Review : Superfacialist Neroli Daily Brightening Cleanser

I’m quite happy with this purchase from the Superfacialist range. I picked it up in Boots -15 minutes before closing time- without enough time to properly research the ingredients (which I’m usually very particular about, but my cleanser ran out that day :( The horror!) Rush-purchases usually turn out to be poor-purchases for me but this one worked out quite well!

Ingredients

Aqua (Water), Vitis vinifera (Grape) seed oil, Polysorbate 60, Glycerin, Sorbitan stearate, Cetearyl alcohol, Mangifera indica (Mango) seed oil, Isononyl isononanoate, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Citrus aurantium dulcis (Sweet orange) peel oil, Citrus aurantium amara (Bitter orange) oil, Citrus limon (Lemon) peel oil, Lavandula hybrida (Lavandin) oil, Litsea cubeba oil, Canarium luzonicum (Elemi) gum nonvolatiles, Cananga odorata (Ylang ylang) flower oil, Pullulan, Benzoic acid, Sodium hydroxide, Dehydroacetic acid, Sodium hyaluronate, Hibiscus sabdariffa (Hibiscus) flower extract, Potassium sorbate, Sodium benzoate, Citric acid, Citral, Farnesol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool

Translation?

{ It’s a long-ass list so I’ve put some important ones in bold: }

Aqua - …

Grape seed oil - non-fragrant, moisturising, and a well-known anti-oxidant

Polysorbate 60 - a surfactant

Glycerin - an emollient

Sorbitan stearate - a thickening agent

Cetearyl alcohol - a fatty alcohol (moisturising)

Mango seed oil - an emollient. Anti-inflammatory and high in fatty acids.

Isononyl isononanoate - an emollient

Phenoxyethanol - a preservative

Carbomer - a thickening agent. Gives products a gel-like texture.

Sweet orange peel oil, bitter orange oil, lemon peel oil - I’m lumping these together as fragrant plant extracts. Orange peel oil detoxifies the skin and helps improve skin tone.  Bitter orange oil is refreshing and calms the skin by helping control oil production. Lemon peel oil acts as an astringent and antiseptic.

Lavandula hybrida (Lavandin) oil - another fragrant plant extract. Supposedly has anti-bacterial properties.

Litsea cubeba oil - a mild astringent. Has a lemony smell.

Canarium luzonicum (Elemi) gum nonvolatiles - fragrance ingredient

Ylang ylang flower oil - purifying. Another fragrant plant extract

Pullulan - an emulsifier

Benzoic acid - a preservative

Sodium hydroxide - a surfactant. Used to adjust PH levels

Dehydroacetic acid - a preservative

Sodium hyaluronate - AKA the star ingredient of Hydraluron. Boosts hydration and helps prevent moisture loss

Hibiscus flower extract - anti-oxidant, contains AHAs

Potassium sorbate & Sodium benzoate - preservatives

Citric acid - used to adjust PH levels

Citral, Farnesol, Geraniol, Limonene & Linalool - fragrance ingredients

I felt sufficiently familiar with most of the ingredients so I thought it would be a safe purchase. Now that I’ve had time to look them all up … I think there are far too many fragrance extracts for a product that doesn’t even smell nice! (More on that later) It has a high content of grape seed and mango seed oil which is nice but I’m not fond of lemon peel oil, which is very acidic and messes up the skin’s PH level. The cleanser does have other ingredients that adjust PH levels, but I have no idea whether it's PH balanced!

On the back of the tube, it’s written that the product is formulated with hibiscus extract “to deliver optimum cleansing benefits”. That didn’t make sense then but I think it refers to the exfoliation properties of AHAs which are found in the hibiscus plant. It’s also probably why this is labelled as a “brightening” cleanser. As for the hyaluronic acid, “renowned for its hydrating benefits” … that all goes down the sink.

As an aside, Superfacialist also do a Rose Cleanser, which was my initial choice but in the few minutes I had to read the label two things made me change my mind. The first was shea butter, which acne and spot sufferers are advised to avoid. I’ve used products with shea butter without any problems but I didn’t want to chance it with something I wasn’t able to try beforehand. The next was fragrance - not the same as fragrant plant extracts/essential oils. Fragrance is an irritant and I thought it might give the cleanser a floral scent. Which I equate to the smell of air freshener so no thank you.

