4 Brightening Products That I Rely On For A Clear & Bright Complexion

Now that my skin is relatively clear and spot free one of the biggest aims with my skincare routine is to brighten my complexion. My skin can be very lacklustre and dull and obviously, I don't want that so the majority of my routine is geared towards adding luminosity and lightening any scarring that I have left over from any blemishes. And there are a certain group of products that help me do this with ease and that is acids. There have been 4 products that I've been really enjoying lately and depending on just how much my skin needs brightening I'll reach for one of them. They go on a scale from just needing a little pick me up to a serious in need of help savior.

THE DAILY PICK ME UP

Something I use every day without fail is a glycolic acid when I'm not battling breakouts in which case I would reach for a salicylic acid instead as that is what that is more targeted towards. And my current pick of choice is the Superdrug Natural Radiant Glycolic Toner*. Which is by far the best budget toner than I've ever used and it's comparable to the Pixi Glow Tonic in many ways but mostly due to the 5% glycolic acid and although some ingredients do differ it delivers very similar results. And to be honest, I actually think I prefer this toner as it feels incredibly gentle on the complexion but it still delivers that little boost of brightness that I need. To find such a well priced and highly effective toner has been awesome as so often toners are a pricey purchase.

THE COULD LOOK BETTER BUT NOT TOO BAD

The great thing about toning products is that it only takes a few uses to know whether it works for your skin or not. And it only took one use to know that the Trish McEvoy Beta Hydroxy Pads* felt so good and only a dozen more to really know they were really brightening up my skin. As we're in a true transitional stage of the season right now my skin is a little more lack lustre than usual so this is what I've been reaching for, especially in the AM. These pads contain salicylic acid which more of a spot fighter than a brightener but it still does add light to the skin when it's lacking in it. You can feel these get to work instantly which is something I love. If you're not a fan of products that somewhat tingle than you might not like these but I adore them. Not only do they brighten and combat any blemishes that might be cropping up [it batted away one that was coming in one my jaw] but there also so many more awesome ingredients in these pads. Things like aloe vera, chamomile, glycerin and witch hazel are all things that help keep the skin supple and soft as well as the acid brightening things up. To get more uses out of pads like these you can easily chop them in half and then you only have to use one full pad a day.

THE I'VE BEEN REALLY LAZY WITH MY DIET AND NEED SOME SLEEP

A product that I've always heard nothing but good things about is the Alpha H Liquid Gold*. And in the summer this cult product in the rose formulation came into my life and I instantly fell in love. You can instantly see a difference in the complexion when using this and it's what I like to reach for when I've not been sleeping very well or my diet has been a little too sugary. It's only 5% glycolic acid so the same as my daily brightener but it feels so much more intense on the skin and I had to build up my tolerance level to this as it was a little too strong for me at first. But now I use it without any follow up and in the morning my skin looks so bright and plump which is probably due to the hyaluronic acid which we all know is a truly wonderful ingredient for retaining moisture in the complexion. I would never use this everyday as I feel like it's far too intense but every few days when I really need a pick me up it's perfect. There's a reason why this is such a cult product as it delivers such a fantastic results within just a couple of uses.

THE OK, I REALLY NEED SOME HELP

For a really, really intense brightening product the Institut Esthederm Intensive AHA Peel Serum* is an absolute joy. It's unlike the other products in this post because it's not a toner, it's a serum so it sinks into the complexion and it's packed full of AHA's including glycolic and lactic acid. You can use this in the morning but I prefer to use this in the evening for a really intense treatment and you can really feel it getting to work on the skin, in all the best ways. I know some people might not be a fan of that at all but I love it when I can feel my products getting to work. Obviously, it's a brightening product so it not only aims to brighten the complexion but create a uniform skin tone and lighten any areas of discolouration that you might have from old blemishes. The acids in it slough away at the dead skin cells and you're left with a fresh and radiant complexion afterward. I use this in the evening when my skin feels hydrated enough to skip moisture and I can really let it get to work on my skin. It's certainly a pricey option but if you are really struggling with brightness and discolouration and you don't have a super sensitive skin I can imagine this would work wonders.