ST IVES SCRUB // Skincare Review

St Ives.. you see it pretty much everywhere and hear about it all the time, but have you actually tried it? Some people hate it and some love it, and recently there have been claims that St Ives actually damages the skin. Here are my thoughts on the  St Ives Pink Lemon and Mandarin Orange Even and Bright Scrub and the St Ives Apricot Blemish Control Scrubs.

Now I must not be the only one who goes to Priceline or any other pharamacy or drugstore looking for a simple scrub to remove all the gross dead patches of skin or remove those blackheads. You go in to the store and see all these options and have no idea which one to choose. That happened to me and I became one of those people who stood in the scrubs and masks section staring at the selection for ages.

I decided to try this range because 1. I had heard so much about it. 2. they were on sale.. (haha duh), and 3. My main concerns were acne, blackheads and uneven skin tone. These scrubs are AUD $9.99 each, but on sale at priceline, I got them for $3 dollarydoos each!

APRICOT BLEMISH CONTROL SCRUB $9.99

I had tried the Apricot Blemish Control scrub before and loved how rough it was. The walnut shell fragments are quite large and helps to remove any dead skin and bring up new skin. The texture is rough, obviously, but the cream formula itself is quite soapy in smell and thick in consistency. However, I do feel as though whenever I use this product I still have dead skin left over and need to use an exfoliation pad the morning after or the day after. 

St Ives classifies this scrub as a deep exfoliant and I would agree with that in terms of texture, but not in how effective it is.

• Contains 2% Salicylic acid to help prevent new blackheads and blemishes
• Deeply cleans pores
• Instantly reveals skins natural radiance
• Made with 100% natural exfoliants
• High exfoliation factor
• Oil free & Paraben Free
• Dermatologist tested & non comedogenic (meaning it doesn’t block your pores)
• (https://www.stives.com/) 

PROS:
Nice and rough
Very affordable
Dermatologist tested
Oil-free
Non-cmedogenic
Contains salicyic acid

CONS:
Smells a bit like soap
Not as effective as hoped

RATING:
2.5/5

PINK LEMON AND MANDARIN ORANGE EVEN AND BRIGHTENING SCRUB $9.99

This scrub is completely new to me and I use it every second or third day or so. The granules are so so fine, you'd think it does nothing, but in face I think it is more effective than the Apricot Blemish Scrub. It smells so delicious, like a pink lemonade sorbet, and kind of feels like it too. It is less creamy like the Apricot Scrub and is more light and aerated like a whipped egg white concoction. 
St Ives classifies this scrub as moderate, which makes me wonder how fine their gentle scrubs must be.

• Polishes away little imperfections for bright, radiant skin
• Instantly reveals skin’s natural radiance
• Made with a 100% natural exfoliant
• Medium exfoliation scrub factor level
• Hypoallergenic & Paraben free
• Dermatologist tested & non-comedogenic (meaning it doesn’t block your pores)
• (https://www.stives.com/) 

In my opinion it does help with brightening and evening out skin tone, just slowly and with time. I have yellow asian skin and have lots of dark post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation (PIH) from old acne spots that I have stupidly picked and prodded. I always look forward to using this scrub in the shower, and yes I do suggest you use it IN the shower. The scrub grains are so fine that it can be difficult to wash out if you are just washing it off in the sink.

PROS:

Hypoallergenic

Allergy-free

Dermatologist tested

Non-comedogenic

Smells amazing

Is effective

CONS:

I wish it had larger granules 

Not oil-free

RATING:

4/5

From the image above, it is pretty clear how different these two scrubs are. Even if you are in to something that is more rough and full on (like I am), I would still suggest the Even and Brightening Scrub because I think it is way more effective, smells better, and feels better lathered in the hands and on your face. But then again, both are so affordable especially when Priceline is having a sale. So why not try both?!