Pixi DetoxifEYE Depuffing Eye Patches Review

*Post contains affiliate links and PR items.

Pixi Beauty was founded by Petra Strand over 20 years ago in Soho, London. Petra wanted to create effective, easy to use products that would give people their best skin possible! You've probably heard of Pixi Beauty thanks to their iconic Glow Tonic glycolic acid exfoliating toner. This was one of the first of it's kind and made acid exfoliating accessible to all, not just to professionals in salons. The hype is most certainly real with Glow Tonic. It's the first acid product I used, so will always hold a soft spot in my heart. 

Pixi has recently released an absolute load of new products, expanding existing ranges and adding new ones. I was lucky enough to be sent some of these so I wanted to start reviewing them. 
First up is the DetoxifEYE Depuffing Eye Patches. These are hydrogel masks designed to be worn underneath your eyes. They promise to depuff and revive tired eyes, something we all need from time to time! The patches have some amazing ingredients including:

• Cucumber to soothe and nourish.
• Hyaluronic Acid which hydrates and plumps.
• Caffeine which is great to perk up eyes and also helps with dark circles.
  

The masks can be put in the fridge to chill, so they're extra cool! They're made of hydrogel, which helps them stick to skin, so they don't slip or move so you can go about your usual business whilst wearing them. I'd recommend relaxing whilst wearing them though, we can all take 10 minutes for ourselves! The patches are a perfect shape and size, so cover the under eye area completely. 

When you put the patches on, they're instantly cooling. I find this refreshing yet relaxing. It's like it removes any tension from around my eyes. The masks are covered with plenty of serum. I've left them on for 10 mins and longer, and they stay wet. After use, you can visibly see that your undereye area is smoother and looks more awake. 

I'm really impressed with these patches and enjoy using them. I've mostly been using them on a Friday night to help relax after the week at work. They're also great to use before a night out or special occasion, prior to putting makeup on. At 80p a pair, they're fantastic value too! There's 30 pairs in a pot, so if you're only using them occasionally like me, they'll last a while. I'll certainly be replacing them when this pot runs out.

Pixi DetoxifEYE Depuffing Eye Patches are available HERE for £24. 

Drunk Elephant Review

I know there's a million Drunk Elephant reviews out there but I thought I'd do one anyway as they're such popular products. Drunk Elephant are a skincare brand famed for their strict ethos - all their products are free from what they call "the suspicious 6". The suspicious 6 are SLS, essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical screens and fragrance / dyes. Tiffany Masterson, the brand founder, had skin issues and cut out the suspicious 6 ingredients from her skincare routine and found that this sorted out her skin. Personally I don't mind essential oils and silicones in my skincare, as long as they're used correctly. I've got some amazing products that contain those ingredients. However I do understand that they can certainly be triggers for some peoples skin issues. We're all different though and as I always like to say - what works for one, doesn't always work for another! That's MY ethos anyway. 

My Drunk Elephant journey started with The Littles Kit 2.0 which cost £71. This set contained minis of the majority of their range - Beste No9 cleanser, B-Hydra serum, C-Firma serum, TLC Framboos serum, Shaba eye serum, Lala Retro moisturiser and Marula oil. This is the UK version, which doesn't include their SPF as it's not been released here yet. 

The Littles set has since been upgraded to version 3.0 - they've swapped Shaba for C-Tango and Lala for Protini! It's still £71 and is available from Space NK and Cult Beauty. Personally I much prefer 3.0 - you'll see why soon! 

Now onto the reviews...

Beste No9 Jelly Cleanser (£27 for 150ml from Space NK & Cult Beauty) - The first time I tried this, I was really underwhelmed. It's unscented which I find boring. I like my cleanser to be a sensory experience so fragrance free does put me off. I know it's a plus for most people, that's just my personal preference. However I loved the jelly consistency and how is lathered nicely. It leaves skin beautifully soft and clean, not stripped. I found myself reaching for it more and more and now I love it! It was definitely a grower for me. The performance definitely outweighs the lack of scent for me. I wouldn't use this to remove makeup, I don't think it would work particularly well for that. It makes a perfect morning or second cleanse.

