SKIN SCHOOL: Pixi Glow Tonic

Current Favourites

Saturday, January 02, 2016

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas & New Year! I can't believe it's 2016. I know I haven't posted in a while...I've just been busy over the Christmas period, as I'm sure you all were too.
Today I thought I'd go through my current favourites. These are not all skincare related, they include body, haircare and make-up.

1. Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne

I was lucky enough to receive this for Christmas, after lusting after it for aaaaages! This has to be my favourite scent by Jo Malone, along with Vanilla & Anise. The smell is hard to describe, it's a really fresh, gorgeous smell, I just love it! All the Jo Malone scents are unisex, and most all come in a cologne, hand wash, bath oil and candle. You can also layer all Jo Malone scents, to create your own signature scent.

2. theBalm Mary Lou Manizer

This is basically a highlighter, and it's my all time favourite one! As you can tell from the second photo it's been well used since I've had it. I apply a very small amount of this to my cheekbones, to lift them and make my face appear brighter. If I'm going out or anything, I will also apply a little to my brow bone too. I like this one because it's not full of glitter particles, it's just a subtle glow (as long as you don't apply too much!).

3. Smashbox 'Shape Matters' Palette

This was also a Christmas present (I think there's a theme going here..) and it's amazing, it has everything you need all in one palette. It'd be perfect for travelling, rather than taking lots of separate products. It has 2 brow shades & a brow highlighter, two face bronzers & two face highlighters, and 9 eye shadows. The eye shadows are all really wearable colours, some darker ones and glitzy ones for going out, and some neutral ones for everyday. The gold one pictured is my favourite one to wear for special occasions.

4. Rituals Honey Touch Body Cream

This is one of my all time favourite body creams, it's quite a thick texture but it sinks into the skin really easily without leaving a greasy feeling. Rituals is a really gorgeous brand for body products & scent diffusers. The smell is really delicate, but gorgeous! I also have the shower oil in the same scent, pictured above.

5. Bumble & Bumble Invisible Oil Primer

I love the Bumble & Bumble hair products, especially the Invisible oil range. I spray this onto wet hair before blow drying, it's a great de-tangler, smells amazing and is heat & UV protective. The Invisible Oil shampoo is sulfate free, and the conditioner is amazing. If you haven't tried any of them, Boots sell a travel kit with the shampoo, conditioner, and primer spray for around £18.00, which is really good considering the price of the products alone.

6. Jessica 'Ginger Snap' Nail Polish

I've been wearing this polish all over the Christmas period, if you can't wear glitter at Christmas then when can you?! I love the colour, it's like a rose gold, and it completely covers your nail in glitter, which I love! Some glitter polishes end up being clear with a tiny amount of glitter in them which doesn't cover your nail, that really frustrates me. This colour matches my favourite pair of shoes too, which is always a bonus!

7. Pixi Glow Tonic

I've mentioned this toner on here before, and this is a smaller size that I got in my M&S beauty calendar! For more information on this toner, read this post about toning.

8. Elemis SOS Emergency Cream

I ran out of my last bottle of this a few weeks ago, and I've just repurchased it. It's one of my favourite products to use at night as a 'treatment' product. It's amazing on dry skin, spots, hormonal, stressed skin, and redness. It smells amazing too. I have mentioned this before on here too, to read more info about it, read this post here.

Thank you for reading, Happy New Year! Some wise words to stick by....

beauty

Toning

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Today's post is going to be about toning, along with some recommendations.

Why should I use a toner?

So, so, so many people miss out toning, because they either;
1. don't know what they do, or 2. think they are too drying/astringent.

Toners are used to rebalance the pH level of your skin after cleansing, and to shrink the pores, so that bacteria & pollution don't build up in the pores and cause dryness/dullness/spots. Note - toners are not used to 'remove traces of cleanser' or 'remove make-up residue'....if your cleanser does not remove your make-up or clean your face, you are not cleansing properly, or you need a new cleanser.

Yes, some toners are very astringent and drying on the skin, particularly those with a high alcohol content (~~aherm, Clinique!~~). You may aswell use nail polish remover.

I love acid toners, containing AHA's such as lactic acid (resurfacing, great for dry and dehydrated skin), glycolic acid (resurfacing, stimulating for better collagen production), and salicylic acid (great for spots/acne). The acid kicks your skin into action, sloughing away dead skin cells, and providing a perfect base for serums/moisturisers, allowing them to do their work properly.

