If you’ve read my blog for a while now you know my skin type; dry, flaky, with the occasional few spots that like to rear their ugly head. Time and time again I’ve tried to banish the flaky bits in my skin, even when it wasn’t particularly dry they were still there, and after finally taking the plunge to try an exfoliating toner (or two!) I *think* I might be getting somewhere! All hail, Pixi Glow Tonic, Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner, and the Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum* for it’s injection of hydration that my skin has been loving.
I’ll start with the Pixi Glow Tonic as that’s the one I bet you’re all most familiar with, it’s been raved about by half of the blogging community and now I’ve tried it for myself, I can see why. I use this every night after cleansing and before my serum, putting a little on a cotton pad and sweeping it across my face and down my neck. I wasn’t sure my sensitive skin was going to handle using it every night but I can safely say it’s been fine, to be honest… my skin has never looked better! Out of this trio of products I’ve been using I think the Pixi Glow Tonic this has been doing the most good, helping to brighten my skin and fade old spot scars I had. When you first apply this it does have a slight tingling to it but it’s nothing major. It’s the glycolic acid in it that gives a good dose of exfoliation, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) which basically is a chemical that ‘eats’ away the dead skin cells on you face (in my case those awful flaky patches), leaving behind lovely new ones. It isn’t fragrance free though sadly so that’s something to bear in mind if you fancy trying this. There’s so much to say about this product, I really want to do a ‘how it works’ type blog post so please let me know if you’d enjoy reading that! For the purpose of this post though, it’s FABULOUS. The Pixi Glow Tonic comes in at £16 on the Pixi website so is a little pricey, but compared to other AHA products it really isn’t bad considering the quality.
Second up is the Boots Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner, which I’ve been using every morning after cleansing and before my serum. This doesn’t feel like as doing as much as the Pixi Glow Tonic, mainly because the tingle isn’t there which I know is so bad to say, but it’s definitely adding an extra little benefit to my skincare regime. It contains brightening hibiscus and natural AHAs which I think may be more gentle to the skin than glycolic acid, if you’re a bit nervous about starting to use chemical exfoliants this would probably be a good choice. This does contain alcohol which is drying to the skin, but again with a decent serum and moisturiser it will definitely do more good to your skin than bad. Bonus – the Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner is only £3.99 in Boots!
One thing I am going to say about using AHAs for exfoliation is you must remember to use SPF. They leave your skin a lot more vulnerable to the sun, and I’ve been caught out a few times recently even when wearing SPF but forgetting to top up, so please, please, please make sure you’re getting it from somewhere if you’re going to use something like these. Nobody wants to get skin cancer or look old and wrinkly by the time they are 35!
Finally is my serum of choice, day and night, for the past 3 months or so. I’ve actually had the Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum* for a while now, but never got round to reviewing it back when my blog was down. You have no idea how glad I am that I waited until now to do the review, as I feel like I can now 100% say this has helped improve my skin so much. The flaky patches on my forehead used to be so bad, even sometimes slightly sore and itchy, but this serum really helps to soothe and calm my skin, and makes me feel like I’ve had a facial after I’ve applied it. It’s a pretty weird feeling, coming out more like a gel then once you apply it feeling a bit sticky for a little while until it sinks into the skin. The only way I can describe it is that it makes your skin feel like the smoothest skin you’ve ever felt, that’s it. With a moisturiser over the top it helps your skin stay moisturised all day or night, and I can safely say the Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum* will definitely be a repurchase once my bottle has ran out! It’s around £15 from Escentual, which I think is a really good price for a serum you know will make a difference to your skin.
I honestly cannot tell you how happy I am with my skin at the minute. It’s still not totally perfect, but who’s is? I can wear foundations I haven’t worn for months and sometimes I’m even brave enough just to go with tinted moisturiser! Ahhhh! What are your skincare saviours you love? I don’t want to mess around with my routine now I’ve got it quite well, but I’m becoming slightly more obsessed with skincare lately….
P.s don’t forget you can nominate me in the Cosmo Blog Awards under the Best New Beauty Blog category, do it here!
*PR sample
