WARNING: this post has images of a nose pore strip after use mid-post and an enlarged close up comparison photo of pores near the end. Please do not read if you have trypophobia or if these things make you queasy.
These three-step nose pore strips are very popular in Korea. I’m not sure if it was the first one ever, but the Holika Holika Pig-nose Black Head 3-Step Kit was the first one that I saw bring popularity to these kits. In fact, the Holika Holika one was so popular that the brand extended the line a couple years ago to include multiple strength levels for the three-step blackhead removal kits. Now, pretty much every Korean cosmetics brand with a skincare line sells one of these.
Step one consists of opening the pores to prepare for extraction. This step is recommended for 15-20 minutes. The strip for step one feels so incredibly lightweight that it feels like nothing is on the face at all. The product has an aromatic floral scent and offers a pleasant cooling sensation. I’m not sure how to describe the sensation exactly, but it feels icy and minty while gentle all at the same time.
Labeled as a sebum cleaner, step two is your typical nose pore strip. It states that it extracts blackheads cleanly and efficiently. This step is recommended for a duration of 10-15 minutes. Since this step utilizes adhesive, it isn’t virtually undetectable like step one, but it still feels very comfortable and lightweight. In fact, I think this is noticeably the most comfortable nose pore strip I’ve ever used.
In step three, a bio-cellulose strip is used to hydrate and tighten the newly opened and emptied pores. Bio-cellulose strips look like lychee jelly, and it makes me want to chew on it. Haha, just me? There are actually three layers to this step: one bio-cellulose layer with a protective layer on each side. This step is ust a tad bit less cooling than step one, but it still feels like icy wonder. Typically with these three-step kits, the bio-cellulose sheet tends to be really slippery and slide down the nose, so I have to use it laying down. I was surprised to find out that this one does not budge even sitting in an upright position. I think this has to do with this particular bio-cellulose strip being thinner than other ones I’ve tried.
In the past, I highly preferred the bio-cellulose sheet step over the other two steps when it came to these three-step kits; however, I found good things about each step with this specific product. I immediately loved step one and wished the brand sold a large bottle of just step one so I could dunk my entire face in the icy, cooling essence. That’s how much I loved it. When step two came around, I was impressed with how comfortable the pore strip felt on the face. With step three, I loved how the bio-cellulose strip stayed put on the nose. The experience was very pleasant and comfortable, but unfortunately, it falls short at step two. While it was comfortable, it didn’t extract many blackheads. It pulled out a lot of the peach fuzz on my nose, but I didn’t see many blackheads on the strip. Unfortunately, as step two is the main purpose of this kit, I have to say that this product doesn’t make the cut. Loved the experience, but the main purpose just didn’t follow through.
