With the winter season comes the fear of dry skin that screams “moisturise me!” But if you’re one of the few that finds winter to be a welcome absorbent of your oily, blemish-prone skin, French dermatological brand La Roche-Posay’s Effaclar collection of skincare products, will be the answer to your challenged complexion prayers.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Cleansing Gel
Effaclar Cleansing Gel: This cleansing gel is one of the essentials for any sort of impurity the skin may have. It’s gentle, so even those with sensitive skin can use it both morning and night. It’s a must have, especially considering it is suggested that to get the maximum benefit from the Effaclar system to work, it is an integral part of the routine. The foamy texture gets into your skin and leaves it feeling clean, while maintaining the natural pH balance of the skin leaving it feeling soft to the touch. The Effaclar Cleansing Gel retails at £11.00
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Lotion
Effaclar Clarifying Lotion: The word lotion might give you the wrong impression of this product. It’s actually a micro-exfoliant astringent that helps get rid of excess oil on your skin. It can leave your skin a bit red when you first start using it but it definitely helps to remove excess oils and neutralises shine. It just takes a little bit of cotton wool to apply, morning and evening, and it may leave you a grimacing at the amount of dirt and oils it pulls from your pores. It works great with the cleansing gel and leaves your skin feeling clean. The Effaclar Clarifying Lotion retails at £11.00
La Roche-Posay Serozinc Matifying Mist Toner
Serozinc Matifying Mist Toner: This is THE best product for those who are in a rush with their skin care regime. It’s a sprayable toner that saves a ton of time in the morning if you’re just trying to get rid of the extra shine on your face. It leaves the skin matted and firmer feeling, a quick spritz (don’t forget to close your eyes) and a few minutes of drying (while you’re getting ready) and viola! you’re done. The Serozinc Matifying Mist Toner retails at £8.50
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo
Effaclar Duo: The Effaclar Duo is an award-winning moisturiser for La Roche-Posay. It was hands down my favourite moisturizer to use on a daily basis. It put my make-up primer to shame when it came to holding powder foundation and it leaves the skin feeling dreamy; you’ll find yourself petting your cheeks on a regular basis. It also helps to remove imperfections from the skin such as blemishes and brown spots. This paired with the Cleansing Gel and the Clarifying Lotion make up the Effaclar 3-Step Anti-Blemish System, highly recommended if you need a basic beauty routine that will enhance your skin and help fight off blemishes. They became my most used three products. The Effaclar Duo retails at £15.50
Effaclar K [+]: A recent introduction to the line, Effaclar K [+] is additional moisturiser from La Roche-Posay. This product became my go-to essential in the evening to leave on my skin for the night. It’s an anti-sebum product used to tackle oxidisation of the skin which can lead to imperfections such as blackheads, shine, clogged pores and irregular skin texture. This was my essential product to use on the harder to remove pimples and blackheads. It shrunk my stress-induced pimples almost overnight and, over the course of a couple of weeks it basically, sucked the blackheads out of my skin. It leaves skin with the same texture as the Effaclar Duo but seems to be better for more problematic skin. Effaclar K [+] retails at £14.90
by Anna Coughlan
La Roche-Posay’s Effaclar is available online or from pharmacies such as John Bell & Croydon and selected branches of Boots in the UK
In January, La Roche-Posay launches Effaclar BB Blur which is available from Escentual.com although there is already a waiting list for it