Review: Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner

You have probably heard of Dr. Brandt or seen their products around if you stopped by Sephora or other boutiques carrying skincare. I always wanted to try Dr. Brandt products seeing it appear often in magazines but have not due to its high price. Luckily, I received Dr. Brandt's Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner, a blackhead extractor mask, in this month's Birchbox. 

One of my biggest worries with my skin is having blackheads appear around my nose. Of course my first reaction was "Oh my god, its so expensive for such a small amount!" when I researched the price. I was hoping this would do wonders for me considering the full size version costs $45 for a 1 oz tube.  The tube in my pictures is a .25 oz sample size so pretend there is like 4 of them. Here are my results after trying this out the first time.

Target Skin Type: Oily/Combination Skin

Does not contain: 

- Parabens

- Sulfates

- Synthetic Fragrances

- Synthetic Dyes

- Petro-Chemicals

- Phthalates

Edit 11/1/2014 : Okay, I gave this another try about 4 times and it still gave left me a nose still with blackheads. So for sure, I do not recommend spending $45 for a 50/50 chance that it will work or not for you. If you are looking for an alternative solution for blackheads that works and is cheaper, I wrote about it on the bottom of this post.

Swatch of Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner

So let's talk about appearances first. The Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner comes out as a white paste and has a very chemical scent to it. My test areas were my nose, parts of my cheeks that I noticed had a lonely blackhead, and areas with big pores.

I put a dime size amount to cover these areas and as I applied, the white paste became transparent on the skin. The instructions say to wait until this paste turned blue and there will be some tingly sensation. I would describe this tingle in the beginning as a slight burning sensation. It is not very pleasant. Towards the end when my time was up, the burning became cooling like I had peppermint on my nose.

If you try to smile, the areas of your face with the Pores No More paste will feel a tightness to it like when using other face masks. The instructions said to keep it on between 5 to 10 minutes. I left mine on for about 10 minutes to not skimp. 

When I looked into the mirror, the paste wasn't actually blue. The color transition was like a white color and it became more obvious where you applied the paste. It looks like you rubbed glue on your face and I think it looks a bit gross.

Dr. Brandt Pores No More - After it dries.

After rinsing you still feel a tingle and the result is half of blackheads were still there. Holding the mirror up close, I could still see them stuck on my nose. It was hard to capture a good picture with my phone. This is one example of how even though something is priced expensive, doesn't mean it always works. It did exfoliate the skin leaving a smooth result just not all of the blackheads were removed. If I did pay $45 for this I would end up returning it. Very disappointing.

Before

After 

With all things considered, I still wouldn't recommend anyone to buy this product because it simply doesn't work that well and is too overpriced. If you do have blackheads on your nose, using the old school method of a combination of baking soda and lemon/lime juice to form a paste gives better and clearer results than Dr. Brandt's Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner would.

Have you tried Dr. Brandt's Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner or other Dr. Brandt products ? What were your results?

Leave me a comment or tweet me @intriceblog. :)

x Carol

Retails: $45.00 (Full size, 1 oz)
Available at:  drbrandtskincare.com or Sephora