B-Hydra Intense Hydration Serum (£44 for 50ml from Space NK & Cult Beauty) - This is one of the best hydrating serums that I've tried. It's a beautiful gel consistency that melts into skin, feeling like a glass of water for your face. It's perfect to use both AM and PM. It works with everything - no pilling at all. It contains Vitamin B5 and Niacinamide which are both amazing ingredients to hydrate and strengthen skin.

C-Firma Day Serum (£67 for 30ml from Space NK & Cult Beauty) - This was the Drunk Elephant product that I was looking forward to trying the most. It's a vitamin C serum - the type of Vitamin C is Ascorbic acid which is one of the most effective but most unstable, making it prone to oxidization. It also contains ferulic acid. Sadly I didn't like this serum. My main and only issue with this serum, is the consistency. It's thick and gloopy and just left my skin feeling sticky and unpleasant. Now I can get past the odd smell that most Vitamin C serums have but the tackiness was a deal breaker for me as it doesn't create a good base for makeup. I've had people recommend that I mix it with B-Hydra to counteract the stickiness. Drunk Elephant also recommend that all their products can be mixed together as a skincare cocktail. I'm not keen on the idea of mixing serums as it could water down the efficiency. I don't mind mixing oils into creams but I don't think you should need to mix a serum to make it useable. As for the performance - it worked well to brighten my skin tone which made it even more of a shame that I wasn't keen on it! Obviously my issue is just personal preference, others don't mind the texture of it or mind mixing it. 

T.L.C Framboos Glycolic Night Serum (£76 for 30ml or £113 for 50ml from Space NK and Cult Beauty) - This serum is definitely one of my favourites! It's a similar consistency to B-Hydra - a brilliant non-sticky clear gel. It not only contains Glycolic acid, it has Salicylic acid too which makes it great for my acne-prone skin. It's 12% acid strength so it's fairly strong - you can certainly feel it tingle when applied. If you're not used to using acids, go steady with this and build up usage. After use, skin is left incredibly soft and smooth whilst still hydrated. It doesn't dry skin out. I loved this so much that I went on to buy one of the Drunk Elephant Christmas gift sets which included a full sized bottle of this and minis of B-Hydra, Beste No9, Lala and C-Tango.

Shaba Complex Eye Serum (£50 for 15ml from Space NK & Cult Beauty) - This is a really light, thin serum. It's hydrating and absorbs well which I love. I tend to prefer lighter eye products that sink in well, rather than heavier products that feel like they sit on the skin. I have found that this can sometimes sting my eye area, especially if I've been using retinol or acids. It's like it highlights any sensitivity. Performance wise it's hydrating and that it for me. I don't feel it does anything for dark circles or fine lines.

Lala Retro Whipped Cream (£50 for 50ml from Space NK & Cult Beauty) - I was initially worried about trying this cream because it's sold as the richer of the two Drunk Elephant creams and I thought it might be a bit much for my acne. Luckily I was worrying over nothing! This was the one Drunk Elephant product that I didn't expect to like and I ended up loving it. It's such a beautiful texture - it's as it's name suggests - whipped and almost mousse like. Although it's rich, it's not heavy or suffocating to skin. It's got what I can only describe as a creamy scent to it - I find it pleasant. It's such a pleasure to apply - you can just feel it nourishing your skin. For me, it's a perfect night cream, especially if you're using retinol or acids. It helps to counteract any dryness or sensitivity. 

Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil (£34 for 15ml or £61 for 30ml from Space NK & Cult Beauty) - This is probably one of Drunk Elephant's most famous products and for good reason! It's a stunning, light silky oil. It's not heavy or greasy. Skin seems to soak it up so you're not left with it sat on your skin which is great as it makes it suitable to use in the day if you want. It's also perfect to mix in with your moisturiser too. I prefer it on it's own, as it's just so light! I've not tried Marula oil from any other brands so I can't compare it in that way. I can compare it to loads of other oils that I've tried and can easily say, it's one of the best! For me, it's worth the money. 

As I've mentioned above, I went on to buy a Drunk Elephant gift set which included C-Tango. I've also since tried Protini, A-Passioni, Baby Facial, Pekee and Juju.

