Paige DeSorbo Used to Hide Her Acne with Her Hair. Why She’s Now Sharing Her Pimples on Instagram (Exclusive)

Paige DeSorbo doesn’t mind showing off her acne, but it wasn’t always that way.

As she embarks on a new partnership with Face Reality, the 31-year-old Summer House star is opening up about her skin journey and how she used to try everything to conceal her breakouts.

“I used to just pound on makeup and be like, ‘Oh my God, nobody can see,’” she tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I feel people don’t give girls enough credit on how sneaky we can be with our hairstyles. I was always trying to put my hair in front of my face because I would always get it on my cheekbones.”

The Giggly Squad podcast host said she eventually got to a point where she wouldn’t even cover up her acne with makeup.

“Being on TV, I actually felt more empowered to go with no makeup at all,” she shares.

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Messages from fans thanking her for showing her real skin made DeSorbo feel even more confident — enough start showing off her acne via bare-faced selfies on Instagram.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is helping so many other girls, me just showing a couple of pimples,’” she says. “So now I love taking pictures of my skin when it’s bad to put it on Instagram and be like, ‘See, look how bad my skin is right now.’”

After trying a slew of products (both high-end and affordable) to treat her acne, DeSorbo finally found a solution with Face Reality, a customized treatment program that creates a skincare routine based on each customer’s unique needs.

DeSorbo’s Face Reality skincare expert, Madelina, put her on a simple regime focused on repairing her skin barrier.

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In the morning, she cleanses with Barrier Balance Creamy Cleanser and adds hydration with Moisture Balance Toner. She also uses a 8% L-Mandelic Serum, which helps improve skin texture and tackle breakouts. Of course, she finishes things off with a moisturizer and SPF.

In the evening, she double cleanses using the Barrier Balance Creamy Cleanser and following up with Ultra Gentle Gel Cleanser. To fight acne-causing bacteria, she applies 5% Advanced Acne Med, which contains 5% benzoyl peroxide, every other night. To top things off, DeSorbo hydrates her skin with Clearderma moisturizer.

“I don’t have a crazy routine because a lot of the products I use in the morning and at night,” the reality star shares. “So it’s not super intense. It’s not like 12 different steps and it’s manageable. And truly, just in two weeks I already felt a difference. And then your mood really does change.”

When it comes to getting glam for her Bravo confessionals and the Summer House reunion, DeSorbo says she puts her trust in her makeup artist Taylor Fitzgerald.

“Taylor knows my face so well that she makes it so easy, but now that my skin just feels better, I feel like every look hits that much differently,” she says. “For the reunion, I knew I wanted something that was sophisticated, regal, but still very skin-focused. And one thing I’ve noticed getting makeup done all over the country, New York actually cares about skin so much more than anywhere else. If I get my makeup done in LA, it’s makeup, makeup, makeup, makeup, makeup. Whereas in New York, the girlies are skin focused, and I love that because it does feel so much better.”

DeSorbo adds that she, Fitzgerald and her hairstylist Mitchell Ramazon are in constant conversation about what looks to try next.

“We literally just play dress up,” she adds. “The three of us are very girly and we’re always looking at different celebrities, and we’re always texting each other looks. For us, it’s [always] more fun topping what we did the last time.”