Friday, 25 March 2011

Pore-tastic!

Apologies for the awful title.
I know a few of you having been anxiously waiting for the arrival of this post and I must apologise for how late it is! Anyway, I believe that I have found the 4 best instant pore-reducing products - and guess what? They're all under a tenner!
Top Clockwise - Soap and Glory Fab Pore Facial Peel, 17 Photo Flawless Primer, Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid, Natural Collection Rosemary and Witch Hazel Face Mask.

Useless swatches I know but these are in the same order as above.

If you haven't heard of this product then I'll just say, where have you been?! This face mask is amazing because firstly, it doesn't dry the skin out like most pore/oil absorbing face masks. Secondly, it smells beautiful and finally, it works. I apply this for the full 15 minutes recommended and my pores disappear and do not come back for around 3 days! There's nothing more to say about this product except it's so good, and there's not just me saying it!

I can't believe I still haven't done a full review of this product. It is literally A-MAZING! I know that primers are generally expensive and I do believe this is the cheapest one there is but do not be fooled by it's price! This primer is a clear liquid (as you can see in the swatches above) and it feels just like Gosh's primer (which is like a gel/silicone). As soon as this is applied my skin feels velvety soft to touch and it makes applying foundation so much easier. But of course, this post is about pores and I must say - this delivers. Pores are immediately filled in and covered over and all in all, skin looks so much better with this primer applied. I'd say it's the best primer I've ever tried and it becomes a lot better when you see the price.

I've had this foundation for a while now and it's a full coverage foundation that perfects skin by filling in the pores. And it definitely does this. When applying this foundation (I use ELF's Powder Brush) it glides over the skin and makes it look perfect. However the only downside to this foundation is that it doesn't last long. But if you use this with the primer above - match made in heaven!

I grabbed this yesterday when spending my Boots points just because I love face masks. I then drove home, soaked in the bath with this applied to my skin. It's a clay based mask so it dries up and once it's dried, you just remove it. I wasn't expecting much from this face mask to be honest but my pores disappeared after using it. It is aimed at skin that is blemish prone and oily but it never occurred to me that it'd help with my pores. But it does. 

Basically I'd recommend using all of these products together (maybe just one face mask though) to ensure your pores are no longer visible. However, if your budget is tight then the one I'd recommend is as follows:
If you wear a lot of make up I'd recommend Maybelline's Dream Satin Liquid Foundation.
If you do not wear make up or little make up I'd recommend 17's Photo Flawless Primer
If you do not wear make up I'd recommend Soap and Glory's Face Mask
If you're on a really tight budget I'd recommend Natural Collection's Face Mask
However I'd say using them all together gives off a better result.

Please not that these are quick fixes and not long term solutions!
Has anyone tried these products? What other pore-busting products would you recommend?
xxx