Pore solutions from Soap & Glory, Neutrogena, Proactiv, B. Kamins and Sephora!

There's a lot of opinions about pores out there and while I don't agree with the premise of pores opening and closing like little doors, I do concur that the best thing you can do for them is to keep them clean, without the blackheads they are a lot less obvious and if your skin is as matte as possible the shine won't draw attention to them!

Here are a few products great for cleaning a couple to keep you matte:

Soap & Glory The Fab Pore 15 Minute Facial Peel - 50g - $25 -a gentle exfoliator for your face with mushroom extract to help tighten pores, salicylic adid to loosen up the dead cells that contribute to pore clogging, kaolin to absorb excess oil and smooth and vitamins E & C to brighten the skin.

What I really like about it are the little green beads in it that will dissolve when you've massaged it in enough, as someone who gets distracted and loses track of time during beauty treatments this is a big plus! After massaging in, they recommend leaving it on for five minutes for a quick refresher or for 15 minutes as a mask for deep cleansing! If you have combination skin I recommend only leaving it on your oily areas for the 15 minutes and wiping the other parts off, I found it too drying when left that long on my normal areas.

Available at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating 2-in-1 Cleanser/Mask - 118ml - $11.99 - it's a cleanser, it's a mask - that's right, the same product is both! Use the cleanser formulated with microbeads technology daily to gently exfoliate and help keep the pores clear and then once or twice a week leave it on for several minutes and let the 2% Salicylic Acid to its work and get deep into the pores. Not only will it help eliminate existing blackheads but it will also keep new ones from forming leaving you with clearer, more even looking skin!

Proactiv Solution Pore Cleansing System - 10 pore strips 15ml pore cleansing solution - $18 - helps improve skin's tone and texture by lifting away dirt, oils and impurities from pores with an exclusive Pore Cleansing Solution which activates the strips to clear blackheads and whiteheads as well as prevent future breakouts. With a soothing blend of botanicals that leaves skin feeling smooth and refreshed. Can be used on nose, forehead or t-zone.

Available at getproactiv.ca.

B. Kamins Corrective Mattifier - 50ml - $47 - great for oily to combination skin, it helps clear breakouts, reduce congestion and control shine with purifying and sebum-reducing ingredients help leave skin feeling fresher and cleaner with an all-day matte finish. Salicylic acid helps speed up cell renewal for a brighter complexion, while a combination of anti-oxidant vitamins help nourish and protect the skin. Soothing anti-inflammatory ingredients help ease discomfort from acne breakouts and mattifying and balancing actives help reduce shine and provide an all-day matte finish.


Available at The Shopping Channel - www.theshoppingchannel.com.

Sephora Blotting Papers - 100 sheets - $10 - gone are the days when all that blotting papers did was absorb oil and possibly leave a white film behind. These babies are infused with targeted skin-soothing ingredients to relieve a variety of skin needs! The vitamin C-infused papers protect the complexion from free radicals, the matte version controls oil, the tea tree sheets heal tired skin, the glacial clay and salicylic acid exfoliate and aid blemished skin and the lavender papers soothe agitated skin.

Available at Sephora and sephora.ca.

- Lisamarie -