Bought this Anthony Logistics Perfect Shave Kit for hubby's bday, and ended up "borrowing" some of his Glycolic Facial Cleanser. Everyday for the past week. xD
The Perfect Shave Kit includes the 2 oz. Pre-Shave Oil, 2 oz. Facial Scrub, 8 oz. Glycolic Facial Cleanser, 6 oz. Shave Cream, 2.5 oz. After Shave Balm, as well as the black toiletry bag. It is a really nice deal as the products are all generously sized and just the retail value of the Pre-Shave Oil, the Glycolic Facial Cleanser, the Shave Cream, and the After Shave Balm combined is already $80. The Facial Scrub and the toiletry bag are just extras bonuses thrown in.
Anthony Logistics Perfect Shave Kit.
From left to right, the Pre-Shave Oil, Facial Scrub, Glycolic Facial Cleanser, Shave Cream, After Shave Balm, and the black toiletry bag in the background.
***Picture from Sephora USA.
I was curious but was very reluctant to try this Glycolic Facial Cleanser at first, solely because I didn't know if the glycolic acid would clash with the adapalene (Differin) treatment I have been using consistently every 2 nights for the past 3+ years. For some people, combining different penetrative and exfoliating agents like a retinoid and an AHA (alpha-hydroxy acid, like glycolic acid) or a BHA (beta-hydroxy acid, like salicylic acid) may result in double and over exfoliation, leading to dry and irritated skin in the mildest cases, or large and painful cystic acne in the most disastrous cases. To put it simply, I was scared.
So I looked into it a little bit, and according to Anthony's website, this Facial Cleanser has 4.9% glycolic acid, and in their words making it "effective but not too harsh." I was still skeptical. After all, Differin is probably one of the mildest retinoids out there, and even after 3 years of religious and regular use my skin still cannot work up to more frequent use (like every other night, or ever night) or higher concentration (like 0.3% instead of 0.1%). I did try upping the frequency or concentration several times, and every time I would break out like crazy, and not "purging" break out but painful cystic acne break out. So I guess this must mean the 0.1% every 2 nights is the best combination for my skin, and thus contemplating throwing glycolic acid into the mix really makes me nervous. In the end, call me crazy (or stupid), but I decided to give it a try. After all, a similar combination of retinaldehyde (a retinoid) and glycolic acid has made quite a reputation for Avene's Diacneal (now Triacneal, with a third active ingredient mix in).
Let me just say - phew! - thank goodness nothing's happened. So far ^.^' It's true I have been using this for only a week, but then if a reaction is bound to happen, a week is more than enough to see some nasty breakouts. But nothing yet, and I'm crossing my fingers nothing will happen, because it turns out I like this cleanser a lot! It looks and feels like your average foaming cleanser, only it does not foam at all, containing no sulfates. It also rinses clean, so it's not exactly a cream cleanser either. It cleans the skin well but manages to stay mild at the same time. My face feels comfortable after each wash and I haven't experienced any drying or tightness at all. Even better news is that I don't experience any dryness or irritation with my regular use of Differin, so I guess it is not impossible to find a combination of a retinoid and AHA or BHA that will work with your skin after all. I will keep using this, and if something drastic happens I will post an update. But here's to hope there will not be an update ;P or should there be one, it will be to announce that my facial skin has reclaimed its lost decade of youth. Ha... T.T
Yes, this is how I protect my skincare and makeup products from Japan's hideous humidity as well as the super dry climate back at home. It works well, believe it or not, keeping my stuff fresh until I can get around to it. I actually bought this Perfect Shave Kit several months prior to hubby's bday with a Sephora promotion :P
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