Unclogging those Pores - Dr Sebagh Deep Exfoliating Mask

This mask means business!

My pores are quite prone to being clogged - especially in the summer when my skin likes to give me the runaround and go crazy in the warm weather. Thankfully (touch wood), my skin seems to be on quite good behaviour at the moment and I think that this Dr Sebagh Deep Exfoliating Mask has had something to do with it.

I usually use this after a bath and also after cleansing my face with the Murad Time Release Acne Cleanser (which I reviewed here) as I feel this helps to prep my skin to get a more effective treatment. I spread an even, not too thin layer on my face and leave for about 20 mins which is longer then the recommended 5-10 mins, but I prefer to leave it on slightly longer as I think it seems to be more effective.  On the odd occasion it does feel a little tingly, so then I leave it on for no longer then 5 mins.

This is a bright tangerine colour (brighter then my pic)

I mainly bought this to help reduce the look of past acne scars and I think that using it 3 times a week has helped to soften their appearance and very slightly fade the look of marks as well. My skin does scar easily from acne so the darker marks are very slow going, but overall I think I can see an improvement in evenness and smoothness.
The key ingredient in this mask is Lactic Acid which exfoliates dead skin cells and aids in the renewal of the skin. I find that as I am using this regularly, it is helping to clarify the pores and so it seems to keep my acne in better control as well.

As this is a rather potent formula containing AHAs, I wear SPF 30 sunscreen (currently the Dr Sebagh one I reviewed previously here). There is a sensitive version of this mask available as I think that this might be a bit strong if you have very sensitive skin.

Ingredients
Aqua/Water/Eau, Lactic Acid, Lysine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Acrylate/ Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Peg-40 Stearate, Isohexadecane, Sodium Hydroxide, Polysorbate 80, Azelaic Acid, Silanediol Salicylate, Peg-20 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Chlorphenesin, Methylparaben, Cetyl Acetate, Benzoic Acid, Parfum (Fragrance), Oleyl Acetate, Stearyl Acetate, Ci 19140 (Yellow 5), Magnesium Nitrate, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Ci 14700 (Red4), Sodium Methylparaben, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Magnesium Chloride, Propylparaben, Methylisothiazolinone, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3.

This is a pricey mask as it is £59 for 50ml and even though I had wanted to try this for a while, the GWP (this was a while back) gave me the push to buy it, which I am glad of as it has proven to be rather effective.

Dr Sebagh Sun-City Protection SPF 30

Dr Sebagh Sun-City Protection SPF30

A while back when I purchased a product from Dr Sebagh at Fenwick, they were offering a choice of a generous free gift so I chose this Sun-City Protection SPF 30.

This is a white cream that has a fairly thick consistency that when I initially apply it I get a bit of a sunscreen-like texture, which I wasn't overly keen on to begin with, but this goes away once rubbed into the skin, leaving no visible trace/whitecast. It does go matte after a few minutes but if I've used a moisturiser underneath I do get a bit of a sheen on the t-zone as I have combination skin.

It comes in a convenient pump bottle that dispenses a controlled amount of product and as it is a slightly denser formula, I can take a small amount and spread it out more so I actually don't end up using much. It does feel like it gives a good barrier between my skin and the elements, as you get a slight feeling of it sitting on the skin rather then completely absorbed which is not really a surprise as this is a physical Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide formula. Along with the silicones in the formula, this does lend itself to being quite a good base for make up so I don't feel the need for a primer. This product has grown on me in the past few months although I would like to see if I can find something that has a lighter cream/lotion type formula for use in the summer.

I haven't experienced any issues with this on my acne-prone skin, although I do use a balm to thoroughly cleanse this off at the end of the day.

Ingredients:
Aqua/Water/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Zinc Oxide, Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Titanium Dioxide, Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Ppg-3 Myristyl Ether, Sodium Chloride, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Dimethiconol, Hexyl Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethicone/Peg-10/15 Crosspolymer, Sodium Citrate, Peg-35 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Magnesium Nitrate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Magnesium Chloride, Methylisothiazolinone.