I’m a big believer in not going overboard with your skin and trying to keep your routine as simple and natural as possible, but lord knows sometimes we all need help.

I’ve never suffered with overly bad skin. Yes, I get spots, red blemishes and blackheads, after all I’m only human but I also feel confident enough to go without makeup from day to day.

Since lock down, my skin has only seemed to get worse, which isn’t ideal. Yes, I’m inside so no one needs to see me, but it was also an opportunity to not wear makeup and let my skin breathe.

Spots.

What I started to get was really painful super red spots all around my jawline and down my neck, something which I’ve now found people call neckne – made me chuckle.

After looking into it, it’s very common for women in their 20s to get spots in these places, as it’s to do with the hormone levels in the body. Obviously, blocked pores will also contribute and due to working at home, I’m probably leaning on my chin /jaw area a lot more than I would if I was at work.

Time to take action.

As it stood, all I used for my skincare routine was a soap to take off my makeup, the Carbon Theory charcoal and tea tree soap to cleanse and then my Dr Botanicals Lemon Moisturiser. If I did ever get spots, I may dip into some Mario Badescu drying lotion but honestly, I don’t think that works on my anymore.

I decided I wanted to get some form of acid to combat the spots I was getting and started to look into the vegan, cruelty free options out there and whilst doing this I came across Nip & Fab.

I’ve heard some really great things about their glycolic pads in the past so looked into reviews pretty much everywhere to see which would be best for me.

Nip + Fab glycolic pads.

And here we talk about what’s saved my skin! I took the plunge and got the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Night Pads (£22.95). They’re described on the website as follows;

Super-strength acid exfoliating facial pads to target oily + congested skin. A cult favourite, these extreme night pads contain 5% pure glycolic acid and have been further enhanced with the addition of salicylic acid, making these your ultimate night treatment to refine pores, brighten the complexion and de-congest the skin through the improvement of the skin’s natural exfoliation process.

The purge.

It’s important to note that when you’re changing up your skincare there’s a very real chance that you’ll go through a purge. This is essentially where your skin is accepting what the skincare wants to do and helps to get rid of all the crap in your face.

For me this meant more spots around my jawline and chin after about 3 days of using the product and I’d say it lasted for around 4 days in total before it all calmed down.

Although you’re only meant to use these pads 2 – 3 nights a week, I decided to use them every night during the first 2 weeks, just so I could get all the benefits.

After cleansing I’d take one pad and take it all over my face, my jawline and neck and then I’d also take it over my chest and shoulders, as I often get little spots there too. After this, I’d moisturise as normal and go to bed.

2 weeks later.

Just 2 weeks after bringing this into my routine my skin is completely different. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not completely cured and I still have little spots but the redness is pretty much gone, the big spots are a thing of the past and honestly, the pores all over my face are highly improved.

I wish I’d got this product sooner and I’m continuing to use it now as recommended, 2 – 3 times a week. If I did get a breakout I think I’d use it everyday, just to help it calm down faster.

This new routine has got me wanting to try foundation free days in the future, as my skin actually looks pretty good right now!

If you’ve tried these pads let me know what you thought! I just wish I’d tried them sooner.

Love, always – B
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