Sometimes when a new brand appears it creates a lot of buzz in the beauty industry and that’s definitely true of Lixirskin. The product range is the brainchild of Collette Haydon, a doctor in dermo-pharmacy, who has formulated some of the best selling beauty products for major players (such as REN and Jo Malone) and has now started her own range.
Lixirskin don’t believe in having products dedicated to different areas, eg, face, eye and neck creams: “A good formula does it all. We believe in universal, advanced and multi-tasking formulations for everyday use, for young and older skin.” They work on the principle that too many active ingredients confuse the skin, it’s better to do one thing at a time well.
There are six products in the range and I’ve been using two – the Vitamin C paste (£32) and the Electrogel Cleanser (£25). I really like the product packaging, it’s simple but looks good in your bathroom or on your dressing table. I do like a tube, as I feel there’s not going to be any wastage. I’m never convinced that pumps aren’t still half full of product when they appear to be empty.
A couple of months ago I tried using The Ordinary Vitamin C, but at 30% potency it was too strong for me and caused a rash on my neck. I needed a product that would be effective but would have a smaller ratio of Vitamin C. I started seeing references to Lixir all over the blogosphere and so decided to try them out. The Lixirskin Vitamin C paste contains 10% of the L Ascorbic Acid (the acid form of Vitamin C) and is a product which is rinsed off as they believe it’s not a good idea to leave acid on the skin all day.
So what exactly does the product do? Lixirskin state it “Neutralises oxidised sebum and proteins to revive greyish, greenish and dull skin undertones. Scavenges free radicals, provides natural sunscreen against UVA and UVB and regulates melanin production. Helps Collagen production and protects Elastin.” A real multi-tasker! You use the paste once a day on a morning, warming a pea size amount in clean hands and applying to face, eye contour, lips, neck and décolleté; massage it with damp fingers and then leave for a few minutes and rinse off with a clean flannel. If it’s a weekend or you have more free time then leave it on for a bit longer.
It’s an easy product to use and it’s one of those products that you know is going to be effective, the consistency of it just feels substantial. A little goes a long way and it is relaxing on a morning to spend some time massaging it onto the face, even just for 30 seconds. I’ve got into the habit of putting the paste on as soon as I get out of bed and then by the time I’ve put the coffee machine on and decided what I’m wearing, it’s been on 10 minutes and I rinse it off. Sometimes I leave it on for a bit longer while I have a shower.
Unlike some mask-type products, this is very easy to remove and it leaves my skin feeling great and definitely looking healthier. It leaves a really good base for my toner, serum and day cream and then ultimately my makeup looks better.
I’ve also been using the Electrogel Cleanser. This product dissolves makeup and dirt and really gets into the pores to cleanse and detox. The cleanser contains a small negatively charged electrogel, as things that are generally bad for the skin (pollution nanoparticles, heavy metals and free radicals) have a positive electric charge – these then attract each other and can be washed away. The cleanser has scents of geranium, sage, rosemary and chamomile.
When I first used this cleanser I found I wasn’t using enough, you do need plenty on so you can massage it properly. I don’t use it as a makeup remover, I do that with my trusty magnitone cloth, I use it as my second deep cleanse on an evening. Dampen your hands and then apply to the face including the eye area, the neck and decollete. Massage using fingertips (or I use my Foreo), leave it for another minute and clean off with a flannel.
This product is a really good cleanser, I always use white flannels to wash off my second cleanse and usually when I’ve removed my makeup, with the magnitone cloth or with a makeup removing cleanser, the flannel is fairly clean. However, with the electrogel cleanser I can see there is more dirt being removed; so it would appear that the claim it gets deeper into pores is true.
These are both really good products and I will definitely re-purchase. I’m also keen to try the other products in the range, the Universal Emulsion and Night Switch Serums.
For those of you who have allergies or sensitivities, the ingredients are listed below:
Ingredients – Vitamin C Paste
Glycerin, Aqua (Water), Ascorbic Acid, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Oryzanol, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower Extract, Lavandula Hybrida Flower Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool.
Ingredients – Electrogel Cleanser
Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Oleyl Erucate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Glycerin, Cetearyl Glucoside, Bentonite, Phenoxyethanol, Oryzanol, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Benzoic Acid, Glyceryl Laurate, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Tocopherol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Xanthan Gum, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.