I’ve not been happy with my skin for some time now so I’ve finally decided I need to step outside my comfort zone of always using Dermalogica and try some new brands and products to tackle my issues. Unfortunately I have a whole host of issues including very dry/ dull skin, redness, sensitivity but my biggest issue is my massive pores, which is where I thought I’d start….
I asked skincare expert Jasmine at Jasmine Harding Makeup for some advice as that girl has one serious skincare collection and knows her stuff. Jasmine recommended I try a product with salicylic acid in to help reduce my pores and suggested a few brands to try, one of them being Murad.
During my hours of scouring the net I discovered the Murad Skin Smoothing Polish. It contained saliylic acid and received fantastic reviews so I thought it was worth a go. Plus I was running low on my usually exfoliator so I thought “two birds with one stone” and all that.
I must say I do love a good exfoliation of the skin. It leaves you skin silky soft, brighter and helps give you a nice smooth base to apply your foundation to. I’ve been a user of Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant for years and love it, so I have never had a reason to try something new until now.
Murad say that their Skin Smoothing Polish:
“Removes dry, dull skin and clears pores. Is a rich polishing scrub removes embedded impurities, without stripping skin of natural moisture. Helps relieve congestion with deep exfoliation that leaves skin soft, smooth and polished.”
Among its ingredients are micro-polishing beads that deeply exfoliate and help to unclog pores and reduce blackheads, as well as hazel and cinnamon extract which visibly tighten pores and balance oil production – although, I was concerned about the last few ingredients as I have very sensitive skin and I read that these could aggravate them.
Murad Skin Smoothing Polish is a pale pink thick cream with the usual grittiness you find in most exfoliators. Compared to the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant it felt very rough and abrasive on my skin when rubbed in which I didn’t like, but it did make my skin feel softer, was easy to rinse off and it didn’t leave any sticky residue. I would like to add here that it wasn’t any rougher than most exfoliators, just compared to the Daily Microfoliant as that exfoliator is particularly gentle.
I was super happy that it didn’t irritate my sensitive skin which is a major plus for me, and anyone else who suffers from sensitive skin will know how important that is. More importantly I could see a reduction in my pore size afterwards, which was my main objective. Result. Unfortunately the improvement doesn’t last long – by the following day they are the size of a crater again! I’ve been using the Murad Skin Smoothing Polish 2- 3 times a week but only for about 2 weeks, so I’m hoping maybe over time it may keep the results for longer.
Someone else has also said I need to address why my pores are enlarged which could be due to dryness (which I know I have), so I have also just ordered a cleanser, toner and moisturiser from Pai which I’ve heard great things about, so expect to see lots more skin care posts coming up!
Do you have any skincare suggestions for me to help with my redness/ dry skin/ pores?
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