My Skincare Saviours

Today, a self-explanatory title and a post in which I try (and most likely fail) to find the words to do justice to the two products which I accredit with being my skincare saviours. Seriously, I don't think there are adjectives to describe my love for these two. Both are cult blogger's favourites that you will have read many a review of before, but here I am to add my contribution. These two pop up a lot in my skincare posts so whilst they may have been done to death in the blogging world I do think they deserve proper detailed mentions on my blog, and for the benefit of those new to the beauty world I will go back to basics (apologies to the pros amongst you).

First up La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo +. A lightweight white gel designed to be applied to the face morning and night as a preventative spot-treatment. Note: this is not to be confused with a spot-on spot treatment, it won't do wonders for existing blemishes but will get to work preventing future ones. Prior to using Effaclar Duo my skin was really suffering from the aftermath of teenage acne. Whilst my battle with blemishes was in no way as severe as some, it was a huge knock to my confidence and I am still working on clearing up the aftermath today. Whilst stepping way from the harsh, nasty scrubs of my teen years (Clean & Clear, Clearasil etc), and moving on to a more gentle and natural approach to skincare (mostly Lush) did work absolute wonders for my skin, I was still suffering from regular breakouts. Enter Effaclar Duo. I'd read numerous review of this French skincare favourite but it was the lovely Ruth Crilly's reviews (and admittedly 1/3 off French pharmacy on escentual.com) that spurred me to purchase. That was two years ago, when French skincare was still pretty expensive/hard to find in the UK (nowadays you can find La Roche Posay in your local Boots).

I've written about my experience with using Effaclar Duo here and here, so for a very detailed account of my experience, check out those posts. I personally don't find this does much for decreasing pore visibility or redness (if you use too much redness will increase), but it is an absolute miracle worker when it comes to preventing spots. It does take a few weeks of regular use to see results, and it is very important not to over apply (like I said, increased redness), so don't give up if your breakouts haven't disappeared by day three! The souped up new version (note the '+') has all the benefits of the original but also aims to fade the scarring left behind by breakouts. I don't find this claim to be as noticeable or effective as the initial 'prevents blemishes', to which I'd give a full A++++, however my blemish scars have faded whilst I've been using this.

A more recent addition to my skincare stash, the Pixi Glow Tonic is another blogger's favourite, and for good reason. I never really got the hype surrounding this product, and if I'm honest, I didn't really think that there was much that a toner could do by way of having a noticeable impact upon your skin. But my oh my, the results are ahh-mazing. A gentle but astringent exfoliating toner, this product makes use of aloe vera, witch hazel, ginseng and (the skincare HG) glycolic acid to gently remove dead skin cells and stimulate circulation.

I use this product nightly, soaking a cotton pad and wiping it over my face (concentrating on areas where I have scarring, blemishes etc, and avoiding dry patches). At first I was somewhat reminded of the 'quack potions' of old as I saw zilch results from this within the first few weeks of use and felt like it was nothing more than a just glorified toner with a nice bottle and a hefty price tag. I was also a little put off by the smell, which reminded me (and still does) of Dettol. Anyone else?? However, fast forward a few months down the line and I am a Pixi Glow Tonic convert. The results didn't happen overnight, but after a few weeks of use the effect on my skin became much more visible. As well as reducing redness, fading scarring, and preventing breakouts, continuous use has left me with a noticeably more even skin tone and softened skin texture. The kind of improvements you didn't really realise you needed until they were made. Freakin' miracle juice I tell ya.

A quick note to name drop that rather intriguing gadget seen in the picture above (regular readers will recognise The Body Shop's Facial Massager from my recent May beauty favourites post). This handy and affordable little instrument has had a bigger effect than I could ever have imagined it would upon my skin. I gently roll this across my lower face every evening after applying my night-time oils, serums, moisturisers etc. It massages the products into your skin (increasing their efficiency) as well as stimulating blood cells which increases skin cell turnover and in turn works towards fading scarring and improving the skins texture.

Let me know in the comments below which products you count as your skincare saviours! To stay updated on future posts you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Bloglovin - and don't forget to enter my latest giveaway!