The past couple of years have seen Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) shoot to notoriety, becoming a fundamental part of women’s skincare routines the world over. Whether it’s daily exfoliating toners or weekly masks, they have something to offer that more traditional, manual scrubs just can’t, and one such weapon against dull and lifeless skin is the Elemental Herbology Facial Glow Radiance Peel. Infused with a tropical cocktail of vitamins, enzymes and skin-brightening botanicals to stimulate cell-renewal and even out the skin tone, leaving you radiant and glowing, it has fast become a personal staple of mine and a welcome weekly treat.
Apple serum, papaya, orange peel, tangerine and jojoba beads are responsible for sloughing away dead skin cells to pave the way for new epidermal growth, while vitamins A, C and E work alongside green tea and pomegranate to prevent free-radical damage. But it doesn’t stop there. Manuka honey and water lily provide a powerful anti-inflammatory action to soothe and calm the skin. Pomegranate, argan, macadamia and olive oil provide essential fatty acids to hydrate and nourish. And rounding it all off nicely, the multi-mineral complex of zinc, copper magnesium revitalise the skin, kick-starting cellular metabolism. So all in all, it’s like a super-food for your skin – a power-skin smoothie, if you will.
I tend to apply the mask once or twice a week, smoothing it carefully over clean, dry skin and leaving to sit for a few minutes to work its magic. The recommended time limit is four minutes, which originally led me to believe it was going to be really strong on the skin, but these days I can happily leave it for up to ten minutes if I’m a little bit busy and everything is fine. That said, those with particularly sensitive skin may want to approach with caution – start with a minute, and see how you get on.
When the time is up, I remove the mask gently with a warm, damp muslin cloth – you could do so with water alone, but I find a cloth is really effective at getting ridding the skin of any residue, as well as providing a little extra exfoliation.
I find that following use, my skin is left soft, smooth and radiant. It really does seem to emit a healthy glow that just isn’t there on a daily basis, and is yet another product I would now be hard pushed to do without.
If you are new to Elemental Herbology then the Weekend Facial Kit is a great way of introducing yourself to the brand. For £30, you get a 30ml tube of each of their three star face masks – the Facial Detox Purifying Facial Mask, Biodynamic Facial Souffle and, of course, the Facial Glow Radiance Peel – all of which are absolutely fantastic.
The full size Facial Glow (50ml) is available from Feel Unique, and is priced at £40.
