The Chronic Consumer

I’ve had problem skin ever since I was a teenager, so it’s no surprise that I spend a lot of money on skincare products. Most of these products don’t help me, and in some cases even leave my face worse off than it was before. I end up tossing out a lot of skincare products because they’re ineffectual, but I occasionally do come across a keeper. Bioré Pore Strips happens to fall into this latter category.

I’m sure you’ve either seen a commercial for Bioré or have tried the product for yourself, so you probably have a good idea of how these strips work. Basically, they’re supposed to remove blackheads and dirt from your nose, leaving you with cleaner looking skin in that area. What you’re supposed to do is wash your face, leave your nose wet, and then stick a strip on. It takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes for the strip to dry, after which time you can remove it.

Then, as if by magic, all the blackheads and other gunk from your skin will cling to the strip and be pulled away.

Bioré pore strips actually do make my nose feel cleaner, and they make any blackheads I have far less visible. Plus, I always see a lot of nasty stuff stuck on the strip as I pull it away, so that’s another way I can tell that the product works.

However, I do have a couple of problems with the strips. First of all, the box promises that the product “helps reduce the appearance of pores with regular use”. This has not happened for me, as I’ve been using Bioré for years and my pores are still as large as ever.

Second, the strips sometimes stick to my skin so much that it hurts like hell to pull them off. Usually, I can remove them without incident, but every once in a while, I get a stubborn strip that’s extremely painful to take off. Heck, just the other day, I actually drew BLOOD after removing the the strip — gross!

Overall, though, I do like these Bioré strips. I use them about once a week and really do like the way my nose feels after a treatment. Try them out for yourself!