C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream (£54 for 15ml from Space NK & Cult Beauty) - Now I've already reviewed C-Tango as part of my "Best Products to Get Rid of Dark Circles" blog post which can be found HERE. But just to re-cap - this is my holy grail day eye cream. It was literally love at first use! It's the most amazing consistency that just smooths out your under eye area and it really improves my dark circles. It's magical stuff!

T.L.C Sukari Babyfacial - This is sadly unavailable to buy in the UK due to the strength of the acids it contains. Luckily for me @peels_masks_and_scrubs got some from America for me and then I won a competition hosted by @lbnunezpa which included Babyfacial, A-Passioni and other things too! Babyfacial is a 25% AHA and 2% BHA exfoliating mask. It's a slightly textured paste consistency. Now this stuff is STRONG!! I have a high tolerance to acids and even I find strong. I only use this once a week or once every 2 weeks, depending what other acid and retinol products I'm using at the time. It's super effective and really does leave you with baby soft, smooth skin. 

A-Passioni Retinol Cream (£62 for 30ml from Space NK & Cult Beauty) - This is one of Drunk Elephants latest products and is a 1% Retinol cream. As with Babyfacial - this serum is strong! I went from using Paula's Choice Clinical 1% Retinol, which is considered strong to using this. I used to use PC every night, along with acids with no sensitivity or peeling at all. As both serums are 1% Retinol, I though they'd be the same strength. Boy was I wrong! This serum is massively stronger, which I found out the hard way. I used A-Passioni two nights running and had really bad sensitivity and sore patches. Completely my own fault! So at the moment I'm still taking it easy with my usage of this, especially as I use acids to help control my acne. So far I'm using it 2-3 times a week. I'm really impressed with this serum. It's a cream consistency that has the traditional retinol scent and colour (yellow). You don't need much at all to cover your face. It absorbs really well too. I know some people have had issues with the packaging - I've not had a problems personally. I'm really loving this serum but I would certainly use this caution even if you're an experienced retinol user. If you're new to retinol, I'd avoid until you have a tolerance. 

Protini Polypeptide Cream (£57 for 50ml from Space NK & Cult Beauty) - I've only tried samples of this cream but it's on my wishlist to buy! It's a gorgeous gel / cream texture that plumps skin beautifully. It's perfect for oily skin like mine. 

Pekee and Juju (120g for £24 from Space NK & Cult Beauty, also available along with Juju in Baby Bar Travel Duo with travel case for £19 which is what I bought) - I bought this travel set for two reasons - one, because I was dubious about using a bar cleanser and two, because it's super cute! As much as I love DE - I was worried to buy these in full size, so this set was a great option. Both of these bar cleansers (not a soap) are wonderful. They lather gently when rubbed between damp hands. They're so creamy and gentle. Juju is slightly gritty so gives a bit of exfoliation. It's very fine bamboo powder though so isn't harsh on skin. Juju is aimed more for oily skin types - it contains thermal mud to clarify skin and help reduce sebum. They both leave skin super soft and clean, not stripped. Definitely a pleasant surprise. 

D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops (30ml for £30 from Space NK and Cult Beauty) - This is my most recent DE product. This is basically a liquid bronzer with antioxidants, so it helps protect skin from pollution and other environmental stressors. I was a little nervous to try these as I'm very pale complexion wise. The drops are designed to be added and mixed in to any of the other DE products to give skin a healthy glow. I need the tiniest amount of product so this will last ages! It's nice to know I'm getting an added bit of protection. I know there's a bit of debate around adding these to SPF - personally I won't do this, just in case but to be fair as the amount I use is so small, I doubt it would water down the SPF's efficiency that much. But better safe than sorry, I'll stick to adding it to my moisturiser. I've also been applying a small amount of this as bronzer. It works well this way too!

So that's it for my Drunk Elephant reviews! I hope you've found them useful. As always, all products are linked to make things easier if you decide to purchase them. 

Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster

*This post contains affiliate links. 

Niacinamide is an absolute wonder ingredient in skincare. It amazes me that it's not talked about more!