As it turns out, I might have better off with the smell of pot pourri because the smell of this cleanser isn’t at all pleasant. It has a funny citrusy smell … kinda like cheaply scented lemon cleaning products :/ I do not megusta.

Texture

I was expecting a cream cleanser but it’s actually a gel. Not my fave formulation, but that’s just my preference. (If I was clever and knew what carbomer was, I would have known it's a gel.) When massaged over the skin, it foams up slightly and feels quite cool and refreshing.
I use it in the morning and evening as my second cleanser to remove the last traces of ick and grime and it does the job. For the sake of experimentation, I tried using it on its own to remove make-up and suncream and it’s a complete fail. I’m ok with that since I didn’t intend for it to replace my oil cleanser.

The Verdict

Overall, I’d put this in the “average” product category. I don’t really dislike it (it works) but neither am I particularly fond of it (smell, texture). I don’t like it as much as my previous cleanser from Decleor (Aroma White C Brightening Cleansing Foam) but that costs £23.50 and Superfacialist costs £7.99. I got it for even less with 1/3 off the price for £5.33 so it’s a bargain by comparison.

I’ve been using this for over two weeks, and as far as the effects of daily use go, I can vouch for it not causing my skin to break out. The “brightening” effect? No. Assuming brighter skin = exfoliated skin, AHAs work best when left on the skin not washed off in a minute, so I’m doubtful of the brightening claim. As much as I think proper cleansing is the most important step in your skincare routine, if I’m going to spend (more) money on anything, it’s going to be on products that stay on my face for longer than five minutes. All I want a cleanser to do is cleanse and cleanse effectively. Minimal/no harmful ingredients. Maximum benefit with ingredients like salicylic acid, anti-oxidants, etc. that complement my routine but I’m not paying a premium for them. I’m happy to spend £50 on an anti-oxidant treatment (as much as one can be when parting with money) but a £50 anti-oxidant cleanser? Forget it. So for a cleanser that cost little over five pounds, I have pretty low expectations!

Would I recommend it?

If you’re looking for a cheap cleanser, this might be for you. It beats a lot of cleansers in the same price range, many of which are formulated with mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulfate and alcohol. It has too much fragrance for my liking though. I don’t mind products with fragrant plant extracts (like this Carrot Butter Cleanser), but I don’t like products with fragrance added with no apparent benefit. Also if you’re thinking of using it as your first cleanser to remove make-up/suncream, don’t bother. As a second cleanse, it’s ok. The smell and gel-formulation have put me off repurchasing but it’ll do in the meantime!

Coming Soon from RMK : UV Face Protector 50

I haven't heard news of this at all on beauty blogs (everyone is too obsessed with Clinique cheek pops I suppose) sooo here it is: RMK's new suncream, set to launch sometime in early April.
I heard about this from a sales assistant at the RMK counter in Selfridges, after I asked about the UV Face Protector 30. Theres serendipity for you.
I tried out the Face Protector 30, which absorbs easily and doesn't leave a white cast - so if that's anything to go by the 50 version looks promising. It's PA++++, which is the highest rating for protection against UVA. Whoop Whoop!


Celine

Review : REN ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser

REN reviews, deuxieme partie: ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser. This slightly absurdly named cleanser was another accidental find while I was looking for face oils for dry skin (see previous post). It contains clay, which you don't often find in cleansers. (There's Sunday Riley's Ceramic Slip Cleanser, but it's quite expensive at £35/125ml) At £18/200ml*, I thought it was a bargain and there was 20% off on top of that so I went ahead and bought it - but never before checking the ingredients!

{ Ingredients - "Bio-Extracts" in bold }

Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Flower Water, Kaolin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Oryzanol, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Leptospermum Scoparium Oil, Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Flower Oil, Linalool, Limonene, Zinc Gluconate, Bisabolol, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Dehydroacetic Acid, Crataegus Oxyacantha Stem Extract, Glucose, Xanthan Gum, Lactic Acid, Tocopherol.

Ahh this is a long list to get through... 

