My skins improved alot in last 2 years and i don't get spots anymore but do still have scars and eye circles and i spend so much time and money trying to make my skin look 'normal' that i don't have the time and money to spend on the more fun enjoyable things about makeup like lipgloss and blush.
Touch up times that i get are spent trying to make my skin look better again and applying and perfecting my concealer unlike other people being able to apply some gloss or more blush whcih is always an enjoyable thing to do. Also even when i do manage to get the time and money to spend on e/s and gloss etc it still doesn't look great because i have to put it on so that it kind of makes my face look normal again after erasing life and tones out of it with foundation/concealer/powder..

I just for once want to look in the mirror, put on some lipgloss and be able to walk away..
'

Keep working on it hon! Your skin will still improve with time....

I'll bet it looks better in person, then you think it does!!

I know that maybe you don't have a lot of money, but have you considered going to a beauty school near you to have them analyze your skin and you can get WAY discounted services/procedures there that may help lighten scarring and even out your skintone?

maybe it's something to look into!!!

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"I'm calling you, Samael"----Tori Amos, The Beekeeper, Original Sinsuality

I have the same problem. In fact I have had acne scars and breakouts for the longest time. During my pregnancy it got so bad whenever I looked at the mirror I can't help but feel depressed or cry from sheer hopelessness. Like you I spent tons on skincare and finally am getting some results but I know I will never have flawless skin like so many lucky girls. The thing is I love makeup but I know it will never look as good on me if I had perfect skin.
I am always on a lookout for foundations and concealors although they do cover my spots dn't make them disappear like I want them too.

I totally know what u mean. The past 2-3 weeks have just been so depressing for me, i would just cry when i look in the mirror

I've *always* had bad skin. Since i was like 11. (im 20 now). Ive tried everything with no hope. I finally went on accutane late last year, and my skin improved heaps..as in i stopped getting active pimples. But i still have tons of scars/red marks and my skin looks ruddy. I stopped the accutane in february.

The past 2-3 weeks however, i started to get acne again. I was soooo depressed. On top of that, because its coming to winter, my skin has been (and still is) sooooooo dry, its peeling and red/flaky, and i just look TERRIBLE. Especially around my eyes and my lip area. I would cry whenever i looked at myself. I can't even wear makeup properly because my skin is just red/flaky, so makeup on that just makes it look even worse.

The pimples have calmed now (thank god) so i feel slightly better....but my skin still looks awful from flakes/redness...and i cant wear eyeshadow. Lip stuff doesn't look great either cos my upper lip is so red/flaky. So like u, i cannot enjoy the "enjoyable" things....im constantly trying so hard to just cover up my ruddiness and pimples. Ugh...

sorry this was such a long post! I totally feel you. If only i could have nice flawless skin, i would enjoy makeup so much more. Ive tried so hard to get nice skin, i just don't think im meant to have it

I know what you mean...

I mean I usually love my skin. But lately, ive been breaking out HARDCORE, perhaps the stress from Finals Week?

Ehh...I learn to deal with it.

Also, I get less break outs when I actually wear make-up (foundation, concealer, the whole shizzle)...weird? Yes. I think so.

MMK so I have something for you guys that have redness or scarring or sunspots any type of pigmentation problems to try. and it isnt that expensive depending on your insurance.. because it is a perscription. It is called Hydrocornone. You have have any doctor/dermo call it in for you. prolly in a 4% or 6%/ It is a bleaching cream and i know that sounds scary at first however it doesnt do like a micheal jackson thing it basically just evens out pigment. if you get too high of a dose or use it too much then yes it can maybe turn your skin like transperentish but its nothing big just go down a percentage and you should be fine. Anyways apply once every night before bed after cleansing and then MAKE SURE TO USE SUNSCREEN WITH UVA/UVB PROTECTION. Because it does make your skin more sensitive to sun so not like its a big deal just put on a spf of about 15 in the morning before your makeup. It really works pretty well. I work in a medical day spa and pretty much all of our patients are on that.

