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ALMOST half of Brits have experienced adult acne, and I’m one of them.
So there’s not many over the counter spot solutions I haven’t tried. Now there’s a new breed of treatments that target far more than just spots. So I put three to the test.
Budget
4
The Ordinary Balancing and Clarifying Serum, £20.20 for 30ml, theordinary.com:
Designed to reduce congestion, minimise shine, and improve the appearance of pores for clear looking skin, this new launch from The Ordinary marks a step away from the brand’s one ingredient roots.
The sophisticated formula feels more luxe than most I’ve tried from this brand, and I love that you don’t need to layer multiple products for effective results.
It’s water-based but left a slightly oily-feeling residue that I didn’t love, and I have yet to notice an improvement in my spots. But it has definitely made my skin feel smoother.
The jury is still out on this one.
Mid-range
4
Kiehl’s Truly Targeted Blemish-Clearing Solution, £26 for 15ml, lookfantastic.com:
Kiehl’s was the first luxury skincare brand I tried and, over the decades, it has never disappointed me.
This product was no exception and it is my favourite of the three I tried.
It creates a barrier over spots so you can apply make-up on top during the day, and you can use it all over your face, too, if you have large areas of breakouts.
It reduced the redness and inflammation in my skin after the first use. I’ve also noticed it really helps under-the-skin spots come to the surface faster, which is a godsend.
Alongside the unclogging salicylic acid, there’s niacinamide which helps soothe and reduce the appearance of pores, and liquorice root which boosts radiance.
I can definitely tell the difference when I use this.
Luxury
4
Emma Lewisham Supernatural Blemish Face Serum, £68 for 30ml, spacenk.com:
This clever dual serum is basically a two-in-one product and is nothing like any spot treatment I’ve ever used.
Rather than relying on exfoliating actives, it puts probiotics to work to kill acne-causing bacteria on the surface of the skin, which means there’s less chance of irritation or dryness. If you want dramatic results quickly, this isn’t the product for you.
The results are gradual but as soon as I stopped using this serum I could tell the difference, which is always a good sign. It has made my skin feel much calmer and smoother and I’ve noticed that my spots don’t scar so badly when I’m using it.
Pick of the week
4
BARGAIN alert! The new LOOKFANTASTIC x Lorna Luxe Beauty Edit, £60 (but worth over £185) launched this week and is one of the best value beauty bundles I’ve ever seen.
It contains eight cult products from the likes of ELEMIS, Elizabeth Arden, and Philip Kingsley, six of which are full-sized and the other two are generous travel sizes so will last you weeks, if not months. Shop now, and be fast, at lookfantastic.com.
