J Beauty

I never used a facial scrub until late 2004.  It was right before my trip to Paris, France that I had purchased the Loreal Paris Micro-Dermabrasion Kit. I was amazed at how smooth it made my face, something I thought wasn’t possible. The only downside to the kit was it was pricey since it was new. I remember it being more than $19.99 at the time. I think I had a coupon or got it on sale.

After I had finished the kit, I started using a facial scrub sponge and the Loreal Pure Zone Scrub Cleanser. Unfortunately, they discontinued that particular brand here in the US either last year or this year. I tried to stock up on what bottles I could find on clearance.

Desperate for a new facial scrub, I thought about using St. Ives apricot scrub. I had read so many reviews on beauty blogs about it and how it’s one of the best out there. So, I picked up a bottle at Big Lots since it was just $2 and tried it out.

Product: 5 out of 5
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Quality: 5 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5
Price: $2 to $3.50 at Walgreens/Rite-Aid/Target/Wal-mart/Kmart/Big Lots
Would I buy again? Hell YES!

What the company says about the product:

100% natural exfoliants and Salicylic Acid remove dirt, oil, and dead skin cells to fight blemishes, revealing clearer looking skin.

What I think:

I love this scrub!  First of all, I primarily use it in the shower.  I hate using it at the sink because scrubs tend to be a little harder to rinse off with your hands.  In the shower, it’s much easier to wash away all the grainules on your face.  There’s nothing worse than thinking you rinsed off all the scrub, only to find that you have just a tad bit left along your jawline or hairline when you rinse at the sink.  Hence, best to use in the shower.

The grainules in the scrub are just the right size.  The reason I say this is that I’ve used a generic scrub prior to purchasing the St. Ives one (that review is coming up soon!) and the grainules were not only larger but uneven in size.  I couldn’t get a good scrub going on my face.

On top of that, each dollop seems to have the right amount of grainules in it.  Other scrubs I’ve used have a disproportionate amount of grainules.

After I’ve scrubbed and rinsed my face in the shower, I can feel a slight film on my face from the product.  It feels as tho it’s there to keep my face from becoming too dry when I pat it with a towel.  I’m not sure how to explain this.  The other scrubs I’ve used don’t have this “film”.

I try to use this scrub every other day as I don’t want to over scrub my face.  When I alternate, I use the Queen Helene Mint Julep scrub (review coming up!) since it has much smaller grainules and is less abrasive.

I’m always amazed at how smooth my face is after using this.  The texture is so nice and I don’t have any problems with skin flaking while using the scrub either.

The only problem I have with this scrub is the screw-on top.  I’d rather it were a flip top as it’s easier to deal with in the shower (especially when you have no place to put the top after taking it off the tube.

Overall, I just love this product!!

BTW, I took these pictures with my DSLR.  The closeup pictures were actually taken with my macro lens.  I’ve taken comparison pictures between this scrub and 2 others that are coming up in future reviews.  If you click on the pictures, you can get the full-size version.  Yes, these pics were taken in daylight.  I always avoid taking any product pictures using flash because it’s the most unflattering light to use!