LA ROCHE POSAY EFFACLAR DUO[+]

Quite a while ago, you may have read my rave-review about the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo, and when the time came to repurchase, I thought it would be a good idea to give the reformed and improved Effaclar Duo+ a whirl.

The new product costs a little more, coming in at £15.50 rather than the £13 for the original, but it includes some new ingredients which are supposed help reduce and diminish scarring - something I have an issue with along with blemishes. Since using this, I have noticed a small difference in my skin and everything seems too have faded a little and reduced in size.

I use this day and night (not every day) either underneath my moisturiser or alone if I have a lot to clear up. It is a gel texture, but isn't drying - it's actually fairly moisturising and doesn't fee uncomfortable alone. To be fair, texture wise there aren't all that many differences apart from the fact that I feel more open to applying this all over the skin rather than with the original, I would tend to take it just down the T-Zone and affected areas.

Have you tried any reformulated products and really liked them?

BEATING THE BREAKOUTS

My skin is something that drives me crazy. Some people worry their skin looks bad because they have a one single blemish on their cheek, in their hairline, or on their chin, and it makes me quite conscious of how they think mine looks, if theirs is 'awful'. I take various steps to keep the breakouts at bay, a stop to the spots if you will, but nothing really works.

My skin is problematic, and oily in most areas, bar the cheeks (lets say combination). Spots everywhere, at least a handful a day (not new ones, my spots linger for days), and scarring more purple than the worst dark circles I have ever seen. I know it is a teenage thing and I cannot wait for the days I will have clear skin again (fingers crossed), but frankly, I see less and less fellow blemished people by the years...just me being paranoid?

Masks are the way to do it with blemishes. The first offering for me is the Super Facialist Tea Flower Pore Purifying Clay Mask which is a budget friendly £8.99 high street option. This just smells like it is clarifying, but not stripping on the skin in the slightest. The other is basically the same, which is the A'kin Express Purifying Facia Masque*, just more expensive at £16.50, so opt for the Super Facialist one if you can. I am hoping to get the Origins Charcoal Mask soon too, so hopefully that'll work wonders for my skin.

To be quite honest, the Lush Tea Tree Toner has been in my collection for quite a long time now, and I am just trying to finish it off. I'm not sure what this does blemish-wise, but it does feel quite refreshing to spritz on the skin before moisturising day or night. It costs £3.95, and has mainly natural ingredient too.

Treatments are where it is at currently in the skincare world. As much as I would lust over that glorious bottle of Esteé Lauder Advanced Night Repair on my shelf, my tight budget won't allow it, so for now, I will bear without. For me, it is the all famous La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo which is a light, yet moisturising gel which unclogs pores and all that jazz. Then, it is the recently acquired Spa Find Perfect Purity Dermabalance Spot Treatment*, which I wouldn't recommend for dry skins, as this kind of dries on the blemish and pulls out all the nasty stuff to the surface. This is a brilliant overnight treatment.

That was your tour around my breakout busting squad, but lets just hope the bad skin will be gone soon and these won't get picked off the shelf so regularly.