La Roche-Posay Effaclar

On a trip to Boots the other week I wanted to find the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo treatment as I had read great things about it on a few blogs and thought I should give it a try. When I got to Boots not only was I very glad to see they had  Effaclar Duo in stock but they also had an offer on, two La Roche-Posay Effeclar products could be purchased for fifteen quid, seeing as the Effaclar Duo is £13 on its own I couldn't resist so also picked up the Effaclar Astringent Lotion Micro-Exfoliant which is normally £11. 

In my skincare routine I use the Effaclar Astringent Lotion as a toner after my cleanser and I then go on to use the Effaclar Duo treatment before moisturising. I've been using these for a couple of weeks now so I don't really know if the full effect of the products has kicked in but I thought I'd let you know my first impressions... 

To be honest I'm marginally disappointed, particularly in the Effaclar Duo. With all the hype surrounding this product I think I expected too much. I wanted to apply it to my face and wake up looking like Candice Swanepoel, instead I just woke up looking like me and the pesky couple of spots on my chin were still shining like beacons. Since using the treatment I have broken out more on my chin and around my mouth but I am not blaming the product for this at all, I think its more due to a week of binge drinking and lack of vegetables (student life) but I did think using this would have helped my break out and it really hasn't :(. Now my week of alcoholism is over I am resuming a healthier lifestyle which will perhaps give the treatment more of a fair chance on my face so I'll stick with it and see if I start to love this product as much as others do. 

Moving on to the Effaclar Astringent Lotion Micro-Exfoliant, unnecessarily long name if you ask me, my general feeling towards to the toner is that it's (unenthusiastically) alright. The astringent lotion is the only product I use on my face with alcohol in it and so it feels a little stingy when it goes over my problem areas although I kind of like this as it makes it feel like its working. It leaves my skin feeling extremely clean, almost too clean, and after using I do feel like I need to put a lot of nourishment back into my face because I think the product might be a little harsh. To be fair to it though I do think it's controlling any oiliness in my face which is deffo a plus point and so, as with the effaclar duo, I'll continue using it. To be honest I think this product will be really good in the warmer months when my face is much oilier.

So there you have it, I neither love nor hate these products but will persevere with them for a while and when I eventually get round to doing a post on my skincare routine the test will be whether these two appear!