Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Extreme Pads
In my last 'Weekend Things' post, I mentioned that Clinique's Mild Clarifying Lotion had been discontinued. That began the hunt for a replacement and after a bit of research I purchased these ones.
Previously, Nip + Fab products would never have been on my radar. I've never really seen them in stores, nor have they cropped up while I've been online shopping, so they've not really existed to me. Till a little over a week ago that is.
As I was scouring the internet for a suitable replacement, Caroline Hirons posted a handy video on her current favourite acid toners. I was quite surprised to see a Nip + Fab product in that line-up, but anything with her seal of approval is always worth a shot.
For £14.95 you get 60 pre-soaked pads in a pot (24p per pad). At this point, that's pretty much standard for this type of product. Price wise however, they're brilliant if you're on a budget. I've looked, and the next sort of comparable product is the FAB Pads which cost £22 for 60 (36p per pad).
So for your money, what do you get? In short, they're exfoliating pads which use a blend of 5% glycolic acid; salicylic acid and lactic acid to get the job done. The first thing I will say is that these are by no means extreme. You aren't going to wake up with a new face or anything. Having a 5% concentration is actually pretty common in products like these and I believe the Pixi Glow Tonic is 5% too. For me, the best thing about this product is that it contains Salicylic acid too. My skin has cleared up considerably since using the Clinique one, so I feel my skin responds really well to BHA's (salicylic). These pads combine AHA's and BHA's, so I'm hoping these will do amazing things for my face.
Performance wise, they've impressed me for two weeks. I've been using one every other night and my skin seems to be enjoying them. I had a bit of texture on my cheeks which has pretty much gone away and I've seen further improvements with those annoying post blemish red marks. For me, it's the fading of the red marks that's impressed me. They're not new and nothing's really seemed to do anything for them till now.
To use them it's dead straightforward. Take a pad out of the pot and wipe it all over a clean face (avoid the eye area). It's that simple. This step should sweep away all your dead skin cells, unclog your pores and generally improve the feel of your skin. I'm all for that right now, especially as I've been packing on the sunscreen.
So that's my first impression if you will. As you can probably tell I'm getting on with them so far. If I had to be picky, I'd say they smell like toilet cleaner, but if it works who cares? With skincare, I like to give it a month or so before I give my final verdict so check back for that. I'm praying for good things because the price is great.
In the meantime, if you fancy giving them a whirl they're currently half price at Superdrug. Happy shopping!
UPDATE (30/07/16): On the whole I'm still impressed with these, but I will be reducing using them to around twice a week at most. I used one last night and immediately after my skin was stinging and itching. It definitely wasn't pleasant, so I'm going to use these as more of a treatment rather than an every other day thing. Hopefully last nights reaction was a one off, but it's better to be careful as I don't want to upset my skin. I'm inclined to say that it was the glycolic that caused the reaction as my skin had similar reactions with the Pixi Glow Tonic.
UPDATE (01/09/2016): Well I didn't think things would turn out like this. After posting this, I ran out of the Clinique toner, so was just using these every alternate night. Looking at my skin now, I'm guessing I was overdoing it and that's why my skin was a tad sensitive. With the Clinique long gone, these pads have been working a treat. My skin's brighter, clearer and so far I'm inclined to say I will absolutely be repurchasing these.
UPDATE (30/07/16): On the whole I'm still impressed with these, but I will be reducing using them to around twice a week at most. I used one last night and immediately after my skin was stinging and itching. It definitely wasn't pleasant, so I'm going to use these as more of a treatment rather than an every other day thing. Hopefully last nights reaction was a one off, but it's better to be careful as I don't want to upset my skin. I'm inclined to say that it was the glycolic that caused the reaction as my skin had similar reactions with the Pixi Glow Tonic.
UPDATE (01/09/2016): Well I didn't think things would turn out like this. After posting this, I ran out of the Clinique toner, so was just using these every alternate night. Looking at my skin now, I'm guessing I was overdoing it and that's why my skin was a tad sensitive. With the Clinique long gone, these pads have been working a treat. My skin's brighter, clearer and so far I'm inclined to say I will absolutely be repurchasing these.
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