Blackheads must be what Hong Kong girls - and guys - most want to get rid of. I certainly do: over the years I have tried over 10 types of blackhead cleansing masks and removal products - only to be disappointed time after time.
So when I was asked to try Pure Pores blackhead remover and pore minimising gel, by Joey New York, I did not expect much. Written on the no-nonsense, blue-and-white bottle is the usual description of how successful the product is. Its promise: 'Gently helps to remove blackheads, shrink and tighten large pores and absorb excess oils in 60 seconds!' So curiosity got the better of me and I gave it a go.
In the road-test spirit, I rushed home to take off my make-up and showered. It is important to steam the skin to open the pores to allow the product to penetrate. I then washed my face with my usual facial wash gel and applied a thin layer of Pure Pores on areas with blackheads and large pores. I squeezed the bottle and spread the sticky, cough syrup-smelling gel all over my nose area which is facing the most disastrous attack of blackheads. I cautiously spread the gel into a thin layer, following the direction when . . . Ouch! What was that stinging? Was I allergic to the gel? Had it expired? I picked up the bottle and read the description again. Relax, I thought, this is normal. Pure Pores has AHA, aka fruit acid, a popular skin-refining element.
One minute later the gel dried and, following the instructions, I rolled off the layer using a gentle massaging motion. This was supposed to lift off the residue of the gel together with the annoying blackheads. I leaned closer to the mirror to see if there were any changes to my skin. Blackheads still survived in my pores, and my pores remained the same size.
I can't say I was surprised, but, to be fair, I gave it a second chance. After all, to see if a facial product works, you should give your skin a week to react. I followed the suggested application - twice a week - and again, nothing happened. The presence of AHA did not help at all.