I Just Tried M&S's Affordable New Skincare Line—Here Are My Honest Thoughts

AtBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing UK HQ, we love a bit of Marks and Spencer. Fashion contributor Bébhinn Campbell recently assembled four expensive-looking ready-made outfits from the high-street hero, affiliates editor Emily Dawes is currently living in its exquisite collection of linen trousers, and shopping editor Remy Farrell just can’t get enough of the shoes. Did I mention everyone here also has great taste?

As for me? When I’m not stockpiling on fizzy Colin the Caterpillar sweets—hands down better than Percy—and the sour cream and jalapeño combo crisp mix—definitely the best flavour, don’t @ me—you’ll find me scouring the shelves in the beauty hall. As well having its own range of beauty products including the affordable Apothecary line of candles, bath and bodycare products, you’ll also find a fantastic edit of beauty brands including Benefit, Nuxe, Eve Lom, Rem Clean Skincare and Votary to name a few. 

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(Image credit: @MOLLIECBURDELL FORBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing UK)

The Fresh Elements Clarify range that I test-drove this week.

Taking everything above into consideration, you can imagine my joy upon receiving an email announcing the launch of Fresh Elements: M&S's new own-brand skincare range comprising of three simple, effective and affordable product ranges that help target specific skin concerns. 

Powered by Vitamin C the ‘Glow’ range has been developed for dull skin in need of a pick-me-up, and works alongside other stellar ingredients such as glycolic acid and Vitamin E. Much like the name suggests, ‘Hydrate’ is for dryer skin types and acts as an instant moisture boosting routine-you have hyaluronic acid and Vitamin B5 to thank for that. As someone with oily, blemish-prone skin, I requested to try the ‘Clarify’ range, which credits mandelic acid as its hero ingredient. It’s gentle on the skin and can help to unclog pores, dissolves blackheads and control sebum production. It also has antibacterial properties and can help rid the skin of acne-causing bacteria. 

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(Image credit: @MOLLIECBURDELL FORBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing  )

Putting the Clarify range into action!

I’m very into how cool and current the look and feel of the products are. I also really like how they're labelled up with numbers, so you know exactly what to use and when to use it. I just want to caveat the fact it can take up to 12 weeks to see how your skin takes to new products, but read on for my very first impressions of each product in the Clarify range. 

1. Fresh Elements Clarify Skin-Perfecting Jelly Cleanser

2. Fresh Elements Clarify Deep Cleansing Clay Mask

3. Fresh Elements Clarify Blemish Control Gel

4. Fresh Elements Clarify Refining Overnight Serum

5. Fresh Elements Clarify Calming Night Cream

For Dull Dehydrated Skin, Try the M&S Glow Range...

1. Fresh Elements Glow Protecting Day Cream

2. Fresh Elements Glow Brightening Eye Cream

For Skin In Need of a Moisture Boost, Try the Hydrate Range...

1.Fresh Elements Hydrate Micellar Water

2. Fresh Elements Hydrate Ultra Lightweight Face Oil

Next Up: I Tried Laser Hair Removal, and It's the One Treatment I Wish I'd Done Sooner

Mollie Burdell is a freelance beauty editor, presenter and host. She trained as a makeup artist at the prestigious Delamar Academy, covering everything from prosthetics and theatre to TV and film, and then went on to graduate from university with a First Class Honours degree in journalism.After completing internships at Grazia, Look, Cosmopolitan and Stylist, she landed her first writer role at Superdrug's Dare magazine. Mollie then joined the Harrods content team as a beauty writer before being promoted to the deputy beauty editor. There, she developed the content strategy, tone of voice and creative identity for H Beauty—Harrods's standalone regional beauty stores. When she wasn't interviewing the likes of Gigi Hadid, Miranda Kerr and Regé-Jean Page, you'd find her on a live broadcast, hosting an event, shooting video content, reviewing the lastest beauty launch on social or crafting a magazine feature. She has also hosted and contributed to the LuxeGirl by SheerLuxe YouTube series.When Mollie isn't writing about beauty, you'll find her talking about it on a TikTok shop, dancing to pretty much anything with a beat, reading a crime thriller or performing a solo rendition of "One Day More" from Les Mis.