So what makes Niacinamide aka Vitamin B3 so special? It improves skins barrier function which means your skin holds moisture better. It also improves cell turnover. It helps regulate sebum production which means less congestion and spots. That's the main reason why I started using it. Niacinamide also helps prevent environmental damage. Another benefit is that it's an anti-inflammatory, which can calm redness. It's also a melanin inhibitor so it can help improve pigmentation.

Niacinamide is also great to use alongside Retinol or acid exfoliators, as it can help skin tolerate them better. Luckily it plays well with most ingredients so it can be slotted into your skincare routine easily. It can be used morning and / or night, after cleansing and toning. There's a myth that it cancels out the efficiency of Vitamin C, if used in the same routine. This is based on outdated research (thanks Paula's Choice for clearing that up!). One thing that is true about Niacinamide, is that it takes up to 12 weeks to see it's full effects. So when using it, be consistent and give it time to work. Is there anything it can't do?! The photo below shows some of my favourite products that contain Niacinamide - (left to right) Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster, Lotus Potion Protective Emulsion (review HERE) and SVR Sebiaclear Serum. 

Some of my favourite products containing Niacinamide.

Now onto Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster serum. It's a thin, watery consistency that doesn't really have a scent. I use about a 1/3 of a dropper to cover my face and neck. It absorbs instantly and isn't sticky or tacky. It hydrates skin nicely. I've been using it in my AM routine alongside a Vitamin C serum.

With consistent, daily use I've seen a vast improvement with my skin, mainly with my acne. I've hardly had any break outs and those I have had, have been much smaller than usual. My skin in general looks healthier and feels less dehydrated. I've also had less sensitivity issues from my retinol serum that I've been increasing my usage of. In general my skin is just all round better for using this serum! Niacinamide will definitely be a staple in my skincare routine from now on.

Paula's Choice Niacinamide Booster is available from the following retailers for £40 - Paula's Choice, Skin City, Look Fantastic UK and USA (Retailer's linked - click on their name to go straight to their site).

Latest In Beauty Style Beauty Awards Box

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Latest In Beauty currently have a new beauty box available in collaboration with the Style Beauty Awards. For £30 you can choose 6 items from a huge range of products that featured in the Style Beauty Awards this year. As you can imagine, there's some fantastic products to choose from! So, lets see what I chose!

My first pick had to be This Works Deep Sleep (usually costs £18). Now you've probably seen me posting about this magical spray before. It's a lavender scented spray that's designed to help you relax and drift off to sleep easier. Let me tell you, this stuff works wonders! I use it every night without fail so it was a no-brainer to pick this.

My next choice was IGK No More Blow Air Dry Spray (normally £25 so I'd already saved money with just these two items!). I'd been wanting to try this for a while so it was another must. It's a spray designed to make your hair dry quicker when you air dry it. I pretty much always air dry my hair. I'm too lazy to blow dry it unless I really have to. My hair's so thick - it takes ages! I usually pop it into two platts and go to bed with it wet. It's usually still a little bit damp when I get up in a morning. It's rather an odd product - I was worried it might strip my hair or leave it crispy. Luckily it's been fine. It contains starch which is what helps soak up the water. This definitely helps dry my hair quicker - it's now not as damp in a morning. I'm not sure it does enough for me to re-purchase, as it's not the cheapest. I'm glad I got to try it though!

My next choice was Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath and Shower oil (travel sized bottle worth approx. £10). I've been wanting to try this for ages as have the morning wake up version of this and love it. It definitely doesn't disappoint! It's a gorgeous relaxing scent that's perfect to help you chill out. I put a cap full in a bath which gave off a really good scent, so you don't need much. I'd certainly re-purchase. 

My next 3 choices are for including in my upcoming 7K giveaway (not far to go!).

My first pick was Paula's Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment (travel size - worth £13). I couldn't resist getting my favourite ever Retinol serum to include. I've just recently re-purchased this in full size for myself. It's a strong, effective Retinol serum that also contains Vitamin C and Peptides. It's fantastic. You can read my full review of it HERE.

My next choice was Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant (travel size, worth £9). This cult product is a favourite among the skincare community for good reason. It's a super effective Salicylic acid toner that is brilliant for keeping pores clear.

