Philosophy The Microdelivery Triple-Acid Brightening Peel Review

Philosophy The Microdelivery Triple-Acid Brightening Peel
RRP: AUD95
Review: Philosophy is renowned for their skincare products. I've heard people swearing by their cleansers and moisturisers. I was given the privilege to trial one of Philosophy's luxurious products, the microdelivery triple-acid brightening peel. First of all, don't be deterred by the price tag and secondly, don't be scared by the sound of "triple-acid" (it sounds like too much, I know but I promise it isn't!).

What this product does is basically chemically exfoliate your skin, removing all the dead (dull) skin cells to reveal the beautiful (bright) cells underneath. My skin feels smooth after using it, as though it has been magically resurfaced. I promise you I am not exaggerating. This stuff is pretty freaking awesome! It makes my skin look radiant. From what I was able to observe the effect usually lasts a couple of days and disappears as the skin builds up more dead cells. But of course Day 1 always looks the best. This product also helps speed up the fading of acne marks, after all it is an exfoliant.

The peel comes in soaked pads. These circles of cloth are not abrasive at all. It feels soft as you swipe it across your skin. The pads are individually packed, which I think is very convenient from a traveler's perspective and hygienic in general.

I use this product once a week or less, as recommended in the instructions. I swipe the peel all over my face after cleansing and drying my face. Then, I let the product sit for a few minutes before I apply my moisturiser. I do this at night, letting the product do its work overnight. Come morning, my skin feels super smooth and soft, practically silk-like. This product does not sting my skin at all; however, if you have sensitive skin, you're told to rinse it off after a few minutes as opposed to leaving it on overnight. My advice is to lay off your other exfoliators leading up to when you plan on using this peel.

Overall, I love this product. Yes, it is expensive for $7.90 per pad. However! I believe that it is a really good investment. Instead of using it once a week you can reserve them for special occasions. I plan on getting my hands on more when I run out! I hope you found this review helpful.

On a side note, please keep your eyes peeled this weekend because a makeup tutorial post will go live on this blog!

Have you ever tried Philosophy The Microdelivery Triple-Acid Brightening Peel before? Please share your thoughts on the product! 

Sukin Purifying Body Scrub Review

Sukin Purifying Body Scrub
Claims: "Gently polishes and refines skin texture leaving clean, radiant skin."
RRP: AUD12.95 for 200mL
Packaging: 5/5

Review: Ever since I read a Courier Mail article about parabens, I've been a bit more cautious about the products I buy and use. No, I haven't thrown out every single product that I own that contains parabens. I am slowing phasing it out of my life. Although I must admit that there will be some products that I will not give up. Still, I believe that cutting down is better than doing nothing at all. This is all just precaution; the FDA still approves products with parabens because there hasn't been sufficient evidence of its link to breast cancer.

One of the paraben-free products that I've started using is the Sukin Purifying Body Scrub. I'm not a big fan of fragrance in products because they tend to irritate my nose and it has never been a huge selling factor for me. However! This product has a very pleasant chamomile scent. No parfum has been added to this product so the scent is natural, which a big plus for me and my nose.

I have a thing against micro-beads due to my traumatic experience with a Neutrogena face scrub. I was relieved to discover that these little granules of wonder are non-abrasive! Well, obviously they are abrasive enough to exfoliate the dead skin cells off my body but it's not to the point where I feel like I am running sandpaper all over my skin!

After washing the scrub off, I found my skin feels soft and smooth, like a baby's bottom! I am very pleased with this product and I use it once a week or whenever my skin feels a bit lacklustre. I definitely can foresee its continued presence in my shower caddy.

You can find this brand (and product) at most pharmacies. Alternatively you can purchase the product from Sukin's website.

Do you use body scrubs? What is your current favourite?

Wicked Wednesday: My Alpha-H Skin Care Routine & Review

During my most recent giveaway/contest, a number of you submitted suggestions that I do a post on my skin care routine. Today, I've decided that I'll fulfil those requests. I'm calling it my Alpha-H Skin Care Routine because for the past month, my skin care products, funnily enough, are from Alpha-H.