The ones I recommend are gentle enough to use every day, as the acid content isn't too high. However, some people can have reactions to acids, just as they can have reactions to any other ingredients in products, like essential oils, so if you have extremely reactive/hyper sensitive skin, they may be best to avoid. It's important to note that you may experience a 'tingling' sensation for the first few times you use acids, but it disappears after a while.

Note: Alpha H Liquid Gold, recommended in one of my other posts, is not a toner. It should be used overnight, once or twice a week.
For those of you who don't want to use acid toners, I've listed a couple of acid-free ones.

Using the correct toner, will be one of the best things you ever do for your skin, trust me, you will see a difference.

Decleor Aroma White C+ Hydra-Brightening Lotion, £24.50, available here.

This is an acid-free formula, for those of you nervous about trying acid toners. It's still brightening and resurfacing, as it contains vitamin C, along with papaya and lemon. It's radiance boosting and gentle enough to use every day.

I really love a lot of Decleor products, they are a really good quality skincare brand.
Skin types: all
To use: after cleansing, apply some to a cotton pad and wipe over the skin.

Elemis Soothing/Rehydrating/Balancing Toner, £22.50 available here.

These are great toners for anyone who has never used one before. They are alcohol free, and acid free, so a great starting point if you've never had a proper skincare routine before. There are three different types, the one pictured is the Soothing Apricot Toner, it smells amazing, and is perfect for very sensitive, hormonal skin, and rosacea. There is also a Rehydrating Ginseng one, great for dry, dehydrated and mature skin, and lastly, a Balancing Lavender one, which is brilliant for oily/combination/spot prone skin. They are all the same price (£22.50), and are really good quality, and all smell gorgeous.

Skin types: I'd say they are all suitable for all skin types, however it's best to go for the one that you think best suits you.

To use: they come with a spray top, so you can spray it onto a cotton pad and wipe over the skin, or spritz directly onto the face if you're in a rush. Apply after cleansing, before moisturising.

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads, between £18-£22, available at most places online, including here.

These are a great starting point if you haven't used acids before. They are nice and gentle, but still kick your skin into action. Containing lactic and glycolic acid, along with cucumber and lemon peel, this is a lovely alcohol free brightening, exfoliating toner. They also contain hyaluronic acid, which is really hydrating. These can be used everyday, they are pre-soaked pads so there is no need for a cotton pad. Each pot contains 60 pads, so it's good value for money. This is one of the best affordable options for an acid toner, and one of my favourites out of this bunch.

Skin types: all, including sensitive skin.

To use: wipe over the skin with one of the pre-soaked pads after your cleanser, before your moisturiser.

Pixi Glow Tonic, £18, available here.

This is a gorgeous, exfoliating skin tonic that is gentle enough to use everyday. This is another of my favourites out of the bunch, it's alcohol free and also contains soothing aloe vera and oxygenating ginseng. I tend to prefer using this once a day rather than twice, so it was mostly in the evenings I'd use them.

Skin types: all.

To use: after cleansing, apply some to a cotton pad and wipe over the skin.

Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion, £16.50 available here and at Boots.

I know it may seem like I'm contradicting myself here, but this clarifying lotion from the Clinique range is not the same as the other clarifying lotion toners they do. This, along with the 'Take the Day off' cleansing balm mentioned in my last post, are the only two Clinique products I like and would recommend. Most of the other products are harsh and stripping on the skin. However, this one is an alcohol free formula, so non-stripping, and it's main ingredient is salicylic acid.

Skin types: combination/oily/spot prone skin.

To use: after cleansing, apply some to a cotton pad and wipe over the skin.

REN Clarimatte Clarifying Toner, £13 available here.

I've mentioned this in a couple of my other posts, this is the toner I've been using recently, it's one of the most affordable options. It has glycolic and lactic acid in it, so it really helps slough off dead skin cells and leave your skin feeling clear, radiant and smooth, ready for your serum/moisturiser.

Skin types: all, particularly oily/spot prone skin.

To use: after cleansing, apply some to a cotton pad and wipe over the skin.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Lotion, £11.00, available here.

This is another affordable option, containing mainly salicylic acid, which really helps prevent breakouts and clear up any current ones. As above, this one does also contain alcohol denat, which can be slightly drying on the skin.

Skin types: all, particularly oily/spot prone skin

To use: as above.

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