Chamomile Flower Water - soothing and calms the skin 
Kaolin - AKA white clay. Anti-bacterial and detoxifying. Helps keep breakouts at bay.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride - an emollient 

Cetearyl Alcohol - this is a "fatty" alcohol. We like them for moisturising, we do not like denatured alcohol which is drying 

Sesame Seed Oil - contains fatty acids which act as emollients

Cetearyl Glucoside - binding agent

Glycerin - an emollient

Sunflower Seed Oil - contains Vitamin E, helps skin retain moisture

Willow Bark Extract or Salicilin - provides mild exfoliation and has anti-bacterial properties

Benzyl Alcohol - I've noticed this ingredient in a lot of "natural" skincare ranges (eg. balance Me). I wax lyrical about avoiding alcohol in skincare but it's not always possible - products will go mouldy otherwise. Gotta live with it. Benzyl alcohol is plant-derived and supposedly less drying than denatured alcohol, and since it's a bit further down the list, I like to think it's a fairly small quantity. I hope.

Oryzanol - skin conditioner

Sage Oil - anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial

Lavender Oil - antiseptic. You may have read that lavender is cytotoxic on Beautypedia. I went into an OMF-PANIC but I looked up the relevant study, and it turns out that tests were in vitro. In other words, it won't kill you.  

Leptospermum Scoparium Oil - AKA Manuka Essential Oil. Anti-bacterial. Soothes and nourishes.

Chamomile Flower Oil - anti-inflammatory

Linalool, Limonene - fragrance ingredients

Zinc Gluconate - reduces production of sebum

Bisabolol - anti-inflammatory

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract - AKA Pot Marigold. Soothing, anti-inflammatory

Dehydroacetic Acid - preservative

Crataegus Oxyacantha Stem Extract - AKA Hawthorwn or Mayblossom. Anti-microbial and "tones enlarged pores" (whatever that means)

Glucose - sugar?

Xanthan Gum - thickening agent

Lactic Acid - an AHA, which are excellent for exfoliating the skin. However, it's so low down on the list that I doubt it's in any useful quantity! 

Tocopherol - anti-oxidant

You skimmed right past that didn't you ;)

The instructions direct you to pump this on to slightly damp hands but I never bother and apply it straight. The product feels quite cool when applied to the skin and has a luxurious thick consistency, like a mix of three parts clay mask to one part cream cleanser. It feels lovely to massage over the skin (one pump is enough) and leaves it feeling refreshed after rinsing off.

So. Ingredients: check. Texture: check. No French clay pooey smells? Check. So far so good, but does it work? Quite honestly, I find it hard to tell. When it comes to removing make-up, I can tell whether a cleanser does its job by the state of my flannel afterwards - a yellowy residue spells no. This test doesn't work here because I only use it in the mornings for a detoxifying cleanse not for make-up & daily gunk cleansing.

It's almost like a clay mask, so you wouldn't expect to see an immediate result. It needs time to make a difference. Now that six weeks have passed, the question to ask is: has there been an improvement in my skin's condition? The answer to that is ... no. Since I started using these two products from REN, I've broken out in spots -.- And the problem with using new products is that I don't know which of the two is to blame!

With that in mind, I can't really recommend either product at this stage. All I can say is that:

-The Omega 3 serum works very well for dry skin

-The Clay Cleanser should work well for spot-prone skin (and others, there's no reason to restrict it to "blemish prone" skin)

-But one of them caused my skin to break out.

After my skin calms down, I'll start using them again to figure it out. Part troisieme coming soon I suppose.

Celine

*A lot of websites are still selling the old size (150ml) for the same price. Make sure you choose the "33% extra free" 200ml size.

Review : REN Omega 3 Optimum Skin Serum Oil

For the past six weeks or so I've been trialling REN's Omega 3 Optimum Skin Serum Oil and ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser. Today's review is about the Omega 3 serum and tomorrows will be about the clay cleanser.

A few words about the brand:

I rarely mention (or care) about a brand's "ethos" but I'm making an exception for REN because it's pretty much free of BS that you should hear it. REN is about "clean" skincare (no synthetic fragrances, mineral oil, silicones and parabens) but they don't spin the usual "natural skincare is better than yours" line. Their view is that: "It's very difficult to be entirely precise when it comes to words like “natural” and "chemical". Every ingredient in every cosmetic product is a chemical in the sense that it consists of molecules made up of atoms of chemical elements. In addition, many natural (ie not synthetically derived) compounds are poisons (eg arsenic) and so to use the term "natural" is also meaningless without further explanation." WELL SAID REN. I'll  probably end up plagiarising this at some stage. (Ignore the "chemical-free skincare" description on M&S' website)

Also:

-Their products are not tested on animals.

-Full list of ingredients on website!! *Throws confetti*Skips towards the rainbow*

Right then, about the product. I'm pleased to report that this doesn't stink of fish oil. (Though oddly enough, the Omega 3/fish connotation is what piqued my interest) It has a deliciously sweet fruity smell which makes it a joy to apply. The consistency is quite runny, so you have to be careful that it doesn't trickle off your fingers. It comes in a plastic pump bottle and it's easy to control the amount that's dispensed, ensuring no product wastage. I thought it might not absorb well because of the slippery texture, but it absorbs perfectly. I sometimes layer it with other oils and there's no greasiness, thanks to its light consistency.

{ The Ingredients - "Bio Actives" in bold }

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Camelina Sativa Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Phaeodactylum Tricornotum Extract, Bisabolol, Parfum (Fragrance), Linalool, Limonene, Tocopherol.

Translation?

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: an emollient

Wheat Germ Oil: "nourishes and provides essential vitamins to protect the skin from oxidative damage"

Camelina Sativa Oil: AKA "gold of pleasure" oil (*snicker*) is rich in Omega 3. "Promotes cell renewal and optimum moisture levels to restore firmness and elasticity"

Rosa Canina Fruit Oil (Rosehip Oil): "rich in Vitamin A. Stimulates the natural metabolism of skin cells". That doesn't mean an awful thing beginning with C, it means healing and repairing the skin (scarring, sunburn) and reducing fine lines. It also rehydrates the skin.

Phaeodactylum Tricornotum Extract: seaweed

Bisabolol: anti-inflammatory (found in Chamomile)

Linalool, Limonene: fragrance ingredients

Tocopherol: anti-oxidant

"Clean" skincare is all well and good, but does it work?

It shure does. My skin is usually "normal", but come January my make-up didn't sit well and the only explanation I could think of was that my skin was dry. With less than a week of use, my skin was back to normal and I could use face powders without looking all gross and flaky.

It's good to use as a main oil to hydrate the skin but also light enough to use as a "booster" layered with other oils to give your skin a bit more love when it's feeling sad and dry. I prefer to use different oils to beef up my skincare routine, rather than changing moisturisers, because I find oils to be much more effective in treating the skin. (Plus, it means that the old moisturiser won't be left to languish at the back of the skincare drawer.)

It can be expensive to have a bunch of face oils on rotation, but this is very reasonably priced at £23 for a 30ml bottle.* It works out as £76.67/100ml, which sounds quite expensive but a 30ml bottle lasts AGES. £23 is very reasonable, especially compared to other oils aimed for dry skin, e.g.:

-Aromatherapy Associates Intensive Skin Treatment Oil - £44/15ml

-Decleor Neroli Serum, £44/15ml

-Sunday Riley Isis Face Oil, £98/30ml

Trilogy's Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+ Oil (£26.50/30ml) is another great product, but I don't find it to be as hydrating.

Would I recommend it? 

It's a good serum to use, whether you have dry skin or not. (Keeping your skin hydrated is vital for keeping fine lines and wrinkles at bay - so don't wait for the signs of dryness before getting yourself an oil!) However, I'm not sure this worked for me - tomorrow's post will explain.

Celine

*You'll receive 10% off your first order at renskincare.com :)

Non-Review: Clinique Superdefence SPF 20 Age Defence Eye Cream

Yeap, a non-review. I did intend to review it but ended up returning it unopened.

Why?
-I sent an e-mail enquiry two weeks ago to Clinique and still haven't had a response
-It contains Titanium Dioxide, which blocks UVA and UVB short rays, but not Zinc Oxide which provides full protection from UVA and UVB rays. Suncream without Zinc Oxide is pointless to me :(
-I bought this from Debenhams because they include a free sample with online orders ("try something new guarantee"). Product arrives: no sample. Thanksssalot. I tried asking for a sample at different counters, showing them that I'd bought the full-sized product to no avail - Clinique don't make samples apparently o.O

Does anyone have an alternative?

p.s./ You should spell Super/defence with an "S". As a British person I cannot.

p.s./ 2: Original post and review updated here

Sephora : Now Shipping to the UK

I have Adrienne (the Sunday Girl) to thank for the news that Sephora is now shipping to the UK. I’d also have her to blame (not my lack of self-control, obviously) if I ended up ordering a truckload of stuff instead of paying my mortgage this month. When it came to ordering though, I was stumped. Instead of “Wow, what do I start with!?” it was “What do I start with…?

