Today I wanted to chat about acids, you know, all the good kinds for your skin: glycolic, lactic, fruit, ahas...
A couple of years ago if you'd have mentioned acids in products to me I'd have looked at you like you were crazy and ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction. Needless to say, spending time in this world (and reading lots of Caroline Hirions) has rehabilitated me and I now embrace acids as a part of my daily routine. Honestly, my skin is looking better for it, and my makeup is applying like a dream.
I am really enjoying using this as part of my morning skincare routine. This is a super gentle brightening toner that uses AHA's to refine your skin and prep it to receive your moisturiser. Think of it like the scaffolding in your morning routine. This is super gentle and I just swipe a cotton pad of all over my face in the morning to liven up my skin. It doesn't tingle at all so I think this might be a good starting point if you want to add acids into your skincare routine but don't want to go for the big guns like Liquid Gold quite yet. It makes my skin incredibly soft and smooth, which as an added bonus make my makeup apply better. The only issue I have with this is that it is quite pricey and I doubt this bottle is going to last me more than two months. I think it will be a repurchase though because having a brightening toner in my routine has made a noticeable positive difference to my skin.
I feel like this is a bit of a marmite cult product in the beauty world; everyone I know either loves it or hates it. I love it (obviously) because it's just such a damn good intensive night time treatment. I use this maybe once or twice a week when I really want to brighten my skin and help to fade pigmentation. I wipe a pad across my face and as I want an intensive treatment I don't apply moisturiser afterwards, then off I pop to bed. In the morning I feel like my skin is brighter and softer thanks to the glycolic acid and I do notice that over time it helps to fade the pigmentation from scarring etc.
A newer addition to the Liquid Gold line up is the rejuvenating night cream, which is meant to be used on alternating nights to the Liquid Gold, but I tend to just use it 3/4 times a week. It's a concentrated product and I do feel it tingling on my skin upon application but it's not uncomfortable, actually I get a sadistic pleasure when I can feel things 'working' - anyone else get that? Like the Liquid Gold this brightens my skin as well as hydrating it and I wake up in the morning feeling comfortable in my skin. I think some people worry about acids being dehydrating but I don't find this at all! My skin has never felt tight or dry after using this, so if that's a worry for you, I'd put it out of your mind unless you have seriously sensitive skin. Something I like about this is that it has an extremely hygienic dispenser, you basically just pump down the top and the correct amount of product is dispensed, which means not digging your fingers around pots! Overall a cracking night time moisturiser for all skin types bar the super sensitive, I enjoy even though it is marketed at mature skins.
This is a really soothing product to use because it's a cooling gel that applies beautifully with no tugging, stickiness or residue around the eye area. I know some people who keep this in the fridge to make it even more of a treat when they apply it! My eyes have a lot of dehydration lines and although this does not really help with them I find it makes my makeup apply more evenly and last longer before sinking into those lines. Plus, as I never know where to apply eye cream I love that the directions on this one instruct to you to pop it all around your eye area. If you have older, drier or more sensitive skin I don't think this is for you, but if like me you have fairly normal skin, you might enjoy the cooling properties and the easy application. This product like all the others I've mentioned doesn't irritate my skin at all so it's been a fab addition to my skincare routine.
What are your favourite acid products?
