Try It Out Tuesday...... Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner review.

As a knock off of the Caroline affect I am now following both her blog and routine religiously. 
I wanted to ensure that the routine I follow I can always keep up with. The Pixi tonic is just to difficult to get hold of with small stock and no online orders and P50 at £50 is really out of my price range.

So here we have it Clarins Exfoliating toner. One of Caroline Hirons top 5 toners she says every woman should have in her arsenal. 

I have been using this now for a grand total of 3 weeks and I am very impressed. I was always a big fan of cliniques clarifying lotion no 2 in the past but it just stopped working for me. 
This was a great new addition to my skincare routine.

Now it does say to use 1 to 2 times a week but I am using it twice a day with no negative affect on my skin.
I tend to use use this toner post cleansing and prior to using Serozinc, then moisturising both morning and evening.
Application is that of a standard toner with only the tiniest tingle after. This toner may have alcohol in the ingredients however I have noticed no tightening or drying affect post application. I would even go as far to say that it feels a little moisturised.

This toner does contain glycolic, salicylic and tartaric acid.
To explain these a little better I should first explain that they are AHAs also used in chemical peels (in a much higher percentage)
Glycolic acid comes from honey and sugar cane. It is colourless and odour less. Glycolic acid helps break up dead skin cells and revel new brighter skin.
It can reduce wrinkles, help with acne scarring and hyper pigmentation.

Salicylic acid is a BHA and comes from the bark of a willow tree.
It is also known for helping to ease aches, pains and fevers but that can be for another post. Salicylic acid works on the skin by causing the skin to shed its cells more readily, opening clogged pores and neutralising bacteria. It also prevents the pores clogging by constricting the pore diameter! (Thank you Wikipedia!!!)
This is also used alot in anti dandruff shampoos!

Tartaric acid is naturally found in grapes. It is better known for its whitening properties helping clear hyper pigmentation.
Tartaric acid also helps unblock hair follicles blocked by dead skin cells and sebum.

So my opinion? My skin is brighter, my pores look less congested and I have noticed less breakouts so far! RESULT! 

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