Blemishes are the bane of my life. I have dry and dehydrated skin all over my face except my chin and jawline where I am plagued with frequent breakouts (and have done since I was a teenager) which seriously affects my confidence. With my dry skin I’m conscious about how uneven my skin looks and whether my dry patches are visible and then my jaw and chin are either suffering with active breakouts and/or acne scarring which takes weeks and weeks to clear. I would genuinely give anything to have beautifully clear skin with an even skintone however I’m a realist.. it’s not going to happen. In my quest for ‘nice’ skin I’ve tried so many different spot treatments from so many brands – Origins, Clearasil, The Body Shop, Freederm, Proactiv, La Roche Posay, Neutrogena and more.. but I’ve never found a treatment which really works. Even the highly coveted Origins Super Spot Remover failed to impress me as I found that it burnt my skin something chronic and would leave my skin red raw and broken. For the last few weeks I’ve been trialing a relatively new skincare release; the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel 15ml £14*. The Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel is an allergy tested, fragrance free daily treatment gel which is clinically proven to be as effective as a leading topical prescription acne clearing gel.
The gel can be used in two ways; as a direct topical treatment or as an all over treatment mask. The Clinical Clearing Gel has a 4 in 1 formula which contains Salicylic Acid which clears away dead surface cells which clog pores to help resolve and prevent breakouts as well as acting as an exfoliator to promote healthy cell turnover. Laminaria Saccharina helps to normalise oil production. Sea Whip Extract calms and soothes the skin to help reduce redness and inflammation.
The Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel is available in two sizes; 15ml £14 and 30ml £20. The gel is packaged within a squeezy bottle which dispenses the gel through a small hole in the top which allows you to control how much gel you dispense to minimise wastage.
The gel is clear in colour and feels very cooling as I apply it to my problem areas. After I’ve applied the gel to a blemish it does sting very slightly.. but it doesn’t hurt or burn like every other spot treatment I’ve tried, it’s definitely the most gentle spot treatment I’ve tried. Even if I apply the gel to broken skin it doesn’t burn or feel at all uncomfortable which I really love.
The gel feels really silky, which I appreciate might sound like a very odd description for a gel but it does, and even leaves my fingertip feeling silky after application. After a minute or so the gel completely dries and leaves the skin feeling slightly tight but in no way uncomfortably so.. I can still move my jaw and talk!
In terms of results I am extremely happy. If I apply the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel to an angry blemish I find that the angriness and inflammation is considerably reduced within an hour and although it doesn’t magic the blemish away I’ve found that it really does help speed up the recovery time which I’m very grateful for.
This gel also works well when applied to under-the-skin spots and help to make them disappear so they never come to fruition. When it comes to blemishes there is no such thing as a miracle treatment, however I can hand on heart say that this is the best zit zapping treatment I’ve ever tried.
I love how gentle this treatment gel is on my skin and that it doesn’t leave my skin broken and crusty (disgusting I know) as sometimes the broken skin around a blemish ends up looking worse than the original blemish especially when applying concealer in a bid to ‘conceal’ any breakouts.
It’s such an effective clearing gel and really does help to reduce any swelling or inflammation surrounding a blemish thus reducing the pain at the same time. I also really like that the gel dries clear and doesn’t leave any noticeable residue on the skin so I can continue to apply makeup over the top should I wish to although my most prefered way to use the Clinique Clinical Clearing Gel is just before bed, by applying a light layer over my problem areas so it can work its magic whilst I sleep.
If you’ve struggled to find a gentle, effective spot treatment than I really cannot recommend the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel enough.. it’s such a good product which really does deliver all that it claims and is a definite repurchase.