La Roche-Posay Effeclar A.I. is just tops for blemishes

Think French pharmaceuticals, think La Roche-Posay. The skincare and make-up dermatologists that specialise in targeted treatments for sensitive skins. The Effeclar A.I. is a targeted breakout corrector, designed to target localised imperfections and prevent residual marks. Neat, right? Actually, this product is very neat...

To get the bad business out of the way first, /dilemma/ I almost decided against uploading this review as I was a little embarrassed that I couldn't get the nozzle applicator onto the tube. That's right. It is impossible to screw the white head piece onto the tube. Why it comes as a separate component is anyone's guess, so I admitted defeat with that one. Thankfully the cap that comes with the product will also screw onto the tube, so I was able to keep it air tight.

This may be the all-time best blemish treatment I've ever used. When La Roche-Posay say they specialise in products for sensitive skins, they mean it! I can't even feel this lovely thick cream touch my skin. That's wonderful. It's non-drying, non-abrasive and non-tingly. Dream, dream, dream. I apply this product twice a day (AM/PM) along my jawline and my skin is left nourished, blemish-free and cared-for for the entire day.

It's a very rich cream, which is nice, as you get a lot more mileage from a small amount of product. It spreads exceptionally well, meaning that the 15ML tubes goes a lot farther than I'd expected. The cream massages into skin without leaving behind a trace or a smell. This cream is literally incognito.

Gradually over time (I'm talking a few days here), this product reduced the inflammation of my blemishes until they disappeared. It was as though they were subtly being erased from my skin. The pain of my blemish was gone, their redness was gone and my skin was feeling smoother and healthier.

Once it has removed all blemishes from my jawline, it continued to prevent the return of any further blemishes. I am now as clear as I have ever been, not to mention how soft and well nourished my skin now feels.

This products is absolutely Essential. While yes, it is small and relatively expensive, it lasts longer than expected (depending on how frequent/how much you use), it is the most effective product I've ever used and has definitely become a staple.

La Roche-Posay Effeclar A.I. can be purchased from Boots for £10.00 for 15ML. The manufacturers listing can be found here.

Burt's Bees Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Toner, Moisturising Lotion, Targeted Spot Treatment and Pore Refining Scrub

Putting bees and sustainability at the forefront of skincare, Burt's Bees is a sponsor to the British Bee Keeper's Association and founder The Greater Good Foundation, Burt's Bees helps to both protect the bees and the environment, with packaging made from recyclable materials and recyclable themselves, leaving a low environmental footprint and responsibly sourcing their ingredients, all the products in the Anti-Blemish Solutions range are 99.4-100% organic. 

Another haul. Okay, I'm insatiable, we know this. But this is a mini-haul (excuses, excuses). The only purchase I neglected from this haul was the Purifying Daily Cleanser. Not to deter, while it is 99.4% natural, it includes phenoxyethanol (chemical preservative) and lauryl glucoside (surfactant), ingredients which I don't usually take kindly to in my cleansers (but the reviews do seem positive so it may still be worth considering).

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Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Toner

I love using toners, and this is no exception. While it contains salicylic acid, witch hazel and alcohol denat, it is not at all overly acidic or tingly, in fact, it can't be felt at all on my sensitive skin. It's a fairly runny liquid. Yes, yes, it's a liquid, it runs, but this is super runny, so you'll want to use it with a fairly thick cotton pad. It is lovely and cool on the skin, and sweeps away any dirt or residue without issue. 

This product helps to tone and clarify the skin. I look much clearer and much, much brighter after using this toner. It helps to balance my complexion. I'm not as red in all the wrong places and I'm not as dull all-over. 

In terms of its anti-blemish properties, I don't feel like it's quite enough. It's brilliant as a toner, but it's not enough for blemishes. While it does contribute to keeping me clear, it isn't powerful enough, making it quite a slow burner. 

Burt's Bees Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Toner is 99.5% natural and is priced at £9.99 for 145ML. 

