SIMPLICITÉ ROSEMARY BLEMISH GEL

Simplicité (pronounced sim-pliss-i-tay) is an Australian based skincare brand using "certified organic and wildcrafted ingredients" in "medicinal herbal remedies" to help combat various skin concerns. That's a very fancy way of saying their products are fairly natural and plant based. The range is at roughly the same price point as Kiehl's and can be found at Myer (I ordered from the Myer website) or their own website.

The Rosemary Blemish Gel retails for $28.95 AUD at Myer and $29.90 on the Simplicité website. This disparity in price is kind of odd, especially because I would expect that the brand website would be cheaper than other retailers. 

The packaging is sturdy and good quality, although not particularly pretty. It does not feel expensive but is made of unbreakable plastic perfect for travelling or if, like me, you always drop products as you're putting them back on the shelf. It comes with a hygienic pump and lid (bonus: the lid does not fall off), which I appreciate. My only gripe with the packaging is that if you order from Myer you get that awesome barcode & price sticker on the product, and no matter how hard I try it always leaves a gross sticky residue. You can't see in the picture, but I ended up sticking some green paper over it so I didn't have to get glue on my hands whenever I used the product. I am not the smartest cookie in the jar. 

I almost forgot to add that the pump is very stiff, which means you have little control over how much product you dispense out. You try to only do half a pump for treating specific spots, and the next minute you have an entire pump of product that you then have to slap all over your face. Not fun, and very impractical. 

You get 30mL for the price which is (if shopping at Myer) about 1.03mL per dollar. Considering that one pump does the whole face, I think this is good value and the product will last you a long time. I used it every night for about a month and a half and finished one third of the bottle. It may take you anywhere between 4-6 months to finish the bottle if used regularly or semi-regularly. To compare, the Ren Anti-Redness serum (which has similar claims to the Simplicité one) costs $59 AUD from Mecca for 30mL.

It is lightly scented with (you guessed it) rosemary. It took me a while to get used to the scent, but it disappears soon after application. 

This is one pump. It is a very thin, aqueous consistency so it spreads easily and goes a long way. It also sinks into the skin very quickly, so you need to rub it in immediately after dispensing the product. 

I should say now that I do not like this product. It claims to help heal and prevent blemishes by "soothing the skin and minimising redness" but that did not happen. Initially I tried it as a spot treatment and after about a fortnight I began to notice some minimised redness, but the difference was so small that it just wasn't worth it. My pimples stayed exactly the same size and, if anything, became much more stubborn. I also noticed that upon application, my skin felt quite tight and uncomfortable, but because I was only using it as a spot treatment that did not concern me very much. The spot treatments I've tried usually do feel a little weird. 

Anyway, I decided to try applying the product all over the face to see if it would perform better. Immediately, I did not like how the product felt on my skin. That tightness was exaggerated to the point that I absolutely hated how the product felt. Luckily I was using the product at night and could apply some Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate overtop to remedy this. 

I was willing to brave this experience in the hopes that I would really see a difference in my skin. After a month of use all over the face I finally saw results. Just not good ones. This product did not minimise redness and blemishes, it actually did the opposite by clogging my pores. My skin felt very congested, and I started noticing more blackheads and pimples all over my face. I was getting pimples all over my cheeks and around my mouth, whereas normally I only get them on my chin and forehead. I also noticed textural issues on my skin; lots of tiny under-the-skin bumps that made me feel extremely self conscious. Makeup exacerbated any of these concerns. I also developed two massive (possibly cystic) pimples that still haven't disappeared. I haven't had any massive honkers in a while, so I felt very bad in my own skin. 

As soon as I realised the Blemish Gel was the causation of my congested skin, I stopped using it immediately. That was two weeks ago, and my skin has definitely thanked me for it.  Even using it as directed–in a thin layer all over the face–left my skin in dire condition. I would not recommend this product to anyone, but perhaps you may have a better experience with it than me. Comment below with any experiences you've had with new skincare, I'd love to hear about them!