Recently while on my hunt for perfect skin I came across a skincare brand that I wasn’t totally familiar with – sk:n. Luckily I had the chance to get chatting with the team, and the opportunity to trial a significant portion of the range.

sk:n was introduced to me as a skin clinic offering ‘more highly medically trained staff than any other chain of clinics’, which is pretty impressive. While the clinics offer a range of treatments (sk:n was originally founded as a private clinic in Harrogate in 1990) including skin peels, botox, tattoo removal, dermal fillers and more, I was more interested in their own-brand skincare products.

For the past 6 weeks, I’ve been trialling the products pictured above: Extra Gentle Pre and Post Procedure Cleanser, Vitamin-Rich Gel Cleanser for Oily Skin, Blemish Control Lotion, Hydrator for Oily/Blemish-Prone Skin and Intense Spot Lotion. These products are designed for oily and blemish prone skin, which is perfect for my skin type.

For the first two weeks I disregarded my own knowledge about skincare and how my skin reacts and trialled these products exactly as intended on the labels. Sadly, following those instructions my skin was not left happy and became irritated and more oily than it has been for months. However, we all know that different people react differently to different products and routines (let’s just throw in that one man’s trash is another’s treasure cliché here!) so I took a step back, read the ingredients lists and active ingredients, and trialed the products in a way that suited the routine I enjoy.

And I am so, so glad I did because now each of these products plays a particular role in my routine. Here’s a breakdown of my thoughts on each product –

First up, the sk:n Extra Gentle Pre and Post Procedure Cleanser.  This product has been designed for use before and after cleansing, and is meant to help remove impurities and excess oil without causing irritation.

Before I go to far, I should probably be clear about how I see Micellar Water in my skincare routine:

• Touch ups when doing makeup (ex: I’ve accidentally got mascara up by my eyebrow!)
• Refreshing my face before applying makeup for the evening if I’ve been home all day and haven’t applied any yet.
• Makeup removal before using a balm cleanser to help save a bit of effort at that stage. (Especially useful if I’ve got a lot of makeup on!)

Outside of the above situations I don’t use Micellar Water very often, but only because I prefer a water and “soap” style cleanse to anything else. But if you love Micellar Water and it works for you – stick with it!

Since I’ve been using this product “my way”, I’ve been getting on just fine with is and enjoy having it in my skincare arsenal.

Sadly the sk:n Anti-Blemish Intense Spot Lotion isn’t currently for sale on the website due to stock limitations, because this was the hero for me of these products. It’s meant to reduce the size and redness of spots using Salicylic acid, which are known to control acne-causing bacteria.

I preferred using this in the evenings (reapplying until bedtime) because it doesn’t dry very quickly, and when I tried to apply makeup over it in the morning I found it kind of balled up under my fingers and wasn’t as effective. But as an overnight fix? Yes, please!

The sk:n Hydrator for Oily/Blemish-Prone Skin is designed to sooth and hydrate skin while also calming and soothing the skin and reducing redness.

I used this product in the evening, both on top of oils (to really help seal them in) and in place of oils. When used sparingly I found my skin felt softer/more supple overnight, along with reduced redness, which has the added bonus of meaning I’ll get the most use out of this container!

The sk:n Blemish Control Lotion is designed as an immediate treatment for developing spots, as well as relief for acne-prone skin at the initial and inflamed stages. Like the spot treatment it has Salicylic acid, which helps prevent the pores from getting clogged.

I’ve been enjoying using this product in the morning post-serum and pre-makeup, and find it does really well at helping get any spots under control throughout the day. Again, less is more with this one.

Lastly, the sk:n Vitamin-Rich Gel Cleanser for Oily Skin. This vitamin rich gel cleanser has Salicylic acid to help dissolve oil and prevent pores from getting clogged, while also controlling any acne causing bacteria on the skin.

I’m not the biggest fan of gel cleansers because they usually dry my skin out which causes an overproduction of oils to counteract the dryness. Sadly, this cleanser proved no exception to that rule when used daily. However, when I limited its use to 1-2 times weekly I found it worked well in my routine, and it’s been helping keep my skin balanced.

Have you tried the sk:n range? What did you think of it?

Please note: while the products marked with a star (*) in this blog post were gifts, the views expressed are my own.