A common question asked of makeup experts is “How do I get flawless skin?” and those out there who are looking to sell products, or who perhaps simply don’t know any better, will often suggest a certain foundation or concealer to cover up your blemishes. While there are many many beautiful cosmetics out there which will help to even out your skin’s appearance, I think we can all agree that nothing looks better than clear skin, even with makeup over it. Some of them will even make your blemishes worse…It’s a vicious cycle were talking about here, people and ending the cycle is no joke.

No matter how you slice it products will look best when you aren’t cultivating a pimple farm under them, trust me. I know how hard it can be to deal with acne, I did it for years and I still deal with it from time to time. The goal here is not to have unrealistic expectations of how to fix things, it is just to make the best of what we’ve got.

The truth of the matter is there is no single thing that is going to clear your skin up in a day, or magically fix it instantly (Even if that thing you pinned on Pinterest said there is). My plan is to lay out a few different changes you can make which will help get things under control, without having you spend hundreds of dollars on some acne fighting system which may or may not work. This Aspirin scrub/mask is the first installment of a series I am going to share with you all.

As a matter of fact, this trick can cost around two dollars. Who can argue with that? If it doesn’t work, big whoop you’re out a 2 bucks and you can still use it for a headache.

What you will need is a bottle of Aspirin. UNLESS YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO ASPRIN. If you are allergic to taking it orally, you will be allergic on your skin too!!

Generic is fine, I usually get the Walgreens brand which sells at two bottles for $2.00. Just make sure they are UNCOATED or at the very least “Micro-coated” and they need to be tablets, not gels or liquids. You will also need your regular face wash, as long as it is not an acne clearing wash. Something gentle is best.

Last but not least you need water, and your face.

You are going to take a few aspirin and put them in the palm of your hand. 2-3 should be more than enough… unless you have a tremendous head, in which case use some more I guess.

Gently run a little warm water into your hand and let it pool up around the tablets. In less than a minute you will see them begin to break down. Feel free to mush them up with your finger to help them along.

Carefully drain the water leaving the granules of dissolved tablet in your palm. Add a pump or a dollop of your gentle cleanser, mix them up a little and apply the mix to your face.

Wait 2-3 minutes with the mixture on your skin. Then in gentle circular motions scrub it into your skin and rinse it all off with nice cool water. Don’t go crazy and press really hard or scrub for 10 minutes or your skin will get very dry.

Aspirin is essentially Salicylic acid in tablet form, if that name looks familiar, its because you have seen it on every anti-acne product since the dawn of man. Acne products can make you a chapped, dry mess if overused, and so can this. It works great but it can really dry things up, so calm it down and don’t go buckwild on your face. You’ll make things worse, seriously.

Additionally you will also see Salicylic acid in anti-aging products. It is a very good exfoliant, which the experts tell us is good for keeping ourselves looking young. Makeup doesn’t look good if you slather it over wrinkled old leather either, take note mature ladies, this can be helpful for you too!

The last step is to moisturize. Obviously use something that works for your skin, and doesn’t cause breakouts, duh. If you struggle with acne you probably already own something like this. If not then thats a whole other blog topic, but you need to be moisturizing.

And Voila! Your face should feel really soft and clean.

I like to do this treatment about once a week. I’m not a skin expert, this is all trial and error, so experiment and see what works for you. Everyone’s skin is different, but simple, cheap tricks are usually worth a try! Hope it works for you.

Stay pretty =)