Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel

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I received this product from Beauty Bulletin about 3 weeks ago and was super excited to be selected as part of the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel Review Club. First time as a part of a BB Review Club. I've used Clinique skin care products before, and although there are very few that I like (The City Block Sheer Oil-Free Daily Face Protector SPF 25 can stay!), I'd totally spend a little extra on their makeup.

The texture is nice - light and easily absorbed, and the packaging is simple and "clean", but not ideal for preservation of the product. The bottle is a firm/hard plastic and unless you can squeeze some out and close it while holding that squeeze without letting more product out, air will get in, and render the product less effective over time. Common problem, that. 

I'm not sure if I'm more disappointed in this product or myself. When I got the news that I'd be receiving it, I Googled my ass off in search of ingredients. Think page 5 of Google search results...where English seemed scarce. No luck, so I had to wait until I had it in my hands. I was very excited about the inclusion of salicylic acid and a few other beneficial ingredients, but this is overshadowed by the use of alcohol and witch hazel which are known skin irritants. Alcohol makes up most of this product and it is very apparent upon opening the product. My heart sank when I saw that alcohol was the first ingredient. Sigh. But neither that nor the addition of witch hazel stopped me from putting it on my face. And I totally regret it.

These pics are not edited in any way, and I clearly haven't mastered all this selfie bs.

I had a mild breakout with one very noticeable blemish below my nose when I started using this. Although the most noticeable blemish was somewhat diminished the next day, I had more noticeable blemishes than before I started using the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel, including that little monster on my cheek (top right pic). After using this on my entire face, twice a day, for 2 days with much discomfort, I tried using it as a spot treatment for the next 5 days, with no improvement. Using this product had senstitized my skin and I had to deal with breakouts, redness and flakiness. I stopped using the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel after 7 days of use, and 5 days after that my skin was almost clear, except for that little bugger (top right on image). The mark is still visible, but I haven't been able to feel it since about 4 days after ceasing to use the Anti-Blemish gel.

Needless to say, I won't be recommending this product. I've had more success with Tea Tree oil. The Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel retails at R230 for 15ml, and R350 for 30ml.*

Ingredients (as it appears on packaging):
Alcohol Denat.
Water\Aqua\Eau

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel)
Salicylic Acid
Laminaria Saccharina Extract
Sea Whip Extract
Butylene Glycol
Benzalkonium Chloride

Miss B

*prices are correct according to clinique.co.za at the time of publishing