Image via Clearogen

While we're all sitting around twiddling our thumbs waiting for the so-called "cure for acne" SMT D002 in cream form, I'll settle for the next best thing: Clearogen, a new three-part acne system that claims to address not just clogged pores and bacteria, but hormonal acne as well. And for all of us adult acne sufferers out there who've scrubbed our faces with benzoyl, salicylic and everything else under the sun in vain, only to wake up with horrifying PMS- or other fluctuating hormone-related fallout, this new trio might just give us tired, weary, acne-fighting warriors some hope.

Face-Off is two contestants, two bathrooms, and limitless possibilities. This week Alana (high-maintenance) and Jill (low-maintenance) duke it out over combination skin care routines.

Image via Playboy

So I've managed to put off my New Year's resolutions for a few months now (heh) and finally, now that it's May, I ran out of excuses, and reluctantly started going to the gym again. I can't honestly say that the ill effects of sweaty pores was in my top five list of reasons why I couldn't make it over there, but now, as I scramble for one last "I'd like to go to the gym, but..." this one rears its ugly head. I have noticed, though, that one must follow some general skin rules for the gym, and I'd like to share them here.

1. Start off right. To the people out there who insist on wearing makeup to the gym, stop it now! This is a terrible strategy if you want to prevent breakouts. Besides, nothing looks more pathetic than the chick on the treadmill with mascara running down her cheeks. Yikes. Even if you're self-conscious regarding being "nude" in public, remember this: everybody looks kinda crappy at the gym. But once your blood starts pumping, even ruddy complexions usually look much better, kind of like that whole sex afterglow moment. So don't worry about it. Before you go to the gym, wash your face with a basic cleanser like Cetaphil to make sure there's no excess sebum or makeup on the surface of your skin.

Blemishes got you down? Our favorite French beauty, Nathalie DiNoia, shows Saryn Chorney how to cover them right up. 

The one time I happened to catch an episode of The Tyra Banks Show, she was instructing audience members how to pop a zit via two cotton swabs (the Q-tips ensure that you will not squeeze too hard and also that you won't further pollute the blemish with bacteria from your fingertips). Like a sheep, I tried this technique for myself, and it's total bollocks. I mean, it will slightly drain a bulging white head, no question, but just enough to make sure that it will refill with pus on day two of that pimple's life. Simply put, I disagree with Tyra's advice, even though she's a supermodel who gets to interview important political pundits and candidates on her crap show.

Obviously, you're not supposed to ever pop a zit, we all know that. But we all know we do it anyway. So here's a cheat sheet to doing it the right way.

Image via IDS

By god, they may have done it! According to an article in the Telegraph, the drug SMT D002 can reduce sebum by 90 percent:

At present, the drug is in pill form and is used to treat a condition other than acne but a pharmaceutical company plans to turn it into a cream for easier use.

Researchers believe it could become as effective a treatment as retinoic acid--a form of vitamin A--which is currently used to treat moderate to severe cases.

The best part of this oh-so-important scientific discovery? So far, they haven't discovered any major side-effects.

Image via Sundari

The term "congested" usually has something to do with, say, a cold, or even traffic. But sadly, sometimes it's mentioned in association with your poor little face. Some of you may have heard my sad tale of the alleged airborne skin disease; case in point, when I arrived home this weekend, my boyfriend took one look at my spotted face and asked me if I had a rash.

I took a reader's advice and bathed in Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion, which helped, but I needed something to re-boot my entire face. Desperate times, after all, do call for desperate beauty product measures. Luckily, my colleagues here at Product Fiend anticipated my needs, and like psychic skin care crusaders, Fed-Exed me a tube of Sundari's Neem and Green Tea Cleansing Mask. According to the Amazon listing, here's why this stuff works: