Rhamnousia's Recession Raves: Clarity Blackhead Removing Nose Strips

This is the first in the series of blog posts which I hope will carry on all year, I thought now was the best time to start as money is usually tight after Xmas.  You can probably already guess that I started this post a lot earlier in the year than the date on which you're reading it as by now, Christmas is well gone and there have been sightings of Easter Eggs.

I woke up this morning and saw on the BBC News website that the recession was over although I personally think that we have a long way to go before we are as stable as we were before and that this news, albeit is good, is nothing to get too excited about.

Anyway, the basic premis of my recession raves are products which are purse friendly and which work better than their more expensive counterparts.

My recession rave for today is... 

 Superdrug's Clarity Blackhead Removing Nose Strips.

I've been around the world with nose pore strips, trying the most expensive to the cheapest.

The costliest I have ever used were the Biore Ultra Cleansing Pore Strips which came in at a whopping £7.99.  You get 6 in a box and this works out to be £1.34 per strip which is pretty pricey considering you only use it for all of 10 minutes and that you are supposed to use one a week.  They did nothing.

The cheapest I have used are the Clarity Blackhead Removing Nose Strips from Superdrug.  These retail at £3.42 but are currently on offer at £1.49.  You get 5 in a packet and so each one costs you 29p.  That's more acceptable if you ask me.

I didn't hold out much hope for these as recently it seemed as if nose pore strips would never work on me.  I whacked it on my nose after making sure it was wet (the usual palava) and waited 10 minutes.

Take it off and voila, it's actually picked up all the dirt I had on my nose.

You know when you look at the strip and are having mutual feelings of disgust and pleasure? I had that feeling with these babies and was pretty chuffed by how well they had worked.

I'm going to be stocking up on these as they are, in a word, GREAT.

This concludes my first recession rave, my next one is an alternative to Phillip Kingsley's Elasticizer

Review update

I was putting my face on today and realised that my current mascara (which is now no longer HG) wasn't really doing anything for me.  I remembered how thick my lashes were when I used my L'oreal mascara..I also remember that I said I wouldn't buy it because it made my lashes feel hard and that it smelt..so why was I reaching for it this morning?

So, with this in mind I decided to do a review of my reviews.  It' worked out pretty well because I have been using these items and my mind has changed about some as time went on..I think this kind of thing is useful for those of you, who, like me, take ages deciding whether or not to buy something and also equally useful for those who don't want to trawl through all my posts to find out about certain items.

By the way, if you click on the link it will take you to my original review.

Sleek palettes

• Still in love with these, falling more and more in love with them as the days pass.  I don't think theres an occasion where you CAN'T use them.

Benefit Badgal mascara

• Still not loving this, have tried it a few more times since the review but it has done nothing at all for me.

Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara

• Have been teaming this up with the Maybelline Colossal and also using it alone.  I'd still buy it again as it makes my lashes longer.  No patent shine though.

Prestige My Biggest Lashes mascara

• Used this time and time again when I needed knockout lashes and it still works.  I have to remind myself that 2 coats is the magic key.  I'd still buy it again.

 Clearasil Pore Cleansing Pads and Boots Time Delay Balm

• I finished one tub of the cleansing pads and am half way through another.  I won't be buying these again, not because they don't work but because I've found something much better and also that the smell of these is VERY strong.  They're excellent if you have really oily skin and are prone to spots.
• I haven't finished a tub of the Boots balm as I have been using other cleansers but I have three backups which I will get through in time.  If I didn't have them, I'd buy it again.

Urban Decay eye shadows

• I loved these then and I still love them now.  The Illegal shade has been getting some serious love from me recently.  It's nice and matte and is my "my eyes but better" go to shade.  I'm going to incease my collection of these.

Biore Warming Blackhead Fighting Cream Wash

•  This was my lover back then and it still is now.  It's the only face scrub/wash that I've used consistently for more than a week.  I have half left and will buy it again.  The only issue I had with it was the fact that it gave me tiny whiteheads all around my nose..maybe because I used it despite having no blackheads? Anyway, if you do like me and do this, do not fear because I've found a cure..the things I do for you guys!