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Anti-Blemish Solutions Moisturising Lotion

I have been desperate to use an anti-blemish moisturiser for a while. Unfortunately, this one didn't deliver exactly how I wanted it to. I don't want to be super neg towards this product but it's just a little too heavy. But heavy in a greasy way. Heavy can be nice, it makes my face feel heavenly well moisturised and nourished, which is exactly what this product achieves. After a few hours though, I'll start to get greasy. In a slick way. 

Its consistency is, yet again, a little too runny. Which leads to it making me greasy. Ideally, I need more of an emulsifying moisturiser, so this is just not suitable for me needs. However, it is more suitable to my neck where my skin is normal - yet varr blemish-prone. 

On a better note, it does help to reduce blemishes. It is both soothing and anti-inflammatory. It does feel nice to wear, I just wishwishwish it didn't make me greasy. Can't I ever have it both ways?

Burt's Bees Anti-Blemish Solutions Moisturising Lotion is 100% natural and is priced at £14.99 for 55G.

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Anti-Blemish Solutions Targeted Spot Treatment

This is the staple in the range. I love how effective this product is! It is a miniature solution that takes big effect. As mentioned, my blemishes are primarily on my neck so I pour a few drops into the palm of my hand and slap it straight onto my neck, kind of like I'm applying aftershave. But you have to work super quick with the product, as it will dry in your palm almost immediately. 

This product does dry on the skin without leaving a trace. Yes it doesn't dry the skin. It works quickly to reduce blemishes, so quickly that within 12hrs I noticed a difference and with continued use my skin remains calm and clear. 

Unfortunately, the application of this product is all kinds of wrong. You have to tip the glass bottle upside down and it will come running out of the top. As as a targeted treatment, you aren't given much control when wanting to target a blemish. Which is why I have to put it in my palm and slap it onto my skin. Once more, it's another overly runny product, meaning you'll want to be super precise. 

Burt's Bees Anti-Blemish Solutions Targeted Spot Treatment is 100% natural and is priced at £9.99 for 7.5ML. 

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Anti-Blemish Solutions Pore Refining Scrub

Exfoliation is one of my all-time favourite skincare things. Nothing makes me feel clearer than sloughing off all dead cells in the gentlest way possible. And this products delivers on that front. I use this every-other-day, taking a portion the size of one digit and massaging it softly into my cheeks, chin and forehead - the areas where my pores are of more concern. It features jojoba beads for exfoliation, which are super tiny making them super gentle to use. 

It is soft, so soft in fact, that I'm never left feeling dry or tight after use. In fact, my skin is left feeling pretty well nourished. It exfoliates in a really good way. My skin feels so clear after use, smooth and absolutely not irritated. 

In terms of pore refining, that doesn't really mean much. The focus of the product is to smooth skin - which is successfully does - and to exfoliate - which it also successfully does.

Burt's Bees Anti-Blemish Solutions Pore Refining Scrub is 100% natural and priced at £9.99 for 110G. 

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I do like these products. Nothing in this range is irritating, everything is soothing and everything has its benefits. Both the Burt's Bees Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Toner and the Burt's Bees Anti-Blemish Solutions Moisturising Lotion both scored Effect, don't repurchase. While they are effective at what the do in terms of toning and moisturising, they are not effective enough at reducing blemishes. The Burt's Bees Anti-Blemish Solutions Targeted Spot Treatment scored Essential. I love this product, and it has become a staple in my skincare regime. It's quick-working and effective without leaving any irritation. Burt's Bees Anti-Blemish Solutions Pore Refining Scrub scored Effective, repurchase. While I enjoy using this product, I will still be looking for other solutions, which focus more on combating blackheads and minimising pores.

All products featured here can be purchased from Burt's Bees.

Yes to Tomatoes Daily Pore Scrub, Daily Clarifying Cleanser, Daily Repair Treatment, Daily Balancing Moisturiser and Clearing Facial Mask

Yes! Yes to Tomatoes in fact. This was one of the first brands to really take my interest when I first took the unreturning jump onto the skincare wagon. I unwittingly thought that this brand was nowhere to be seen in UK waters, I know better now. Yes to ranges can be purchased from Boots, BeautyBay, Asos and LoveLula. I realise now, that I can't actually move for the stuff.

