Paula's Choice Resist 2% BHA Daily Pore-Refining Treatment

I've been using Paula's Choice BHA 2% on and off for a few months now.

What is it?
'Wrinkles and breakouts at the same time? Not anymore. This lightweight leave-on exfoliant removes old cells on the skin’s surface and inside the pores, while repairing signs of aging.'

Who is it for?
It says combination to oily skin, but it's gentle enough for any skin type - I would even say sensitive. Zero tingle factor, very gentle. Be ye not afraid.

What’s in it?
Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol (slip agents and penetration enhancers), Salicylic Acid (beta hydroxy acid exfoliating agent), Butylene Glycol (slip agent), Polysorbate 20 (emulsifier) Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 (cell-communicating ingredients), Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate (anti-irritant), Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid (antioxidant), Oleanolic Acid (anti-irritant), Sodium Hyaluronate (skin-repairing ingredient), Allantoin (anti-irritant),Trehalose (skin-repairing ingredient), Panthenol (skin-conditioning agent), Glycerin (skin-repairing ingredient), PEG-60 Almond Glycerides (emulsifier), Caprylyl Glycol (skin-conditioning agent), PEG/PPG-18/4 Copolymer (solvent), Methyl Gluceth-20, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane (skin-conditioning agents),Glycereth-26 (emollient thickener), Sodium Metabisulfite (stabilizer), Sodium Hydroxide (pH adjuster), Carbomer (gel-based thickener), Disodium EDTA (chelating agent).

Possibly acne/allergy/troubling for some ingredients?
Not really, it has glycols and pegs that some people don't like - but I don't concern myself about them - and clearly neither does PC.

Natural? Organic? Man made? Vegan?
Man made. Vegan.

Tested on animals/sold in China?
No./No. Paula loves a bunny.

What's not in it?
Fragrance.

How do you use it?
You apply this as you would an acid toner, on to cotton pads and then all over the face avoiding eyes. Follow with serum/treatments etc

What’s good about it?
This, to my mind, is an essence rather than a 'treatment'. That's why it's more expensive and in a smaller bottle size. The highlighted ingredients above are far more than you would normally find in an acid toner product. This is called a 'treatment' and for good reason. Salicylic acid means it is great for unclogging stubborn pores and the peptides help with the signs of aging, making it a good starter/introduction product to the Resist line for those of you (us) with either adult acne or hormonal breakouts on the other side of your 20's.

What’s not so good about it?
Although I understand that it contains more than the usual acids - this is £25.00 for 88ml. The same size in the US is $28.00. I don't know about you but I've been seeing US brands translate dollars into pounds almost on a like for like basis for over 20 years and I'm bored of it now. In today's exchange rate this should cost you £18.00. £7.00 extra because we happen to live in the UK. Even allowing for taxes, import duties and shipping etc it's a hard pill to swallow. Even more so because Paula's Choice is only available on their own website, cutting out any margin for a third party retailer. You also have to pay for shipping. Something that most of the large online retailers now offer free as standard. You have no choices here. It's the only stockist.

I know it works both ways, UK brands are frequently pound for dollar, and none of us have it as bad as the poor Australians. Sorry chaps, you have it much worse than anyone else. And so to prove fairness to PC, I'm adding another heading to my reviews to include prices in the brand's home country. Because you know: CASH.
But that is my only (albeit long-winded) gripe. The product itself is great. Sorry Paula.

Where to use in your routine?
I use this at the acid toner stage but I don't follow it with a spritz. I usually go straight in with her Retinol 1%.

Similar products?
Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion (no peptide action though)
Clarins Gentle Exfoliator
Some essences, but it's a fairly unique product.



Paula's Choice BHA 2% is £25.00 and available from www.paulaschoice.co.uk or .com in the US.

I've liked the PC products I've used. I'm going to start working my way through the brand. Taking one for the team. ;)

Acid Toning Part One

Oh it was always going to be a long one wasn't it?

If you are a new reader (WELCOME!) you can read more about the importance of acids on the cheat sheets over there----->

The rest of you will be au fait with my thinking so let's crack on with the products in Part 1.

P50/V/W/1970 Biologique Recherche - Lactic, usnic, salicylic and ascorbic acids. Niacinamide - brill. The first and still far and away one of the best. Around £50.00

Bravura Purifying Calendula Toner - 10% glycolic, 3% lactic. Lots of info on the website - the PH is 3.8. Marvellous! And it WAS £8.00 and 39p. A great budget buy.

