Una Brennan Superfacialist Anti-Blemish Line

I was extremely happy to hear that Una Brennan Superfacialist were launching an anti-blemish line as I really rate their products; I may even go as far as to say that Superfacialist is probably my favourite high-street skincare line so the arrival of anti-blemish products has been a long time coming.  The reason I like them so much is because they don’t muck about and they’re designed to seriously deliver – the somewhat controversial Neroli mask is a good example of this – and I like products that do as they promise and don’t take the mickey with their pricing.

The two new products that form the Anti-Blemish line so far are a mask and a scrub; the mask is called the Pore Purifying Clay Mask and the scrub is the Anti-Blemish Purifying and Refreshing Facial Scrub. Both products have two key ingredients in their formulas, Vitamin B3 and Salicylic Acid, both of which are proven to be effective in the battle against spots. I’m personally a huge fan of Salicylic Acid as it’s one of the only known acids that can effectively cut through the glue-like oil that is often the case of spots, plus it’s anti-inflammatory meaning it’s likely to sooth rather than make the problem worse.  Salicylic Acid comes from Aspirin so if you have any issues with Aspirin then you’ll need to avoid these products.

Since I’m now in my thirties I’m trying to avoid any kind of manual exfoliation and stick with chemical (manual being scrubby, chemical being acid-based) as I’m now not only battling spots but also fragile skin that needs to be treated carefully.  I would say if you’re under 25 then you probably have skin that is tough enough to handle a bit of manual exfoliation, and if you’re spot-prone then this one is a very good bet; I’ve only tried it on my hand but I would say it’s comparable to Clinique’s Exfoliating Scrub which was pretty much my all-time favourite scrub for my late teens and early twenties as it cannot be beaten as a skin-smoother.  The Anti-Blemish Purifying and Refreshing Facial Scrub is a nice balance of chemical and manual exfoliation, so if you like a facial scrub that really packs a punch then I’d say give this a go.  Now onto the star product which is the creamy and soothing yet extremely powerful Pore Purifying Clay Mask.  You will need to tread carefully with this is you’re sensitive as it really is strong, but my word do you see a difference after use! I included this in my triple threat facial over the weekend (yes I’m now obsessed with triple threat facials) and this left my skin noticeable clearer.  I actually applied it, let it set for 10 minutes then did the washing up with it on which loosened it a bit; it isn’t the easiest to remove since it’s quite clay-heavy, but totally, totally worth it.  Both products are available at Boots stores and will soon launch at Boots online where they’ll be £8.99 each.

*PR Sample