Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Review (1 month)
(Shouldn't that be Blemish solutions, btw? It's like people saying they're doing something "against anti-aging". Huh?)
So I was rather fed up with my skin for quite some time, specifically after I went off the pill (which I had only taken for a year) last summer. Nothing really helped, and lately, my skin was horribly itchy and irritated. I tried using basic care and proper hydration to cure it, but it failed. So when Clinique re-issued its trial kits for 9€, I was sold.
The kit from the Anti-Blemish range includes:
Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Bar 50 g
Anti-Blemish Clarifying Lotion 60ml
Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturizer 30ml
The SA told me that the kit should last for about 3 weeks. I've been using it for 4 weeks now, and have only run out of the lotion last week. The moisturizer is about to finish now, and the soap is still pretty big and I estimate it might last another two to three months.(I bought a second trial kit as you get quite some value for 9€ considering 50 ml of the moisturizer usually cost around 25€ here in Germany, and a 200 ml bottle of the toner.)
So far, this range is working for me. The first week or so, I had little bumps coming up, which I assume were purging. Now, I rarely get new pimples anymore. Today, I'm having a few, maybe due to something I ate, maybe a case of purging from deeper within the skin - anyway, there are some big and painful (if touched) pimples under the right side of my chin. I hope they will go away soon and will keep you updated. As for the negative effects, this is pretty drying and as I have told you a few days ago, my skin is kinda peeling. I hope this will go away eventually, too. BUT my skin is barely ever itching anymore!
As for the individual products:
The cleansing bar cleanses like any normal soap, I'd say, and doesn't leave behinf any residue. However, it also makes my skin feel dry and tight.
The lotion is pretty harsh on the skin, but probably the item in the range that works best at fighting acne. If I have a particularly stubborn spot (like a big zit), I sometimes place a piece of cotton saturated with the lotion on it for a while and the zit vanished rather quickly. I know, the instruction tell you to just wipe over the skin once quickly and gently, but that doesn't always do it. It also removed dirt quite effectly, as I sometimes get an orange cotton pad even after double cleansing at night.
The moisturizer isn't really very moisturizing, but the SA told me I'd have to put up with that. If I really can't bear the tight feeling (sometimes it's worse than other days), I dab on a bit of my beloved Nature Republic aloe vera gel (bought my 4th tub this year!) over it.
My problem with this range is the drying. Even if it is effective for now, I am afraid my skin will get oily in the long run (so far, I have combination skin with breakouts mostly in the dry spots like jawline - very likely hormon-induced) and make things worse eventually. So after my skin is cleared, I am planning on using this only once a day paired with oil-free, but hydrating products (the above mentioned aloe vera gel, Tosekki lotion etc.) and maybe dab on jojoba oil in winter.
I will keep you updated on how this is going!
Also, I have a sample of Kiehl's Overnight Biological Peel and used it twice already and will squeeze two or three more uses out of the sachet. If I like it, I might end up buying a (pricey >.<) bottle, as that kind of exfoliation supposedly is good for acne-prone, but sensitive skin.
Do you have any products you would recommend?
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| pic taken from Clinique.de |
So I was rather fed up with my skin for quite some time, specifically after I went off the pill (which I had only taken for a year) last summer. Nothing really helped, and lately, my skin was horribly itchy and irritated. I tried using basic care and proper hydration to cure it, but it failed. So when Clinique re-issued its trial kits for 9€, I was sold.
The kit from the Anti-Blemish range includes:
Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Bar 50 g
Anti-Blemish Clarifying Lotion 60ml
Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturizer 30ml
The SA told me that the kit should last for about 3 weeks. I've been using it for 4 weeks now, and have only run out of the lotion last week. The moisturizer is about to finish now, and the soap is still pretty big and I estimate it might last another two to three months.(I bought a second trial kit as you get quite some value for 9€ considering 50 ml of the moisturizer usually cost around 25€ here in Germany, and a 200 ml bottle of the toner.)
So far, this range is working for me. The first week or so, I had little bumps coming up, which I assume were purging. Now, I rarely get new pimples anymore. Today, I'm having a few, maybe due to something I ate, maybe a case of purging from deeper within the skin - anyway, there are some big and painful (if touched) pimples under the right side of my chin. I hope they will go away soon and will keep you updated. As for the negative effects, this is pretty drying and as I have told you a few days ago, my skin is kinda peeling. I hope this will go away eventually, too. BUT my skin is barely ever itching anymore!
As for the individual products:
The cleansing bar cleanses like any normal soap, I'd say, and doesn't leave behinf any residue. However, it also makes my skin feel dry and tight.
The lotion is pretty harsh on the skin, but probably the item in the range that works best at fighting acne. If I have a particularly stubborn spot (like a big zit), I sometimes place a piece of cotton saturated with the lotion on it for a while and the zit vanished rather quickly. I know, the instruction tell you to just wipe over the skin once quickly and gently, but that doesn't always do it. It also removed dirt quite effectly, as I sometimes get an orange cotton pad even after double cleansing at night.
The moisturizer isn't really very moisturizing, but the SA told me I'd have to put up with that. If I really can't bear the tight feeling (sometimes it's worse than other days), I dab on a bit of my beloved Nature Republic aloe vera gel (bought my 4th tub this year!) over it.
My problem with this range is the drying. Even if it is effective for now, I am afraid my skin will get oily in the long run (so far, I have combination skin with breakouts mostly in the dry spots like jawline - very likely hormon-induced) and make things worse eventually. So after my skin is cleared, I am planning on using this only once a day paired with oil-free, but hydrating products (the above mentioned aloe vera gel, Tosekki lotion etc.) and maybe dab on jojoba oil in winter.
I will keep you updated on how this is going!
Also, I have a sample of Kiehl's Overnight Biological Peel and used it twice already and will squeeze two or three more uses out of the sachet. If I like it, I might end up buying a (pricey >.<) bottle, as that kind of exfoliation supposedly is good for acne-prone, but sensitive skin.
Do you have any products you would recommend?
I can't use Clinique's anti-blemish range as it just makes my skin peel! I use Vichy Normaderm on the acne prone area on my face and I find it does the job very well!
ReplyDeleteI've used the Kiehl's Overnight Biological Peel too but you have to be careful not to overuse it as it makes your skin really thin! The redness on my face was more evident when I started using the Biological Peel so I have since stopped using it and switched to gentle exfoliation to keep my skin clear =)
I used Vichy when I was a teenager and it didn't do much for me. :(
ReplyDeleteWhich exfoliator are you using now? I guess over-exfoliating can always lead to thinner skin, no matter what you use, and try not to do it more than once a week.
I've been using this for 2 weeks-ish and I'm not really sure whether it's purging or that my skin is just having breakouts.
ReplyDelete