Alpha-H is a brand highly lauded by those in the know but I think fairly unknown by your average Joe. As part of the blogging community I found myself getting swept along with the hype I heard about this brand, in particular, the much loved Liquid Gold.
A month or two ago I was sent, unexpectedly, the following items:
The Balancing Cleanser, Liquid Gold, the Liquid Gold Smoothing and Perfecting Mask and the Absolute Eye Complex.
To summarize some of these products didn't meet the high expectations I had and some did but you'll have to read on to find out more.
Let's start by talking about the cleanser. The Balancing Cleanser with Aloe Vera claims to hydrate and cleanse without drying and it's main ingredients of note are Aloe Vera and Vitamin E. 200ml retails for around the £20 mark. So its a great huge tube with a fairly huge price to match. It does a great job though I have to say. I can get into the shower fully made up and leave without a trace of mascara under my eyes. This is really something. I think I've yet to find a cleanser that doesn't give me panda eyes when used in the shower. Also, I tend not to favour cleansers that you use with water, as my skin always get red and tight after using water on it, but not so with this stuff. A winner of a cleanser and an absolute godsend if, like me, using an eye make up remover in addition to a cleanser seems like too much hard work. Great stuff.
Next up, Liquid Gold. Something of a cult product this is a very highly regarded potion. It promised great things, most notably to bridge the gap between the world of the scalpel and the cosmetics counter. It's a water based rejuvenating treatment, instantly absorbed which allows it to work at a cellular level. With each application, dead skin is lifted away, along with excess sebum, grime and remnants of make up with the aim of leaving smaller refined pores, collagen production reinvigorated and fruit acids claim to kill the bacteria which cause spots. The main ingredients are liquorice and silk. Liquorice to brighten, dimish age spots and uneven skin tone and silke to bind moisture to the skin whilst improving clarity texture and radiance with its amino acids and lipid oil. Sounds nothing short of miraculous and everything my tired skin could wish for. 100ml is £28.
So you apply this with a cotton wool pad every alternative night and leave on the skin all night. Which I have done religiously. Alas, perhaps my expectations were too high, but other than my skin feeling very soft, I noticed no other improvements. My pores are as large as ever, my skin as congested as ever and this product was no match at all for my hormonal spots. I wanted this to work for me so much and it just doesn't. It really tingles when you put it on the first time by the way, but this fades quickly and doesn't seem to happen with consecutive uses. I have friends who absolutely swear by this product so I am sure that this is just my crap skin to blame and not the product, but for me, it wasn't great.
Next, the Liquid Gold Smoothing and Perfecting Mask. Wheat germ oil, rose oil, lavender oil, honey, macadamia seed oil and 15% glycolic acid. The aim is to eliminate dryness, absorb excess oil and it is supposed to be something of a soft peel. Designed to improve fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, sun damage, clogged pores, blemishes, eczema and generally tired skin. Well now we're talking! This really rocks my world. You put it on for 10 minutes, oh boy does it tingle, it tested my limits I have to admit, although its not painful, its just, tingly, but you can FEEL it working. When I wash it off, my skin feels amazing. Soft, clean, nourished, and just fresh. I can't describe it, this is a great product and does everything that I hoped the Liquid Gold would do. Unfortunately it's not cheap, it's £43 for 100ml. Trust me to fall for the most expensive item I was sent. It's worth it though. I've been using it once a week but would love to up this to twice a week, if anyone knows if that's allowed I'd love to know.
Finally the Absolute Eye Complex. An instant pick me up for eyes, reflecting light away from all your eye nasties (puffiness, fine lines etc). It also contains a range of botanicals to tighten and rehydrate. To be used morning and night and £32 for 15mls this is another product I had high hopes for that didn't meet my possibly over inflated expectations. I'm used to products actually showing signs that they are working, you can see some of my previous product reviews for the kind of thing I mean, fine lines disappearing, wrinkles diminishing, all easily seen in before and after photos... there are no photos this time as there were no results. It felt lovely to apply, cooling and refreshing, but I have other products that do that, if I spent £32 on something I want visible results and sadly I didn't get any. Again, I have friends who swear by this product.
So you see, a mixed bag for me, I love the Liquid Gold Mask and Cleanser and whilst I don't hate the Eye Complex or Liquid Gold, I certainly wouldn't rush out to buy, but you know this brand's reputation goes before it now and I'm one voice in a sea of many many lovers, and I feel certain I'm in the minority group. You need to check it out for yourself! Definitely definitely, if you want to do something fab for your skin, treat yourself to the mask. It is a thing of wonder!
Any Alpha-H products I ought to try? Have you tried the above and loved them? Tell me all about it!
