My First Aid Beauty Sensitive Skincare Routine That Gets Me *Glowing*
Flick is Adore Beauty’s Creative Copywriter. She started her writing career covering women’s sports and interviewing musicians and can often be found photographing gigs on the side. She’s no stranger to a rotating skincare cabinet and is currently on the lookout for a skincare routine that caters to redness, sensitivity and texture. She also used to complain when her mum would tell her to wear sunscreen and for that, she'd like to publicly apologise
In Partnership with First Aid Beauty.
I’ve got Keratosis Pilaris (or KP, aka chicken skin) which is why I’m very familiar with First Aid Beauty - their KP range is legendary across internet messaging boards.
That, and their bright packaging makes them a pretty recognisable skincare brand.
I’ve never tried any of their face products, but I know one of their brand pillars is ‘safe for sensitive skin’ (aka me) so I was very eager to try out their radiance range.
1. First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads.
The beloved FAB Facial Radiance Pads!
Surprisingly, this is the first time we’ve ever crossed paths.
They’re marketed as an everyday exfoliator and although I do trust First Aid Beauty’s commitment to sensitive skin – I don’t think I’ll ever be convinced to exfoliate daily (my skin barrier is a precious baby and I intend to treat her as such).
The Facial Radiance Pads are pads soaked in glycolic and lactic acid which are both Alpha-Hydroxy Acids or AHAs (a prominent skincare buzzword) and gentle exfoliators.
Generally, if you’ve got a product with an acid in it, it’s going to exfoliate the skin, but how it exfoliates the skin will depend on which acid you’re using.
AHAs are water soluble and work on the skin’s surface to remove the dead/dry surface cells they dissolve the bonds between dead skin cells and let the fresh skin underneath shine through.
As well as exfoliating, they can also reduce the appearance of fine lines, support your collagen and help reduce the look of pigmentation.
Different skin tones react differently to chemical exfoliants though, so talk to a skincare professional and do a patch test if you’re concerned about starting them.
AHAs can also increase the skin’s sensitivity to UV damage, so ensure you’re especially diligent at wearing (and reapplying) sunscreen if you’re using them.
But back to the FAB Facial Radiance Pads…
As well as gentle AHAs, the formula also has a few additional ingredients to help with skin support:
- Cucumber water and glycerin to help calm, soothe and hydrate the skin.
- Added antioxidants benefits from licorice root and feverfew to help protect the skin from environmental aggressors.
My First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads review:
Off the bat, there are a few things that I like the look of: they’re compostable, refillable, and super easy to transport.
I’ve bleached the inside of my toiletry bag via a chemical exfoliant bottle leaking (more than once) and it is devastating (imagine $45 worth of product being used as a label remover for any products in reach).
I can assure you though, that won’t happen with these. The tightly sealed containers mean they’re my new go-to for travelling.
I’ve been using them at night for a few weeks (being careful not to mix them with retinol or vitamin C) and my skin hasn’t experienced any redness or irritation.
They also helped reduce a bit of skin texture and kept my usual congestion to a minimum.
I’m a lip-liner lover which unfortunately means the occasional lipline blackhead, but the pad’s texture makes it easy to buff over/around my lips and I’ve noticed fewer blackheads popping up!
I haven’t been using them long enough to judge whether they’re fading some post-pimple marks and pigmentation, but it’s looking good so far!
The other benefit? After swiping them over my face, I tend to use the leftover residue on my arms and anywhere else dotted with Keratosis Pilaris (waste not, want not).
I’d like to think it’s boosting my FIRST AID BEAUTY KP Smoothing Body Lotion 170g.
Ultimately, these are great, and perfect for people who want to acclimatise their skin to AHAs without having it freak out.
I’ll be keeping them around as a travel buddy, and a good low-level exfoliant for my extra sensitive weeks.
2. First Aid Beauty Brightening Eye Cream w. Niacinamide.
Here’s the scenario: you’ve been up all night dancing/taking care of a baby/battling an intense bout of genetically gifted insomnia (we’re all tired – you get it) and your bleary-eyed self is looking for a quick-fix eye cream to hide the fact that you’d take bed over literally anything else right now.
Well, you’re in luck!
Honestly though, I don’t usually go for eye cream. I’ve got sensitive eyes so If I wake up with dark circles – the world is going to see dark circles.
I’ll forgo any further prodding and accept that my face is now an “I’m tired, don’t mess with me” PSA.
That aside, I was very happy to give this one a whirl.
Fast facts:
- Contains niacinamide, caffeine and pumpkin seed extract to target hyperpigmentation and puffiness.
- Sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid) helps to plump and smooth the eye area.
- The formula has added peach pigment to give your peepers an instant pick-me-up.
My First Aid Beauty Brightening Eye Cream review:
If you’re not having a “my eye bags are designer” day and prefer to do a little IRL blurring, the First Aid Brightening Eye Cream is a pretty good thing to have at your disposal.
It didn’t sting or burn my eyes (always a win) and the peach pigment did tone down the purplish hues!
Because of the added pigment, it works quite well on a bare face, but If you are planning to layer this under makeup, make sure you wait a little longer so the formula has completely dried down before going in with any base products.
I haven’t been using it long enough to comment on the dark circle reduction over an extended time, but it’s ticking all the boxes so far.
Basically, yes, this handy little tube does help you achieve that coveted “I’m a functional awake person” look if you’re into that sort of thing.
3. First Aid Beauty 10% Vitamin C Brightening Serum.
Let me tell you, this was one hard serum to get my hands on – it’s just arrived at Adore and is in demand.
My skin doesn’t have the greatest relationship with vitamin C serums – like some sort of toxic skincare-situationship I keep going back for the benefits and often ending up getting burned (metaphorically, IRL it’s more like a history of clogged pores and rosacea-flare ups).
This little bottle of vitamin C serum says that it’s sensitive-skin-friendly, doesn’t clog pores, and won’t have a typical ‘vitamin C smell’. So how did it do?
My First Aid Beauty 10% Vitamin C Brightening Serum review:
I experienced NO IRRITATION! It was a drama-free experience, and dare I say… a healthy relationship?
My skin feels plump and hydrated (probably thanks to the squalene and vitamin E).
It’s lightweight, easy to apply, and works like a dream under makeup.
Packaging-wise, I tend to go for doppers over anything else when it comes to vitamin C, but I’ve had no issues with the formula so far, and the packaging design is advertised as airtight.
If you’re sensitive to smells (vitamin C serums can tend to have a metallic, or almost meaty smell) this one is very inoffensive which is a huge plus for something going so close to your nose.
Final thoughts? Our 3-week whirlwind romance has been stable and perfect, I’m going to keep going steady with this one and see how it goes.
As for the anti-aging claim? I’ll check back with you on our 10-year anniversary.
Catch up on the latest skincare arrivals and reviews via the below Beauty IQ articles:
