Yes, friends, I finally decided that it’s time to start investing in my skin a little – and that means no more drugstore cleansers. (I have no actual proof that using a cheap cleanser compromises the quality of your skin, but after years of using products by the likes of Neutrogena, Cetaphil and – yes – even Ivory bar soap, I decided that a little splurge might be in order.) I headed straight to Sephora and asked the nearest sales associate what she recommended for oily, acne-prone skin.

Her top suggestion was this No ‘Zit’ Sherlock Purifying Cleanser+Toner by Bliss. She said that, despite the somewhat-medicinal smell, my skin would feel “like butter” after use, and I could count on the encapsulated formula to keep battling breakouts even after it had been rinsed away. The price tag was a totally reasonable $22, and combined with Sephora’s generous return policy, I decided to go for it. (By the way, are you aware of how awesome their return policy is?! You can bring anything back if you’re not satisfied, there’s no time limit on returns, and you only have to have the receipt for cash-back returns; without a receipt, they’ll give you store credit instead. Nice!)

Anyhow, can I just say that this is officially the best cleanser I’ve ever used in my life? I don’t know about you, but I always relied on other skincare products to do the dirty work when it came to my breakouts, which I would classify as moderate in terms of both severity and frequency. Spot treatments, clarifying lotions, natural remedies (like sea salt or tea tree oil, both of which I still highly recommend)…all were more effective in actually clearing out my pores than anything I used to wash my face. But this stuff is fantastic! My skin felt so soft and smooth after just one use, and it really has cleared up a few spots that were threatening to take over my face – and this is after only 3 days of use! I also love that it’s a nice combo of natural ingredients (yogurt, meadowsweet extract) and standard acne fighters (salicyclic acid). It’s so awesome, in fact, that I’m planning to pick up the entire trio of No ‘Zit’ Sherlock products, which includes a Correcting Serum (formulated to minimize pores, refine skin texture and reduce the appearance of post-pimple pigmentation) and an Oil Control Moisturizer. Has anyone else had luck with Bliss skincare?