You know when your skin feels a bit congested, and no amount of a good cleanser seems to actually make it feel clean?
Enter facial scrubs. I am a huge fan since my skin, with all its issues, seem to demand that, from time to time, a use something less gentle to keep it under control.
And because I like variety and rotate skin products, I decided to share the scrubs that have been keeping my skin in check:
The Alpha H Micro Cleanse Super Scrub (£35.95 for 100ml) has been a favourite for ages. Alpha H has some lovely products all with my dear glycolic acid, which here is at 12%. The formula also contains eco-friendly jojoba beads, caffeine and peppermint, for renewed and refreshed skin.
It’s a fine but tough scrub; it does have at-home microdermabrasion properties and I leave on my face for a few minutes so the glycolic acid can work on the skin.
The Botanics Radiant Youth Microdermabrasion Polish (£9.99 for 125ml) is one of the finest I’ve ever encountered and I love it! So effective yet gentle, it is infused with extracts from the leaves of the Gingko plant and polishes away dead skin to reveal smoother radiance.
In fact, Botanics, which you can get from Boots UK, was one of my biggest budget skincare discoveries this year and I will be soon talking about more products, the company, their love of natural ingredients and how they work with Kew Gardens to deliver the best plant power to our skin!
The gorgeous dermalogica daily microfoliant (£48 for 75g) that has been with me forever! I love this dry rice powder product that releases papain, salicylic acid and rice enzymes when wet.
Can be mixed with water but my best tip is to mix with your favourite foamy face wash. Works a treat for gentle exfoliation and can be used more frequently so super soft skin.
And talking about powders in a tub, meet the Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub (around £7.99 for 125g), which is Bioré‘s answer to the bad boys microbeads.
Activated by mixing with water, it fizzes up for cleansing and gentle exfoliating – and you can make is thicker or thinner, depending on how much exfoliation is required. The fact is completely dissolves helps avoid over-scrubbing.
Of course, scrubbing should be done lightly, in upwards circular movements to also help boost circulation on the skin. Never over-scrub as this can hurt the skin and in case of spots, make them worse!
It is also very important to pick a scrub for your skin type. Sensitive skins will not like it very much and maybe you should opt for a gentle chemical exfoliator instead.
Still, I find the act of using a facial scrub extremely satisfying! Am I alone on that?
In 2015 I fell in love with skincare even more. I really drilled onto the nurturing aspect of dealing with my difficult and acneic skin, and the results, overall, are amazing.
Dr Jackson Facial Oil
Caudalie Polyphenol C15 Broad Spectrum anti-wrinkle protect cream:
This works light time skin plumper
Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus
Liz Earle Superskin Face Serum
Bee Good Hydrate, Smooth and Prime Serum:
Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Booster
Nivea lip butter
Dermalogica intensive eye repair
S5 renew eye cream
S5 Clarity Cleanser:
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream
Caudalie Instant Detox Mask: a pink clay mask that purifies and tightens without drying. In fact, all Caudalie masks are ace, I also use the Glycolic Peel and the Moisturizing mask which are fab.
I love a good toner, and the Pixi Glow Tonic is just that. Slightly exfoliating, it delivers radiance within days of use. And has a great price.
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