REVIEW | PIXI GLOW TONIC

Hello, world! Long time no blog post, I know. But today, I'm back and with the review that I promised a few weeks ago Pixi's Glow Tonic.

Pixi Glow Tonic is a toner containing 5% glycolic acid. Whilst it's a toner by name, it can be considered more of a treatment in my eyes due to the fact that it contains the AHA that is glycolic acid. As mentioned in my more detailed post on AHA's, glycolic acid is one of strongest and most popular in the world of skincare. Glyolic acid has the smallest molecular structure of the AHA's and therefore is considered the most effective at penetrating and renewing skin on a deeper level. AHA's in their use as chemical exfoliants help to reduce fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation and dullness in the skin over long term use and are an amazing addition to your skincare routine.

On to Pixi's Glow Tonic specifically, 5% is a fairly low percentage of glycolic acid but as it is considered a toner for everyday use, it is not really intended to be too concentrated. For skin that is not used to the addition of acids, 5% will definitely do something more for you in comparison to those whose skin is more used to them. It therefore makes for an ideal introduction into using acids as part of an everyday routine.

In terms of my overall thoughts on the product, I definitely saw results from use. The tonic definitely helped renew my dead skin quicker and I also saw a fairly instant change in the brightness of my skin. What I will say however is that for me and therefore perhaps for all with sensitive skin, it's not ideal for everyday use and I would personally suggest using it once every other day initially. This may be because as aforementioned, newbies to chemical exfoliants such as myself have built up no tolerance to them and so they can be quite potent on the skin - especially if it's already sensitive. It's important to build up a tolerance so as to not have adverse results.

When applying the toner, you do feel some slight tingling - and some very intense stinging if applied to any irritated areas of the skin so definitely avoid that! Otherwise though, this tingling is not uncomfortable and as mentioned on the packaging itself, is to be expected. There is a slightly "chemically" smell but for the most part, I find the scent to be quite pleasant and definitely not off putting. Due to it's liquidly formula, I also find it to go a long way and not much is needed to cover your whole face. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this product. During my initial use of this tonic, I received a lot of compliments on my bright and glowy complexion and I definitely consider this to be one of the reasons. I think this makes a great introduction to chemical exfoliations for those of you with younger skin who may not need more concentrated products as well as for those of you who are simply just new to them in general. 

Have you tried Pixi Glow Tonic? What are your thoughts on acids and chemical exfoliants?

Levinia

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Face of the Day #8: Utopia

Wow, 2 posts in one day - I'm a roll! Ha, anyway in this post I'm going to be doing a 'face of the day' which will feature my newest lip product: the Lime Crime Velvetine in the shade Utopia - a gorgeous purple-pink liquid lipstick. If it takes your fancy, you can also read my review of the product here as well!

Products Used:

Maybelline Baby Skin Primer - £7.99

Revlon ColorStay Foundation in Buff - £12.49

MUA Concealer Palette in Porcelain - £3.50

Pixi Correction Concentrate Concealer - £12.00

Naked 1 Palette from Urban Decay - £37.00

Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder in Vanille - £8.99

L'Oreal Telescopic in Black - £10.99

Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso - £4.49

Benefit Hoola Bronzer - £23.50
Anastasia Beverley Hills Dipbrow in Chocolate - £15.00

Lime Crime Velvetine in Utopia - £13.50

Building Your Makeup Kit / Collection #2 - Concealer.

So, this is going to be the second instalment in my series on basic products to have in your starter makeup collection. This particular post is going to be all about concealer, let's get started shall we?

1. Formula:

As with foundation, concealer comes in various different formulas / variations - the most common being cream, liquid and stick concealers. My personal favourites are cream and liquid concealers as I generally tend to prefer the finish and look of them.

Stick or twist up concealers may be something you'd want to look into as they do allow for fairly easy spot application and they are lot less messy compare to other types. This makes them quite handy for on the go and you don't really require any tools for application.

L'oreal's Lumi Magique Concealer is an example of a
pen / stick concealer. This particular one is
very highlighting so is good for application
under the eyes and high points of the face.
Buy at Boots for £8.99
(Photo credit: Google Images)

A lot of liquid and cream concealers are easy to work with and this is another reason why I prefer them. They are easy enough to apply and blend nicely because of their formulas and they won't drag or pull at the skin as some stick concealers can. I think there's a better element of control with cream and liquid concealers as well because you can choose yourself exactly how much product you want to use. Generally they also tend to have better coverage which we'll get into in a second...

2. Coverage:

Coverage is something you'll want to think about when purchasing a concealer. You may want a variation of 1 or 2 concealers for different purposes. For instance, for any blemish or acne you may want something a little more high coverage to really conceal them. For minor redness and blemishes something of a light to medium coverage will work well.

Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer is a cult makeup product
for many. It has a great coverage for a liquid concealer
and it's really affordable too. This makes a really
nice staple concealer for everyday.
Buy at Boots for £4.19

(Photo credit: Google Images)

I have generally found that cream concealers have the most buildable coverage so these are what I tend to use on spots and more intense blemishes. Liquid concealers are generally a lot lighter (though they can still be buildable and there are some high coverage liquid concealers) and these are nice to use under the eyes and in areas around the face for a brightening effect.

