Dr. Nick Lowe - becoming my go-to skincare brand. (Dr. Nick Lowe Purifying Foaming Cleanser)

Member Name: mu_reviews4u

Product:	Dr. Nick Lowe Purifying Foaming Cleanser
Date:	24/02/09 (759 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clears skin, Gently exfoliates, Brightens.

Disadvantages: Caused my skin to breakout ever so slightly as it started working. Quite pricey.

I have been using a lot of Dr. Nick Lowes skincare lately, and my most recent purchase has been his "Purifying Foaming Cleanser". It is part of the 'Anti Blemish' range is available from Boots - both online and in store.

Dr. Nick Lowe is an internationally established dermatoligist with over 30 years of experience. He uses cutting edge technology and strongly believe that youthful, healthy skin lies in a simple yet regular skin care regime. He boasts of his 'Cranley Complex' - a 'combination of naturally derived oil-controlling active ingredients and calming agents which target bacteria and regulate over sebum (oil) production'. It all sounds very promising and I have been happy with the results of his other products so I was willing to shell out the case for this one too.

This cleanser promises a deep cleansing action which replenishes and brightens the skin. It is an anti bacterial face wash enriched with his 'Cranley Complex' to deep clean pores and lift daily impurities. It uses gentle exfoliators (chemical, not physical. There are no micro beads or anything in this.) to slough away dead skin cells.
Active ingredients are: Salicylic Acid, Willow Bark and Arnica known for their cutting edge anti-bacterial efficacy, Niacinamide to help target skin that is prone to spots and blemishes and Vitamins A, C and E to 'maximise the skins absorption'.
It claims to leave skin deeply cleansed, refreshed and brighter and is dermatologically tested.

This cleanser is packaged in a simple white bottle with a pump on the top. It has a clear lid to keep it clean and hygenic and is easy to use - one full pump releases just the right amount of foam for each wash. Any infomation and directions needed are also printed on the bottle so you don't need to keep the outer packaging. It has a shelf life of 12months and retails for £9.74 per 150ml.

The "Purifying Foaming Cleanser" has a slight 'medicated' scent, but nothing overpowering at all so I have no complaints there. It has a light, foamy texture that is unlike most of my other cleansers. Lighter and less dense than say, a shaving foam, it spreads easily over the face and doesn't feel sticky or anything. I use every morning and night after splashing my face with warm water. At night I remove all makeup using a cleansing balm prior to washing with this. I press into my skin using firm, circular motions all over or pump a little onto my cleansing brush and work it into the skin that way. As there are no physical exfoliators in this it doesn't really feel like it is doing much but once dried the skin feels soft and smooth. I follow with my regular moisturisers.

I havn't experienced any sensitivity to this product, however it did make me break out a little, but this was somewhat expected by me as I had to take a short course on skincare with my Uni course and discovered that some stronger, more medicated cleansers such as this will penetrate the pores and force any existing dirt / underlaying pimples to the surface quickly - causing your skin to 'purge' before clearing. It makes sense really... I had blocked pores to begin with and this product brought them all to the surface at the same time. Either way, it's not a problem as they went away in a few days leaving behind clear, uncongested skin :-)

Since this initial breakout my skin has cleared up a lot! I find that my breakouts are a lot more sporadic now and my skin looks and feels a lot nicer all over.
It has really smoothed, exfoliated and tightened my skin leaving it cleaner and more brighter. Teamed with my Dr. Nick Lowe spot gel this product has worked really well on my skin. I still use a physical, grainy exfoliator once or twice a week to really renew the skin, but this definately does it's job.

Overall it is easy to use, relatively cheap (I will update with how long one bottle lasts, used twice daily) with great effects. I recommend it to anyone with slightly problem skin! Although I have found it can be ever so slightly drying (probably due to the Salicylic Acid) so be sure to moisturise lots too.

Summary: A+