Friday 15 March 2013

Perfect pores please..


I am on a mission to have a perfect, clog-free, smooth as a babies bum complexion so, after scouring blogs and the boots website I decided to purchase these two products; 'Effaclar Duo' by La Roche-Posay and 'No Clogs Allowed' by Soap and Glory.

I'd read about Effaclar Duo on quite a few blogs and seen that everyone was raving about it but still wasn't really sure what it actually was. I decided to go for it and buy it anyway (in the 3 for 2 deal at boots!) to see what all the fuss was about.
Effaclar Duo is a cream-gel that promises to be a 'complete skincare solution' for skin with signs of imperfections. The main ingredients are used to protect the skin against breakouts and blemishes forming and to unclog pores. Luckily enough, I don't suffer too much from spots so I was looking for this product to clear out my pores and leave my skin looking bright and clear.


I originally wasn't sure if this product was supposed to be used instead of moisturiser or as something extra. The creme-gel is actually quite moisturising despite having ingredients in that tend to dry out skin (to dry up spots and get rid of oil) so I don't feel like I need to use moisturiser on top of it.
I use a small amount to cover my whole face (about as much as in the picture below) paying particular attention to my nose as this is where I really notice that my skin can get clogged up and oily.


After using this my skin felt fresh, soft, smooth and not at all oily.. this makes a great base for make up and I feel like my make up actually looks better sitting on top of this than my regular moisturiser.
I have noticed the skin around my nose is improving in that pores appear smaller and clearer and I think after I have used this for another week or so they will be virtually invisible.
This is a great product to use every day to maintain your complexion, I have been using this every morning for a week now and have been switching between my regular moisturiser and this product at night to try and find the perfect balance for me. I have read people saying that if you use this twice a day you may begin to feel your skin is not as moisturised as it could be which makes me think I may stick to the Effaclar Duo in the morning (especially as it is a great base for make up) and moisturising normally at night to avoid this.

Now, the second product I have used to try and combat oversized pores is 'No Clogs Allowed- super self heating deep pore detox mask'.  I felt like I needed a mask to get deep down in to my skin to clear it of all the general dirt that gets trapped in our pores. I have had really good experiences with other Soap and Glory products and had seen this product had even won awards for how effective it is so thought I should definitely give it a go.


As this is a deep detoxing mask, it is only designed to be used once or twice a week so I've only managed to use this once so far but am planning on using it again tonight!
This mask is super easy to use and is also super effective at giving the skin a deep clean, reducing pores and getting rid of blackheads. 
To use 'No Clogs Allowed' I cleaned all the make up off my face (with Bioderma Sensibio H2O) and squeezed out a grape sized dollop on to my finger -it is important to shake the tube before using it otherwise you will end up with a watery oil coming out before the rest of the mask.
I then smoothed this all over my face and then wet my fingers under the tap to start smoothing this in in circular motions. Even though the box says 'Super self heating' I hadn't really thought about the fact that this would actually heat up when putting it on my face (I think it is the reaction with the water that creates the heat). There really is a proper heating sensation that does get quite warm, this only last for a minute or so though and isn't uncomfortable, it was just more of a surprise to me than anything else! At this point the mask will also turn from white to blue which means the 'Poreclear technology' has been activated.


I left the mask on my skin for a few minutes and then washed it off in circular motions with the sponge provided. My skin felt so clean and refreshed after using this and my pores looked significantly reduced and clearer. I also really noticed that the texture of all of the skin on my face felt a lot smoother which helped overall to improve the appearance and brightness of my complexion.
I will definitely continue to use this product at least once a week as I feel like having a deep clean of my face is really important considering the amount that the skin in this area goes through everyday with make up and pollution etc. I really love the fact that Soap and Glory products generally do exactly as they say they will and this one does not disappoint!

If anyone has any suggestions about other products you've used to reduce the appearance of pores I'd be really interested to know! :)




 photo lovecharlotte3_zps0e6b7a4c.png

7 comments:

  1. Thank you for testing and sharing your thoughts!!

    Hope you have a great day!

    xx
    Kelly

    www.lionstigersandfashionohmy.com is in Paris!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This post was really helpful! I'm following your blog. :) Follow me?

    itskatja.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very nice blog!
    would you like to follow each other?
    www.jkvintageaffair.blogspot.ca & www.facebook.com/jkvintageaffair
    it will be my pleasure to follow right back!
    -xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've heard good things about Mario Badescu Silver Powder for shrinking pores. I'm interested in trying the Soap and Glory mask!

    www.ameliorerlavie.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh thanks for the tip! I'll have to look out for that one :)
      xxx

      Delete