January 28, 2010

Revisiting an Old Fave: St Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub Blemish & Blackhead Control

I used to be a St Ives Apricot Scrub devotee but stopped using it after reading reviews that the jagged apricot seed kernals were too harsh and tore the skin. So what made me revisit it? Desperation.

After the Hong Kong trip, my skin rebelled against 4 days of interrupted skin routine. Really the only two items I didn't bring was Neutrogena's Deep Clean Cleansing Lotion and Himalaya Herbals Neem Mask. What can I say? I don't have a skin routine, I have a battle plan and every little bit counts.

Bursting out with white heads, cystic acne, and clogged pores even Himalaya Herbals and the Aspirin mask didn't seem to have to goods. In desperation I scoured the shelves of Watsons and came across this reincarnation of my old favourite. With 2% Salicylic Acid I pounced on it, brought it home and slathered the thick scrub on like a mask. After about 2-3 minutes I gently worked the scrub in and washed it off to reveal deliciously smooth skin.

That was the watershed moment for my skin. From then onwards it purged happily and easily (meaning the white heads came and went but never formed angry red bumps) and was back to normal in a week. The exfoliation is also helping the scars fade away more rapidly.

Compared to the old formula, this one has a less heavy cream and 2% Salicylic Acid. Regrettably the gentle more natural apricot scent has been replaced with something harsher and more perfumey - but hey it works so I'll forgive it. I also find the scrubbing grains to be finer, more plentiful and a lot smoother so don't be afraid of it tearing at your skin.

Conclusion
At RM19.90 I think I've found a new addition to my skincare arsenal. I plan to use it as a semi mask once a week and scrub with it mid-week - so I should be able to leave it behind on my shorter jaunts. *sighs*

5 comments:

kuri said...

sounds lovely! I'll keep an eye out for this when I travel next time.

Syen said...

I think many of us would have tried a St Ives scrub at some point in our lives. I also started out using St Ives, but quit as I felt it was too harsh. Thanks for the re-visit. Can't wait to try it out! =P

LyNn said...

the thing i love about this is that you can actually still scrub your face even when you have acne because it doesn't anger the skin
total L.O.V.E!

All Women Stalker said...

Nothing like revisiting olda favorites. St Ives saved the day! Glad to hear it didn't disappoint.

Anonymous said...

I love it too this Apricot Scrub.
Does anyone know where I can find St Ives Collagen Elastin Facial Moisturizer here in Malaysia?..