Emergency Beauty Fixes: Blemishes, Pimples and Zits

Posted by Alexandra C. | Tuesday July 31, 2012

That inkling you get when you feel an evil eruption on your face about to surface, is probably one of the worst feelings. It might start as a small pain while you're sitting at your desk at work, or maybe just a bit of redness while you're window shopping on the weekend; but by the time you get home, you've got a full blown 'yikes' situation.

It's happened to me way too many times to count. Which is why I thought it might be helpful to let you chicks in on some of my emergency pimple fixes. I have four ways I deal with a budding new blemish relationship (that I don't want). Want to know what they are?

#1: Don't touch!
Believe us when we say, 'hands off that blemish, chicks'. It's tempting to touch blemishes, especially if you don't have a mirror on hand and you're wondering what the damage is. However, when you are on the go (at work, on a bus etc.), chances are that you're hands aren't all that clean. And, what do you get when you mix oily hands with dirt and oily skin? Zits. Which suck. So, no matter how much you might want to, keep your hands away!

#2: Cleanse
If you can, try to clean the area where your pimple is. You can try a micellar or cleansing water to take off makeup. Personally, I like to use some sort of anti bacterial cleanser to get rid of dirt. Look for products with tea tree oil or salicylic acid. If you have acne prone skin, you might want to try investing in some travel wipes to carry in your purse.

1. Lush Tea Tree Water (C$8.95 - $19.95)
2. NARS Makeup Removing Water (C$32.00)
3. The Body Shop Tea Tree Cleansing Wipes (C$12.50)

#3: Spot treatment
After cleansing, apply a spot treatment to your blemish. I use tea tree oil myself, but you'll want to look for a product that works the best for you and your skin type. Products containing witch hazel, benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid all work well. I've found that simply spot treating over makeup doesn't work as well and may actually make it worse (by clogging pores), so it's best to wash or leave it alone than anything else.

1. Desert Essence 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil (C$8.99)
2. Juice Beauty Blemish Be Gone (C$16.00)
3. Murad Acne Spot Treatment (C$18.00)

#4: Cover Up
It seems like a good idea to just add a little concealer on top, but that won't letting your skin breathe and layering on makeup will just aggravate it. While you want to avoid piling makeup on a pimple, one item that I've found very handy to have in my purse is a medicated concealer. It works to treat and hide a blemish at the same time. If you can't spot treat, one of these is a life saver in a hurry! I recommend to wash the area first, so you can apply fresh makeup.

1. Almay Clear Complexion Concealer + Treatment Gel (C$11.99)
2. OXY Acne Vanishing Treatment Cover Up (C$8.29)
3. The Body Shop Tea Tree Concealer (C$9.00)

Got a zit and you're in a pinch? Don't worry, check out some easy DIY tricks for getting rid of zits with items you probably already have in your house:

1. Eyedrops: Reduces redness and inflammation in pimples.
2. Nail Polish Remover: Dries out a pimple, just be careful not too use too much. Use a cotton swab to lightly dab affected area.
3. Lemon Juice: Also makes a great anti-acne mask, lemon juice dries and helps to clear out pimples.
4. Toothpaste: Many people swear by tooth paste, used a spot treatment to dry out a zit.

What are some of your emergency zit fixes?

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18 Comments

	on February 23, 2015 Chickit said: whenever I have a really bad breakout I soak my face in fingernail polish remover 3x daily by the end of the day there are no zits on my face whatsoever your skin will be a little red but it's ok it will go away and just put lotion on your face when done
	on August 14, 2012 farouknabela 3,469 said: Cleansing waters are all the rage now! I love the Vichy one!
	on August 07, 2012 mamaluv STAFF said: I have also heard about using Aspirin (or generic ASA). The active ingredient, acetylsalicylic acid, is similar to the salicylic acid used in anti-acne preparations. You crush up a tablet with some water to make a thick paste, then dot onto the area using a Qtip or fingertip and leave on as long as possible. This will not work with Tylenol/acetominophen or Advil/ibuprofen as these are completely different compounds than Aspirin/ASA. Don't bother with combo pills either like Excedrin which includes ASA in its ingredients, but stick with the 100% aspirin formulation. It's also important to note that the same health considerations for taking Aspirin by mouth can also hold true for skin application, so if Aspirin is not appropriate for you, don't try this trick. Refer to the product packaging for full safety instructions. I've never tried this trick personally but a friend of mine struggled with cystic acne a lot in the past and swore by it.
	on August 07, 2012 AlexJC 50 said: @katelynrose I never thought of that! Great tip! I've also been finding lately that vitamin c has been doing great things for my skin. I have been using a vitamin c serum and it's been great.
	on August 04, 2012 shuey 2,784 said: great tips Alex! Thanks!
	on August 03, 2012 Bren 26,031 said: I always have Tea Tree Oil on hand and my favorite that works every time is Oil of Oregano!A DIY trick I heard and actually works is using a dab of original Listerine(the brown strong one)It contains Eucalyptus and it will shrink a pimple pretty quick. I'm curious to try the Visine it makes sense it would work. Great tips Alex!
	on August 02, 2012 KatelynRose1984 20,704 said: I use Vitamin E capsules. I just break them open, and apply directly on my blemishes. It seems to reduce the redness, and healing is faster. I also sometimes use toothpaste, to reduce the redness.
	on August 02, 2012 MizzRobin 13,788 said: great tips! I have always used Benzagel and swear by it :)
	on August 01, 2012 no1-mom 1,031 said: Thank for the tips....keep it clean baby...clean, clean, clean....works for me. I will definately try the leamon, it makes sense!
	on August 01, 2012 aimee.mercer 3,501 said: Thanks for the great tips!!