What brands does the US have that the UK doesn't? Kate Somerville? Can't be shipped to the UK. :(

I've been thinking of buying a glycolic facewash from Anthony Logistics (slowly recalling the mental wishlist) thats available on Space NK for £21. I put it off because in the US it costs 21 DOLLARS. Since when was the exchange rate for the dollar equal to the pound? I may buy stupidly expensive lipsticks but I'm not paying such a ridiculously inflated price! On Sephora, you can get it for £13.31 :)

Sephora uses an exchange rate rather than UK RRP, which got me thinking: what else could I buy more cheaply on Sephora? First, I looked at a few products I already use, then I looked at products that I might buy - and eventually ended up with this list :/

{ The price beside the product's name is the price on Sephora. I was too lazy to type out "on Sephora" every time. I was also too lazy to use a calculator to do the maffs so please excuse any mistakes }

Anastasia Brow Wiz $21/£13.31  /  Cultbeauty : £15.50  =  £2.19 less on Sephora

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder $39/£24.72  /  SpaceNK : £28.52 - cannot be shipped to the UK

Hourglass Liquid Powder Foundation $55/£34.86   /  SpaceNK : £50 - cannot be shipped to the UK

Givenchy Mister Radiant $39/£24.72  /  HOF : £26.50 - cannot be shipped to the UK*

Givenchy Mist Me Gently $35/£22.18  /  HOF : £22 - cannot be shipped to the UK*

Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer $52/32.96  /  HOF : £34.50  =  £1.54 less on Sephora

Guerlain Rouge G Lipstick $51/£32.32  /  HOF : 31.50  =  £0.82 less on Sephora

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation $45/£28.52  /  John Lewis : £34  =  £5.48 less on Sephora

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage $32/£20.28  /  John Lewis : £26.50  =  £6.22 less on Sephora

Murad Clarifying Cleanser $26/£16.48  /  murad.co.uk :  £25*  =  £8.52 less on Sephora

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser $36/£22.82  / murad.co.uk : £34*  =  £11.18 less on Sephora

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil $25/£15.84 /  Liberty : £18 - cannot be shipped to the UK

NARS Eye Paint $25/£15.84  /  Liberty : £18.50 - cannot be shipped to the UK

Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm $105/£66.55  /  omorovicza.co.uk : £46*  =  £20.55 more on Sephora

Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask $120/£76.06 /  omorovicza.co.uk : £57*  =  £19.06 more on Sephora

Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist $86/£54.51  /  omorovicza.co.uk : £46*  =  £8.51 more on Sephora

Omorovicza Rose Lifting Serum $185/£117.25  /  omorovicza.co.uk : £80*  =  £37.25 more on Sephora
{ Sidenote: dear US readers, I feel sorry for you. }

Peter Thomas Roth 2% BHA Acne Wash $35/£22.18 / Cultbeauty : £22.50 = £0.32 less on Sephora

It's definitely not worth the hassle of ordering online for the sake of saving a few pounds. Not to mention the minimum spend of £75 to qualify for the "guaranteed all-inclusive" shipping rate of £10 - I know I'd end up ordering a bunch of additional un-needed products to meet it! And even more annoyingly, you can't use debit cards to pay!

The half-hour wasn't completely wasted though, because when it came to the very last brand there are more than a few pounds to be saved:

Sunday Riley Good Genes Serum $105/£66.55 / SpaceNK : £85 = £18.45 less on Sephora
Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser $45/£28.52 / SpaceNK : £35 = £6.48 less on Sephora
Sunday Riley Artemis/Isis/Juno Hydroactive Face Oils $125/£79.22 / SpaceNK : £98 = £18.78 less on Sephora

Those face oils suddenly look a lot more attractive... Now, if someone can confirm that they're really as good as they're made out to be... I can start saving ;p

Happy shopping?

Celine

The asterisks explained:
*Givenchy: after trying unsuccessfully to proceed to checkout with 8 different products, I'm going to assume that Givenchy doesn't ship to the UK.
*Murad: get 20% with the code < FRESH20 > Offer ends 4th March
*Omorovicza: offers 15% off your first order & free shipping

Review : Origins Never a Dull Moment Skin-Brightening Face Polisher

I had mixed feelings about this product when I first bought it. The texture feels nice on the skin, it smells delicious, but did it do anything?

