Volcanic Activity

Blemishes, pimples, zits, Vesuvius... no matter what you call acne, it SUCKS. I dealt with acne all throughout my teenage years, but figured that once I hit college it was supposed to go away... now here I am in my early twenties, with acne just as bad as ever and wondering when wrinkles are going to start showing up so I can have a lovely double-whammy of skin problems. On hormone pills or not, I have continually had light to moderate acne that nothing seemed to be helping, until now - my doctor (not a dermatologist) decided to prescribe Differin gel for me - worst idea EVER. My mild case has now turned into a monstrous disaster that has left my face looking something akin to a volcanic island. I can't decide whether I should just suck it up and go to a dermatologist, or continue to try (read: waste money on) new over-the-counter deals. Luckily, on my stress-relieving Barnes and Noble break tonight, I came across a beauty encyclopedia of sorts. Written by Paula Begoun, "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me" is an entire book full of reviews on seemingly every product on the market, from drugstore to upscale/ridiculously overpriced (Paula addresses the issue of luxury makeup pricing in the first chapter). Armed with this information plus a bit of online researching, there is going to be a serious overhaul of my skin care and cosmetics drawer during Christmas break. (St. Ives, you will be the first to go... Clinique, you can stay. For now.)