ITG,

I can honestly say I have never taken much skin care advice from anyone, except from the women in my family, who swear by such old fashioned tips as swimming in the salty sea and drinking water. Not much help though when one lives in New York, fracking in this city seems a dangerously near reality and skulling Evian just doesn’t seem to cut it.

These past six months or so my skin has actually become my nemesis. My “ [Newman](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k98YxDQYCo).” It had a lot to do with a breakup, winter lulls, in general, and the fact that apparently I had no idea what I was doing with my skin. I was the kid at school who never got a zit— so, in my late-twenties, to suddenly be having an adolescent skin moment was really annoying, to say the least, and I was a complete ignoramus when it came to figuring out how best to handle it. You know it’s a problem when people start to compliment you when you _don’t have a breakout, like, “Wow, your skin is looking good today.” Shit. Shouldn’t it always look good? One day of clarity per month was hardly a win.

Enter my dear pal, Emily Weiss. One morning, after Cafe Mogador eggs and me complaining, she gave me two products to try: SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defense and Tracie Martyn's Amla Purifying Cleanser. Her instructions were simple: wash your face first with the cleanser and, once out of the shower, pat on the serum. I was skeptical to try either product due to the fact that they included salicylic acid as an active ingredient—I dunno why, it just sounded so harsh as a concept, electing to put any type of acid on your skin. But as a bonafide product virgin, I decided it was worth a shot. Of the two, I saw a more dramatic result, even after the first use, with the SkinCeuticals. And it stung at first, which concerned me. But it works. Both work. I haven't had a zit since. Not one. So now I'm just sticking to these two buddies (plus a moisturizer, either RMS Raw Coconut Cream or, at night, Bepanthen, which Julia Nobis recommended to me as her fashion-week secret weapon). In fact, just three days after starting this Weiss-prescribed routine, I was back to the way I remember my skin. Easy.

Of course everyone is different, but I thought this was worth sharing. Because when you feel good, let’s face it, life starts to look up. Spring is here!

Something worth cheering for.

Stevie

Stevie Dance is a New York-based stylist and the founder of ShopGhost.com.