My next choice was Caudalie Vinoperfect Dark Spot Correcting Glycolic Night Treatment cream (travel size, worth approx. £10). I've seen rave reviews about this cream recently so thought it would make a fab addition to my giveaway prize! It contains Glycolic acid and fruit enzymes to gently exfoliate to reveal smoother, brighter skin.

I got lucky too, as my order came with an extra gift! Latest in Beauty were including Golden Tickets in some orders - so I got a bottle of Burberry Mr Indigo aftershave worth £74 free! Happy days.

All in all, the total value of my box came to £159, which is fantastic when I only paid £30! Such a bargain. The Latest In Beauty Style Beauty Awards box is still available to buy HERE - go buy yours now!

Laura Mercier Sun-Kissed Veil Review

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Are you influenced to buy products by their packaging? I'm ashamed to say I am! This was one such product - I mean look at it, can you blame me? Laura Mercier's Sun-Kissed Veil is basically summer in a compact. It's a light creamy balm that melts into skin to give you the perfect sun-kissed look. It can be used on face and body for an instant summer glow. Sounds perfect right?

First of all, lets talk about the packaging. It has the most gorgeous blue and yellow marbled effect print. It's weighty and well made. There's also a mirror in the lid. As soon as you open the compact, you get the tropical scent of coconuts. It's light, not overpowering at all. I adore anything coconut scented, so that was a welcome surprise for me!

Now onto the product itself. This is definitely not a traditional bronzer. It's sheer and dewy, with an illuminating finish. Although it looks very orange in the pan, it's not when it's on skin. It's a huge pan too - you get 12g, which is great if you do want to use it on your body too. It's a balm consistency, so it melts as soon as you touch it. I've purposely included pictures of it swatched so you can see the texture of it better.

It's light, smooth and creamy and melts to almost an oil with a subtle golden shimmer. This is what gives it that perfect dewy finish. So how does it look on the skin? As you can see from the swatch below it's sheer, so it really does give a wash / veil of bronze.

As I'm very paled skinned, this is a perfect bronzer for me. It gives my skin warmth, without being over the top or heavy. I do think this would be more of an illuminator rather than a bronzer for those with darker skin tones. The warmth definitely wouldn't show up as much but the gold shimmer and dewiness would.

All in all, this is a fab product and I'm pleased a grabbed one when I did. It'll be a perfect addition to my spring / summer makeup. 

Laura Mercier Sun-Kissed Veil is available from Space NK HERE for £30. Be quick if you want one, as they're limited edition so likely to sell out!

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 1

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Medik8 are a leading brand when it comes to Retinol research. They have a large range of Vitamin A products so there's something to suit every skin type. One of their most popular ranges is the Crystal Retinal range. They've just expanded this range by adding 2 serums, meaning there's now 4 strengths to choose from - 1, 3, 6 and 10.

All 4 serums contain crystal-encapsulated retinaldehyde which is an advanced form of Vitamin A. It's closer to clinical grade Vitamin A, than standard Retinol and it works up to 11 times faster. It's also more gentle to your skin, meaning less (if any) redness, peeling or sensitivity. Not only do these serums contain this amazing ingredient, they also include hyaluronic acid and Vitamin E to hydrate and repair skin.

The newest strengths are 1 and 3. These have been designed for those who have previously found other Retinol products to strong or harsh or who have sensitive skin.

The numbers relate to the amount of retinaldehyde the serum contains - 1 has 0.01% and 3 has 0.03%. Don't be fooled into thinking that such a small amount isn't effective - it is! One thing with Vitamin A is that stronger doesn't always mean better. It's about finding a strength that suits your skin. It's been proven that using a lower strength Vitamin A consistently for a period of time, can give just as effective results than a stronger one. Which is great news for those that can't tolerate or don't want to use a stronger one, as you're less likely to get any side effects like peeling, redness or sensitivity with a lower strength.

