Night Routine B: Glycolic & Hydration

This is my other routine. Well one of them. I use this every other night to my A routine. It is mostly the same, but instead of using a Retinol product, I use a glycolic product.

After removing 98% of the days makeup and grime with my Nima Mitt, I use the Vichy Pureté Thermal Nourishing Cleansing Milk Balm** and a face cloth to remove whats left and give my face a good massage to get the blood flowing to the surface of the skin.

This night I had a bit of time to spare (ie. I started my ablutions early and so had loads of time to faff) so I applied the other thing I bought in Sephora in the States: GlamGlow POWERMUD DualCleanse treatment. I got the mini to try, 15ml cost $19 and because I use an old foundation brush to apply it, I have already gotten 6 treatments out of it with at least another 5 or 6 left. This "Mud to Oil" treatment that is supposed to revolutionise your cleansing routine. Errr Okay. It is pretty good though. A combination of clays (that absorb oils and sebum) and astringents to break down clogs to allow the excesses to be absorbed by the clays) and oils to allow you to get it all out of your skin.

I apply a thin layer to clean dry skin, allow to dry for 10 minuted then wet my hands and the mask and massage the resulting "oil" around my face and remove it all with a warm wet facecloth. My skin does feel tight after using this, but I had eaten a fair amount of sugar over the weekend and my skin was showing it displeasure in the form of lots of little whiteheads that were painful and weepy. Not cool. PowerMud dried them up and calmed them down.

I like it. I am not mad on the price point though so this will be something that I probably will never get again, unless I win the lotto. For the moment its just a mask that helps when my skin starts throwing its toys out of the cot. Depending on my skin concerns, I use it, maybe, every 2nd week, and not always on a glycolic night.

This is my 2nd bottle of Alpha H Liquid Gold. I get mine from Cloud10Beauty.com and the 100ml bottle which costs €39.95 lasts me 6 months. Yup. I'm quite happy to shell out the guts of 40squids to get this because it is Proper Nice stuff. This is not a toner, but you would use it after cleansing, it is a treatment, rich in glycolic acid it helps the skin to turn cells over faster, resulting in a younger looking complexion. I am using this to target my pigmented areas, but it has been a key player in bringing my congested areas under control too. I even allow himself to use a bit on a cottonbud to dab onto his spots/ingrown hairs because it is that good at clearing blockages.

After cleansing, I apply enough to dampen half a cotton pad and sweep it over my face avoiding the bits closest to my eyes, but I will go up just past the orbital bone under my eyes. Then I turn the pad over and go over my face again in circular motions paying care to pigmented and congested areas (my chin and jaw mostly), what ever is left gets applied to my neck and decolletage.

I like to leave this to work its magic for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on what time it is. I love the tingle, but fear not, it fades away after 2 minutes. I follow with a spritz of La Roche-Posay Serozinc** to moisten the skin before I apply my Vichy Aqualia Thermal Awakening Eyebalm** (its amazing stuff) & night cream.

Cleanser, Eye cream and Night Cream are all by Vichy. They are producing some seriously lovely skincare at a fairly reasonable price, just above what I would call Budget. But given the fact that Vichy products last at least 3 months, their price point is actually spot on and great value for money especially as their products are quite effective.

My night cream for the past 5 months has been Vichy Aqualia Thermal Night Spa, which comes in a 75ml jar and it costs €27. Night Spa is a night cream that can also be applied in a thin layer over itself and used a sleeping mask. Its is a softly scented, gorgeously silky blue gel-cream that sinks in nearly instantly on application and delivers some serious hydration without clogging pores or making skin greasy. Formulated with "mineral-rich Thermal Spa Water, Hyaluronic acid and Aquabioryl, skin feels replenished, soothed and hydrated". All skin types will benefit from this blue gel, it really is gorgeous, whether you apply sparingly or of you lash is on. I adore this. It is almost finished and I'm going to need a new one soon.

This is something I will always have a jar of because it is something my eczema sufferer can use when her skin is seriously lacking in moisture, she loves the texture and the results and it makes her feel a bit pampered as well. It doesn't sting, it just soaks into her dry skin to leave her looking fresh-faced in the morning instead of scaly and dry.

As I said earlier, I don't normally use PowerMud and Liquid Gold together, but my skin was on the verge of throwing a major Hissy-fit in the pimple department and I had to shut it down fast. This combination works but it is filled with loads of ingredients that will make skin sensitive, so I don't do it often because that just wreaks havoc with the skins acid mantle. I am still having a few spots that are coming to a head, but I treat those with the Origins Super Spot Remover.

And because this night routine is so full of actives, I skipped Luna following night to allow my skin time to heal, using just cleanser, toner and moisturiser and spot cream on any lingering spots.

Have you tried any of the other GlamGlow masks? Are they worth the money, would you recommend them? Have you tried anything I have here?

I'll keep posting my Routines as I use them, but so far this and my A Routines are what I turn to most nights, give or take a mask and depending on how I am feeling.



**Samples provided for review, Opinions as always : my own.