Fancy A Little Strip? (Ponds Clear Pore Strips)

Member Name: BestMum

Product:	Ponds Clear Pore Strips
Date:	19/06/02 (1329 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Skin feels refreshed afterwards, Good as a one-off pampering purchase

Disadvantages: Tricky to apply correctly, Expensive, Hurts!

I hate waxing. Why would anybody want to put themselves through so much pain for so little relative gain, unless you're that way inclined of course, but that's not me, sorry! I have recurring nightmares of visiting a beauty salon and being told to relax as hot wax is applied to my legs. Suddenly the lovely beautician is replaced by Jeremy Beadle who carefully places a cloth strip on my legs over the wax, looks directly into my eyes and says in a soft seductive voice, "Are you ready for it? Do you want it, do you want me to do it now?" So now you know why I won't go near the stuff, too many memories! But I wanted to try something new and so I thought what the heck, I'll try anything once.

What has all this got to do with the product you may ask. Well Ponds Clear Pore Strips remind me of waxing. It works on a similar principle: wet strip, apply to nose, leave to dry, rip off. Not much difference really.

What are blackheads?
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Blackheads are caused by over active sebaceous glands (the oil producing glands of the skin). The excess oil expands and thickens the pores of the skin. The oil then collects in the pores and hardens. The pores then become clogged with the hardened oil. Since the pores are open, the tip of the clogged grease is exposed to the air and oxidises, turning black. Results - blackheads!

About the product
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This product should clear your nose of blackheads and other nasties living in the centre of your face for all to see. It's a shaped strip that when placed on the nose and left to dry, removes said nasties and leaves your nose feeling clean and refreshed and pores unblocked.

Instructions
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Make sure your face is nice and clean. Decide which side of the strip is the smooth shiny side; I find this quite difficult actually. They are too similar and I end up just guessing which side is the cor
rect side. Try holding them under a strong light, it makes it a little easier I'm told.

Once you've decided, moisten the strip by first wetting your finger and then running it over the smooth shiny side of the strip. Then dry your hands. Apply the strip, wet side down, over your nose. You should find that it is shaped so it fits well, even on a generously proportioned one like mine! Make sure its in the correct position, smoothing out any air bubbles. I find its quite slippery and can be quite difficult to position, and quite tricky to make sure that it has good contact with the skin.

Then leave to dry for approx 15 minutes. During this time it should turn very stiff. Be warned, don't try to laugh..it hurts!

When the time is up, it has to come off. Now the only way to do this is to remove it very slowly as you want it to remove as much grime as possible. Start at the edge, obviously, and slowly peel away. It does hurt but its over quite quickly! If you find that its extremely painful to remove, you can actually wet the strip which should help to free it from the skin.

Included in the box is a basic instruction leaflet to help you on your way.

Results
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Once you've removed it you can study the results on the strip. Hold it up flat, to eye level and you'll see lots of little pointy things that have been wrenched from your skin. Quite amazing really. You may think you've got a clean nose until you try one of these.

So when the strip is removed, I find I have a very shiny, very red, stinging nose. And it feels like its suffering with pins and needles. This sensation lasts around five minutes but at least its clean; apart from the odd one or two missed bits but you can always do it again the week after. Its recommended to use only one strip per week, but you can use them more often if necessary, as long as you don't use more than three strips per w
eek.

If you don't want to have to put yourself through this on a regular basis, make sure you cleanse and moisturise your skin thoroughly morning and evening, using a facial scrub whenever needed.

You can't use them on pimples, sunburned or overly dry skin so be careful during the summer months.

Conclusion
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They are a little on the pricey side at £5.99 for 6. I find them quite fiddly to position and the longer you're fiddling the stickier it gets until it becomes near impossible! I really bought them as a one-off for the novelty value, and because I had enough points on my Boots Advantage card and I wanted to treat myself. Suffice to say that if I had to pay for them outright I wouldn't bother and just stick to a thorough cleansing routine.

Manufacturer: Elida Faberge Ltd
Price £5.99 for 6 strips

Summary: