Beauty Dish

Review: Avon Anew Clinical 2 Step Facial Peel

Birdie's Formal Review of the Avon Anew Clinical 2 Step Facial Peel

Most of my customers are interested in the Avon Anew Clinical 2 Step Facial Peel. Avon promotes this product in television and print advertising. The company promotes it as an at-home alternative to a professional peel, and claims that it peels away dullness, dryness, and age damage so that healthier skin cells can surface, giving you a more youthful, creamy appearance. This product is not cheap. It costs $32.00 and is good for thirty applications.

I purchased the peel for myself during my first campaign. I wanted to be able to speak from experience when I tell customers what this product does, what it feels like, how it smells, and what results it truly produces over time. One month later, I'm ready to talk.

The facial peel comes in an elegant elongated white box tightly wrapped in shiny plastic. You feel like you purchased it at a dermatologist's office. When I opened the box I was surprised. I didn't realize the product actually consists of two containers. (Well duh, it is a 2 Step Peel.) Step 1 is a white container and Step 2 is a grey container.

Step 1 is the exfoliation stage. You open the canister and inside are a stack of ten percent glycolic acid-soaked pads. They look exactly like those pads you used in high school to help get rid of pimples. You take a pad and wipe it all over your face, avoiding the delicate eye area. There are thirty pads in the Step 1 container, stacked one on top of each other like Pringles. The advertising says that the pads have no scent, but if you sniff closely you can smell the acid, a mild acrid aroma.

The first day I tried this, I was alarmed at the tingling sensation. Holy cow! It felt like the skin was burning off of my face! I have never been so afraid trying a beauty product, and I include my one and only Brazilian bikini wax in this assessment!

After five minutes of terror and burn, I was ready for Step 2. This is the neutralizing stage. Once again, there are thirty stacked "unscented" pads in this container. Upon close nostril inspection, I could detect a light earthy herbal scent. It's not unpleasant.

You wipe pad 2 over the areas you have "peeled." It soothes the sting and feels cool and gentle on your face.

After this process, my face was as red as a beet. I thought perhaps after a week or so I wouldn't have such a strong reaction, but I do, every time. Avon recommends that you use this product every other day, day or night.

Four weeks later my skin has improved. I would have to accurately say that the texture and clarity of my skin (excepting the whopper zit I had two days ago) has significantly improved. I also have more even skin tone and a healthy glow.

The Bottom Line: Excellent product, it DOES work. I will continue to use this product, so don't you dare try to take away my two containers!

Footnote: Edited to add that my face doesn't remain beet red for hours. It only lasts a few minutes after I'm done with the two steps. I do this before bed and in the morning my skin is soft and back to its normal ultra white state. I blame my Polish ancestors!

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