingredients, sticking to the “better safe than sorry” category. My acne hasn’t been bad enough to use benzoyl peroxide products in a long time (not since my teenage years)—if I try to use it lately, it usually causes redness. Salicylic acid, however, is in one of my favorite anti-acne face washes.

I honestly have only ever used the gel Neutrogena Redness Soothing Facial Cleanser, but I am not averse to trying the cream. I find this line of anti-acne cleanser much gentler on my face, which is very prone to redness (especially redness caused by over-drying products). I hypothesize that the calming effects of the chamomile extracts (chamomile being commonly used topically to treat skin irritation and inflammation) possibly counteract the abrasiveness of the salicylic acid. Be forewarned, though—I’m not advocating this cleanser for seriously sensitive skin. My skin walks this fine line of, “I’m tough and I’m going to break out all the time,” and “Oooh, that stuff is too rough! I’m going to get red all over!” I don’t officially classify it as “sensitive,” because when I stick to products for sensitive skin, my sebum production skyrockets. I do need something a little tougher than that.
     So, how am I coping with my skin and pregnancy? A few products are keeping me sane.


First, Ponds Wet Cleansing Towelettes in the Evening Soothe variety. I am lazy at night, and when it comes to taking off my makeup, if I didn't have these wipes, the makeup just wouldn't come off until my morning shower. I like the smell of these, and that the wipes themselves don't feel too abrasive. Next, eye cream. I have been using eye cream since my early twenties, and I feel like I can say that I don't have a wrinkle in sight (at least not around my eyes). The skin up there is pretty smooth and flexible still. I also don't see much sunlight, so I don't have sun damage--that may help too. My eye cream of choice is Clinique All About Eyes gel. I tried the Rich cream once, and I was not as impressed. My skin prefers gel-based lotions to cream-based lotions, as creams tend to make me oilier. Finally, Garnier Clinical Dark Spot Corrector. My skin scars badly. If I pop a pimple, that red mark is staying for weeks. I really have noticed a difference using this product, that my skin heals acne scars more quickly. Things that would have taken weeks to fade begin to fade overnight with use of this product in the evening.
     That's my evening routine--makeup wipe, eye cream, dark spot corrector. The wipe and the dark spot corrector are both applied all over the face. My morning routine has a few more products, but one of those products themselves may be a little shocking.


First, I must confess, I only use Dove Pink Beauty Bar on my face in the shower. I've tried other face-specific cleansers, and everything seems to just cause more pimples. Pregnancy or no pregnancy, simple Dove Pink keeps my face the most flawless. Counter-intuitive, right? Secondly, and only once a week, I've been using Clarins One Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser, but, full discretion, only because I felt guilty after an in-store counter facial and had to buy something. It's pretty mild, though, and I have nothing against the occasional scrub in general.
     Out of the shower, my products of choice are largely Garnier-based.


My all-over, go-to moisturizer of choice is Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream. I used to be dedicated to Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel, but I tried out the Garnier option, and liked the Garnier better. Compare the Garnier and Clinique at 1.7 oz. bottles, and the Garnier wins by about $5 (not including shipping, if you're purchasing online). Next, I have to admit that, on occasion, I am partial to toner. I know that it is generally regarded as unnecessary, but I find that using it helps with general oil control and makes my skin feel better overall. However! I do not splurge on expensive toners. Witch hazel is my toner of choice. You can opt to try the brand I mentioned above, T. N. Dickinson's 100% Natural Witch Hazel Astringent, which is a good, basic, and name-brand product example of Witch Hazel, but I personally pick up the generics in the grocery store for about half the price. We're talking $8 to $4--neither of these amounts are bank-breaking. Finally, as my morning concealer+eye cream, I like to use Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller. This goes on so smoothly, especially when applied right after the Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream. It does have color to it, so if you're under-eye-makeup-averse, you may want to try Garnier's other eye roller, Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller. I like the shade of the eye roller, personally, so I feel like I'm getting two benefits out of one product.
     These are my tried-and-true favorites for the moment. When I run out of my current jar of Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream, I may try Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Relief Cream. It is an actual cream, and it is much more expensive than Garnier's products, but I do contend with a lot of redness on a daily basis. I do own and use Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder, but I feel like this powder doesn't go far enough, and doesn't get to seep into my skin like a moisturizer would. Also, applying both an anti-redness and foundation powder slows my makeup application in general--if a moisturizer could take care of the redness for me, I'd be in two-in-one heaven once again.
     Finally, on to things I have tried and disliked. Right this second, only one product really comes to mind. Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream--I had high hopes for this product. Again, in my two-in-one love, I thought this could serve as a mattifier/moisturizer/SPF key to my dreams. My fatal flaw was assuming that I could use a non-powder-based sunscreen.


I cannot use lotion-based products that include sunscreen. Something in that concoction of ingredients turns me into an oil slick almost immediately--my skin just can't take it. Regular sunscreen does this to me as well. My best bet for daily sun protection on my face is mineral powder foundations that include SPF. The powder helps to counteract the oily potential. My current powder of choice is Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Talc-free Mineral Face Powder.
     That's my product usage in a nutshell. I'm obviously a big fan of some Garnier products--I feel like they offer an affordable and attainable alternative to many of Clinique's offerings. I wonder if they are as strongly allergy-tested as Clinique products. Even if they aren't, though, their in-home effectiveness is really all it took to win me over. I recently saw an advertisement for Garnier Fructis Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment, which contains argan oil, an oil from the Moroccan argan tree (an interesting article about the sustainability and sourcing of this oil can be found here). I would like to see Garnier be a little more open about their sourcing.

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