The Beauty Diary: The ultimate guide to successfully killing off a giant pimple

EVERYONE gets pimples and they absolutely suck, but we’ve found a super cheap and foolproof product that literally zaps them while you sleep.

The Cosrx Acne Pimple patches cost $5.

THERE are so many annoying parts of being an adult that no one ever warns you about.

In Year 12 there should be a subject that teaches us important life skills like how to roll all your superannuation into the one account and calculate how much baby spinach actually makes up one serve of vegetables.

I’d advocate for an entire syllabus dot point called “Grooming Advice”, which would include teachings on the importance of wearing sunscreen everyday, not overplucking your eyebrows and how to function as a professional adult with a giant pimple on your face.

Pimples and acne are an accepted part of adolescence, but we don’t expect to still be dealing with these skin issues as an adult. Sadly, turning 18 doesn’t mean our pores stop overproducing oil or our hormones suddenly get their shit together.

What’s especially cruel is when your face also starts developing wrinkles to sit alongside the breakouts.

Over the years I have curated a Plan Of Attack for when a nasty blind pimple decides to erupt.

Last week I expertly executed the plan on a whopper on my chin.

It made me so excited I almost want another pimple to come so I can smugly kill it off within 36 hours. Almost.

Here is the Beauty Diary guide to killing off a pimple, including the $5 product that literally zaps breakouts overnight.

Welcome to news.com.au's weekly beauty column, The Beauty Diary.

STEP 1: DON’T POP IT … YET

Some people will tell you to never pop your pimples. Lame.

I know they say this with good intentions because squeezing a breakout too soon or too intensely can cause the skin to scar.

But pimples can be popped. It’s just about timing and being patient.

Wait until a “head” has fully formed. The pimple will be right at the surface of the skin and just needs a gentle nudge to pop open.

This waiting game is agonising, but it’s important not to pop before it’s ready.

For me, this is usually one or two days from when the pimple first appeared.

STEP 2: IN THE MEANTIME, HERE’S HOW TO COVER IT UP

The internet’s best video explainer on covering up pimples is from British celebrity makeup artist Lisa Eldridge.

This is Lisa’s philosophy: Don’t go crazy with the foundation.

When we get a breakout, we’re often tempted to cover the entire face in a thick layer of cakey makeup. But usually the breakouts are only in a tiny spot. So we only need thick coverage on the actual spots themselves.

So use a thin layer of foundation, tinted moisturiser, BB or CC cream or whatever form of coverage you normally use during the day all over your face.

Apply a second layer of coverage only on the affected area using either a foundation brush or a Beauty Blender.

If you need even more coverage, then apply a thick spot concealer. You’ll need a different concealer to the one you put under your eyes.

A spot concealer should be thick, matte and very pigmented, whereas an undereye concealer should be creamy, dewy, light reflective and easily blendable.

I like to apply concealer on pimples with a brush because you get the most precise coverage and you don’t spread bacteria on the affected area with your fingers.

I use the Laura Mercier concealer brush (about $55 online) but any small pinpoint brush will do.

A pinpoint concealing brush like this one from Laura Mercier is great for pimples.

Hot tip: Art stores like Eckersley’s sell great affordable brushes that are way cheaper than traditional makeup brands.

Here are a couple of great spot concealers to use on pimples:

LAURA MERCIER SECRET CAMOUFLAGE CONCEALER

The Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage concealer.

Price: About $62

Available from: Selfridges, Catch.com.au, Amazon

Laura Mercier products are no longer officially stocked in Australia - it’s a real shame because they’re amazing - but you can still purchase them on many overseas websites.

This concealer is super pigmented and thick, so a little goes a long way.

MAKEUP FOREVER HD CONCEALER

The Makeup Forever HD Concealer.

Price: $48

Available from: Sephora, Adore Beauty

You only need a little dab of this stuff and your spot is covered. The tube is tiny, so it’s perfect for chucking in your handbag or keeping on your desk at work.

STEP 3: IT’S TIME TO POP

At night, do a massive double cleanse, gently massaging the pimple.

Then get a cotton pad or a wash cloth and soak it in the hottest water you can handle. Press it gently on the breakout to make it soft and ready to pop.

This is where you can do some damage and cause scarring.

If you’re new to popping, just give it a gentle squeeze with the pads of your fingertips - not your fingernails - until the head is popped. Then leave it be.

