You'll probably know that I've been getting really frustrated with my skin over the past couple of weeks because spots have taken over my chin and seem to have flitted over to my cheeks as well. It was definitely a result of uni stress and comfort eating over the last few weeks and nothing was really calming down the many breakouts, not even my beloved T-Zone Spot Zapping Stick (reviewed here). What better timing than this to be asked if I'd like to try out the new Clearasil Ultra Blemish + Marks range (*) which is specifically designed to "provide effective and fast solution to clear blemishes and fight the appearance of marks". I'll be honest and say that I'd never tried anything from Clearasil before as my skin was never too bad as a teenager, which meant that I soon moved on to brands such as Soap & Glory when my skin started playing up as I got nearer to my twenties. I think I just always had the misconception that Clearasil was a brand for teenagers but hey-ho, I've definitely learned my lesson now. I'll give you a little review of each product just to give you an idea of what I thought about them all! The first product that I tried was the Wash and Mask (£5.59) which really just does what it says on the tin. You can either use this product as a quick face wash for cleansing your skin in the morning or at night, or leave it on for a little longer as a face mask. I have been using this face wash for about a week now and it's safe to say that it has done its job of making my skin feel squeaky clean and on its way to being spot free. I'd definitely recommend using this product as a face mask a few times each week and although it is recommended that you leave it on for about a minute, I tend to let it dry on my face for about 15 minutes before rinsing. I have found that this wash can dry out my skin more than other cleansers that I've tried but that's quickly fixed with some moisturiser. I'm not quite sure how to describe its scent apart from saying that it's really fresh, sorry about being a bit vague! The Scrub (£5.79) from the range has definitely been another must have for me during my weeks of spot fighting. I have used the scrub a couple of times during the week before I have given my skin a good clean with the face wash, with the small exfoliating beads being great for scrubbing away dry skin and making any blemishes look a lot less angry. This scrub is a bit more coarse than the other facial scrubs that I've used and you can definitely feel the scrubbing sensation as you apply it to your face. I'm not sure how well this scrub would work for sensitive skin as it tends to leave my skin looking quite red, but then again this quickly dies down so it's probably nothing to worry about. Once again the scrub has a very fresh scent which makes application that bit nicer and you're left with clean feeling skin which is exactly what I was after.
Last but not least, the Treatment Cream (£6.79) is the final stage in my current skincare regime and one that I have applied both morning and night for the past week or so. All you need to do is apply a thin layer of the cream to any blemishes or breakout areas, making sure that your skin is dry and not covered in moisturiser or makeup. It only takes a minute or 2 for the cream to be absorbed into the skin and what I love is that you can really see a difference in the appearance of your spots after just a few hours. Honestly, I was amazed at how much more calm my breakouts were looking the morning after I first applied this treatment!
All in all, I was very happy with this range and the calming effect that it had on my horrible breakouts. After a week of use my chin is looking almost spot free and I can definitely see a difference in the marks that have been left on my skin as a result of previous spots as you really have to look closely to see them (happy days). You can find the new Blemish + Marks range in Boots and should be near enough the prices that I've listed above.
