Review: La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo [+]*

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo [+]* | £15.50

It's the product that's had the blogosphere going wild and everyone and their cat has probably had dozens of mixed words to say about it but recently, I was privileged enough to be sent the masterpiece that is the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo [+] by Escentual and was kindly given the opportunity to review it on my blog. The regular La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo has been a complete skin saviour for me. My skin has transformed so rapidly since using it for the first time when I received it as a Christmas gift so when I was given the chance to try out the newly improved product I couldn't resist and I knew before I even applied it to my skin that I would love it and rely on it to make my skin gleaming.

My first impressions were well and truly correct. The packaging is identical to the ordinary La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo and the colour and the consistency is pretty much the same (although I would say this is a little more clearer once tested on the skin; as the picture shows). The only difference being; this one has been updated to not only help your troublesome skin but is specifically formulated to target the key signs of oily, blemish prone skin and intends on correcting the appearance of blemishes and unclogging your pores. Within the first couple of uses, you start to see nothing but positive results. As you most probably know by now (I think I do complain about my troublesome skin way too much!) I have suffered with spots, blemishes and oily skin since I was a teen. Over the years, this has resulted in scarring, unwanted imperfections and clogged pores due to sebum from the excess oil and the lack of proper cleansing. That was a real problem for me, until I discovered this genius brand. Often enough I have my breakouts, depending on my lifestyle choices and 'that' time of the month (you know the issue here girls!) but they never last as long as they used to do. This has fixed that good and proper! 

I must honestly say this is another miracle worker. It lives up to the intentions and does exactly what it says on the tin. I use a tiny amount at the end of my skincare routine on a morning and a night and use it in place of moisturiser as I don't want my skin to be too overloaded leading on to more oil and this does still act like a moisturiser, leaving your skin feeling soft, fresh and fully clean. I find that a little goes a long way, I have only just finished my first and I got that in December (fantastic timing to be sent another, it's like the lovely people at Escentual knew I had run out). You have to be careful not to apply too much as you don't need to, to feel the benefits. The main pro for the Effaclar Duo is its specialty in preventing those large spots from appearing; this eliminates them before they can rise up into the skin. The Effaclar Duo [+] is not only amazing for controlling spots and shine, the added bonuses in comparison to the other is trustworthy as I have noticed a real reduction in visible redness, especially if I apply a tiny bit more onto the problematic areas. The long term marks and scarring are nowhere near as aggressive or noticeable than they were a few months ago and I truly believe it is all down to this helpful product. 

Moving on to how it feels on the skin. The La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo [+] is so lightweight on the face and that's what I love about it, it feels like you're not wearing anything whilst it is in fact taking action. It is non sticky, has a delicate and pleasant scent and sinks in easily without you needing to put much effort into application. It is rather brilliant how quickly and effectively this gets to work, you don't have to wait a long while to see an everlasting outcome like most products. It has solved my worries and paranoia of having bad skin and I can look in the mirror without makeup plastered over my face and feel confident with my skin. I can't thank the developers enough!

Bioderma Skincare Sample Set*

I know this was supposed to be a review on the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo [+] but I just had to show you all the adorable, teeny Bioderma samples that were included in my package. I only expected the one product but when I opened the box to find a big bag full of samples I was so pleased and appreciative. These are going to come in so handy for all occasions; I've always wanted to try out Bioderma products so I can join in with the buzz and having samples is much better than buying the full sized product instead and then realizing it doesn't actually work for you! I haven't got round to trying them yet but once I do start using these samples, I will most probably do a review on what I'm loving and what justice they do for the skin if that's what my lovely readers would like to see!

Let me know if that is a post you'd like to read and feel free to inform me of your thoughts on the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo [+] if you've had the chance to try it out. Oh, and happy March! February seemed to whiz by in a whirl, wow. I can't believe how fast it went but I guess every month is a new month and I have a few plans I'm really looking forward to this month!

*the products shown were sent to me for review purposes but all opinions are my own