Review - Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner

I love my Biologique Recherche p50 treatment!
It has been a life-changing product for me and I would gladly invest in cases at a time. However with the new European formula change and limited supplies, the original P50 formula is getting harder and harder to find.

I fully appreciate everyone's effort to remove nasty chemicals from beauty products and everything else for that matter but my skin needs a little bit of the "baddies" to be kept in check. I simply haven't been able to find a formulation that works as good as the Biologique Recherche but since I've been conflicted about the whole thing I decided to start pursuing other options in the limited world of exfoliating toners.

As per usual I took Caroline Hiron's (online skincare genius!) advice and invested in one of her other top choices. The Clarins exfoliating toner caught my eye so that was one of my first test products.

I decided on Clarins first because I have always felt that their skincare choices seem to stand out from the rest of the beauty giants (Estée Lauder) in terms of price, functionality and innovation. I had liked some of their skincare products before and I have always felt comfortable browsing their counter choices so it really was an organic first choice. 

Thereby I introduce you to the seriously underrated Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner.

Description;
The Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner is a lotion formulated with fruit acids to sweep away dulling dead skin cells and the day's grime and pollution.
It smooths and softens skin to leave it looking and feeling clean, bright and beautiful.
Apply once or twice a week to a clean face with a cotton pad, avoiding the delicate eye contour. Wait for a minute before continuing your usual skin routine to maximise effectiveness.

This particular exfoliating toner brightens and refines your skin through the means of natural chemical exfoliation; using a combination of tamarind fruit acids and white nettle extract.

The Tamarind fruit acid helps to unclog congested skin, eliminates any settled impurities and dead skin cells and activates natural cell renewal. On the other hand the White nettle extract firms the complexion, tightens your pores and prepares your skin for additional topical treatments.

For those of you concerned with alcohol content I should point out that in this particular formulation, the addition of glycerin counteracts the drying factor successfully so any effects of said alcohol is negligible or even non-existent. 

The concentration of chemical exfoliants in this is a lot lower than that in the P50 or the Pixi Glow Tonic so this is a great choice for Sensitive Skin Club Members and in my experience suitable for daily use. 

However as always I recommend an old- fashion patch test prior to use any products that contain "active" ingredients such as this one.

I have used the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner ( $34.00) for almost a month at this point and I have to say I am very impressed. The results of course are nowhere near as dramatic as that of the P50 but its serving its exfoliating purpose in the gentlest way possible. 

It leaves my skin smooth, soft, supple and radiant upon each use and while I can't say it will totally replace the Biologique Recherche completely, it's definitively got what it takes for the maintenance phase in between the sad skin days. 

You can purchase and get more info on Clarins skincare directly on their website, Sephora or any designated counters in your area.

Have you tried the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner? Do you have a favorite toner? 

Thank you for stopping by :-)

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-) 

The Pixi Glow Tonic Dupe for P50 - The Verdict is In!

At the end of the day, we all just want good skin days! I am not asking for perfect, porcelain skin that makes me look like I live under a glass dome and spend all my days worrying only about what lipstick I should wear tomorrow. I understand that the Skin Gods cater to some more than others and I get that none us won the "Miss Perfect" genetic lottery here but I am and always have been a problem solver, which of course means that I vowed to somehow figure out what my face is trying to tell me, take care of it and put an end to the mirror obsession that plagues me when things get bumpy. I am after "healthy" imperfect skin and Biologique Recherche P50 is one of things that is getting me one step closer to that goal

Seeing how the Biologique Recherche P50 has become one of the key steps of a fairly successful skin care routine for my significantly problematic skin, I am always after two of the following: hoarding more and more of P50 gold or finding an alternative that will either be easier to find or will work "good enough" until I can get my hands on the real thing! 

The whole thing sounds pretty dramatic I know, but the difference between my skin before a weekend without Biologique Recherche P50 is not only visible, its actually palpable and always followed by red angry bumps that sometimes take a very long time to get rid of. 

