Halloween is over, unfortunately, and as you come down from your sugar high and up from your hangover, you may realize that the festivities have taken a toll on you.

While rest and lots of water is the best solution to most general ailments, sometimes your body can revolt.

The most common prisoner? Your skin.

Breakouts and blemishes are universally agreed to be absolutely no fun, and I find myself especially frustrated with skin problems because I am a college student. Isn’t this a high school problem? Aren’t I supposed to be over this by now?

I am VIB Rouge at Sephora, a very popular beauty retailer. Sephora has a customer rewards program with several levels depending on how much money you’ve spent, and Rouge is the highest (I won’t disclose the amount but if you feel so inclined to you can Google it). One of the perks is a concierge line, available exclusively for Rouge members, which one can contact with beauty and skincare questions. I called the line and asked a few questions about how to treat post-holiday skincare problems.

To clear up your skin the most quickly, it helps to have a rigorous routine in the form of multiple steps of treatment. A face wash, a toner, a moisturizer, a mask, and a spot treatment. It may look complicated all written out like that, but it’s really quite easy once you get it in rotation. I have tried many different products, and with the help of my beauty concierge and me, you should be looking back to your normal self soon, and perhaps a bit better.

The beauty concierge assisting me is named Qiana. When asked about the best brand for post-Halloween skin problems, she responded with “That would be the Murad brand.”

For face wash, she suggested the Murad Clarifying Cleanser. “That’s a maximum strength gel cleanser . . . [it is] paraben free and no animal testing.” It has over 1,500 reviews on Sephora and a rating of four and a half stars. It is to be used twice a day, morning and evening,

Next, toner. Toner is a liquid product, applied on a cotton pad or ball and swept across the forehead, nose, and chin, and over other areas that are breaking out after washing your face. Qiana explained “[Toner] removes oil and refreshes the skin.” Her suggestion? The Murad Clarifying Toner. This product contains witch hazel, algae extract, grape seed extract and vitamin E. She also mentioned that this particular is good for sensitive skin that is breaking out.

Moisturizer is essential to any skin treatment routine. Murad’s Skin Perfecting Lotion for oily and acne prone skin is recommended for those who are struggling with breakouts. Moisturize after toner, before a spot treatment.

I love masks of all kinds and have tried a fair number of them. My personal favorite brand for masks is Peter Thomas Roth. His Irish Moor Mud Purifying Black Mask is great for generally congested and dull looking skin. For a more targeted acne treatment, try the Therapeutic Sulfur Acne Treatment Masque. Be wary if you have sensitive skin, however, these masks may be a bit harsh for you. Hungover? Try the Korean brand belif and their cleverly-named First Aid Anti-Hangover Soothing Mask. Use a mask once a week, as to not over stimulate your skin. Apply it all over your face in an even layer.

For a spot treatment, I suggest going over to Ulta, another very popular beauty retailer. They carry the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, the most effective treatment I have ever found. Safe for all skin types, this product contains salicylic acid and calamine and helps reduce the size of blemishes overnight while you sleep. To apply it, use a Q-tip to apply the pink solution at the bottom of the bottle on the spot. Remember, don’t shake the bottle.

This wasn’t promoted or sponsored by Sephora or Ulta. I recommend these products because of my personal experience with them and the others at the suggestion of my beauty concierge. Do you have any tips or tricks you use to keep your skin under control? Let me know by e-mailing [email protected].