Attempting To Tackle Crazy, Hormonal Skin With Dermalogica's Clear Start Starter Kit

-This post contains PR sample as I'm part of Dermalogica's Skinfluencer Programme, no paid content. All opinions are my own-
 As I mentioned a few weeks ago in this post Dermalogica are one of my go-to brands when it comes to skincare. I'll admit that a lot of their products are a little more pricier than I would like to spend ideally but when I find a good product that works for me, I tend to stick to it. So when I got the opportunity to try out their Breakout Clearing Skin Kit RRP £26.50* which contains three products from their popular Clear Start range, I was obviously excited to try them out as I've not tried anything from their Clear Start range before but I have heard great things about it. The products in the kit are also gluten-free, paraben-free and cruelty-free, vegan and contain no artificial fragrances or colours.

The kit comes in a cute little travel case that you could reuse if you wanted to. Inside the kit is their Breakout Clearing Foaming Wash 75ml*, Breakout Clearing Booster 10ml* and the Skin Soothing Hydrating Lotion 30ml* which you should apply in that order. All of the products are travel-sized and are available to buy in full-size if you so wish to. I feel like the kit is a good way to try out some of the Clear Start range because investing in the full size versions.

Since switching to the mini pill (which I am doing a blog post about really soon) my skin has been going a little crazy. It was really clear during my three months on Microgynon and then literally within days of starting Cerazette my skin broke out bad, it also went blotchy and oilier than ever, which was not ideal but I did kind of expect it because my hormones were going crazy as I adjusted to the new pill. So I thought this was a golden opportunity to start using the Breakout Clearing Skin Kit from Dermalogica and see how it worked for me during this time.

So the first product I tried from the kit is the Breakout Clearing Foaming Wash* which I was feeling a little anxious about trying as my skin seems to have mixed feelings about foaming face washes. It contains Salicylic Acid, Tea Tea Oil, Lavender, Camellia Sinensis and Orange Peel Extract and you can use it on your face, neck or back or wherever you find you need to use it (within reason obviously!). I find that foaming face washes are nice as a quick cleanse in the morning but if I use them for longer than 3-4 days in a row, I get dry and flaky skin around my nose and in between my eyebrows which isn't great. But in terms of clearing up my skin, I definitely started to see a difference within a few days of using the Foaming Wash which I think is really good! Whilst my skin has been going through a bad spell, I've been using the Foaming Wash as my morning face wash for 3 days and then I take a break for 2 days and use an alternative basic face wash like Glossier's Milky Jelly Cleanser in the morning and then something more nourishing in the evenings. It does say you should use it A.M and P.M for best results but I guess it depends on how your skin reacts to foaming washes. I'm also a fan of the smell of the Foaming Wash but it's strange because I think it smells like Ginger but it doesn't say anything about ginger in the ingredients. I will be buying the full size once I've used up my other foaming face washes as it's definitely my fave out of the few I currently have in my skincare stash. I don't think it's too pricey at £17.50 for the full size version either.



Next up is the Breakout Clearing Booster* which is formulated with Salicylic Acid which is known to attack and kill bacteria and also calms angry spots. The instructions say to apply to blemish or breakout area or alternatively apply a thin layer all over for breakout prevention. I feel like the small 10ml bottle wouldn't last long at all if I was to apply all over every day (especially with my moon face lol) so I've just been applying it to either blemishes which are already there or on my chin and/or forehead where I tend to breakout the most as a preventative measure. I found it to be okay and it did help to take down any angry whitehead spots but it didn't seem to do much to one of those throbbing under the skin spots that seemed to pop up recently. So I'd say it's a good one to try if you get a lot of whiteheads because it did soothe and take down the swelling and redness a little overnight but it didn't work that well on the under the skin papule spot (aka the devil spot). I'm still kind of on the fence about this one if I'm being honest. I think if I started to breakout a lot and nothing was helping I would pick up the full size version at £19.50 but I feel like the Foaming Wash works well on it's own in terms of fighting any bacteria and breakouts too, so the Breakout Clearing Booster is definitely a booster as it's described.

Lastly is the Skin Soothing Hydrating Lotion* which contains plant-based Squalane, Hyaluronic Acid and is formulated with gentle botanicals such as Ginger, Orange and Grapefruit which are known to soothe and protect the skin. After reading that it contains Ginger, Orange and Grapefruit I was hoping for the moisturiser to smell lovely and fruity but it doesn't. But it smells vaguely like the Foaming Wash which I do like anyway. It's a very lightweight, sheer moisturiser and sinks in the skin quickly. I've been using this more at night as I tend to use my Glossier Priming Moisturiser in the morning as it preps my skin for any makeup I may apply and smooths out my skin a little. Overall I do like the moisturiser, I don't know if it's something I'd immediately buy again once I run out but it's good that I know I like it and that it agrees with my skin because as I've mentioned before I do struggle with finding moisturisers that hydrate my skin enough but don't break me out. The price of the full size Skin Soothing Hydrating Lotion is £19.50 for 60ml so it's around the same price of my usual Glossier moisturiser.

Overall I've enjoyed trying out some of the Clear Start products and I've now also got my sights set on the Blackhead Clearing Fizz Mask which loads of people rave about and also the new Clearing Defense spf30 Mattifying Moisturiser which I'm sure I'll pick up and try soon. 

Have you tried any products from Dermalogica's Clear Start range?

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