Danielle's Beauty Blog: pixi glow tonic

Thursday, 28 September 2017

Current Skincare | Toners #1

Hello! Is anyone still there? After a longer than intended break from blogging I'm going to try and kick my arse into gear and get back into the habit of posting semi regularly on here! I moved last week - same town just a different place with my own room so I think I can keep it up a bit more - I don't know why I hate people knowing I blog but I do so I just stopped. The beauty buying on the other hand hasn't stopped and there is lots I want to talk about but first up, following on from my Current Skincare | Cleansers post, I’m here with my toners today! This is a prewritten post from when I was still at home but I will do an updated version at some point too here in Canada!

Toners are a very underrated product in my opinion and they are actually one of my favourite steps in my skincare routine. I love how they get any leftover residue from cleansers off my face as well as preparing my skin for the next treatment/moisturising steps in my routine. The only thing I really look for when picking a toner is that its alcohol free so here are my current picks!

The Exfoliating One – Pixi Glow Tonic

It wouldn’t be a toner roundup without this cult favourite! I have gone through so many bottles of this over the years and it’s a constant in my routine! It contains 5% glycolic acid and is a super gentle but effective exfoliating toner that helps to dissolve dead skin cells revealing the newer cells underneath! It also diminishes signs of sun damage, fine lines and scarring and is just all round bloody brilliant at doing all of these! This really helps smooth my uneven texture and just overall refines my skin! Its £18 for 250ml and a bottle lasts me ages with daily use!

The Clarfiying One – BeautyRX by Dr. Schultz Clarifying Toner*

The most recent addiction to my toner collection and one I talked about in full here!

It’s formulated for normal, dry and combination skin and contains Sodium PCA which attracts water molecules to the skin to help maintain hydration as well as Cypress tree bark extract, a natural astringent that leaves skin feeling fresh.

BeautyRX by Dr. Schultz clarifying toner skincare review

This works perfectly at removing any leftover makeup or dirt from my face after cleansing and feels really refreshing. It doesn’t leave any residue behind and my skin feels soft and ready for the next step in my routine. It’s different to any other toner packaging I have as it comes in a spray bottle and I find that 6-7 sprays onto a cotton pad is perfect for me! You can also spray this onto your face during the day too if you wish – the mist is very fine and sprays evenly so it’s brilliant if you want a refresh! I do detect a light fragrance with this which I personally love but bare that in mind if you like fragrance free products and its $30!

The Hydrating One – Bio-Essence Hydra Tri-Action Aqua Refreshing Toner

Bio-Essence is a Singaporean brand and I got this bottle from Cult Beauty though this product doesn’t seem to be stocked there anymore *cries*. The tri action that’s referred to in the title is the hydrating, nourishing and protecting formula. It contains two types of hyaluronic acid - power nano hyaluronic acid and hyaluronic acid. These help the toner to absorb into the skin quickly providing long lasting hydration and keeping the skin firm and plumped up. It’s also enriched with Cranberry Extract and Olive Oil which again keep the skin hydrated and are rich in antioxidants to fight free radicals.

My skin feels so refreshed and – you guessed it - hydrated after using this, I love it! It has a really light scent that doesn’t bother me and I’m gutted I can’t find it online anymore though it was £14 when I bought it before Christmas! The only bad thing about this is that it’s not travel friendly at all – the glass bottle is so heavy and it can be quite hard to get the product out of the tiny hole in the top! The effort is 100% worth it though because it’s such a beautiful product!

That’s the toners I’ve been using at home! Since I've been in Canada my toner collection has expanded so I will do an update soon but let me know if you have any other alcohol free recommendations!

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own. See my full disclosure here.

Danielle xx

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Monday, 14 December 2015

Forever Repurchased #2 Higher End Edition

After my post on drugstore repurchases I realised I had a few higher end recent repurchases too so here they are!

Pixi Glow Tonic

I actually got this and the Alpha H in the gift with purchase Cult Beauty had last month, it was just too good to pass up for me! This product is so hyped up in the blogging world and I caved last year when they finally started stocking it on more online shops and I had a 20% off code for ASOS.com! It’s such a gentle but effective exfoliating toner that promises to remove dead skin cells while toning, smoothing and refining skin texture. I am so sceptical when it comes to blogger hype and will usually try to find something wrong with the product but with this I just can’t, I love it! My acne prone skin laps it up and it just makes my skin feel smoother and clearer and its one I will continue to repurchase! The 250ml I’m using at the minute (not pictured) has lasted me around a year because you don’t need a lot and I sometimes only use it at morning or night instead of both to save it!

Alpha H Liquid Gold

I've spoken about this before in this post on my Skincare Saviours and it’s another one I love having in my stash and miss when it’s not there! It’s an overnight chemical exfoliator that claims to resurface the skin and help to diminish wrinkles, pigmentation and sun damage. Again, another product I bought because of the hype and another one that totally lives up to its claims for me! The mornings after I use this, my skin just looks better, it’s clearer, more even, and plump and my old acne scar pigmentation doesn’t look as obvious. Couldn’t be without this now!

Estee Lauder Double Wear

This is my Holy Grail going out foundation, I love the stuff! Finding a shade match can be a little dodgy and I’m on my second or third match at the minute (Desert Beige) which I’m happy with when I have tan on. Nothing else compares to the coverage of this though. It’s not for everyone, but as someone who had bad acne until a few years ago and still has scarring this foundation is a godsend and makes me feel so much more confident when I have it on. I usually apply with either my fingers or a beauty blender and you have to work quickly as it sets fast but once this is on it is going nowhere. I've come in from nights out and my makeup looks as good then as when I went out hours before. The only possible downside is that is has SPF 10 in it which does give a bit of flashback but it’s a small price to pay for the amazing coverage and lasting power it gives!

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm

Man I love this stuff. I was hoping I wouldn’t because its expensive buts it’s just a lovely cleansing balm that leaves my skin feeling soft, hydrated and most importantly, clean. A little bit goes a long way with this which is why I didn’t feel so bad repurchasing but I did wait for a 20% off code! It’s so gentle and works really well over the eye area too which I love and it has quite a strong orange smell which I got used to quickly! It doesn’t feel drying in the slightest and it’s just a really luxurious feeling cleanser that I’m glad to have back!

Have you tried any of these products before? What did you think?

Danielle xx