Hello! Almost exactly two months ago I made my first purchase from Paula’s Choice! I’ve heard about Paula’s Choice for years honestly. There were always rumblings about the brand, but never really went as far to look into it much. I’ve been currently wedding planning (hoping to move forward with my extreme micro wedding end of July) and I’ve been looking at my skin more closely than ever. Under my left eye since quarantine started, I’ve had these three pretty massive milia spots. Let me be clear in that I have NOT been diagnosed by a dermatologist, but from my own self research this seems to be the most likely thing. I wanted to try and get rid of these and in my research Paula’s Choice came up a lot!
Enter the Paula’s Choice Advanced Pore Refining Kit! They’ve put together their top three products for pore refinement and sold them at a discount which is amazing. The three products that come in this kit are:
- 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
- CLINICAL Niacinamide 20% Treatment
- CLINICAL 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment
Their BHA exfoliant is a holy grail status for so many people and this is the product that really pulled me in. My skin has reacted well to niacinamide in the past, and I was looking for a good retinol anyways.
The kit in total costs $100 USD so I believe it was around $130 CAD. I actually think this is very reasonable compared to some of the prices of other higher end skincare brands. Based on other prices on the website, as soooo irritating the exchange rate is, even with it, price wise I think they are reasonable for a Canadian consumer.
2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
First up is the product that Paula’s Choice is known for, their 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant. I’ve never used a pure BHA exfoliant. I’ve used AHA and BHA mixes (Drunk Elephant’s Sukari Babyfacial) and have had really great results with it so I was excited to use this. I can definitely see why so many people love this. It actually does work SO well.
The directions say you can use this up to two times daily but I think that’s way too much honestly. My skin is pretty resilient I think, I can count on one hand of the things that have negatively affected my skin. I noticed when I was using it that much, my skin was peeling SO much. Like, so much. I think some of it had to do with my skin purging at the beginning because I hadn’t been consistently using acids on my face. But I noticed the peeling was helped when I used this 2 or 3 times a week!
CLINICAL Niacinamide 20% Treatment
Out of the three products I found that the Niacinamide 20% Treatment was the hardest on my skin. After using this after the BHA exfoliant, I found that this burned a bit. It would never be burning to the point of danger, but it definitely tingled. After a few minutes it would definitely subside, but due to this I haven’t used this fully in the two months that I’ve been trying these products. I think what I’ll try is integrate this a few times a week and on days that I don’t use the BHA exfoliant. The percentage is pretty high too, so maybe my skin is just a bit more sensitive to it!
CLINICAL 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment
Lastly we have the Retinol and Bakuchiol treatment! I was very pleasantly surprised with this. Bakuchiol as an ingredient I wasn’t super familiar with, but from what I read on the site, it is a very helpful booster to the retinol. I did notice that my skin would react with a bit of tingles, but not as much as the Niacinamide. I can definitely see myself purchasing this again. If you’re looking for a good retinol to add to your routine, I think this definitely should be at the top of your list!
CLINICAL 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment – CLINICAL Niacinamide 20% Treatment – 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
Results?
So, did these products help my milia? Unfortunately I still have the small constellation on my face. It’s honestly not the worst thing. I am not going to take any other drastic steps myself, and can definitely live with them (they are not the most overtly obvious, but still noticable to me!). Once safe to do so, I’m hoping to go to a derm that can professional extract them (that is the recommended course of action).
With this being said, these products have significantly helped my skin. My pores were very clogged on my forehead near my hair line and that cleared up very nicely. My skin is soft and even. I don’t frequently get breakouts anymore, but I do think this has helped to provide a solid foundation for makeup to apply.
All in all, I’m happy with all three products. I think the usage instructions are a bit off in terms of how much one should use them, but other than that, for the price I would definitely purchase from Paula’s Choice again!
Thanks for reading, have a great day!
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