The skincare heroes that saved my face

Chin boulder, be gone...

The glowy clear skin I’ve been enjoying of late decided to go awol last week. Could be end-of-pregnancy hormones, could be all the full-fat Coke and chocolate Digestives I’ve been mainlining. Either way, I was not willing to accessorise my giant cankles and bloated sausage fingers with huge swollen chin spots too. Immediate action was required — and the results were too good not to share.

The problem:

Congested pores, mainly on my chin, with a giant spot brewing under the surface. You know the ones you can feel coming, gently pulsing and ready to erupt? The skin round my nose was also clogged and dry, and my face in general looked dull and grey.

The toolkit:

Superdrug me+ Salicylic Acid & Ceramides Cleanser, £7.99

Firstly, I switched my usual oil based cleanser to this salicylic acid one to help clear my congestion — the addition of ceramides ensures it doesn’t leave skin dry and uncomfortable. I really rate this range from Superdrug, btw — definitely worth checking out.

Beauty Pie Super Pore Purifying Black Clay Mask, £12.05 (to members)

This is my favourite face mask of all time. It completely unclogs and exfoliates skin, leaving it clear, even and glowing immediately. I used it twice in one week to really clear out my pores and it made a huge difference. I’m planning a more in-depth post about Beauty Pie as the membership concept can be a bit tricky to get your head round at first, but they have some brilliant products and I’ve tested out a lot of them now.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ Anti-Blemish Moisturiser, £16.99

Even if you only get one giant spot a year, you should have this in your skincare arsenal. As soon as I felt my chin breakout brewing, I applied this nightly and it stopped it in its tracks. There’s no other product I know that’s capable of doing that. You hardly need any to treat small areas so it lasts ages, but it can also be used all over if you suffer from acne — it has rave reviews for treating severe breakouts as well as the odd spot.

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And that’s it — three wonder products that saved my skin, all reasonably priced and long-lasting; two non-negotiable boxes I want all my skincare to tick now. I’d even been considering splashing out on a facial as a quick fix, so it’s especially pleasing to find accessible alternatives that really work.