Yes to Tomatoes is that one you want if you're fighting with blemishes, blackheads and/or oil control. Harnessing the powers of, you got it, the tomato (lycopene), the pull of this range is using powerful anti-oxidants to help fight free-radicals and restore pH balance. Okay, so does it work? Short answer... Yes to some of it does!

Yes to Daily Pore Scrub

Okay, so I love the sensation of exfoliating. Put that in a formula that's gentle enough to use daily and I've found myself a match made in sweet grounded mango seed heaven. Swoon. This product is designed to target blemishes, reduce blackheads and unclog pores. It also does a neat little trick of reducing redness.

I use this daily, towards the end of the evening as one of those take-the-day-off systems. I can really feel it slough off all those dead skin cells, excess oils and dirt from the day gone by. I take a 50 pence piece sized amount into my palm and very softly massage it into my skin applying almost absolutely zero pressure. Focusing primarily on my cheeks, nose and forehead, I notice afterwards than any foreign bodies camped up in my pores have been eliminated. 

While unfortunately I did not notice a reduction in blackheads, it is a very powerful product for clearing and renewing the skin. It gives a very solid clarified sensation without any stripping, drying or *cringe* squeaky feeling. It also helps to even out my skin tone. After use I don't feel like I'm red in all the wrong places. 

The exfoliating factor in this product is finely ground mango seeds. And boy are they finely ground. They are almost indistinguishable, which, I suppose, is what makes them gentle enough for daily use. They don't come in short supply either, there's absolutely thousands of these little grains waiting to kick out any muck from your pores.

Yes to Daily Clearing Facial Mask

This is my favourite. Trumps all else. You know by now my position on face masks (I just don't understand them!), but this is something I can really get into bed with. Stating it will refine and purify pores, absorb sebum, and clear skin, you can forget all that, this product is for balancing your face and when timed correctly, you'll get some simply wonderful results.

It smells exactly like the Daily Balancing Moisturiser, so I'm more than happy to let this sit on my skin for 5-10 minutes. It is a very thick and hard mask. One that feels heavy when you scoop it out of the pot, and will really solidify when you place it on your face.

 
It's a pure white formula that is lovely and cool to touch. It will go very firm after a few minutes, and you will feel its presence on your face. One removed, my skin tends to feel a little off-kilter, so I always double moisturise. I know, you're wondering why I even like this so...

I use this mask whenever I have a long day ahead of me when I don't have the luxury to blot or fix, as this mask keeps my skin completely balanced for the entire day. Thank you Yes to! That doesn't mean I use it every day, I couldn't do that, my face would weep. I just save it for those important days.

Yes to Daily Repair Treatment

Designed to reduce blemishes and acne, this product went down really well with me. It answered everything that was wrong with Lush's Grease Lightning (review here). It was effective, light, absorbent and completely gentle. 

While it doesn't work quite as quickly as Grease Lightning at removing blemishes, it does reduce redness in due course. As mentioned previously, I only get heavy subsurface blemishes along my neck and jawline, and within one week those were very much disappeared. 

The product sinks in instantaneously and does not leave a single trace. It's perfect for my sensitive skin, I was scared it wasn't going to kick in as I couldn't even feel its presence. I apply it all along my neck and jawline twice daily and find that it is perfect at keeping any blemishes at bay and reducing inflamation.

Yes to Daily Balancing Moisturiser

Now, a downfall with this product is that it's actually aimed at Combination Skin (not the products fault, my face's fault, probably). Meaning, that this moisturiser isn't quite well equipped to deal with everything oily skin brings. Which is mostly just yucky oil. While it is a little heavier than I would have liked, it isn't without its positives. 