So essentially, I will be reviewing the three Alpha-H products that I am currently using religiously. At the same time, I will be giving you a quick rundown on how I use these products. First, let's begin with the Alpha-H product that I've been using the longest, their Gentle Daily Exfoliant.

Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant 

Claims: The exfoliation, is not abrasive, but still effortlessly removes dead and damaged skin cells, sweeps out congested pores and blackheads, reduces inflammation and uneven pigmentation, boosts moisture retention and creates a soft light-reflecting sheen across the complexion to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and sun damage.

Retail: AUD$59.95 for 50g

Packaging: 4 out of 5

Review: This truly is a gentle exfoliant. It comes in powder form and you use it by pouring some into very wet hands, mixing it into a paste with your fingers and rubbing it onto your face for a minute before washing it off. Although it says to use 2 measured cups of the product, I have yet to figure out how to get 2 measure cups with the bottle. That's the only reason I am giving this packaging a rating 4 out of 5 instead of 5 out of 5. Forget about those microbeaded scrubs! You can achieve soft clean skin with this product and it's non-abrasive. Although it says you can use it daily, I only use this exfoliant once a week because too much exfoliation can be a bad thing. Also, I use a couple of products that contain glycolic acid, which also do the job of exfoliating my skin. I love using this product, particularly after wearing heavy makeup. It feels like my pores are truly unclogged and cleaned out. This product at $60 may seem expensive but I believe that it will last you a very long time, especially if you only use it once a week like I do. 

Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser with Aloe Vera 

Claims: The non-greasy, gently fragranced lotion delicately cleanses without drying or irritating the skin. It thoroughly removes both face and eye make-up and at the same time leaves the skin pH balanced.

Retail: AUD$42 for 200mL

Packaging: 4.5 out of 5

Review: I was using my trusty Cetaphil cleanser previously before I started using this one. I stopped using Cetaphil because I had a massive bout of breakouts and I thought it wasn't doing much help to my skin. Out of desperation, I started using this cleanser in hopes of restoring my skin. I found myself falling in love with it. Now, I can definitely see why people, like British model Ruth Crilly, rave about this product. You do not need a lot of this product to cleanse your face, unless you are using it to remove your makeup as well. In which case, it saves you a lot of time because it combines the makeup removal step and cleansing step into one. It feels very soft and gentle and does not dry the skin out. This product contains aloe vera, which is a great bonus. It contains vitamins such as A, C, E which are powerful antioxidants that reduce cell damage from free radicals. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, which can also explain why this product does not induce irritation in the skin. My bottle of cleanser if the travel size version. So if you buy the full one, I can tell you that you'll be getting your money's worth because it is a fairly large tube and it should last you a while. 

Alpha-H Balancing Moisturiser and Gentle Exfoliant 

Claims: Hydrates and revitalizes ageing, damaged skin. Works on collagen and elastin fibres and reduces acne and scarring.

Retail: AUD$72 for 100mL

Packaging: 4 out of 5

Review: I am not as certain about this product as I am about the other two. I really like it so far but I haven't used to long enough to reap all the benefits that it claims it will deliver. This is currently my daytime moisturiser. I like how it feels light on the skin. It is somewhat fluid so it glides onto your skin easily. That has a down side to it. It's easy to accidentally squirt out too much product from the tube. If they make the packaging into a bottle with a pump, I will definitely rate it a 5 out of 5. This product makes my skin smooth and soft. It produces a slightly dewy effect, giving your skin a subtle youthful glow. I also like how it is exfoliating my skin as well as moisturising it, keeping my skin care regime short and simple. I am hoping that as I use more of this product, it will fade all of my acne scars and reduce the occurrence of pimples. I also got this product in a travel size version. I think that considering it is a high quality product and it does multiple task, it is well worth the price.

Alpha-H is an Australian company and its products are made in Australia. I am proud to support them and I will most likely be repurchasing these products once they run out. For a list of stockists, click here.

What skin care products do you use? Do share. If you have any questions about my skin care routine, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.