Review: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo(+) Unifant

I’m in a constant battle with my skin; I long for it to be clear, glowing and blemish free, but in reality it’s usually shiny, imperfected and just not worthy of being free from makeup. For years, I covered it in foundation so my face would look flawless but the main issue with this is I hate the feeling of foundation. 

For the last few months, I’ve sworn by a BB cream as my base and it’s been working fine. Fine, but not great. I’d usually put my La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo(+) beneath, and then layer said product on top. It gave me the natural looking coverage I like, but I still felt I was putting too much product on my face and my pores were clogging up.

I was recently lucky enough to be sent La Roche-Posay’s brand new Effaclar Duo(+) Unifant by their lovely PR contact, and I’ve been delighted since I first used it.

Effaclar Duo(+) Unifant is described as a dual-action, anti-imperfection formula with sheer coverage which is amazing, amazing, amazing news. I can finally take one less step out my morning skincare and makeup routine, and if that means one less product to clog more pores up and put me one step closer to having clearer skin, I’m more than happy to be involved!

As well as including a 100% mineral pigment tint which instantly reduces redness and evens out skin tone (so good!), it also includes a couple of key ingredients which are found across the Effaclar range; Niacinamide (anti-inflammatory & soothing), Piroctone Olamine (combats any bacteria which may be lurking on your skin), LHA (helps to speed up how fast the skin cells renew), Linoleic Acid (regulates the amount of sebum in your pores) and Procerad (this is the key ingredient which makes the product diffuse inflammation in one day, and also prevents and treats post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation).

I’ve found it works best when I still apply it as I would a foundation/BB cream, so after I’ve cleansed my face and applied toner. I’ll put my La Roche-Posay SPF 50 on first (another firm favourite), and then apply the Effaclar Duo(+) Unifant on top. It’s got a really light feeling and you can barely feel it on your skin, if it all (love!) and it’s super easy to blend in. I still use a foundation buffing brush to apply it, which I find works best for my skin but I’m sure you could also apply with your fingers too. If I wanted a bit more coverage, I would feel quite happy to add some foundation on top, but I’m not sure I really need any more coverage.

So far, since using this for the last few weeks, I’ve had a couple of comments on how my skin looks which is lovely to hear, as I can confidently say it’s not something I ever get. Thanks to La Roche-Posay for sending this to me to try, and more importantly, introducing it to their range! I can firmly say I won’t be straying from this any time soon.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo(+) Unifant is available in two shades; Fair/Light (I have this one) and Light/Medium, available at Boots for £16.50.

Review: La Roche-Posay Serozinc & Effaclar Duo(+)

I'm a big fan of French skincare brands, and their approach to beauty and style in general. I love that all their skincare is sold in pharmacies (I look forward to visiting my first French pharmacy one day!), and that they treat their skin first, before trying to fix any imperfections with makeup.

Slowly, I'm building up a nice collection of French skincare products, and today I have a review of two which I've just re-purchased (spoiler alert: they're fab).

La Roche-Posay Serozinc: £8.50
This feels like it has been a cult beauty product for years, so I might have been a bit slow jumping on the bandwagon with this, but I'm so glad I did.

It's a lightweight, fine, refreshing toning spray which is best suited for oily/blemish-prone skin, which I apply morning and night, after I've cleansed my face. A couple of spritz all over my face is all that's required (perfect for even the laziest of skincare days) and I then let it sink in. Usually in the morning, this is when I'll go and pop the kettle on, or in the evening, I'll put my pyjamas on whilst waiting for it to 'dry' (I say dry, but it doesn't leave a tight or dry feeling to the skin). Afterwards, my skin feels really refreshed and more plump, which I love. It's worth noting I seem to read far too frequently a toner is there to remove any traces of makeup your cleanser didn't... No, no, no, no, no. Your cleanser is meant to remove all your makeup, if it's not doing it in one go, do a second cleanse. A toner is there to tone your skin, not remove makeup.

When my first bottle ran out, I tried my skincare routine without it, and my skin really missed it. It didn't feel as nourished as previous, and I think my skin was getting a little more oily. That said, it could always be the warmer weather! I still however decided to buy another bottle and I'm very happy I did, I can see it being a firm staple in my routine for a long time.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo(+): £9.50
Another must-have product, this is a moisturiser best suited to skin with imperfections. My skin is going through a particularly low point at the moment, so I'm really trying to keep my routine as basic as possible. I don't want to strip my skin of it's oils, but I don't want to use a rich moisturiser all over my face... Cue Effaclar Duo.

It promises to unclog pores, correct the appearance of blemishes and refine the look of skin texture. So how does it fair? I'd say it certainly doesn't feel like it's clogging my pores as it's very lightweight, and the velvety texture of the cream helps with skin texture. Whether it corrects the appearance of blemishes, I'm not sure - but it certainly doesn't dry them out, or make them any worse. And for those reasons, I can get along with it very well!

In a similar vein to the Serozinc spray, when my first bottle of Effaclar Duo was running out, I tried my routine without it, but it just wasn't the same. Other moisturisers felt too heavy, too rich, and made me even shinier. Not cool. So it was decided I would re-purchase, and I'm super happy I did!

La Roche-Posay can be found at Boots here.