My skin is usually clear, thanks, I think, to a good cleansing and toning regime. However, I still have problems with blackheads, which are basically plugs of sebum and other muck, which lie beneath the surface of the skin and appear to be black until removed, when they are more of a greeny brown colour (well, mine are!).

I have tried a few solutions over the years, mainly squeezing them out or using a torture device from The Body Shop otherwise known as a blackhead remover. However, this can harm the skin and when I noticed that I was getting burst blood vessels in the crease of my nose, I knew it was time to look for something else. Biore pore strips are perhaps the best known, but they are incredibly expensive for what they are, so when I came across this Beauty Formulas brand in my local Poundland, I was more than willing to give them a try.

Like other brands of pore strips, these claim to remove blackheads and tighten pores, as well as removing bacteria and other dirt to ensure a healthier skin. There are six strips in a box, packaged up in a foil packet and attached to a piece of plastic, presumably to stop them from sticking to all and sundry. The strips are butterfly-shaped, which may sound strange, but they are designed to fit into the groves of the nose and actually do so rather well. I have also used them on my chin successfully, although there are other pore strips available for other parts of the skin.

The strips are coated with a substance made up of glycerin, kaolin and witch hazel extract, along with a host of other chemicals that I am not familiar with. I have never had a reaction to the strips, but obviously, if you have sensitive skin, you will want to treat with caution, checking the ingredients before using. I presume it is the kaolin that hardens when the strip is wet with water, enabling the strip to stick to the skin and grasp hold of the blackheads. There is no smell to them and the strips have been dermatologically tested and they are hypo-allergenic.

I usually use the strip after a shower when my skin is clean and the heat from the water has opened my pores up a little. The instructions advise applying the strip to clean and damp skin anyway - I always find the damper the better, because that way the strip sticks evenly to the skin. The strip should then be left on the skin for ten to fifteen minutes, whereupon it should have hardened. It feels a bit like a very thin piece of plaster of paris.

Once the time is up, it should be peeled off the skin from the edges, carefully, but fairly quickly. Sometimes bits of the substance are left on the skin, but most of it should come off with the strip. Then comes the fun bit. It isn't always immediately obvious and you may need to take the strip to a source of direct sunlight, but you should be able to see tiny plugs of a light greeny brown colour, particularly in those areas where blackheads are most prevalent. If you want to see a picture (I'm not showing you mine!), look up blackhead on Wikipedia.

I follow this up with a toner to ensure that all the gunk is of my skin and I then apply a moisturiser, because my skin tends to feel a little tight. I can usually see the results immediately - my pores look cleaner and tighter - and they really feel as if they have received a deep clean. The instructions recommend using the product once or twice a week, no more than three times - I've found once a week is enough to keep my blackheads at bay and my pores are definitely more refined.

As with most products, there are a couple of disadvantages. The main one is that it doesn't remove all blackheads at once, although I have found that after two or three tries, they do eventually come out. Then there is the large amount of packaging. I understand it is necessary to keep the strips from sticking to anything, but I am always amazed at how much rubbish is left. A final concern, which isn't so relevant to strips used on the nose, but I do sometimes use them on my chin and I always worry that they may be pulling out hairs along with the blackheads. Could I eventually end up with whiskers?! I know I haven't so far, but it does worry me a little.

These are by far the best brand of pore strips that I have ever used. Other brands just don't seem to work anywhere near as well - and the fact that this brand is so cheap is an added bonus, because other brands are just too expensive for me to use on a regular basis. And provided you can get hold of them at just a £1 or a similar price, it really is worth a try. Highly recommended.