At Who What Wear UK HQ, we love a bit of Marks and Spencer. Fashion contributor Bébhinn Campbell recently assembled four expensive-looking ready-made outfits from the high-street hero, affiliates editor Emily Dawes is currently living in its exquisite collection of linen trousers, and shopping editor Remy Farrell just can’t get enough of the shoes. Did I mention everyone here also has great taste?
As for me? When I’m not stockpiling on fizzy Colin the Caterpillar sweets—hands down better than Percy—and the sour cream and jalapeño combo crisp mix—definitely the best flavour, don’t @ me—you’ll find me scouring the shelves in the beauty hall. As well having its own range of beauty products including the affordable Apothecary line of candles, bath and bodycare products, you’ll also find a fantastic edit of beauty brands including Benefit, Nuxe, Eve Lom, Rem Clean Skincare and Votary to name a few.
The Fresh Elements Clarify range that I test-drove this week.
Taking everything above into consideration, you can imagine my joy upon receiving an email announcing the launch of Fresh Elements: M&S’s new own-brand skincare range comprising of three simple, effective and affordable product ranges that help target specific skin concerns.
Powered by Vitamin C the ‘Glow’ range has been developed for dull skin in need of a pick-me-up, and works alongside other stellar ingredients such as glycolic acid and Vitamin E. Much like the name suggests, ‘Hydrate’ is for dryer skin types and acts as an instant moisture boosting routine-you have hyaluronic acid and Vitamin B5 to thank for that. As someone with oily, blemish-prone skin, I requested to try the ‘Clarify’ range, which credits mandelic acid as its hero ingredient. It’s gentle on the skin and can help to unclog pores, dissolves blackheads and control sebum production. It also has antibacterial properties and can help rid the skin of acne-causing bacteria.
Putting the Clarify range into action!
I’m very into how cool and current the look and feel of the products are. I also really like how they’re labelled up with numbers, so you know exactly what to use and when to use it. I just want to caveat the fact it can take up to 12 weeks to see how your skin takes to new products, but read on for my very first impressions of each product in the Clarify range.
I think this is my favourite product from the range. It has a creamy gel consistency which feels very gentle on the skin, and removes everything from my face with ease. Mandelic acid works alongside white willow bark to speed up cell turnover for a clearer looking skin and witch hazel helps to visibly shrink pores as well as acting as an anti-inflammatory.
A great mask to use a couple of times if you have oily, combination or blemish-prone skin. The Kaolin clay draws out excess sebum and impurities, helping to keep the oiliness at bay as well as visibly minimising pores. I really enjoyed the feeling of this mask on my skin, and the way my skin looked and felt afterwards. It definitely feels like a very luxe product, so much so I keep having to remind myself it’s only a tenner!
As someone who suffers with hormonal breakouts on my chin, I like to have some kind of targeted spot gel to hand when the going gets tough. The good news for you, and less so for me, is that is exactly what happened this week so applied the Blemish Control Gel straight to the spot overnight and I can officially confirm it works—hurrah! The spot didn’t entirely disappear (I wish), but it was a lot less red and inflamed. Credit to the spot-busting trio of salicylic acid, witch hazel and tea tree oil which work together to neutralise the blemish and surrounding area.
A lightweight overnight serum that contains alpine willow herb to help reduce sebum production and mandelic acid to gently exfoliate the skin. My skin felt well moisturised and glowy come the morning, and my chin area was a lot calmer than the day before.
I was actually sent the toner instead of the night cream, which doesn’t currently seem to be online. However, I am very keen to get my hands on this mattifying blend which is said to moisturise, calm visible redness, reduce sebum and minimise the appearance of pores—all the things us oily guys and gals like the sounds of!
A brightening lightweight day cream infused with vitamins A, C and E.
Contains Vitamin C, hydrating hyaluronic acid and moisture-locking jojoba oil to help reduce puffiness, brighten dark circles and makes eyes look less tired.
This cleansing water removes make-up and impurities while soothing and hydrating skin at the same time.
Hyaluronic acid and squalane work together to instantly boost hydration.