This product is one of my favourite smells. Not sure what it even is? But it definitely isn't tomato. In fact, nothing in this range even smells remotely of tomato, or the same as each other. But this is sweet bliss, making it a pleasure to apply. 

It certainly does keep my skin well moisturised, not in a way that makes it pump out oil, but in a way that makes it feel hydrated. I apply it and my skin will feel silky soft. It's got a very good spread and a wonderful finish. The feel of this product is just perfect.

I find that pushing the pump dispenser only half way down gives me more than enough product to cover my face and neck. It will leave me looking and feeling very refreshed and awake after use and while it can't quite control my oil enough throughout the day, it really does feel wonderful to use.

Yes to Daily Clarifying Cleanser

Now this, this is actually the only product in the entire range that was a big miss for me. It smells super chemical, while it is 98% natural it does contain alcohol, mild surfactants (lauryl glucoside) and preservatives (Sodium Benzoate / Potassium Sorbate). While it isn't my aim to induce fear, these are the qualifying ingredients that turn me away from the product.

It is a translucent gel cleanser, which is a really very runny product. As mentioned, it does contain mild surfactants so it does foam slightly. Not enough that it becomes stripping, but enough that it makes me uncomfortable. 

This product does offer a nice clean feeling, but it doesn't aid much in the way of skin benefits. I find that it isn't quite nourishing or healthy to skin. Instead, it just does its job of remove dirt and cleaning your skin. Which is fine. But it isn't enough. 

All of these products are listed here on the US Yes to retailer but can be purchased in the UK from Boots. Yes to Tomatoes Daily Pore Scrub / £11.99 for 112ML / Yes to Tomatoes Daily Clearing Facial Mask / £11.99 / 50ML / Yes to Tomatoes Daily Repair Treatment / £11.99 / 50ML / Yes to Tomatoes Daily Balancing Moisturiser / £11.99 / 50ML / Yes to Tomatoes Daily Clarifying Cleanser / £6.99 / 90ML 

Origins: Spot Remover and Super Spot Remover

I sincerely think I missed the hype-train here. Why all the fuss? These products seem to be severely overpriced. Sure, they might effective, but... so what? 

Now, I like Origins, their products feel nourishing, caring and and oh-so good for you. But they are a premium brand. And we all know premium is synonymous with price (£££) and size. The former being way larger than we'd ever like and the latter being something that actually does matter. 

I heard a lot of claims about how small the Super Spot Remover Gel was. And yes, they were all right. This thing is super miniature. A really disappointing kind of miniature. 

A dinky soft plastic tube with a twist cap. The small hole in the top allows you some control over how much product is released. But as always, gravity and applied pressure work their magic. As you sink lower into the tube, you'll really need to turn it upside down to get any product out. While it's a squeezable tube, it still becomes quite difficult to remove the desired amount. I've often over-squeezed and with a product like this, you literally can't afford to do that.

You apply a small amount of the Super Spot Remover Gel to your blemish - just enough to cover. Depending on which part of my face I applied it to, I would often get a stinging/tingling sensation. Usually around the forehead and cheeks - the jawline and neck suffered no such nonsense.  

The gel will dry on skin after several minutes, after which, it forms a translucent, yet shiny, film around the applied area. This can be a little noticeable. Especially if worn under face make-up. I tried liquid, compact and loose powder foundations on top of the skin and found that the shine penetrated through and clogged make-up around these areas. 

It definitely is effective. It's more than efficient at reducing redness and inflammation, taking as little as several hours to get to work. For sizing down, this thing's got your back. But for actually clearing skin, I didn't notice any particular improvements. While a blemish may appear smaller, it wasn't removed any faster than it would have naturally. 

Generally, the gel tended to turn larger red blemishes into whiteheads, which has literally never happened to me before - referring to blemishes on neck. Which I was then able to remove the good old-fashioned between-two-fingernails way. *squeems*

The Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Pads come in the most over-sized jumbo container ever. When compared to the Super Spot Remover Gel, it's almost comedic. The joke being that this thing doesn't work. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Inside this large - and very tacky feeling - cylinder, are 60 pads, to be used once in the morning and then in the evening. Simply wipe away your blemishes! I'm not really sure why I trusted that wiping my face with a damp piece of cloth was ever a good way to truly benefit from the active ingredient? Blemishes be gone! Or not. 

