Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Treatment Pads

Nip + Fab
Glycolic Fix Treatment Pads
Boots £12.99

I bought these radiance-boosting pads from Boots when they were on a 3-for-2 offer and I've just finished the third tub so that's around 6 months of using them almost every day. The magic words which lured me into this purchase were "glycolic acid" and "hyaluronic acid" - the holy grail of ingredients for my rubbish skin.

Each tub of Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Treatment has 60 pads for exfoliating, brightening, refreshing and retexturing (all of my favourite things!). The glycolic acid aims to retexture and resurface; the hyaluronic acid will moisturise and refresh; witch hazel purifies and tones; and the added blue daisy extract soothes and calms.

These pads really go a long way to giving you the skin you want - pure, clean and smooth. I'm not sure how strong some of the ingredients are, however. I feel my Liquid Gold is a much more powerful exfoliator, and my Hydraluron serum plumps my skin up more efficiently. But buying these two separately is quite costly, and if you aren't sure if glycolic and hyaluronic acid are for you (I'm willing to bet your skin will love them, but it's best to start gently) then these are an ideal starter purchase. They are strong enough to yield a noticeable effect, and you'll get a tingly feeling the first time you use them, especially if you don't usually use liquid exfoliators.

One gripe I do have is that they do leave a slightly sticky, tacky feeling on the skin but once I carried on with serum and moisturiser etc. this effect largely disappeared. This negative is only a small one though, and wouldn't put me off purchasing them again. I see there's now a deep cleanser, a foaming cleaner, and a serum in the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix range which I'm dying to try (apart from the serum which works out at more than double the price of Liquid Gold - ouch). I'm hanging off buying them in the hope there will be an another awesome Boots offer in the near future...


Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Alcohol Denat. (SD Alcohol 40-B), Disodium EDTA, Globularia Alypum (Blue Daisy) Extract, Panthenol, Lactic Acid, Parfum, Limonene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral

Botanics All Bright range

About a year-and-a-half ago, my skin first started properly freaking out for the first time in years. I was completely unprepared for the whiteheads, blackheads, oily t-zone and cystic acne which ensued and spent hours reading blogs and product reviews to find a magic cure.

It turns out there is no magic cure, but there certainly are products and ingredients which can help you on your way to much clearer, brighter, happier skin. Incorporating these into an appropriate skincare regime can dramatically reduce the pain and embarrassment of blemished skin.

One range in particular has seen me through these bad times: Botanics All Bright. These products have natural hibiscus extract, which promises to "brighten and smooth all skin types". This gentle exfoliating effect is essential for congested skin. Combined into a regime, the overall effect is astonishing for such a cheap range of products. They really help overcome whiteheads, clear out most blackheads and leave skin much more refined in texture.

Although they are brilliant, they're not miracle workers - I am still left with cystic acne (which is hard to treat with topical on-the-skin products anyway) and I do get the odd blemish every few days. The exfoliating action from these products alone is not quite strong enough for me, and I do incorporate other products (especially glycolic masks and toners) into my routine.

Keep an eye out for special offers on all of the Botanics products. Currently, there's up to a third off selected Botanics skin care. I wait until these offers appear then stock up on refills (although I wouldn't stockpile too far ahead as the natural ingredients may not keep for too long). I've included the full prices in this post but it's very rare you'll catch them not on offer.

Top performers for me include:

1. Botanics All Bright Gentle Cleansing Cream - £3.99
2. Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner - £3.99
3. Botanics All Bright Refreshing Eye Roll-On - £8.99
4. Botanics All Bright Cleansing Face Wipes 25s - £3.49

Yes, I've put the face wipes in there. Just to clarify: I absolutely do not *wash* my face with the wipes. They are for make up mishaps or moisturiser/serum dramas (ie. get it off my face NOW moments). You must cleanse your face properly with a face wash, preferably morning and night, preferably use a face cloth, preferably use a decent cleanser (I haven't tried the face wash from this range because I am married to my cleansing balms and to my Origins gel, but it looks okay from the ingredients). I'll wash my face with one of my cleansers, warm water, and a flannel. Then I'll sweep a bit of the All Bright cleansing cream over, and then a sweep of the toner.

Another word of warning: the Soothing Eye Make Up Remover is awful. Dreadful. It hated my eyes. My eyes hated it back. Straight in the bin - there was no way I was giving it to a friend or family member. The day and night moisturisers are okay I guess... I think this is one area you need to put a bit of money into. I have an Origins moisturiser in my regime which I absolutely could not live without, it is £34, the moisturisers from this range are less than a fiver, so I guess in this instance you do get what you pay for.

Last word on the All Bright range (and Botanics in general): it is incredibly refreshing to see the ingredients printed online (that's why I haven't included them in this post). I spend hours looking for ingredients lists online and if I can't find any, and if I don't have access to the physical product, I'll just pass it by - no matter how much love it's getting on blogs and in magazines. So good on Boots for providing these details and saving their customers the hassle!