Just when you feel like your skin is looking its best, the next day you leave your SPF on for 12 hours and BAM BAM BAM you've got 3 newborn pimples. Just in time for the Project Vanity Anniversary Event too, dammit all.

So I reached for my current pimple buster, the Garnier PureActive Anti-Imperfections Roll-On. I picked this up last year when I was searching for a salicylic acid-containing product for breakouts. I was happy with the performance of its twin the BB Eye Roll-On, so I gave this one a shot. Long story short: this spot corrector really does work.


Pimples dry out in 1-2 days. Fade to hyperpigmentation within 5 days at most. The earlier you start it, i.e. as soon as the pimple appears, the more effective (i.e. faster) it works. There's also a cooling effect from the menthol. It's great for us who are too lazy to wash our hands before applying products on our face.




The only problem I see here is in the hygiene, because everything the rollerball touches rolls right back into the container. You could say that the PureActive solution per se is self-cleaning, being anti-bacterial, but we know this isn't the ideal packaging for this. The least I can say is I haven't gotten MORE pimples from using this.

Caution: apply on active blemishes at most 3 times a day, preferably over a moisturizer to sort of dilute its potency. I've often made the mistake of applying it twice within 2 hours (in vain efforts to make the blemish disappear within a day) and I always get a salicylic acid burn, which is really just a red angry-looking circle located exactly where you placed the salicylic acid-containing product.

The alcohol + salicylic acid also dry out the skin, so be sure to drink more water than usual and don't forget to apply moisturizer and sunscreen.

The Garnier PureActive Anti-Imperfections Roll-On retails for Php 199 for 15 ml at major drugstores.