Medik8 kindly sent me Crystal Retinal 1 to try out. I've previously reviewed Crystal Retinal 6 which you can read HERE so I was interested to see how they compared. Consistency wise they're exactly the same - a light peach cream, smelling lightly of vanilla. It absorbs beautifully into skin, leaving it plump and hydrated. I could tell straight away that it was a lower strength than 6, by how it felt on my skin. There was no tingle, no sensitivity or redness whatsoever. The following morning my skin looked smooth and clear.

I had been using Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol, which I've found very strong. So strong in fact, that I've not been able to use it every day or on the same day as using an acid product. It's taking a while for my skin to build up a tolorance to it. I've found this frustrating as I've not had this issue with other Retinol products. I especially need to regularly use an acid product to keep my acne in check.

Using Crystal Retinal 1 enables me to be able to use both Retinol and an acid on the same day, without getting any sensitivity.  I'm continuing to use A-Passioni every other day, then Crystal Retinal 1 with an acid the next day. This way I don't have to compromise or choose between acid or Retinol. I can use both and my skin loves me for it!

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 1 is available from a number of retailers including Medik8.com and Skin City HERE for £39. They also stock the rest of the Crystal Retinal range HERE.

REN Clean Screen Mineral SPF 30 Review

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As soon as I saw REN's latest release, the Clean Screen Mineral SPF 30, I knew I had to try it! I adore REN products, especially the Evercalm range. The main thing that caught my eye with this, ist that it's mattifying. I have such oily skin which is a constant battle, so anything that can help with that always appeals to me. 

So what else does it offer? It's contains naturally derived Zinc Oxide which provides broad spectrum UVA / UVB protection so you know you're fully protected. It's silicone free, suitable for sensitive skin and won't clog pores. It contains rice extract to soothe skin, absorbs oil and helps keep skin matte. 

It also contains Passion Fruit extract which is packed with antioxidants so helps fight free radicals and prevent damage to skin. It's vegan and the packaging is made from recycled plastic, so it's eco friendly too! 

So what's it like? The cream itself is super thick. Because of this, you need a decent amount to properly cover your face and neck. I think that's actually a good thing as it makes sure you are using enough to get full protection. With runnier liquids, it's tempting to use less as they spread easily. This is false economy as you're not getting full protection! I found a squirt as long as my middle finger is just the right amount. Scent wise, it's very light and pleasant. Pretty similar to the Evercalm range scent. 

Once it's fully rubbed in, it does initially leave a white cast but this swiftly fades. It also feels rather heavy and smothering but again this also goes within a minute or two. You're then left with smooth, matte skin, that's a perfect base for makeup. I had one instance of pilling, when I used a runny primer on top. I'd not left much time in between applications though so was probably my own fault! Everything else I've used on top has worked perfectly.

As you know, I suffer from acne. Since using this, I've not had any more spots or blocked pores than usual, so can say it certainly lives up to it's promises there! All in all, I think this is a great SPF - especially if you're looking for a "natural/ clean" one. 

REN Clean Screen Mineral SPF 30 is available from REN HERE and Space NK HERE for £30.

It still doesn't beat my ultimate fave SPF from Evy Technology - you can read all about that HERE. 

How To Fade Acne Pigmentation

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If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that hormonal cystic acne is the bane of my life! One of the biggest issues with having acne is not the spots themselves, believe it or not. It's the pigmentation that they leave behind. Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation or PIH for short, is caused when the skin produces excess melanin as part of the healing process. When your spot is healed, you're left behind with the excess melanin, causing a mark. The colour of these marks depends on your skin tone but can be red / pink / purple / brown / black. Mine are a darkish pink / red. These PIH marks can take months to fade completely. So when like me, you repeatedly get spots in the same area, the PIH marks can quickly build up and become obvious. I find PIH harder to cover and hide than acne cysts, purely because of their colour! They seem to have a knack for shining through makeup, it's infuriating!

So what's the solution? Aside from not getting spots (ha! I wish!) there's a number of things you can do to help fade them. Now obviously I'm not a Dr / dermatologist / facialist, these are just what has worked for me.

The first and most important product in my opinion, is SPF. Hopefully you wear SPF everyday without fail already and if you don't, why not?! The sun is the biggest cause of aging. So it's pointless putting lots of serums and creams on your skin if you're not going to wear SPF, as the sun will undo all of your hard work!