For some time the rumor mill on a lot of beauty blogs has been buzzing about the Pixi Glow Tonic and how it appears to be achieving similar results to my beloved P50 formula, all without some of the questionable ingredients found in the Biolgique Recherche formula. It wasn't until I saw the nod from Caroline, my online skincare guide (Beautymouth) that I took the information seriously and started to look into testing it for myself. The only issue I have with the P50 is the availability so I was really hoping that if the Pixi Glow Tonic indeed proved to be a successful "dupe" that it would be something I could get relatively easy. Unfortunately right away I realized that the Pixi version is going to be even more difficult to get a hold of. Currently the only place you can purchase the Pixi Glow Tonic is at their London Boutique on Carnaby Street but I was told that a direct order can be placed by calling 0207 287 7211 or sending an email - storemanager@pixibeauty.com

You would think that once I discovered that little fact that I would just give up and move on! The idea of comparing the Biologique Recherche and their new "challenger" Pixi proved to be too irresistible to me and I found a way to make it happen. 

I have always known Pixi Beauty as a cutesy, good quality makeup brand that was sold exclusively in Target stores for some time now. Since Target is not widely available in Canada (yet!) my exposure to what Pixi has to offer was limited to a few birthday gifts, which were definitively impressive but to be honest not enough for me to go out of my way to find more. 

Pixi Beauty was created by a well known makeup artist Petra Strand while her sister Sofia, a degree-level aesthetician, focused on running her own high-end luxury facial salon. The story goes that Pixi's limited skin care line was created by Sofia herself and the products were meant to be used on clients in her exclusive facial spa in Sweden. Everything about these products is meant to be simple, un-complicated, sleek, modern but effective - and that includes the price as well. There are suppose to be no fillers, no alcohol, added colors or unneccessary fragrances, making it an excellent choice for the Sensitive Skin Care Club members. Who doesn't want or like skincare that's un-fussy, useful, does what it's say it will do and is not going to make you nervous at the cash registers? We all need more brands like that!

Key Ingredients;

Glycolic Acid loosens dead skin cells and exfoliates

Aloe Vera soothes and hydrates skin

Which Hazel firms, tones, softens skin surface

Gingseng helps skin cells hold on to oxygen

Horse Chestnut improves circulation

The Pixi Glow Tonic stood out in a lot of ways for me. First of all the 250 ml bottle is much bigger than my standard Biologique Recherche P50 5.1 fl oz and I love the fact that it comes with a well-made, sturdy pump. I love a good design even when it comes to beauty products! 

The Glow Tonic is in the same category as the P50 treatment and the Clarins Brightening version, which are all exfoliating toners or astringents. The formula contains glycolic acid as a chemical exfoliators so slight tingling is to be expected, however someone like me who is now a veteran when it comes to these skincare steps, the sensation was barely noticed. I will admit I liked the fact that my face was not numb after i patted the nice, peachy fruity scented liquid all over my face! It doesnt matter how long I use the Biologique Recherche, the slight numbness right after application is always a little concerning.

Like always the exfoliating toner needs to be followed by a hydrating version and my current choice is the Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist.

I tried to test the Pixi Glow Tonic and I tried to use it exclusively by setting the Biologique Recherche P50 aside completely. My original plan was to use it for at least 30 days to give it enough time to impress me, complete a skin cycle and then make an informed, educated decision. 

I lasted two weeks! But its not all bad news! 

I believe that since my reactive, stubborn difficult skin is just used to a stronger, perhaps even "harsher" formula, meaning once my skin cells got the chance they got together and rebelled pretty badly. I was disappointed but not overly surprised, especially given the fact that the Biologique Recherche P50 was somewhat of a "game-changer" of my skincare. I loved how the Glow Tonic felt on my skin and I really wished that it was enough to keep me looking "normal". 

However its not all bad! Not wanting to waste such an exclusive product like the Pixi Glow Tonic I decided to alternate its use with the P50; use it in the mornings if for nothing else to at least delay the time when I have to open my last Biologique Recherche bottle. 

The combination of these two is now working very well for me! It appears that my skin enjoys taking a bit of a break from the "face-numbing sensation" once a day and even better the P50 toning step in the evenings does not sting "as much". My complexion is calmer and it seems even less irritated with this duo working in unison. 

My conclusion for this comparison is very unique to say the least. I am happy and annoyed at the same time. Happy because I am now one step closer to a radiant healthy complexion and annoyed because now there is one more thing I have to track down...and hoard. 

You can read my Biologique Recherche P50 here 

I hope you found this review helpful!

Have you tried The Pixi  Glow Tonic or Biologique Recherche P50?

XOXO

ANJA

P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want some more Princeza Beauty Musings, please consider following me through GFC, Bloglovin, Pinterest or Twitter! Insert "happy dance" here :-)