As some of you may remember, a few weeks back I decided to try out a couple of items from the highly acclaimed La Roche-Posay skincare line. My beloved Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser had run out, and I'd become lazy in my skincare regime, often resorting to make up wipes as a pose to a proper cleanser (slaps wrist) . I'd decided to purchase some new skincare goodies after experiencing a few bad breakouts, particularly around the forehead area, and with a quick fix needed but no Liz Earle stockists near by, I headed to my local Boots store. After perused the aisles for a few minutes feeling deflated as I'd tried a number of the products but had no luck, until I spotted La Roche-Posay. First off, I didn't even realise Boots stocked the brand. With such an exotic (well, French) professional sounding name I 'd always thought this was an item only to be found in High End pharmacies and department stores, and the pharmacies on the streets of France. I'd heard so many good things about this brand, mainly from the beauty blogging/vlogging world so I decided to give a couple of the 'Effaclar' products a whirl: The Purifying Foaming Gel cleanser and the Mat moisturiser.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar: Purifying Foaming Gel For Oily Sensitive Skin - 200ml £10.21 - Boots
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat: Anti Shine Anti Enlarged Pores Moisturiser - 40ml rrp £15 but can't find on Boots site!
I'm going to get straight to the point and tell you honestly that neither of these have worked for me in the slightest, which I'm really disappointed with because the products themselves are really lovely to use. I'm unsure whether it's one item in particular or the pair together that isn't agreeing with me, as I haven't tried them alone, but after around 3-4 weeks of using them I've given up and gone back to Liz Earle. It's not that they were making my skin worse, but more the fact that they weren't making it any better. My breakout didn't even start to budge until I switched back to my old routine, meaning my teenage skin was sticking around. The uneven, bumpy state of my skin was almost 'maintained' throughout my use of the products, but I know many people who use this and HAVE seen huge improvements with their skin, so I would still recommend trying it if you are unsure.
My skin is combination: Pretty normal but sometimes dry around the cheeks, but can get very oily throughout the T Zone (forehead, nose and sometimes chin), hence my choice of the two La Roche-Posay Effaclar products. Both are designed for oily sensitive skin, which I seem to have, and I know of people with very similar skin to mine who swear by these products (making it even more annoying that they seemed to have no effect on me). However, like I said, the use and feel of the two items is really nice. I really like the gel cleanser, how it foams up easily and the skin feels clean and fresh afterwards, and the moisturiser come makeup primer has a lovely satin feel to it which is light and delicate. The only problem I had with the moisturiser itself was that it did leave a couple of dry patches every now and then on my cheeks and even hands after using for a few days, so definitely not one for those with dry skin!
It's such a shame that these didn't work out for me, but I'm determined to give them another shot separately somewhere down the line to pinpoint which was the problem product. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the La Roche-Posay Effaclar line and if you had any similar issues! I've learnt a valuable lesson from this - don't always believe the hype!
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat: Anti Shine Anti Enlarged Pores Moisturiser - 40ml rrp £15 but can't find on Boots site!
I'm going to get straight to the point and tell you honestly that neither of these have worked for me in the slightest, which I'm really disappointed with because the products themselves are really lovely to use. I'm unsure whether it's one item in particular or the pair together that isn't agreeing with me, as I haven't tried them alone, but after around 3-4 weeks of using them I've given up and gone back to Liz Earle. It's not that they were making my skin worse, but more the fact that they weren't making it any better. My breakout didn't even start to budge until I switched back to my old routine, meaning my teenage skin was sticking around. The uneven, bumpy state of my skin was almost 'maintained' throughout my use of the products, but I know many people who use this and HAVE seen huge improvements with their skin, so I would still recommend trying it if you are unsure.
My skin is combination: Pretty normal but sometimes dry around the cheeks, but can get very oily throughout the T Zone (forehead, nose and sometimes chin), hence my choice of the two La Roche-Posay Effaclar products. Both are designed for oily sensitive skin, which I seem to have, and I know of people with very similar skin to mine who swear by these products (making it even more annoying that they seemed to have no effect on me). However, like I said, the use and feel of the two items is really nice. I really like the gel cleanser, how it foams up easily and the skin feels clean and fresh afterwards, and the moisturiser come makeup primer has a lovely satin feel to it which is light and delicate. The only problem I had with the moisturiser itself was that it did leave a couple of dry patches every now and then on my cheeks and even hands after using for a few days, so definitely not one for those with dry skin!
It's such a shame that these didn't work out for me, but I'm determined to give them another shot separately somewhere down the line to pinpoint which was the problem product. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the La Roche-Posay Effaclar line and if you had any similar issues! I've learnt a valuable lesson from this - don't always believe the hype!
I've been using the Effeclar Duo for about a month/6 weeks. It's kind of like a cream/moisturiser but I feel like it's really helped with my breakouts. It kind of makes them worse at the start before it starts making them better so you do have to put up with that for a few days.
ReplyDeleteShame it didn't work for you. I was really keen to try out more of the range too!
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A few people have recommended the duo so I may have to give that a try too!
DeleteI use Effaclar Micellar water and Effaclar Duo every morning/evening and they have been miracle products for my skin! I strongly, strongly recommend them.
ReplyDeleteI haven't used it, but my younger sister used the Foaming Gel cleanser and absolutely hated it. She said it didn't do anything for her skin and was just kind of bleh all around.
I'm sorry that the Mat Anti-Shine didn't work! I was actually thinking about ordering it (they don't sell it in my area of the States) but I will avoid it now.
A side note on the Effaclar Duo: Make sure that you get the one that is made in France, not the U.S. version. They are totally different products, and the U.S. made version is just awful. It doesn't work and it dried my skin out fierce!
Thanks for the tips! Will look into the Duo as many people have been saying I should try it! Hopefully will have better luck with that one :) x
DeleteFunny you should post this today, i've just walked home from the apotheke having bought some. Pretty excited to use it, but like you say, will be gutted if it doesn't do anything for my skin!
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting to read they didn't work for you, especially as the brand has only been hailed as a miracle so far. I recently went a few days without using my Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser and I'm in the midst of a massive and unpleasant break out. I wonder if that could have been the reason for your bad patch? No pun intended :D Do try the Effaclar Duo. It's really reduced my breakouts, almost entirely. I've been using it with my Liz Earle cleanser.
ReplyDeleteThe thing you need to remember is that skin is a very complex organ and differs from person to person, so unsurprisingly products will work for some and not others. Unless something is universally panned then I would not be discouraged from using a product that has a couple of bad reviews in the midst of many good reviews.
ReplyDeleteI've never really had much trouble with spots until recently (i'm in my early 30's and male)so I've just tried the foam wash and Effaclar Duo, so far so good and without sounding a bit too "poncy" the Effaclar Duo left my skin feeling really soft and matt, definitely recommended!