Like many women, my skin is something I have always struggled with. In my early teens, I battled with acne on my face, back and chest, and so started on the Pill-and-antibiotics journey. My mum would smother me in a special – and very non-absorbent – sunscreen, leaving me smeared with the cakey white stuff for hours. Mortifying stuff as a 14-year-old.
Now, fortunately, at 28, my skin has relaxed a little. But I still struggle with breakouts, particularly in the hormonal chin and neck areas. When it comes to a regimented skincare routine, I confess I’m a bit lazy. Mine often consists of just a handful of steps: cleansing, vitamin C, SPF, and moisturiser. Often, I’ll endeavour to add in a new step: hyaluronic acid, retinol, exfoliant, but I struggle to make it stick.
That was until I was introduced to pimple patches. I can safely say that I’m addicted. I almost like it when I get a new spot because it means I can stick a little star over it. So fun? A friend of mine once asked why I had a holographic silver star stuck to my face – upon explaining what it was, she immediately ordered some online.
As with any of my hyper fixations, I’ve been leafing through packs of pimple patches to find the best for every need and occasion. These are a few of my faves.
NOTE: Prices are accurate at time of publishing.
Starting off bold and fun with said silver stars is the Skin Control Pimple Patch Glossy Patch. Often, I don’t wear much makeup in the day, and these holographic hearts and stars are a fun way of adding a little I don’t know what to the face. A little sparkle truly helps to distract from the tired bags under my eyes. Statement look aside, I’ve found they help cleanse pimples, absorb whiteheads, and reduce the appearance of redness and blemishes.
If you like the idea of a fun pimple patch, but are more colour-inclined, then Hydro-Star are the perfect option. Coming in four adorable shades of pink: Bubblegum, Jelly Bean, Cotton Candy, and Fruit Snack, they’re perfectly shaped to grip the contours of the face and really stick. Not only do they shield spots from outside bacteria, but they serve as a pretty-in-pink reminder to avoid skin picking.
To make handbag admin easier, Starface also have refillable compacts with a mirror inside for easy on-the-go patch-ups. You’ll need one in every colour!
If you don’t want to go about your day with something drawing attention to your face, I totally get it. For daytime, wearing the almost invisible AM patches means you can subtly help cover those pesky breakouts – even under makeup. And when it comes to bedtime, you can then opt for the extra-strength PM patches to rid them once and for all. The pack is the ultimate combo for spot-busting. They’re also available at Priceline, so you can grab some whenever you’re in a crisis.
Cult-fave beauty brand Go-To recently announced that they were adding pimple patches to their product family, and of course, the internet went wild for them. In this pack are 44 barely-there patches that pack a punch in drawing out the gunk from your skin. Their translucency arguably makes them the best when it comes to layering your patches underneath makeup.
It seems that sometimes my days of back acne aren’t over (which is great, obviously). If I’ve noticed a cluster of breakouts, I’ll often stick one of the XL patches over them when I go to bed to help clear the area. This might be TMI, but I once had one of those annoying ingrown hair spots (I think) on my thigh. I was on a long-haul flight, so I slapped one of these on, and by the time I had landed, the patch had absorbed the blemish and eased soreness and redness. I was so impressed.
This generous 72-pack of pimple patches is the best for every spot-based scenario, whether it be size, depth or aesthetic. I’ve found that these patches are on the thicker side of things, which makes them best for nighttime wear. If you’re someone like me who wriggles and wrestles with the doona in your sleep, rest assured, these won’t budge. You can also pair with the tbh spot cleanser, spot cream, and moisturiser for the best chance of zapping your pimples.
READ MORE: Repair you dry skin with these K-beauty cleansers
