Pore strips, meh.

A few weeks ago, my cousin told me about a product by Bioré called Deep Cleansing Pore Strips. She kept raving about it, and briefly explained how it works: 

1. Wet your nose with warm water to open up your pores. 

2. Apply the pore strip on your nose. 

3. Wait 15-20 minutes to dry. 

4. Peel off nose. 

5. Look at all the filth that was festering in your pores. 

Now, for some bizarre reason, this immediately made me want to go out and buy it. But first I ran home to check if the hype was true. The reviews were very promising, and some people claimed it was the solution to their acne plights. I don't have a bad complexion, but who doesn't like to clean up their pores every once in a while? Men, don't be put off by the "feminine appearance" of the box, because loads of guys use it too!

WARNING: the Google images are pretty gross, especially considering everything coming off on the pore strip was once on your face. 

So I bought a box, about $11 for a box of 8, so about $1.30 per strip. Kind of steep, but if you use one strip every week it should last you about 2 months, so I figure it's probably worth it. The box looks like this: 

So after reading and re-reading the instructions, my boyfriend and I each tried a pore strip. After 15 minutes of trying not to laugh (and failing), we peeled them off. 

The results? Meh. Not great. Definitely nothing close to what I'd seen in photos or read in reviews. My boyfriend's was a little better, but still nothing fantastic. Pretty disappointing. First trial was a bust, but why were so many people (including my cousin) so happy with it?? I tried it again three more times, and the last time was probably the best (I tried exfoliating first), but still not great. My boyfriend's, on the other hand, was pretty good! 

WARNING: The photo you are about to see might be kinda gross to some people. If you are easily squeamish I suggest skipping over the photo!

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So yeah, apparently this is what's supposed to happen. Maybe my pores aren't open enough for these strips to work, but if your pores are slightly open, or maybe a little oilier than usual, it would work!

SO! What rating do I give them? They didn't work for me, but they worked for my boyfriend and my cousin. So my rating is 5/10. If you do not have troublesome skin, or visible pores, I don't really recommend these strips because they will not do much. I believe these are for people who have more acne prone skin, but if you really want to try them out, go for it! You might be pleasantly surprised :)