When it comes to pigmentation, I’m not really inclined to look for solutions from drugstore brands. Many of them contain proven spot-lightening ingredients, things like niacin (vitamin B3) and vitamin C but, because they’re cheap cheap, they don’t have a high enough concentration of them of to really be super effective.

It’s kind of the same deal with retinol products. Drug store brands want to sell, sell, sell. They want to appeal to everyone. They don’t want to include lots of retinol, which can be very irritating if not used correctly, and have the uninformed masses freak out when their face starts to redden or peel. They don’t need that type of ill-deserved crappy press. So, they end up using it in a piss willy concentration just so they can legally say ‘with retinol’ on the bottle. Or they use it’s much weaker, less effective cousin, pro-retinyl or retinyl palmitate.

Anyway, you can imagine my joy to discover a drugstore pigmentation buster that contains vitamin C. Lots and lots and lots of it. Better yet, it’s served up in a metal tube (not a stupid jar) to protect it from oxidizing. Oh my freakin’ God. Here’s my doing a cousin Balky-style dance o’ joy.

The li’l darling I’m on about? Garnier Dark Spot Corrector daily illuminating moisturiser.

Aside from the stable vitamin C, it also contains a bit of salicylic acid to help keep your pores clean and clear. Texture-wise, it’s a light crème-gel that can be used alone if you’re oily-combo like me or under your daily moisturiser if you’re dry. Just make sure you team this with a good sunscreen. You can undo all your hard-won lightening with just one day of sun exposure.

Now, regular readers, I know the first thing you’re going to ask me: ‘OMG. You reviewed Filorga’s Pigment-Perfect the other day and said that was totes amaze too! Should I now buy Garnier’s?’ Well it’s like this; Filorga’s treatment is fab in that it contains loads of vitamin C as well as niacin. It’s always better to attack pigmentation with an array of ingredients as opposed to just one. Different ingredients work in different ways so you’ll be attacking it from all angles and this will help increase your odds in winning. The downer is that Filorga’s cream costs five times as much as Garnier’s. If you’re struggling for cash, I’d pick up Garnier’s. In regards to the quality you’re getting for the amount you’re paying, I don’t know of anything else that’ll beat it.

Love, love

Leigh