I am so sorry to hear about your Murad situation. I have had an issue with huge pores for most of my life. I foud a mask from Bath & Body works that you actually peel off. It was white and sort of a thick creamy white liquid. When it dried it ended up looking like a giant biore pad all over my face. When I peeled it off, I was suprised at how much gunk came out of my pores! It left my pores smaller/tighter and my skin would shine like I just had a facial. I would do it once a week until, as always when I find a product I truly love, they discontinued it. Then I would do the same thing as you & would steam before cleansing. Unfortunetly, it only lead to broken cappilaries leaving my face red and aggrivated my rosacea. I also tried mud masks. It didn't work. Finally in 2008, I started using the Clarisonic with a sulfate free cleanser called Purity Made Simple. Both the Clarisonic and Purity Made Simple are true miracles in my opinion. After using them both for a month, I truly saw a difference in my skin. My pores looked smaller because all of the gunk in them had been cleansed away. My make up went on better, too. No more visable foundation in my pores. BTY-I use BareMinerals. Bath & Body works finally came out with another peel off mask called True Blue Spa Blackberry Purifying Pell Off Face Mask and I bought it and used it. This time the mask was black, and when i used it, no gunk came out of my pores because it was cleaned away from the Clarisonic and cleanser. I still had a small issue with much smaller blackheads if you would even call them that around my nostrils. My dermatoligist gave me a prescription for retin-A and within a week or so, they were gone. My tips to you...get a clarisonic with the deep cleansing pore brush, give Purity made simple a try, and if you don't have a dermatologist, ask your normal doctor for a prescription for retin-a. When using the clarisonic, cleanse for 2 min. Oh, and one last thing, always use a primer. I love, love, love Mally's primers. I have one for the eye area and one for the face. Both are amazing! I purchased all of the products, except for the retin-a, from QVC because their prices are much cheaper & they have payment plans which allow you to you receive the product after you make the first payment, and then continue to make monthly payments. Plus they have a 30 day return policy so you have nothing to lose in my opinion. Another thing i learned (the hard way) was that alcohol is your enemy. The more alcohol you apply on your skin, the more oil your skin produces. I would suggest using a moisturizer with oil, but be patient. Let your skin adjust. it will stop secreting extra oil because you have applied it on your skin. As a result, your skin will stop over-producing oil and you will have less blackheads and/or acne. Good luck to you & I hope this info helps...