Roaccutane/Oratane Survival Guide (10 Products You Need)

I am finally half way through my course of Oratane (the generic version of Roaccutane) and while it is rather obvious that I am in no way a “beauty blogger”, I have had to hide a rather shocking secret for about 6 years.

Need a refresher?

Thankfully after taking it for about 16 weeks, the huge, sore bumps are basically gone and only the redness remains.  Still not quite “no make up ready”.

After trying and testing many beauty products out there, there were only a few that really worked for me and really hid my blotchy red secret, well, as much as one could hide it without special effects make up.  Anyway, now that I am on Roaccutane I have also had to go through a process to see what really works for me in terms of controlling the miserable side effects that come as part of taking this effective poison.

Being on any kind of strict schedule is basically setting myself up for failure.  I don’t know about you, but I never ever have a day that looks exactly like another one.  Something is always happening, things are always being done at different times, it’s too easy to completely skip something important, especially if it’s supposed to happen at a certain time.

Something as simple as washing my face never used to be a priority for me – I would wash it in the shower the morning after wearing it for the whole day and then just put another thick layer on.  Now that I am a fair bit wiser, washing my face has become a priority.  It’s just one that happens when I can squeeze it in.  As soon as I know that I will not be seeing anyone that I need to impress for the rest of the day, I wash it off (sorry family!).  I think that this is KEY for anyone that has bad skin, not only when you start Roaccutane or Oratane.

But enough about routines, let talk products that have been tried and tested and now form part of my daily beauty regime to combat the side effects of Oratane…

1. Mascara – I have two different types of mascara currently – Rimmel Scandal Eyes Retro Glam and Almay One Coat Triple Effect (which I think is the sensitive one).  My eyes have probably taken to the Oratane in the worst way.  My right eye is particularly red all the time (especially when I haven’t slept well) and no amount of eye drops help.  I try and stay away from wearing mascara unless it is a special occasion and when I do, I try and wash it off the moment I get home.

2. Mac Concealer and Foundation (Studio Fix Fluid).  Say what you will about Mac, but it does the job flipping well.  If I want to make sure that you cannot see how bad it is, I use these babies and you’d be none the wiser of my red skin.  Because it covers so well I try and keep it to use when I want to look flawless.

3. Almay Smart Shade CC Cream – This is my go to everyday concealer.  It hides what I need it to, while keeping my skin looking healthy and radiant.  The SPF included is obviously also rather beneficial since I technically shouldn’t be in the sun with out sunscreen.

4. Almay Sensitive Care Eye Gel – One other issue that I had with my eyes is that they seemed to puff up and become rather swollen.  It felt as though my eyes got smaller.  Putting this on day and night has basically eliminated this problem altogether.

5. Almay Sensitive Care Daily Moisturising Cream – This cream is slightly green to counteract the generic redness of sensitive skin.  I thought it was a bit gimmicky, but it actually works.  I put this on before my make up in the morning and after I wash my make up off at night (when I remember).  It really helps to combat the flaky dryness that has become the norm as well as tone down the redness a bit.  Super win-win!

6. Mac Lipstick – I bought this when I was terrified of drawing too much attention to my face.  It’s a colour that is fairly close to my natural lip colour, but when someone did happen to look at me it would at least draw their attention to my mouth instead of the rest of my face.

7. Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm – When I was given this product I was kind of scared of it.  Putting such a bold colour on my face and actually actively drawing attention to myself was never very high up on my to do list.  Now when I put it on it reminds me of fun nights out and feeling confident again.  Nothing better.

8. Yardley Loose Powder – Sometimes I over compensate the dryness with too much cream.  To counterbalance the shine I dust on some loose powder.  I used to use it a lot when I needed to “set” my layers and layers of make up, but there must be some link to it blocking my pores or something because there is always a mild reaction to using.

9. Earth Sap Liquid Soap – I know oil washing works for most people, but it does the opposite for me.  This soap is petroleum free and although my skin feels slightly dry afterwards I think that is very much linked to the Roaccutane/Oratane.  It is highly effective in getting every little bit of make up off my face, I don’t think I will ever use anything else.

10. Lansinoh – Many moms may recognise this because it is possibly the best nipple cream on the market.  OK scratch that – it IS the best on the market.  I know you’re wondering what the hell I was thinking putting nipple cream on my lips, but I used every other lip cream available and I was slowly turning into the Joker from Batman.  The sides of my mouth were cracking all the way up my cheeks.  A simple yawn would result in blood trickling down the corners of my mouth.  This Lansinoh may leave my lips (and sometimes the sides of my mouth) slightly shiny, but I’ll take that any day.  I slather it on as soon as I can feel them drying out, after every meal and a thick layer before bed.  As you can see, mine is well used from when I had Knox, but you can also buy a much smaller version from Dischem that will last you the duration of your course of Roaccutane/Oratane.

If you are on the same journey to clearer skin, I hope that this helps to make those side effects much easier to deal with.

Good luck!

xo