I really didn't notice any change in my skin. Using one pad both morning and then evening, which are really just not large enough to make sure you cover the entire face without reusing the same section, I felt no change in the behaviour or the appearance of my skin. 

This product doesn't leave any kind of feeling or residue on skin. However, the pads do remain drenched in whatever that not-so-special formula is, right to the very end. Every cloud.

Super Spot Remover Gel Scored Effective, don't repurchase. While the gel is effective at reducing the appearance of redness and inflammation, it has no special results that warrant such an ungodly price tag. 

Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Pads Scored Ineffective. There were no quantifiable or noticeable results from using this product.   

Super Spot Remover Gel can be purchased from Origins' in-store and online for £15.00 / 10ML. Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Pads can be purchased from Origin's in-store and online for £24.00 / 60 PADS. 

Lush: Grease Lightning

Product: GREASE LIGHTNING
Shop: LUSH

Price £6.40 / 45g

Catagory: SPOT TREATMENT 

Rating : 4/5

URL: https://www.lush.co.uk/products/grease-lightning

I was initially going to give this product 4.5/5. That is so almost nearly top marks. You know, I like this. I super like this. And it super works. But after 3 weeks of solid use, I came to realise that this is not a solution, this is an investment and therefore plummeted by a whole .5 points. (In hindsight that might be a little unjust)

While I've never really been one for teenage skin - thankfully - I have been one for large, stubborn, under the surface spots.  These only really feature along my neck and jawline and are impossible to remove, as they never break the surface or form a head. Enter, Grease Lightning. 

I accidentally fell into a spiralling LUSH obsession after receiving three soaps for Christmas. Now, after discovering they also offer skin, hair and make-up products, I cannot leave the stop without a bag full of deliciously fragranced cosmetics. 

Amongst those many cosmetics is the Grease Lightening Spot Treatment. It is one of the only products of this type they seemed to offer, so my hands were pretty much tied into purchasing it...

The product comes out in an oddly non-stick type gel. It has a slick consistency, the kind of texture that never really gets any purchase, it just kind of sits there and gets pushed around a little - meaning, the entire blob can fall from your fingertips in the distance it takes you to move your hand from the pump-action mechanism to your face. 

I massage this product into my jawline to get a full coverage of the problem area. After the product has dried and set, I find that it can flake and peel. This proves extra problematic if it comes into contact with foundation or powder. Making you look both dry and dusty, but hey, at least you don't have acne now.  

It smells. I can't deny that. I don't like the way it smells. I definitely can't deny that. It has a savoury, earthy scent, like falling into the scenery, face first, and then sniffing up, I guess. But it's not a lingering scent, no way.

I've found that the majority of other spot treatments can be very harsh and overbearing to skin. Especially so in sensitive skin. [Chemicals], I guess. This is not like that one bit. This is light and safe and super kind to skin. 

Grease Lightning got to work in quite literally one day. When I woke up the following morning my spots were visibly less red and about half the size. After just half a week, the majority of the spots have disappeared altogether. Two weeks later I gave my neck the all clear, it was good to go. I feel my neck and it doesn't feel like me (having a cylinder wrapped in nice skin resting under my head is a feeling I have to get used to).

I stopped using the product for several days, thinking, "Hey! I'm spot free now, I don't need to treat them any more!" Wrong. They came back and they came back big. It looks like I've bought in now, and I'm staying in.

It's good. It works on me. It is super easy and super effective and I will continue to use this. But I will only continue to use this until something better comes along, unfortunately. 

Pros

• Fast working and effective
• Kind to skin
• Leave-on treatment

Cons

• Gel-like consistency makes it difficult to apply
• Peels off, making skin appear flaky
• Only a temporary fix
• [Subjective] Oddly scented