No Joke—These 3 Random Products Cleared My Gnarly Breakout Overnight

As much as I wish I was one of those rare unicorns who rarely experiences a pimple—let alone a full-on breakout—I'm just not. A constant battle against burgeoning bumps is my norm, and while I've been able to get a relative handle on some hormonal craziness that was plaguing me for the better part of a year, I still have to be ultra-diligent with what I choose to put on my face. For the most part, as I mentioned, my acne is hormonal, and I primarily break out along my jawline, chin, and occasionally around my lips or nose. 

These days, thanks to a scaled-back, very basic skincare routine, 85% of the time my skin is relatively clear, my main nemesis now being the residual acne scarring loitering around my cheekbones, chin, and lip area. (I'm currently getting IPL at Vanesa Hernandez Skincare in Brentwood to help deal.) That said, like clockwork, a week or two before my period, my skin will FTFO, and all my hard-earned acne-banishing work flies out the window. Virtually overnight, I wake up to two to three sore, up-and-coming red bumps alongside a pinhead-sized sprinkling of annoying, nose-wrinkle-worthy whiteheads poised, ever so cutely, right around my mouth. (In my mind that's pretty much the least ideal locale for a gross-looking zit to grow, but then again, I don't really have much say in the matter, now do I?)

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The Night Before
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Anyway, the point is the above cycle hit me hard this past weekend—days after I had received a couple of new, acne-focused skincare products. Even though I usually stick with my mainstay ride-or-die acne formulas, I was intrigued with the assortment that had landed on my desk, and I resolved to try all three together that night for the ultimate overnight acne experiment. I'll openly admit that my expectations were low—like, low, low especially since one of the products was a pack of acne patches—a product category I've had zero luck with. Alas, I pushed my trepidation and bias aside in the name of official beauty editor sleuthing.

To my complete surprise, my flip decision completely paid off, and now, my acne arsenal is three products richer. Keep scrolling for the three random products I now swear by for an overnight acne miracle, before-and-after photos, and a few more of the products I've used for a while and completely recommend for those seeking truly effective acne treatments. Shall we?

The Products & Procedure

Step 1: The Magic Scrub

Step 2: Apply Acne Hydro-Stars

Step 3: Apply Non-Drying Acne Serum

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The Morning After
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

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The Morning After with Makeup
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Below, I'm sharing the other cleansers, toners, masks, exfoliator, and spot treatments I've personally had real luck with as I've been on this roller coaster acne ride. Keep scrolling for my top acne skincare picks I use daily and/or weekly, sorted by category.

Shop My Favorite Cleansers for Acne

Shop My Favorite Face Creams for Acne

Shop My Favorite Masks/Peels/Treatments for Acne

Beauty Director

Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.