The first thing you notice on forking out a not insubstantial sum for the Clinique clarifying lotion is how uninspiring the bottle is. It is very plain, with a green theme throughout, and unadorned by fancy images. I suppose you could argue that given the high quality of the product itself there is little need for the company to try to impress buyers with unnecessary adornment.

I rarely use clarifying products of this kind, even though I think I have a good skin care routine. At the end of the day I tend to use a cleansing lotion to remove make up, and a cleansing wipe to remove the excess. I tend use a gentle exfoliator and finish off by applying moisturiser. I noticed at the beginning of this year however, probably owing to exam stress, that I was developing more spots and blemishes than usual. I need a product that would rectify this, so I decide to try a trusted brand. I purchased the lotion online and paid around £13 for a mid-size bottle.

The lotion itself has approximately the same viscosity as water, so you do have to be careful when dispensing it on to a pad that you don't overestimate the quantity emerging and spill any excess. Having said that the opening in the bottle is very small, so you can better control the emergence of the product even though you do have to be mindful not to squeeze it too hard.

Most of the skincare products I use have either no smell at all (the Simple range) or have a natural fruity or floral scent (such as St Ives exfoliating products). For some reason this puts me at ease, as in neither case do I feel I am putting harmful chemicals on the delicate skin of my face. I had expected the clarifying liquid to be devoid of scent, but in fact it disappointed me by smelling of some kind of medical product you might find in a doctor's surgery. The smell is not overwhelming by any means - it is more a dilute, medicinal sort of aroma, but still I was not keen on it.

You use the product by applying it to a pad or cotton cushion of some kind, then working it gently into the face. The lotion is intended to rid the pores of small amounts of grease and dirt that accumulate, with the aid of micro-beads. The problem I found was that as the liquid is absorbed quickly by the pad, the cotton can irritate your skin after a time. It also means the micro beads work with relatively little liquid to accompany their action.

I used the liquid religiously for perhaps two months, once a day. I did notice that I developed slightly fewer spots, but then again I was under less stress by then, so cannot say that this was not the responsible factor. I do use the liquid every now and then, but I much prefer my Simple and natural-smelling skin products, and my purse does, too.