Alpha Beta^® Peel Original Formula - 30 Applications

These 2-step micro-peeling pads - known as Step 1 & Step 2, give a noticeable glow to my face & neck, and also eliminate those rough, flaky patches on my cheeks/forehead. Also, any moisturizer or serum I apply later seems to sink in and absorb much better, and makeup glides on more smoothly the following day. However, this is not a product I would use every day, as instructed, for two reasons: firstly ALCOHOL - it's the 2nd ingredient in Step 1. Long term alcohol use on the skin is never a good thing, even when there's this many 'beneficial' ingredients in both of the pads that are counteracting it. The second reason is it's simply too much exfoliation for my skin. Step 1 includes 4 different AHA's and 1 BHA. That's the level of chemical exfoliation I aim for once a week or fortnight at most. Any more than that and I find my skin breaks out in random itchy hives and becomes more sensitive to the sun. I only use AHA-containing products on a night, so after cleansing and removing makeup on a night, I wipe Step 1 over my face and neck for about a minute or so, and find something else to do for the required 1-2 minutes it takes for this to work. Then comes Step 2. It contains Sodium Bicarbonate to neutralize the acids from Step 1, as well as soothing ingredients such as Green Tea extract. The thing I like the most about these is that all the key anti-aging ingredients are in here (Retinol, Vitamin C etc) and I don't feel like I need to use any other anti-aging treatments or products afterwards. These are like an 'all in one' treatment and I love the fact that the skin is perfectly exfoliated before all the good ingredients from step 2 are delivered to the skin, and therefore allowing them to be absorbed better. I love the little pouches these come in which remind me very much of those alcohol swabs used before injections (for a Cosmeceutical line, I think this is pure genius packaging!). These are expensive though, especially if you do intend to use daily I can imagine it would soon start to add up. And possibly because I refuse to use them daily for the above reasons, I haven't noticed much difference to my pore size as so many others have, despite all the other benefits to my skin. There is a 'Ultra gentle' version of the pads which I'm tempted to try out, but that one too has its positives and negatives: the beneficial ingredients in it are not as concentrated, although thankfully the alcohol is almost completely eliminated and the AHA's/BHA's are milder. -> My ‘Nordstrom Beauty Top 7 must-have list’ (My 7 favorite beauty products of all time, focusing mainly on my purchases at Nordstrom) <- < 1. Hair Loss Treatment: Divine Herbal Hair Oil < 2. Concealer: ‘Mac’ - Studio Finish Concealer < 3. Lip Gloss: Clarins Lip Comfort Oil < 4. Mascara: ‘Lancome’ – Cilis Booster XL < 5. Anti-Aging Serum: Divine Herbal Facial Treatment Serum < 6. Mask: ‘Eve Lom’ – Radiance Transforming Mask < 7. Face Scrub: ‘Sisley' - Botanical Gentle Buffing Cream

I never write reviews because it soon becomes an afterthought but I would be doing society a disservice if I did not share my amazing results! I have so many products (boarderline “organized” hoarder” if you will) so I have made it my mission to start trying new things I have. I live in the dust bowl of the USA aka Arizona and with all of the elements it takes a toll on my skin. I often have horrible dry rough patches, and undertones of reds, and needed something gentle enough but effective to smooth my skin out and the results are undeniable. My skin feels like BUTTER! I put therapeutic grade fractionated coconut oil on after and that is IT! (Shoutout to doterra) i just feel like coconut oil for cooking is a bit too thick for my skin and this one feels more lightweight and breatheable but anyways I digress. These work well, as I do have a tendency to either over exfoliate and dry my skin more ect or not exfoliate enough and pick the dry skin causing more redness amongst other things, and this is just a one and done deal and afterwards the redness was minimized tremendously. This is going in my vault of favorites for sure! Worth every penny! My makeup is going on so well and I think I will be able to prolong my pads soon by using them as others have recommended every other day or so depending on your skin type. And as a tip I recommend as stated on the package to apply in small circular motions starting at the jaw line and working your way UP (we want to lift the skin not drag it down with gravity)! Hope anyone who is debating to try it for yourself because I am obsessed!

It's not a miracle product, but it delivers clearer, brighter, and less textured skin. I use it once a week. Anything more than that would be too drying. I use a thick moisturizer and face oil after the treatment. In the morning, I use a physical scrub to slough away any dead skin cells. I prefer to use this product in fall and winter.