Pixi Glow Tonic

Today, I’m finally bringing you my thoughts on a product you’ve all been waiting for… I think .   Yes, it’s time to talk about THAT product; the Pixi Glow Tonic .

Pixi Glow Tonic

£18.00 – HQ Hair

They say:

Glow tonic with ginseng & fructose. For normal to dry, dull and aging skin. Oxygenating, exfoliating facial glow tonic. Helps tone, firm and tighten the skin. Removes dead skin cells for healthier looking skin. Alcohol free. Use after cleanser on cotton pad.

Ingredients:

Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (aloe vera – skin conditioning) , Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract (skin conditioning) , Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Seed Extract (skin conditioning) , Glycolic Acid (alpha hydroxy acid – exfoliator) , Ammonium Glycolate (synthetic form of glycolic acid used as a pH adjuster and exfoliant, paired with regular glycolic acid to maintain the pH) , Glycerin (skin identical/skin protecting/humectant – prevents dryness) , Glucose (humectant) , Fructose (humectant) , Sucrose (skin conditioning/humectant) , Urea (probably a synthetic component of urine – acts as a leave on exfoliant) , Dextrin (binding/viscosity controlling) , Alanine (skin conditioning) , Glutamic Acid (skin conditioning) , Hexyl Nicotinate (emollient/skin conditioning) , Panax Ginseng Root Extract (antioxidant) , Phenoxyethanol (preservative) , Sodium Benzoate (preservative) , Biotin (vitamin) , Polysorbate 20 (emulsifier/surfactant) , Fragrance.

I say:

Pixi Glow Tonic has become something of a cult product, and a few months ago it was hard to escape the hype – it was everywhere!  When it exploded in popularity, it was hard to get hold of and was constantly sold out.    If you wanted to try it, you had to either go into their London store or call them by phone to place an order.   Risky business and a lot of effort for a product you may not like!  Thankfully, its now much easier to get hold of as it is now available at HQHair along with other products from Pixi .

Pixi Glow Tonic is an exfoliating toner, and promises to promises to  exfoliate , encourage skin renewal and give your skin radiance with glycolic acid, ginseng and aloe vera .   Toners surely have evolved since I was young.  There just used to be the one “do-all” toner, and now there are all sorts of exfoliating toners and indeed even moisturising toners.   Yay for our faces.

When I first received the Pixi Glow Tonic , I cast asid e my skincare knowledge and simply followed the label instructions.  I’m not why I did this as this is not good advice, especially for a toner of this kind.  Sorry not sorry, Pixi, but your advice is wrong .  Using the toner twice a day as directed caused  my face to go mental.  It became sore and was seemingly covered in scratches of some sort.   When I realised that it was the Glow Tonic causing these problems,  I stopped using it immediately, and gave my skin a chance to recover.

When I began to use it again, I made sure to start with once a week use ,  working my way up to using it about 2-3 times a week .   I use it on a night, and never on a morning .   Remember, this product is using an alpha hydroxy aci d to exfoliate your skin, so you will need SPF whilst using this product as it makes your skin more susceptible to sun damage ( which in turn causes all sorts of problems such as premature aging and pigmentation to name a few ).   I recommend a minimum of SPF 30 for those with fair-light skin tones , and those with darker skin tones should use about SPF 20 when using this product in their routine. *serious face*

After immediate use, my skin feels soft and smooth .  With continued use , the little bumps of congestion on my cheeks have gone , my pores are smaller , especially on my nose , and the small amount of scarring I had has reduced .  Whilst some areas of small scarring are still present, this is only noticeable by me.  Anybody else who is getting that close to my face shouldn’t be looking at my scarring if you know what I mean (hehehe).

I would recommend that for those who haven’t tried exfoliating toners before, to learn from my mistakes and only use this product once a week to begin with .  You may moan that you’re not seeing an instant difference, but you need to give your skin a chance to get used to the glycolic acid, which is strong stuff.  If you have sensitive skin I would be careful about trying this product as you have an increased risk of suffering irritation.

I haven’t tried any other chemical exfoliators, so whilst I cant offer an opinion on how this compares to similar products on the market , I can say that the Pixi Glow Tonic has been a great introduction to the world of exfoliating toners .  It is certainly a lot easie r, and quicker , then using a manual face scrub.   I’ve noticed that using the Glow Tonic before serums and hydrating masks helps them to absorb faster and in turn helps them work better .  The result?   A much happier, brighter face.

When I think about it, I would miss having the Pixi Glow Tonic in my skincare routine, and I’m reluctant to try a different offering from another brand just in case my skin goes haywire again.    I’m very grateful that that I was lucky enough to receive the opportunity to try it (thank you, HQHair!) and I am also quite relieved that it is now easier to get hold of – Yorkshire to London trips are expensive…

Have you tried the Pixi Glow Tonic?  What did you think?  If you haven’t tried it, would you like to?  Do you use anything similar? (so many questions!)

Dannie x

Pixi Glow Tonic sent for consideration of review.  No further compensation received.