Insta-fabulous skin

Who doesn't want better looking skin in a instant? It's available on Instagram with the right filters - heck, does anyone leave their skin untouched when uploaded? But what about in real life. You know, when you meet people face-to-face? Alpha-H Instant Facial comes pretty close to giving your skin a clean sweep and a bright hello. Based on the benefits of a salon inspired peel - minus the redness, since I've been using this I've had quite a few compliments about how good my skin looks. It's a breeze to use too. Simply spritz on a cotton pad and wipe over your face. I only use in the evenings, as I don't want to over-do it and risk dry skin by using twice a day as recommended, then follow up with my usual serum or moisturiser. It's just the tonic for refining pore size, reducing dead cell build-up and mattifying the T-zone. In your face Instagram filter!

Alpha-H Instant Facial, £35.50.
www.alpha-h.com

Box clever skin

Alpha-H is what I term an insider’s skincare brand. It’s not mass market, but if your skin IQ is sky scraper high, you will know that it’s a cosmeceutical skincare line that kicks some ass when needed. A QVC sellout and expert favourite, their Skin Loving Vitamins is a catch-all box created for middle-youth skin. Such a better phrase than mature don’t you think?!

Anyway, it’s not stop the press new in terms of containing the antioxidants vitamin of A C and E, but they come in a different guise - super surged serums. It’s also a top scoring introduction to topical vitamins which have the power to recharge, revive and replenish your complexion. Use everyday, or as and when your skin needs them. Here’s the alphabetical lowdown for ACE looking skin:

Vitamin A: A go-to-bed night time regenerating serum for skin that feels high and dry. Vitamin A is released to gradually increase cell renewal and up hydration levels. A smoother and firmer complexion can be yours upon waking.

Vitamin C: Powerful and intensive that also boasts the moisture magnet hyaluronic acid, and grape seed for pigmented skin. Regular use can improve the plight of age spots.

Vitamin E: The ‘ER’ of the serums which helps reduce inflammation as well as speeding up the healing process of post-acne scarring. Great for any skin trauma – excellent for the aftermath redness caused by the criminal act of squeezing a spot!

 

Alpha-H Skin Loving Vitamins costs £49.50

www.alpha-h.com

You glow girl!

A self confessed lover of Alpha H concentrated skincare products – concentrated meaning they give more bang for your buck in terms of ingredient percentages , I was recently introduced to their Liquid Gold Perfecting Daywear with Mineral Bronzing Beads. Now, personally I don’t go big on bronzing products beyond a little powder,  as quite honestly I’ve seen so many bronzing disasters, I’d rather steer clear. But this lady is for turning, and I’d thought I’d give it a whirl.

I had no concerns about the Perfecting Daywear part of the formula. Alpha H is based on glycolic acid and mingled with the other key ingredient liquorice, work to brighten, resurface and refine pore size. Peptides help to optically diffuse the appearance of pesky lines. As with all modern thinking anti-ageing products, hyaluronic acid is also in the mix, its USP being it attracts and binds youth inducing moisture. So far, so  good.

As for the built-in glow factor, it couldn’t be more skin savvy. Microencapsulated bronzing spheres burst on application and release a blend of mineral pigments and natural light-reflecting particles. It’s described as a ‘made-to-measure’ glow, and I agree. It just lifts the skin to a higher plane whilst looking beyond natural. It’s a serum, so apply underneath your moisturiser for an extra skin boost. It's a product that's now a staple in my gleam team!

Alpha-H  Liquid Gold Perfecting Daywear, £39
www.alpha-h.com
www.qvcuk.com

The skin changer mask

Anyone who reads my blog regularly will know I’m a huge fan of Alpha-H. I interviewed the founder, Michelle Doherty at the beginning of the year who hailed glycolic acid as reinventing and saving her skin – she suffered from terrible acne from the ages of 14 to 28. She asked herself if she was ‘ballsy’ enough to put acid on her skin. The answer was yes and she’s never looked back.

However, what really struck me about our complexion chat was her belief that you have to take skin out of its comfort zone to reap the results. “For skin to start producing its own collagen, it needs to drop down to a warm and tingling level,” she explained. Before discovering Alpha-H I was a bit namby pamby when it came to hard core skincare. I would shy away from words like acid for fear of looking like that scene in Sex and the City when Samantha Jones had a peel. Red, blotchy and raw. The stuff of skinmares. But with complexion confidence growing, I’ve been using Alpha-H Liquid Gold for nearly a year now and it’s really made a difference in terms of clarity.
  
Their Alpha-H Liquid Gold Smoothing & Perfecting Mask is my newest skin arsenal. Almost masquerading as a peel, glycolic acid is the fifth ingredient on the list, so it kicks pores! 15% is the concentration and in this measure will help resurface, build collagen and improve the plumpness of the skin. It’s not a mask you use more than once a week, and be warned your skin will fizz throughout the 10 minutes it’s left on. Although not suitable for delicate skin, I would say mine can be sensitive and it doesn’t cause any adverse reactions. But if you do experience any stinging or burning stop using. The term pick-me-up can be overused for under-performing products, but it certainly doesn’t apply to this one. Skin feels incredible soft after and looks so much fresher with fine lines and wrinkles taking a back seat. I would even go as far to say skin looks positively loved up. And who wouldn’t like cupid struck skin?


Alpha-H Liquid Gold Smoothing & Perfecting Mask, £43 available from www.lookfantastic.com and www.qvcuk.com