Some people use a sterilised needle to pierce the skin gently, but that’s too spooky for me. How firmly you squeeze is up to you.

Personally, I go pretty bloody hard. I annihilate that thing until there is blood, pus, liquid everywhere. I want it all out. It’s disgusting but also really satisfying.

STEP 4: TREAT IT

This step is arguably the most important because you don’t want the pimple to become infected or to refill with oil.

You want to close the pore and seal it off with a toner, a serum or an AHA or BHA treatment.

For the uninitiated, AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) and BHAs (Beta Hydroxy Acids) are watery, liquid chemical exfoliants. They differ from physical exfoliants like scrubs, which can be very abrasive on the skin.

Chemical exfoliants eat away at your dead skin cells, reduce pigmentation and help new, fresh skin cells come to the surface.

Niacinamide, also known as vitamin B3, is another ingredient that’s great for reducing breakouts and redness.

Here are some products you can use on the spot to help kill it off:

THE ORDINARY NIACINAMIDE & ZINC SERUM

The Ordinary's Niacinimide 10 per cent and Zinc 1 per cent serum.

Price: $9

Available from: Priceline, Myer, Adore Beauty, The Ordinary’s website.

This stuff instantly calms redness and breakouts. Great for when your skin is angry and sore.

GO-TO SKINCARE EXFOLIATING SWIPEYS

Zoe Foster Blake's skincare brand Go-To Skincare.

Price: $46

Available from: Go-To Skincare’s website

Go-To Skincare is the awesome brand by former beauty editor Zoe Foster Blake, wife of radio host Hamish Blake.

These pre-soaked pads contain lactic acid, the gentlest AHA, so they’re great for people with sensitive skin or if you’re just getting used to acids in your skincare routine.

ALPHA-H LIQUID GOLD

The Alpha H Liquid Gold Glycolic Acid treatment.

Price: $60

Available from: Sephora, Adore Beauty

Glycolic acid is a powerful AHA. This stuff lives up to its name and makes you look glowy overnight. It’s great at killing off pimples but it’s also super intense. Yes, it’s meant to tingle.

Test a patch on your skin before slathering your whole face in Liquid Gold because some people find it quite hectic.

MURAD 10 PER CENT GLYCOLIC ACID RAPID RESURFACING PEEL

The Murad 10 per cent Glycolic Acid peels.

Price: $83 for a packet of 16 wipes

Available from: Sephora

These are awesome for travel or chucking in your gym bag. Again, it’s 10 per cent glycolic acid so go easy if you’re not used to AHAs.

ELIZABETH ARDEN PRO SENSITIVE SKIN PERFECTING PEEL PADS

The Elizabeth Arden Sensitive Pro Peel Pads.

Price: $85

Available from: Myer, Adore Beauty

These pads combine three different AHAs and BHAs - glycolic acid, lactic acid and salicylic acid. Hold it over your pimple for a few minutes and watch it die a fast, painless death.

STEP 5: APPLY A PIMPLE STICKER

My life changed the moment I first tried a pimple sticker.

I put it on a freshly squeezed breakout, said a little prayer to the Skincare Gods before bed and when I woke up my massive pimple was reduced to a small, flat mark.

The breakout was still visible and red, but it was not longer raised and therefore easily covered with makeup. It faded in a few days.

These only work after the pimple has been popped because they absorb fluid from the spot. They prevent the pimple from refilling with oil and hanging around for too long.

The stickers come in a variety of sizes and you just peel it off the sheet - I use tweezers - and pop it on your breakout.

The instructions say to put the patches on clean skin, but I find you need a little treatment, as mentioned above, to help move things along.

With one particularly nasty pimple, I put on a second sticker the following night. But usually they work the first time around.

Don’t moisturise the area around the sticker because it will become slippery and slide off in your sleep. I once did that and woke up with the sticker on my nose. Not cute.

The Cosrx Acne Pimple patches cost $5.

There are plenty of brands around and they all do a good job, but my favourite are the

CosrxAcne Pimple Master Patches because they’re $5 for 24 patches and they come in a range of sizes.

Cosrx is a Korean beauty brand and Korean ladies know what is up.

They’re available from sheetmaskshop.com.au, Soko Glam, eBay, Amazon and Catch.com.au.

- This column is not sponsored and this is not advertorial content. Every review is independent, honest and ad-free.

- If you have a beauty question or a product you’d like us to road test, email [e-mail], DM me on Instagram or tweet me.

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