I’ve been a little self-conscious about my skin lately, but I’ve also been self-conscious about spending too much on skin care. So I was cruising the Internet looking for affordable ways to: minimize pores, deal with breakouts, get rid of blackheads.

That’s how I found a recipe for making your own Biore strips. I’ve tried it twice now and am quite pleased with the results. I’m even more pleased with the price, which is miniscule.

So here are the super-duper complex steps:

Mix one tablespoon unflavored gelatin (I use Knox) with one tablespoon milk. Microwave it for 10 seconds Spread it on your face.

Whew! Did you get all that?

For the record, I think the recipe calls for far too much product. I did most of my face and still had about half left. So I’m going to take it down to a half tablespoon next time.

That said, make sure you spread enough on. You don’t want the layer to be too thin, or it makes removal harder.

To those skeptics out there… I poo-pooed Biore strips when they came out. I thought it was basically glorified tape. And, hey, maybe the strips are.

But this mask? It does its job to such a degree that it’s actually slightly disgusting. By which I mean, you’re both impressed and horrified with the results.

I’m really glad it gets all that gunk out, but I’m creeped out that the stuff was in my pores to begin with. Ugh.

Beyond clean pores, I am just psyched about the price.

Biore nose strips run about $8 for 8. If you get the new packs with 7 nose and 7 “face” (aka forehead) strips, you’ll pay $10.

Meanwhile, Knox gelatin gives you four, one-tablespoon packets for $1.25 at Walmart. If you have moral issues shopping there, you’ll pay about $2 at the grocery store.

So even if you go by the receipt, you’re paying about 35-50 cents to Biore your whole face. (And yes, I just used “Biore” as a verb. Deal with it.) If you decrease that to a half tablespoon, you’re down to about 18-25 cents a shot.

Try it. You’ll be impressed (and slightly grossed out) by the results.