Monday 21 November 2011

Review - Soap & Glory The Fab Pore 15 Minute Facial Peel

Put yourself in my position...

My skin was looking pretty dry on my forehead and my minor abrasive exfoliant by Soap&Glory wasn't really cutting the mustard any more... The situation was dire, but since my love for the brand is pretty much unconditional, I didn't want to swap to another brand... Perhaps just another product?

So I figured that since the little exfo-beads in Scrub Your Nose In It weren't strong enough to slough off the dead skin, I would try a different exfoliating method entirely. Once, I went for a spa weekend with my ex and during my facial I was introduced to a 'skin peel' where a thin layer of a thick creamy product was distributed across my face and soothingly rubbed until it dried and began to (disgustingly but effectively) flake off along with any dead skin cells. I absolutely LOVED the concept and I like being able to literally SEE the removed skin, plus the new fresh layer left underneath was so soft and moisturized! So when I was searching for a new type of exfoliator, I decided to see if Soap&Glory offer something similar.
Imagine my excitement, when I saw the name 'The Fab Pore Facial Peel'! I thought, 'YES, THIS IS IT, THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!!!' I wasn't wrong per se but Soap&Glory's offering wasn't quite what I would have expected from the name.

In my excitement, I bought the product without investigating the claim, so I guess I'm the one to blame. Here is the product claim... Hindsight is a beautiful thing!

***

The Fab Pore™ has an intensive pore refining action with our exclusive PORESHRINK-R COMPLEX™. Ideal for greasy, spot prone or problem skin, or for a strategic attack on a misbehaving T-zone.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

Rub a grape-sized dollop into your face and massage in circles until the green beads have all dissolved. (those with a high tendency for clogging should concentrate on their t-zone, chin, or areas with large, open, or problem pores.) Leave on for five minutes for a quick refresher, or fifteen for a real deep-cleaning do –it- yourself kind of ‘facial. Rinse well, and follow with your favourite Soap&Glory moisturizer. (How’s that for self-promotional?) Repeat 2-3 times weekly.

***

So in fact, the product doesn't claim AT ALL to offer any exfoliating properties, although it does contain 'beads' usually designated for dry-skin-scraping.

You can imagine my disappointment when I opened the product and found a pore-refining face mask (I did of course know my pores would benefit even if it was an exfoliating peel as it is said in the name). I thought, 'Just try it, maybe once its on for 15 minutes you can rub it off like a peel and have a two in one product' grasping at straws. Needless to say it didn't go to plan. The Fab Pore Facial Peel was in fact just a mask.

Before I review the product, I really must emphasize my disappointment. I know that I should have read the claim and done my research, but I do find the product name really quite misleading, 'Facial Peel'. This is not a peel, in that nothing is removed. If I was a meanie, I would have written to request my money back. And yet I conceded that I was wrong and put it in the 'Life Lessons' part of my brain, accepting that the product might have merits of its own. Luckily, I was not wrong.

Irritated I smoothed some of the thick creamy mask over my entire face and sat in a strop for fifteen minutes. The minty smell began to bring me round, along with the mildly tingly feeling (I love when you feel a product working its magic) and by the time I'd rinsed it off and realized that my previously noticeable black-heads were now none existent I was a total convert. This product really is a winner.

The effects lasted for days and my make-up went on so much smoother than usual. Not to mention I actually began using powder sparingly and only a dusting on my T-Zone, whereas before I used to absolutely cake it on because my skin was so oily (aka sweaty) looking. Since using this product, I finally feel I can rock the 'glowy/healthy/dewy' look for the first time ever.

So to conclude? This is a great product and totally worth the £8 that it costs. IF and only if, you are looking for a pore-refining-blackhead-reducing face MASK and NOT a facial PEEL. I'll seriously never get over that. Having said that, my clean looking visage is definitely a more-than-adequate consolation prize! Purchase The Fab Pore Facial Peel by Soap&Glory at www.boots.com and let me know what you think! Was I fair to be disappointed? Or am I just being pre-menstrually unreasonable?

Love

gabriellasofia

x

11 comments:

  1. Glad I'm not the only one that thinks so. LOL.
    Love
    gabriellasofia
    x

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  2. I did the same ;-) Keihls do a true "peel", it contains fruit acids (I think) which do the same job. It's an overnight product. Give it a go!

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  3. I'm glad to hear I'm not a total moron lol! Oooh I've been wanting to try a Keihls product for a while, so maybe now's the time. Thanks for the tip :)
    Love
    gabriellasofia
    x

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  4. I love Soap and Glory but their skincare products dont work for me, so sad as they are always so generous with the sizes and the branding is fantastic. So eye catching and have such a strong brand identity. Thank you for the lovely comment, I have tried recording vlogs so many times - mainly for work, and to show tempsec jewellery for the webshop, but i haven't got the nerve to upload it. I dont have the confidence yet! What types of vids to you like to watch? (eg, hauls? reviews? ) I will ask around for suggestions and see what I can come up with! Also, the Look Blog comp isn't open yet, but we'll know about it when it's back next year! Hope you'll submit your blog! x

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  5. I totally agree with you - why would it call itself a peel if it is not a peel?? Confusing. Although, I think it does say something about Soap&Glory that it's not even the product you were after and yet it still won you over. =p

    ~ Lauren <3

    http://cosmeticskittensclassrooms.blogspot.com

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  6. That's Soap&Glory quality for you haha! They will ALWAYS win me over.
    Love
    gabriellasofia
    x

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  7. i got all excited when i just read soap and glory do a peel, now turns out it's not a peel! hmm sounds like garniers bb cream which doesn't appear to be a bb cream! don't know how brands do this!

    jenna

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  8. I know, it was pretty disappointing... totally false advertising. And yet as I said above the product was pretty good. If I'd spent my last £8 on it, I would have been quite hacked off! I quite like Garniers BB Cream... I wrote a review on it and wear it every day. Having said that, just because I like it doesn't make is a true BB. Although it kind of seems to me that most companies that have jumped on the BBandwagon have kind of invented their own style of cream... Apparently 17 do one now, I wonder what that's like?
    Thanks for the comment Jen!
    Love
    gabriellasofia

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  9. this was a wonderful post! I have been experiencing a few problems to say the least in my t-zone lately so I hope this can sort my pores and blackheads out! I'm actually going to run out and buy this tomm!! very helpful review! thanks! xx

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  10. It's so funny that even though this product was not at all what I wanted, it's still stood my skin in really good stead. It's just so good for vanishing blackheads! Glad I've helped you find a good product, come back and let me know what you think...
    Love
    gabriellasofia
    x

    ReplyDelete