Cane & Austin Retexturizing Treatment Pads - 10% glycolic, retinyl palmitate and ubiquinone - great ingredients designed for anti-ageing and pigmentation. (Also available from Beauty Bay - not just SpaceNK as I say in the video)

Colbert MD Intensify Facial Pads - Bromelain (pineapple enzymes), lactic acid and glucosamine. Exfoliating discs designed to mimic the effects of microdermabrasion. Glycolic-free. Beautiful product.

Colbert MD Tone Control - These are aimed at damage caused by pigmentation and contain inflacin (massive anti-inflammatory), Phytomoist Qusome (400 times more active than sodium hyaluronate), CoQ10 and ubiquinone. perfect for an older skin plagued by/worried about pigmentation.

Dennis Gross M.D. Alpha Beta Peel Original Formula - Disc One contains glycolic, lactic, malic and salicylic acids, genistein. Disc Two contains green tea extract, phospholipids and sodium bicarbonate. Gentle enough for every day use without losing efficacy. 

Dennis Gross M.D. Extra Strength Alpha Beta Peel - Disc One contains glycolic, malic, lactic, citric, mandelic and salicylic acids. Disc Two follows up with retinol, genistein, ubiquinone and resveratrol. Hardcore. Brilliant for anti-ageing.

Dennis Gross M.D. Alpha Beta Glow Pads - contain vitamin D, glycolic and lactic acid along with DHA to both be anti-ageing and impart a glow.
N'est pas que le génie ?

Environ AVST Toner - niacinamide and lactic acid make this another glycolic-free option. The Environ website is awful so this links to the UK distributor which carries more info.

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads - Affordable, gentle enough for daily use. Lactic and glycolic in an aloe vera base. One of my most-used products this year.

Thanks for watching. Part Two is coming.

Clarins Exfoliating Toner

Here in all its glory is the most searched for item on this blog. There were over 100 searches for it in December alone so I thought I'd best get to reviewing it.

This is automatically in my Top 10 Toners.

A few things to say up front: it does contain alcohol - which I am always asked about - but it counteracts it nicely with glycerin. If I hadn't seen the inci list I wouldn't have known there was alcohol present. There is absolutely NO feeling of dryness after use.

It also contains glycolic, salicylic and tartaric acid - in much smaller amounts than P50 and Pixi Glow Tonic - there is only the teeniest sting on open skin (after extractions) so this in essence is a lovely toner that will really gently exfoliate the surface of the skin without really over-working it and thus the danger of thinning it out..however, it isn't the gentlest with the hindsight of longevity. I would absolutely keep this as one of your go-to exfoliating toners, but it's not suitable for 2 x day every day. Mix it up. Alternate with other exfoliating toners.

You'll find that the bigger beauty houses steer away from using products that are too active - and always, always, protect themselves with very safe usage directions. It's not their fault - they answer to lawyers and shareholders and have to avoid any costly lawsuits.

So this says to use 1 or 2 times a week and to avoid the eyes. I purposely used it across my eyelids and undereyes (as I always do with toner) and this is absolutely fine. On me. I'm not suggesting you pour it all over your face - just giving you reassurance that for my eyes - which are actually quite sensitive - this was fine.

It also has the must-have legal requirement labelling about sunburn and AHA usage - saying to avoid the sun for a week after use. This is bog standard EU inci legislation that has to be applied to anything containing AHA's. 

Ridiculous when you consider that glycolic acid is the only one of the AHA's that actually makes you sun sensitive. Do read the packaging but don't be put off.

So yes, protect your skin and patch test on a Clarins counter if you are concerned, but this is a beautiful, softening, exfoliating, brightening, hydrating toner that should be in everyone's arsenal. 

Available from Clarins.co.uk priced £24.50.

* press sample

Cheat Sheet - Anti-ageing

Anti-ageing.

We're all so used to this phrase that we don't even question it. If a product says it is anti-ageing on the box then it must be - right?

WRONG.

If ever a phrase has been overused it is this one. There are few ingredients that are indeed anti-ageing.
Although to be fair some should be called 'ageing prevention' as they don't reverse signs of ageing - they just slow them down or prevent them from getting worse.