 MAC paint pot in Indianwood

• I wasn't too happy with how this looked in pics before but assured you guys it looked good IRL..which it did.  I tried it on many times since with varying amounts of UDPP and it just won't stick to my lids.  The colour is gorgeous but I just wish it would stay put! I won't be buying another one of these when the tub is finished.

Boots 17 Bronzed and Gorgeous palette

• Probably my all time fave freebie.  My current HG shadow has well and truly hit pan and I've been using my 17 palette for a while now and I'm loving the goldeny shade in it.  If they brought this out as perm, I'd buy it...or I'd buy £5 worth of products to get it free.

Boots No7 Eyeshadow Colour and Contour brush

• My thoughts on this brush are still exactly the same.  It's the shizz.  It's fluffy (but not too fluffy), it helps you blend like a pro and because the hairs are white, you can tell how much product you've picked up.  I'm buying it again when this one fails me.
  

Anatomicals Help the Paw hand cream and Badger Balm

• Nearly finished one "packet" of handcream and the Balm has well and truly finished.  Glad I bought backups of the hand cream, the sweet smell hasn't put me off yet!  I'd buy the Balm again too.

L'oreal Telescopic Explosion mascara

• I said I wouldn't buy it and honestly, I don't think I would.  It smells funny (this coming from a girl who has both the Colossal and Stiletto) and it made my lashes really really hard.  I wouldn't call it HG as I have Prestige for that so my opinion stays the same.
  

Review: Biore Warming Blackhead Fighting Cream Wash

I've been battling with horrible skin recently and I don't know what's caused it to break out. I've been cleansing my skin everyday and actually looking after it. I'm convinced my nose has dark marks on it even though the Mon has advised me this is not the case. He's even taken digital camera pics on super macro to show me that I'm imagining it. I'm sure that my nose is getting greasier and that there are blackheads on the end of it which never come out as I can't get any product on them.

Monlar went out this morning to get some bits we needed, returning with a little something for me from Superdrug.

He came home clutching a Biore wash for my face hoping it would help the greasies. I've used the Biore wipes before and they were horrible, smelt like alcohol and as if they could cut through car oil, plus they really dried me out and they stung like hell. In the end I gave them to my brother so he could clean his car wheels with them.

He bought me this badboy right here:


So, with an apprehensive "let's give this a go then but it won't do owt" look on my face, I decided to try it. Truth be told, I kinda hoped he would have picked up the Pore Unclogging Scrub, which makes me sound like a right lazy cow, can't get off her arse to get herself stuff and then isn't happy with what someone brings her..

The instructions said wet your face and then dry your hands. Put the product on your hands and then apply to your face and it will heat up when it touches water. I got freaked out by how warm it got, simply because things don't usually warm up like that and the other heating thing I had (a body scrub) was weak compared to this. This feels like you've got a warm towel on your face, basically very nice. The particles are rough enough to clean your skin but not rough enough to hurt. I nearly forgot to add that it smells NOTHING like the face wipes, it smells super natural and of watermelon, not so much though that it makes you sick. It's a nice non offensive smell.

I washed it off, moisturised and got on with my day. I was out for a lot of the day and am pleased to report that I had no dry patches, my nose blackheads were gone and I had no shine, my skin, in short, looked perfect and this was without any Dr Feelgood or Rimmel Stay Matte Powder.

I remember I raved about Cyclax in my HG post but that pales in comparison to this, that gave me clean, very dry skin but this gives me clean, moisturised skin and so I don't feel as if I'm overcompensating. PLUS, you can use this every day apparently and Cyclax had to be used once every two weeks by me which kinda annoyed me.

The wash is on sale in Superdrug for £2.44 at the moment as they're doing all their Biore stuff on half price. I'm popping in over the course of this lonnnnnnnng weekend to pick myself up a few more of these and one of the Unclogging Scrub to see if it can tackle my recently very congested nose area.

**UPDATE**
Well I've been using this since the day this post was originally posted and it is now my HG face wash ever. It clears the greasies, can be used twice a day and doesn't make me break out, it got rid of spots I had on my forehead and on my chin. It also got rid of any bumps I had too which is good. When I get through my stash of face washers I shall be buying Biore and nothing else.