Skincare Review: Neutrogena Visibly Even Skin Polishing Enzyme Treatment

I rarely review skincare products – I’m ashamed to admit I’m instinctively more interested in the BandAid makeup provides for my skin problems – but this one was too good to miss. I’d run out of powder (my Victoria’s Secret Finishing Powder finally bit the dust) and I noticed the coupon could be used online, so I snagged the powder at Ulta and this stuff.

Now I have a rather embarrassing confession to make. I’ve had the most disgusting collection of blackheads in the pores in my nose since…
…wait for it…
…the SIXTH GRADE.

I’m not kidding. I’ve been getting $80 facials with extractions for years that removed some of them, but have never found a drugstore product that helped one bit. Various estheticians have told me ingredients to look for: enzymes, AHAs, etc. (A tip: find out what ingredients work for your skin. This product claimed to reduce discoloration, which I don’t have a problem with; from reading that on the label I never would have bought it. Know what you need in the product to help you, not what the label claims to do. /End rant.) I came across this and thought, what’s the hurt? It’s ten bucks.

 First, the negatives. The product instructed me to slather on a thin layer and wait 7-10 minutes. I, being the queen of overkill, waited the full ten. It warned that a “tingling sensation” was normal; I felt no such thing (but I do have a suspicion that my skin is made of titanium). However, when I began to massage the product off, the burning began and my face turned various shades of horrible splotchy red. I thought, “Reduce discoloration, my ass!” The burning didn’t stop there, and I kept finding these tiny poky exfoliant beads on my face. I didn’t want to try and tone them off for fear of further aggravation to my skin.

So why am I reviewing this, and not on Neutrogena’s hotline raving about possible lawsuits? The answer is simple: Pain, splotchiness, and sandy-feeling skin are all worth it when MY SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD BLACKHEADS ARE GONE. Gone. Iradicated. I noticed little clumps of clearish-beige stuff coming off my face as I was rinsing, particularly on my forehead where I am less meticulous in cleansing since I rarely break out anymore, and realized my dead skin was sloughing right off. Then I peered closely in the mirror at my nose, and there was not a single needlepoint dark spot in sight. I was the absolute happiest I have been after using a product probably ever. I really try to reserve five-star reviews for products that I feel have very few negatives and should be in everyone’s bag, but I’ll make an exception for this.

By the way, I woke up this morning to an extremely oily face. My skin is fighting back, but I’m not worried – I’ve got a new not-so-secret weapon.

The verdict: 10/10 – I don’t care if it cost $80 and hurt twice as bad, I’d buy it again and again. This product did what no other could.

I got this tube of combination-skin happiness at Ulta.com for $10.19!

(PLEASE NOTE: Some people have sensitive skin. I do not. You could pretty much take a jackhammer to my pores and I wouldn’t break out, have allergies, or even care if it did hurt. I still will only be using this killer product the twice-per-week the label directs. If you have sensitive skin, please leave this stuff alone.)

image source: ulta.com