Before we get on to the ingredients a reminder from your friendly nag about the 3 worst things you can do for your skin.

Sun, Sugar and Smoking

Sun - get a little - not a lot. Be sensible.

Sugar - probably one of the best (and hardest) things you can do for yourself, your health and your skin is to cut out sugar.
In a nutshell - sugar destroys your collagen - think of collagen as scaffolding for your face. Every time you eat/drink sugar it is like taking a piece of the scaffolding away - saggy baggy and drawn. Enjoy that cola won't you. And I'm not preaching here - I struggle every day with leaving sugar alone!

Smoking - No need to go into detail. I could not possibly be more anti-smoking. I was once able to tell a client how she blew her smoke out of her mouth (straight up her face from her bottom lip) because of the condition of her skin in that area.
Smoking leaches the oxygen out of your face with every puff. Smokers have grey skin. Yes. Grey. If you smoke - get help and stop - as soon as you can.

So - digression over. The next time you pick up a product that claims to be anti-ageing what you need to look out for is one of these:

• SPF      
  SPF is anti-ageing. Proven, undoubtedly, unequivocally. Although if you're younger you could argue that it belongs in the 'prevention' category. It doesn't fix what has been done. That is the job of:
• Vitamin A   
  Vitamin A is the only other ingredient along with SPF that the FDA will legally let you claim to be anti-ageing in the USA. Vitamin A reverses the signs of ageing. Rebuilds collagen, repairs sun damage and is an all round good egg. There are varying degrees of vitamin A - if you have previously used a product with vitamin A in it and reacted badly - it may just be that you haven't found the right one for you yet.
• Glycolic/Lactic/Salicylic Acids   
  Acids used in the right way can be beneficial to the skin - when applied as topical exfoliants they resurface the epidermis allowing better product penetration and in the case of some well formulated AHA's - help rebuild collagen.
  Glycolic and Lactic are better for a dryer skin - Salicylic for oily/combination. Don't go too strong straight away and don't go mad. Less is sometimes more. 
• Vitamins C and E
  These two work well together as vitamin C is traditionally water-based (newer formulas include oil-based vitamin C) and vitamin E is oil based thus protecting both parts of the cell. Both are anti-oxidants and so in the 'prevention' category.
• Niacinamide
  Newer than the others, this is vitamin B3 by another name. When used on the skin it has shown to stimulate the dermis and in turn increase the fatty content of the cells along with aiding in the retention of water. As it is shown to enhance barrier function of the epidermis it has had good results with acne sufferers by protectng against bacterial attack.

Honestly?

That's about it.

Other ingredients may be and are beneficial to the skin in other ways - but if anti-ageing is the aim - you need some of these in your product - not all at once - let's not give the epidermis a heart attack.

And what age to start using anti-ageing?

I'm 'nutshelling' again but here goes:

SPF - from birth - no brainer. But please don't cover your babies in SPF50 until they are white. They need SOME sun.

Vitamin A - 30+ depending on lifestyle - if you're a sun worshipper start earlier.

Glycolic/Lactic/Salicylic - again depends on lifestyle and skin type. If you have acne you can use Salicylic topically from a fairly early age. The other two can be introduced 25+.

Vitamins C and E - from the word go. As soon as you start your skincare routine choose something with these in. Good move.

Niacinamide - 25+ ish again depending on lifestyle and skin. Acne? Crack on.

The basic thing to remember with anti-ageing is that our collagen production is linked directly to our ovaries.
When we are at our most fertile our skin is is usually at its height. As you near menopause and go through peri-menopause you will notice huge changes in your entire system, not just your skin. Hitting menopause has a direct link to your collagen, its a bit like someone takes away a little of the scaffolding that supports your facial structure with each passing year.

So start taking care of your skin when you get your periods - and step it up a notch when you get to 35+ (before if you go into early menopause or have a full hysterectomy).

And when you DO start using these products - all of them but especially the Vitamin A - DO NOT FORGET YOUR SPF.
During winter I get my SPF from my foundation, but I live in the northern hemisphere and work predominantly indoors. Once the sun is out its time for a dedicated SPF on top of your moisturiser and underneath your foundation. More of which here: www.carolinehirons.com/spf-cheat-sheet

And if you DO smoke? Scrap all that advice and use all of the above - now.