fresh Sugar Face Polish

What is it?
'A nourishing exfoliant made with pure brown sugar and strawberry seeds that refines and hydrates for a more radiant complexion.'
aka A face scrub. Albeit a lovely one.

What’s in it?
Sucrose, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Fragaria Vesca (Strawberry) Fruit, Propylene Carbonate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candellila) Wax, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Limonene, Fragrance (Parfum), Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Fragaria Ananassa (Strawberry) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Prunus Domestica Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Water (Aqua), Tocopheryl Acetate, Potassium Sorbate, Citral, Geraniol, Linalool, Citronellol, Bht.

Possibly acne/allergy/troubling for some ingredients?
Fragrance

What's not in it?
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petrochemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

Tested on animals/sold in China?
No/Yes - openly on their website (I was surprised by this to be honest, a lot of brands try to hide China retail!)

Who is it for?
Suitable for all skin types - but obviously you won't be scrubbing this all over your face if you have sensitivity/rosacea.

How do you use it?
'Apply to cleansed, moist skin and massage in avoiding the eye area. Leave 5-10 minutes and rinse off.'

Pre or post cleanse?
Post.

What's good/not so good about it?
I am often asked for alternatives to acids, they are not for everyone - for a variety of reasons. You may also have the type of skin that appreciates something a little stronger on occasion - I tend to use this maybe once a month/every 6 weeks but you can obviously use it more frequently. On the other hand, some people simply prefer a scrub. This is one of the more gentle ones. It doesn't tear a strip off your face, contains no plastic beads and uses sugar as its 'scrub' base. Upon massaging the sugar quickly dissolves and it becomes more emollient and slightly oily - in a good way.
When I'm writing these reviews I always investigate the product a little further to give as much info as possible. I was surprised that this contained fragrance - I'm assuming it's synthetic as fresh don't list it in its 'does not contain' section and anything labelled 'fragrance (parfum)' is usually synthetic. It doesn't cause me any problems personally, but for a brand that is so open about the things it leaves out, why would you then put fragrance in?
Having said all of that, this is a very good exfoliating scrub.
The only downside of the product is removing bits of sugar from your hairline if you scrub too close to it, but that's manageable. :)
The downside for UK dwellers is once again, the lack of distribution. I promise I'm not doing it on purpose!

fresh Sugar Face Polish is available from Sephora, Amazon and their own website in the US (and China!)

Similar products?
Exfolikate - Kate Somerville
First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Polish (much more affordable)
Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser
All the 'buffing' and 'enzyme' powders out there - of which there are plenty

Aveda skincare - it's not all about the hair you know!

My recent stint in Liberty reminded me of how much I used to love Aveda skincare and what a gem it is.. The counter is opposite the Queen Mary room (fancy!) and I headed there for at least one item after nearly every consultation. Usually the original line..

The exfoliant is another alternative to the P50, Pixi Glow Tonic and Clarins Exfoliating Toner.

 The hydrating lotion does exactly what it says on the bottle. Light, non-clogging action.

The cream cleanser doesn't dry out the face..

And the spray toners are amazing. 

Here's the thing: It's kind of hard to go wrong with Aveda for good, basic, affordable skincare. I haven't delved too much into the other lines - I'm fond of this original line - I'm not one for faff and this does the job.

Here's the best thing: the pricing and the sizes. All of the products shown in Aveda's 'botanical kinetics' line start at £17.00 for 150ml.

Them's crazy prices. I forgot about you Aveda skincare. I'm sorry. Remedied. Go try it. 

Available at all Aveda stockists and online at www.aveda.co.uk 

*Purchases - no affiliates.

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

Pixi Glow Tonic - a P50 dupe.

(old packaging - updated 2013)

I found this Glow Tonic at Pixi last week and my eyes immediately zoomed in on the ingredients. They are incredibly similar to P50 and I am really enjoying using it.

Pixi skincare is definitely no-frills, which I REALLY like. Anyone else sick of throwing away a heavy box that added £1.50 to the price of your product? I know I am.

Petra's sister Sofia trained as an aesthetician in Sweden to degree level, she was based in Stockholm and was a facialist with a little black book of Sweden's A list. She wanted to create a line that she could use in her bespoke facials in Stockholm.

Sofia wanted to develop a range for Pixi that was based around purely: simplicity and efficacy, the skincare is hand made in small batches and packaged simply and priced sensibly as she wanted to encourage people to use the best quality skincare at a price they could afford. (TOTAL WIN)

The skincare is 'spin' free, over 12 years old and still is hand labelled/filled and very much anti-hype. There are no added fragrance/colour/fillers, with some products that are AMAZING for even hyper sensitive skins. It is definitely a results-driven range.

The Glow Tonic is an oil-free, alcohol-free, gentle but astringent toner. Heavy in aloe vera, it also contains witchhazel to tone and firm, smooth the appearance of the skin and soften the texture. Ginseng is a natural supplier of oxygen to the cells and horse chestnut stimulates the skin and circulation. 

Glycolic loosens the excess accumulation of dead skin cells and thus exfoliates. It says for normal to dry and older skins but this will help all skin types in my opinion. 

You can use 2 x day as a toner - will help diminish signs of sun damage and reduce fine lines.

AND: it's £16.00. SIXTEEN POUNDS. For 250ml. 

And wait for it: I just called the store to fact check the price and Pixi is currently on a Buy One Get One Free promotion.  

What it DOES have in common with P50 is that it not available online - you need to call the store on 0207 287 7211 or email storemanager@pixibeauty.com for mail order.

Glow Tonic is available from www.pixibeauty.co.uk/skintreats

By far the BEST BOGOF offer I've seen in a long, long time. 

(product reformulated in 2013 - this is 2012 formula)

You should also check out their masks. I'm working my way through them and in light of the promotion will move them up the list to review!

* PR Sample, but I'm buying this offer. No affiliate links and I have no business links to Pixi.  Unfortunately ;)