Benefit's Erase Paste is a really great cream concealer.
It has an amazing coverage which is easily buildable if
you feel you need more and covers blemishes and darkness
well.
Buy at ASOS for £20.50

(Photo credit: Google Images)

3. Shade & Purpose

Recently, concealers of varying shades have really become popular in the makeup world. Different colours of concealer can help to more efficiently cancel out different kinds of discolouration in the skin - these are referred to as colour correcting concealers. For instance, green can help to cancel out redness and acne blemishes where as pink/peach tones are good for under eye bags and purple tones in the skin. 

Pixi's Correction Concentrate concealer is a peach toned concealer
that is great for cancelling out darkness around the eyes.
Buy at BeautyBay for £10.75

(Photo credit: Google Images)

As well as colour correcting concealers, choosing the colour of your 'normal' concealer is important too. Generaly, you'll want your concealer to be 1-2 shades lighter than you foundation / skin colour. This is because a lighter colour under commonly concealer places like the under eyes makes for a bright, highlighting effect which can really help to minimise the appear of darkness around the eyes and make you look healthier and more awake. 

*Applying this lighter colour concealer on the high points or your face like the bridge of your face and middle of the for heard can also help to give you that nice, bright glowy look*.

MUA's Pro-Base concealer palette is ideal for everyday use

it has 3 different shades for normal concealing as well highlighting.

This all helps to effectively conceal your face.

Buy on MUA's site for £3.50

(Photo credit: Google images)

Finally, you may want to opt for a shade of concealer that is more or less the same colour as your foundation. This comes in handy when tidying up makeup mistakes or simply to achieve a more polished look. It's great for defining your brow shape as well as tidying up eyeliner and eyeshadow.

So, that's pretty much everything I have to cover on the subject of concealer! Once again, I hope this post helped you and gave you some useful information. I also hope you're enjoying this series, thank you very much for reading!

REVIEW: Pixi's Correction Concentrate Brightening Peach Concealer.

Hey guys! I've got a review for you all today on Pixi's Correction Concentrate Brightening Peach concealer.

This is described as a highly pigmented concealer made to instantly erase darkness making skin look rested, bright and youthful.

It's a fairly well known fact that various shades of concealers can help to diffuse different types of pigmentation colour in your skin. Peachy / yellow toned concealers such as this are made to diffuse redness and darkness - primarily under the eyes. I apply this product underneath my foundation - applying it under my eyes and in any areas where I see a lot of redness.

In the look and concept, you may see similarities to Benefit's Erase Paste - but these two products are actually quite different. I love the packaging of this because it comes in a pot form meaning you can get as much product as you want out.

Unlike the Erase Paste, Pixi's Correction Concentrate isn't exactly full coverage. It's not as thick and is more light weight than the Erase Paste but it does still effectively eradicate redness and darkness - whilst also brightening the eye. For an even brighter look, I like to apply a liquid concealer over the top in a slightly lighter shade than my skin tone.

It can cake and crease a little, so I'd suggest you really make sure you eye and under eye area is primed well with moisturiser or cream and then to make sure you apply powder after application.

Overall, I do see a significant difference in the appearance of my under eyes with this product on. It combats redness and darkness very well and in addition to my usual concealer, helps to me to look a lot more awake and refreshed. 

If you're looking for a good concealer for your under eyes, I'd recommend you give this a go. I got mine from ASOS and it was £12 - you can also find it on FeelUnique.com!

Haul! Superdrug & ASOS.

Hey! So, I did one of my favourite things recently - online shopping of course and I have a haul to share with you!

Firstly, Superdrug had a 'spend over 10 and get free delivery' deal and so how could I possibly refuse? I just had to make an order, honestly! I picked up some MUA lipsticks, the first being in shade 3. I've seen this swatched and raved about among the beauty community and so I really wanted to try it.

I also got another MUA lipstick in Bare which is a nude.

Next I got two eyebrow pencils from Rimmel. I use powder to fill my eyebrows in but I always end up going back to these pencils or just using them in conjunction with powder. I got two shades in Hazel and Dark Brown.

Next, I got a Sleek palette. I love Sleek palettes - they're affordable and really pigmented. I also love the well, sleek packaging - it looks higher end. This palette is from the i-Divine range and it's called i-Candy.

Lastly from Superdrug, I got some hair dye. I colour my hair purple and have done for a few years now - this is one of my favourite dyes because it has a lightener built into it as well. It's in the shade Ultraviolet.

Onto ASOS! Firstly, I got these shoes which are from Newlook. I don't really have any pointed shoes and I've never really been a fan of them. However, I really love these ones. I think they look really classy and elegant and I love the ankle strap which I think looks so feminine.

I also picked up Small Talk from TIGI. This is a 3-1 styling product - you can use it on dry hair to dispel dryness and frizziness. You can also use it as a heat protectant and pop it on wet hair. It also gives texture and volume to wet or dry hair. I'm excited to use this, - it smells great I can tell you that.

I wanted to try Pixi Comestic products and so I picked up two things rom the brand. Firstly I got this eye, cheek and face palette. I think it looks really pretty and is full of lovely neutral colours.

I also got this Pixi Peach Correction Concentrate which helps to cancel out red tones and blemishes on your face.

Finally from ASOS, I picked up this cute hair scrunchie. Lately i'm loving hair accessories and so I got another one!

And that's pretty much it for my haul, thank you for reading!