Clinque Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel

So the newest product to grace Clinique's skincare comes in the form of it's Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel. I'd seen several adverts for this product but it never really entered my want/need list. I haven't had much good experience with these kinds of products and assumed it'd be a waste of money. On my recent trip to Clinique I was informed that this was taking place of the Clarifying Lotion step which I have never been the biggest fan of. I thought I'd give it a try and see if it helped control my breakouts.

The product is effectively a spot fighting gel that can be spot-applied to spots as a treatment or all over the face as a preventative measure to prevent breakouts from occurring. The gel is to be used after cleansing the face, I recommend you use a light moisturiser after also as it's very drying. It has a fairly strong scent of alcohol, I find I have to work quickly when applying as it dries very quickly which means I probably use more than the suggested thin layer. The product is 100% allergy tested and fragrance free meaning it is suitable for sensitive and irritable skin. It controls oil well and I've seen a vast improvement in the amount of excess oil that my face produces since using this product. It also claims to reduce the appearance of pores, I find it tightens the skin quite a lot when applied but this effect isn't long lasting.

The 30ml bottle retails for £20 which is fairly pricey for this type of treatment. I also find because of the tube of the bottle which you have to squeeze to get the product out, I've gotten through my bottle in a matter of weeks which is disappointing. However, the product does an amazing job at clearing up my skin and controlling oil better than anything I've used before. It also doesn't dry your face out and leave flakiness like other stop treatments do. Therefore on that basis I would say it is well worth the money and has quickly became a permanent addition to my skincare routine.

Origins Out of Trouble Mask

When my skin is feeling rather on the spotty side and needs a bit of extra care, I like to add another product into my skincare routine to clear it up. I've never been a believer in face masks, I always used to see them as something people use for more of a cosmetic purposes and not thought they did much good from previous use. That was before I invested in my first 'high end' one in the form of a sample first.

Origins is a brand known for their natural products, the mask contains; Zinc Oxide and Sulfur which absorbs all the build up under your skin and Camphor which is super calming for the skin. The mask does three things, gets rid of oiliness, removes of dead skin cells and eliminates excess debris on the skin. The mask removes any rough texture to the skin and tackles potential outbreaks during/before they occur. The mask is targeted to those of us with problem skin prone to acne, and because of Origin's natural products, it's perfect for those of us with super sensitive skin too.

I apply the mask to a cleansed face once a week of an evening after removing my make-up. I used a index fingers length and then apply to the skin evenly avoiding the eye and mouth area. I then leave the mask on my face for 10 minutes (or usually more as I'm very forgetful). It cools the face down instantly and smells very fresh and natural like plant extracts. When it's time to remove the product, I like to use damp cotton pads or a wet muslin cloth and gently wipe away the product. I also like to splash my face with cool water once it is all removed and pat the skin dry with a clean towel.

I fell in love with this product from the first use, it's so refreshing and doesn't dry the skin out at all. Straight away my the surface of my skin had reduced in redness and irritation and overnight my blemishes have slightly reduced in size. It's quite a miracle product for me and I absolutely swear by this and recommend it to those of you with a similar skin type to me. Although it is quite pricey at £22, the bottle lasts a good time as you only need to use it once a week and it's always worth investing in good quality products that good the job properly.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Cleanser & Moisturiser

I'm always on the hunt for the perfect skincare, and once I'd exhausted all the regular drugstore brands, I turned to more high end solutions. Since dabbling in the high end market, I've been pretty impressed, but not completely satisfied. Everything I try is too heavy for my skin and leaves me producing crazy amounts of oils or is too stripping and leaves my skin feeling tight and itchy. I'd heard good things about La Roche-Posay and decided to give their oily skin products a whirl.

I'll start with the Purifying Foaming Gel first. Targeted at oily sensitive skin it is the perfect cleanser for me. It dispenses as a gel and you only need to use a small amount and work it with some water between your hands for it to all foam up and rub into your face. It isn't at the cheap price coming in at just over £10 a bottle but a little goes a long way. I've had my bottle almost a month now and it's just gone half way through I reckon, used both morning and night. I really love this stuff, first impressions were that it didn't smell foul or overpowering like a lot of treatments for my skin type, instead it was very calming and refreshing. It lathered up really well with a little help from some water and didn't sting when massaged into my face. It did a good job at thoroughly removing any left over make-up my face wipes hadn't done. I've noticed my face is a lot calmer and I have less redness since using this product. It does a good job at leaking my face super clean and leaves it feeling refreshed without stripping it of it's oils.

Next up, the Sebo-Regulating  Mattifying Fluid. Like most 'mattifying' moisturisers, it has a gel consistency as opposed to a more creamy one. This isn't a problem except it does dry a lot quicker than other formulas so you have to work quickly when applying it. You apply an average amount and apply over a cleansed face. This is one of the more expensive moisturisers I've purchased at around £14 a pop for 40ml which lasted me 3/4 weeks used twice a day. It smells similar to the wash which I liked. It gives the skin a very matte finish and slightly minimises the appearance of pores. At first it does feel like your skin isn't quite hydrated enough but after a few minutes it feels just like any other moisturiser. This did everything it claimed to a controlled my oil production better than any other product I'd used. It didn't eliminate it completely but improved it big time. This helps immensely when wearing foundations and BB creams as I didn't need to powder as much so I could pull off a more dewy, less oily look.

Both this products used in conjunction have really cleared up my skin better than any other products I've used. I used these after testing out Vichy which left me unimpressed and I'm so glad I tried them because now I wouldn't use anything else. I'm about to repurchase both and despite the price tag they really do a good job on my skin without being harsh, it amazes me! They aren't miracle products and I'm still yet to be acne free, but in terms of skincare, this is as good as it gets for me.

Origins Super Spot Remover

I gave up on tough spot treatments a few years ago. The more things I put on them, the more irritated and inflamed they'd become. I found that keeping my regime simple and leaving out treatments worked well for me, but it wasn't quite enough. However, I've heard nothing but good things about this little gem from Origins. On my recent trip to Nottingham I poped into John Lewis and they had a special 10% offer so couldn't resist giving it a whirl.

Usually priced at £14, it isn't the cheapest of treatments at all, especially as you only get a tiny 10ml bottle. However you only need to use a tiny amount which helps. They advise you to apply a tiny amount to a cotton bud and then apply to blemishes and any lumps and bumps on the face as a treatment for occasional spots. I obviously have permanent acne but I thought I'd give it a go as anything is better than nothing right? It contains salicylic acid as do many other spot treatments so I wasn't expecting any miracles from this little bottle despite the price tag.

I'm seriously impressed with this stuff. I did everything I was told to do twice a day or once if I was wearing make-up, you can wear it under make-up but it does create a little film over the area and I didn't want to be picking at my face even more. Right from day one it got straight to work at drying out and reducing the size of my spots in a matter of hours. In fact, one pesky spot disappeared in a matter of days, incredible. I used the treatment on all kinds of spots from white heads to cystic acne which wouldn't budge, I'd say it was pretty effective of all of them. It can sting a little if the spot has broken skin at first but it quickly wears off and the cooling agent of a gel really refreshes and tightens up the skin getting to work quickly. It also works at fading the spots and the discolouration and scaring caused by them so keep applying it to them even when they look like they're on their way out! It's definitely a must have when you're having a skin crisis and your skincare routine alone isn't cutting it. It won't get rid of them in a zap but it will give you that peace of mind that they won't be sitting on your face as long as they would have done without it.