Also, if you do a lot of active sports and what not and you find that you breakout do to sweating or oily skin type stuff then you may want to check out getting a perscription for whats called cleocin T Pledgets. It is a little pad with medication in it and after your workout you can basically wipe your face with it and it will clean and medicate it. Helps eliminate the bacteria caused by the sweating and since they come in the convenant little pads its easy to take with you.

Hope this helps!

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*GoldieLox*

My skin is not the greatest, I have to have my foundation and concealor. I don't have major scars but my face still breaks out occasionally and I hate dealing with that, I'm really beginning to like the bare escentuals but I need better brushes. I try to focus on my eyes to draw attention away from the rest of my face - so I spend more on shadows. <grin> there isn't anything wrong with my eyes... minus those dark circles I battle.

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JOY
There's no religion but sex and music
There's no religion but sound and dancing
There's no religion but line and color
There's no religion but the endless ocean

Thanks Goldielox, I wonder am I able to get it in asia.

My skin overall is ok... but my eye skin is bad.. I'm only 20 but my eyes look older -- I dont have wrinkles, but my eyelids are a bit crepey and underneath my eyes are almost reptile skin looking because my skin is so thin there. Its really frustrating because I have a crappy canvas to apply eye makeup to, so it never really looks great. Bases/concealer just accentuate it. ARGH!

Has anyone ever tried ProActive? I've heard it works well but once you stop, your skin breaks out again. I have really dry, flaky skin. It's like facial dandruff, gross huh. And I have lots of acne scar discoloration on my face, so trying to cover them makes my dry skin look worse:S.

I know exactly what you mean - I have extremely oily/acne prone skin and have been actively breaking out since my early teens. Over the past year or so, I've been breaking out much less (but still getting the tiny bumps/clogged pores on my face and a few painful blemishes every month). However, now there's another problem...I have lots of reddish/brown acne scars that take forever to fade even with treatment. Sometimes I wish I can just put on some mascara and lipstick and go out, but most of my makeup routine is spent on foundation and concealer (which still doesn't cover everything up)...only when I go out in the evening do I spent more time on eyeshadow and other stuff besides my skin.

But be patient, a lot of it is hormonal, and with time, I'm sure it'll get better for all of us

my new years present was acne. it started developing on jan 2nd. by jan 6th i had full out acne. it was horrible since ive never had it before. ive probably worn makeup 15 times since then. i never wear it anymore, the last time was April 3rd. I just want to get rid of this acne on my face. & id rather be ugly looking for a few months then make it infect itself & worse. sure enough, its almost gone. i can really relate to you in the makeup aspect. i duno makeup can make bad acne look terrible.

I know how you feel. I know I would so much better if my skin was all scarred. the amount of money of have spent on products and foundations is so much. I ever the girls that can put on a light foundation or power foundation along with light make up and walk out the door.

Yep. I have really dry skin sometimes (Even if I exfoliate) Like I put on tons of moisturizer, and some days that doesnt do anything, and then my foundation just looks flakey and gross, and then I take off my makeup and try and make it look better, but can't, it gets really frustrating at times.

I agree, it does get me down too, and makeup becomes mostly about just trying to get my skin to look semi-decent- usually means no time for anything special on the eyes or anything. I had lovely skin in my teens, but got acne in my 20s and still have it now at 28

I take antibiotics for it, which has worked with most of it, but i have a lot of enlarged pores etc - so I kind of know I'm never going to have the skin like some of my friends do - clear, seemingly poreless, and even-toned.

But I also think that most people don't look at you as close up as you look at yourself in the mirror, so a lot of imperfections aren't seen by other people. Mine's probably not as bad as I think it is! But yeah, it is a downer when you carefully apply makeup only to have it 'ruined' because you can still see your own pores/blackheads/pimples whatever

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:dance:

i feel the same way. i was thinking about getting laser resurfacing next month but i don't want a week of insane blisters all over my face.

I have had breakouts my entire life and have been on Accutane 7 or 8 times, used various creams and lotions and never have completely clear skin.

Some days it is so bad that I won't leave the house and think everyone is looking at my face. I always think it is way worse than it really is but most people will say your skin looks fine.

Now the bad news for you girls that are hoping it will go away with age. I'm almost 43 and still have acne but the goo