One thing that the sun massively makes worse is PIH. PIH will darken in the sun if not protected by SPF. I know this first hand after having a spot and PIH on my temple but fairly close to my eye. The SPF I was using at the time, made my eyes water so I was unwittingly washing off the SPF without realising. I soon noticed after the PIH went from pink to red! The difference was shocking. Lesson learnt - I soon swapped to an SPF that doesn't make my eyes water. So make sure you apply and reapply your SPF. Ideally you want SPF 30 or above.

My personal favourite is Evy Technology Daily UV Face Mousse SPF 30 (which can be bought from Space NK HERE or Evy Technology's website HERE - where you can use my affiliate code TORIA15 to get 15% off). It's the least SPF like SPF you can buy, if that makes sense (you can read my full review HERE).

The next product you need in your arsenal is a Vitamin C product. Vitamin C is proven to brighten skin and lighten pigmentation effectively. Vitamin C products come in many forms so it's all about finding one that works best for your skin type. There's lots of different types of Vitamin C and they're not all created equal. It's a notoriously unstable product that oxidises when exposed to air. Certain types are more stable than others, just as some fade pigmentation better than others. Ideally for fading pigmentation you want the type of Vitamin C to be L-Ascorsbic Acid which unfortunately is one of the more unstable versions, so you'll want to use it up quickly, which is fine as you'll need to be using it daily to see results. Ascorbyl Glucosamine and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate are also good choices for pigmentation too. Most other types of Vitamin C are designed as an antioxidant. You'll also need to take into account the strength of the Vitamin C, which can be difficult as not all brands publish their strengths. You want to look for a strength of 10-15% if possible, or higher. My personal favourites are Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster (available from Paula's Choice, Skin City and Look Fantastic UK and USA - read my full review HERE), Kat Burki Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream (available from Space NK) and SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic (available from Skin City, Look Fantastic UK and USA - read my full review HERE). Vitamin C is traditionally used in the morning, although can be used at night. Like most active ingredients, it can cause skin sensitivity so use with caution when trying for the first time.

Acid exfoliation is another must for fading pigmentation. There are numerous AHA acids - including Glycolic, Lactic, Malic, one BHA acid - Salicylic, PHA acids and finally Azelaic acid. They all exfoliate skin but some are better at fading pigmentation that others. I've found I've had the best result from Glycolic and Azelaic or a combination of the two! As always when using acids, make sure you wear SPF. My favourite products are Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster (available from Paula's Choice, Skin City and Look Fantastic UK and USA) and Jan Marini Bioclear Lotion (read my full review HERE, available from Skin City.) The Paula's Choice serum is a cream consistency that works really well with all other products. Bioclear is more of a traditional serum consistency which again works brilliantly with other products. This contains Glycolic, Salicylic and Azelaic so is particularly effective for blemish prone skin like mine. The Glycolic and Azelaic treat the pigmentation and the Salicylic helps clear out the pores. It's a brilliant product.

*Note - The above Paula's Choice serum is the 10% Azelaic Acid, this is the old packaging.

Niacinamide is also a great ingredient to look out for. It's an anti-inflammatory and helps lighten pigmentation by inhibiting melanin. I've only just started using Niacinamide for this reason. I'm using Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster (available from Paula's Choice,  Skin City, Look Fantastic UK and USA) which is a watery liquid that absorbs well into skin and  leaves it hydrated. I've been using this in my AM routine, after my Vitamin C serum. There's a common myth that Vitamin C and Niacinamide can't be used together as they cancel each other out. Luckily it's not true!

Finally the last thing I would recommend, is a Vitamin A aka Retinol product. Retinol speeds up cell turnover so is great for getting rid of any pigmentation quicker. For more Retinol info and some recommendations, read my Retinol blog post HERE. I'm currently using Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol serum (available from Space NK and Cult Beauty) - it's much stronger than previous Retinol serums that I've tried so I'm using it every other day at the moment. Full review to come soon but I'll tell you know, it's a good one!

And that's it! All you need to get rid of that pigmentation as quickly as possible. I hope you find it useful.