To give a little introduction, over the last few weeks I’ve been doing Clinique’s Great Skin challenge to see if in two weeks, I’ll have that famous Clinique skin glow. I’m now on week 3 and I’m incredibly impressed, not only is it glowing, it’s holding on to more moisture and my pores are noticeably smaller and unblocked. So I thought I’d introduce you to the final product in my regime.

If you’ve ever suffered with enlarged pores you just want to sort it, not only do you want long term results but you’ll also want immediate effects. So Clinique came up with this, the Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum.

The clinical promise is that on application, you’ll see an instant 30% visible reduction in pore size. After two weeks of twice-daily use, Clinique promises you’ll have an actual reduction in pore size of 58%. The serum works through multi-level exfoliation; the pore wall is exfoliated continuously, causing it to slowly contract over time, by 58% to be exact.

So you want to know how? Ok. Padina Pavonica extract helps slow down cell maturation, leaving your surface skin cells fresher for longer. Hydrolysed soy protein and coconut acid help balance out oil production. Then two of Clinique’s favourite ingredients, Acetyl Glucosamine and Salicylic Acid, increase skin cell turnover by breaking down the bonds holding dead cells to the skin’s surface and inside the pore wall. These are the feature ingredients, but you’ll also find St. Paul’s Wort, Caffeine and Sea Whip Extract, all highly effective anti-inflammatory agents. Finally, there’s Ascorbyl Tocopheryl Maleate, an awesome ingredient that I shall explain…

Ascorbyl Tocopheryl Maleate is both Vitamin E (anti-inflammatory) and Vitamin C (brightens and an anti-oxidant). Now the two vitamins are bonded together with an oil-soluble bridge. The molecule is supposedly more easily absorbed than the vitamins are individually; it simply sinks in, the bridge dissolves and the vitamins are released. Maybe I’m just a little sad but I think that’s pretty cool?

The Pore Refining Serum is very lightweight and is definitely better absorbed over Clinique’s 3-Step system, but you would imagine Clinique would design products that work well with their others? For best application, apply 1-2 pumps into your finger ends, rub gently and then pat into the skin, patting is always better than rubbing. As it’s a targeted treatment, only apply the product in your concern areas, which for me is the T-Zone.

Over three weeks use, I have certainly seen a reduction in my pore size although it’s difficult to measure the exact reduction without imaging equipment. My pores are certainly a little less congested but I think that’s also due to the elevated levels of BHA in all my products.

So, for around 1-2 months worth of treatment, it’ll set you back £38 and you can pick it up with free delivery here direct from Clinique.