About a month ago now, I was contacted by the lovely Richard from skincare brand Skinetica to see if I would be interested in trying out their much-hyped anti-blemish product. If you haven't heard of Skinetica* before, it is a product which claims to quickly 'soothe, calm and clear' any acne, spots, pimples and blemishes without the use of any toxic chemicals.
I had read many good reviews on the product before, but one minor issue was that I don't actually have many problems with spots. However, what I do have is scarring from spots I have had in the past.
After explaining this to Richard, he was more than happy for me to act as a bit of a guinea pig to see if Skinetica is useful in reducing scarring, and with that I was sent both a sample and a full sized bottle.
Now, before I discussed all this with Richard I had actually asked my older sister, who does suffer from hormone-related breakouts, if she'd be willing to give it a go. As it didn't really bother her at the time, she said no and that was that, I planned to use it on my scarring alone.
However, a couple of days after receiving the Skinetica she started to complain (thinking back, I think she was actually dropping hints, the sly so-and-so) that her spots had gotten worse and were getting quite sore, and so she agreed to give it a whirl. I gave her the full sized bottle and used the sample size myself.
So this review is actually going to be from two different points of view; my sister and her spots, and me and my scarring.
2-for-1, don't say I don't spoil you guys.
2-for-1, don't say I don't spoil you guys.
We'll start with the basics, shall we? The packaging is clean and simple, nothing too complicated. I like.
The only way I can describe the scent is by saying that it smells like bubbles. Do you remember the little plastic tubs of bubbles you used to have as a kid? This stuff smells the exact same.
I wouldn't say it's the most pleasant of smells to be applying to my face, but it is in no way offensive and my sister actually said she loves it, so I guess it's just down to personal opinion!
I wouldn't say it's the most pleasant of smells to be applying to my face, but it is in no way offensive and my sister actually said she loves it, so I guess it's just down to personal opinion!
The product itself is the same consistency as a toner; it just looks like water and is really easy to apply. The bottle instructs you to apply with a cotton pad to clean, dry skin every 12 hours, leaving to air dry before applying any moisturisers etc. I have to say that when putting this on at night time after removing my makeup, I was shocked to notice even more makeup coming off onto the cotton pad. Clearly then, this also works as a good toner and I did kind of feel awful at the realisation that maybe I don't remove my makeup as well as I should do?!
Anyhow, another (and probably the most impressive) thing I found about Skinetica is what a fantastic base it makes for your makeup. It dries almost immediately so no hanging around, and applying foundation after using this is an absolute breeze. The first time I tried this as a primer was before a full day shopping at the Trafford Centre. Now, anyone around the Manchester area will know full well how darn hot and unpleasant it can get in there, yet there I was leaving at 10pm with an impressive face of makeup left. This is a big thumbs up for me.
Here's what my sister said about its effect on her spots:
"This stuff feels great on my skin, especially in the hot weather we've been having as it feels really cool and soothing. It's great for people like me who don't actually have a skincare routine (note to self: must lecture her over this!); one of the reasons I didn't initially want to give it a go was just because I don't have the time or patience for a proper skincare routine, and I thought this would be a boring, lengthy process. But it really isn't; it's so quick and easy. The full-sized bottle lasts forever and you only need the smallest amount to see the difference.
"When I first started to use Skinetica, I had lots of really deep, angry spots on my chin which I've been getting for months on end. I was surprised to find they only took about 5-6 days to clear up, and they haven't reappeared since! The smaller spots I tend to get on the surface of my skin stopped appearing almost immediately, unless it was a particularly hot day or I had just been exercising, in which case they did appear, but again went away after about a day.
"I've also noticed a difference in the scarring I've got from having spots. Although it is still there, it seems to have become a lot less angry."
"I've also noticed a difference in the scarring I've got from having spots. Although it is still there, it seems to have become a lot less angry."
Not a bad review really, is it? She's covered scarring a bit there, but I'll just tell you a bit about how I found it with my scars. I'm not actually sure how well it has reduced the pigmentation of my scars; to me if I look at them they don't seem to look any lighter, but I do find that I don't notice them as much, and they are so much easier to conceal! I think this might be a result of using the product as a primer, and perhaps it has also softened the scar tissue a little; I'm not exactly sure what it's done but whatever it is, it's definitely helped!
The small spots that have developed whilst I've been using Skinetica haven't hung around for as long as they usually would. They tend to have disappeared within a week at the most, which is good for my skin because when I do get spots they tend to hang around for a good while before making a move.
Overall, I think Skinetica definitely deserves a thumbs up from the both of us, especially on my sister's behalf! Her skin is visibly much clearer from my point of view, and although there is some scarring that hasn't cleared up completely, the big, angry spots have gone and her skin just looks so much healthier.