This exfoliator is formulated like a really, really, thick paste. Something like the squidgy sweets in a packet of Haribo all-stars. (It smells like sweets too.)

You only need a small blob to cover your face, and I find it spreads better if your face is slightly damp. Keep massaging and you’ll have a fine layer of jelly on your visage … but you can’t feel much scrubby stuff in it. The “grains” are just specks dotted here and there. It's kinda like the bits of sugar that stick to your face after eating Royal Dansk biscuits.

So without much scrubby stuff, what was I doing massaging pasty goo on my face? I thought it was £25 down the drain, but my skin felt surprisingly smooth and soft afterwards - something in it worked.

I’ve been using it for a few months (since December to be precise), more for the sake of using it than because it makes a difference. I try not to waste products and to be honest I quite enjoyed washing my face with a jelly baby paste.

Two months later and I’ve finally made up my mind. It works. AND I HAVE PROOF! Behold!

>> Warning: gross pictures of my face coming up. I know you’re going to look anyways <<

I’ve been using Benozyl Peroxide to treat Mt. Vesuvius, which REALLY dries out your skin. After a week of use, I had patch of dry skin resembling fish scales. Naice.

Cleansers and hydrating masks didn’t make any difference - I needed something to slough those cells right off. I could either pick it off like Goldmember or be sane/hygienic and use a peel. That’s when it occurred to me that this would be a good test for Origins - if it got rid of the flakiness, it must work.

And sure enough, it did.

  

Cheesus Crust, I can't believe I'm putting this up on the internet. This pic came up supersized on my computer and for a moment I thought I was looking at an aerial photo of the sea!

Anyhoo there it is. So how does it work? Quite a lot of (negative) reviews point out that it lacks a scrubby texture. No beads, no oomph. That's a bit unfair to Origins, because the ingredients indicate that isn't a  grainy scrub. In any event, you do not want a fruit scrub to be filled with bits of crushed papaya and apricot kernels. You scrubbing your skin with jaddegy bits = you cutting your skin.

{ Ingredients }
Water, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Coco-Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Tea-Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Isostearoyl Lactylate, Methyl Gluceth-20, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Sodium Chloride, Barosma Betulina (Buchu) Leaf Oil, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Leaf Oil, Abies Sibirica (Pine) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Amara (Bitter Almond) Kernel Oil, Mentha Arvensis (Field Mint) Leaf Oil, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Oil, Limonene, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Yucca Schidigera (Yucca) Extract, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice, Polyquaternium-6, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

Other reviewers say that you got what you bargained for - this is a “face polish” not a “face scrub”. Err… there’s a difference? There is, apparently: a face polish is gentle with fine granules whereas a face scrub has big thick granules. So in other words, the former is what a face scrub should be like and the latter describes crap from St. Ives.

It’s all words and spades to me. It’s an exfoliator. It works. The end.

Would I Recommend it?

We've all heard that exfoliating is a key part of your skincare, sloughing off the dead skin cells blah blah fresh and even skin tone. For people with normal skin, this product is OK. I myself - with abnormal spot-prone skin - steer well away from any kind of exfoliators with grains/microbeads. My skin has the added joy of being quite sensitive, so using scrubs is just painful. I prefer to use liquid exfoliators that you apply in the same way as you do a lotion (or toner). Just bear in mind that these products don’t go round calling themselves “liquid exfoliators”. They’re often marketed as “brightening” which can point you in the right direction. Read the ingredients and look for glycolic acid, lactic acid (AHAs), fruit acids and salicylic acid (BHA). AHAs are good for treating hyper-pigmentation, and BHAs are for spots. (As for how I ended up with this when I constantly complain of skin woes, I bought it at a point when my spots had cleared up, to help prevent future breakouts and do something about the post-spot blemishes.)

Would I Repurchase?
It's good, but I think I can find better. It works to slough off dead skin but I don't think it's strong enough to treat residual marks. For those, I need something more hard-hitting. I have REN's Clarifying Toning Lotion which contains lactic acid in mind for that :} At £12.00/150ml, it's half the price of Never a Dull Moment (£25/125ml)

Celine