Clinique Pore Minimising Thermal-Active Skin Refiner

RRP: £22 for 75ml

--What does the promo say?--
"Heats on contact with water to open pores, dislodge debris. Then polish away skin-dulling flakes with an exclusive complex of six gentle, effective exfoliants.
Skin feels wonderfully smooth, incredibly clean. And pores look noticeably smaller—instantly, and over time."

--Packaging--
My sample is in a pink squeezy tube with a green plastic lid, but the real thing is even more promising: a daring purple tube with a classy metal screw-top lid. It fits in nicely with the Clinique brand, adorned of course with the huge trademark Clinique logo in black.

--Usage instructions--
You only need minimal moisture for this to do its job - I found that if you use it in the shower it almost melts away! So - over the sink, dampen your face using cleanser or a flannel. Squeeze out a small amount of the pore minimiser and rub into the areas that need the most attention (usually the cheeks and nose, but sometimes also the chin). Wash off using a damp flannel.

--Appearance--
The pore minimiser is a sort of duck-egg colour, and appears slightly grainy from the exfoliating beads. It's also very stiff, which can make it difficult to squeeze from the tube. On the face, no visible residue is left.

--Sensation--
It does heat up quite rapidly on contact with moisture, and it can feel slightly prickly. I wouldn't recommend using this if your skin is feeling a bit sensitive or raw for whatever reason, as it can almost hurt if you're feeling a bit fragile! However, most people shouldn't experience discomfort, and the skin feels very smooth and clean after exfoliation.

--Short-term effects--
Pores do appear visibly reduced and smoothened almost immediately after use.

--Long-term effects--
However, despite the impressive short-term results, long-term I noticed no real difference, despite using this every morning for weeks. My pores are still quite visible, both with and without makeup.

--Value for money--
The lack of long-term effects mean that I wouldn't buy this again; however, knowing the high quality of and generally excellent results provided by Clinique's products usually, I wouldn't rule out trying other products from the Pore Minimising range.

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