I am quite big on the whole exfoliating front, whether it be chemical or manual. I have a lot of dark spots, and acne scars (as well as acne and a rather uneven skin surface) and exfoliation definitely helps in that department. It helps unclog pores, as well as sloughing away dead skin to reveal smoother and brighter skin. The sole scrubby scrub I've been using for the past few months has been the Sanctuary Spa Brightening Facial Radiance Exfoliator and it's time to share my thoughts on it!
The packaging of this scrub is nice and practical - a slim plastic tube with a green flip-top lid. I actually also really like their branding/titling of the product, how it is clean and minimalistic.
What drew me in straight away to this scrub was it's name - Brightening Facial Radiance Exfoliator. A lot of scrubs are marketed towards pore-unclogging and acne-prone skin so this was a nice change in claims. Another incentive that I found with this product was that along with "Ultra-fine apricot granules and grape seed" that help exfoliate and refine the skin, there is a "trio of pumpkin, pineapple and papaya extracts [that] work naturally to help increase cell renewal", sort of like a chemical exfoliant. The citrus-y components give the scrub a very nice light, slight citrus-y refreshing scent that I quite enjoy. They say it's been "naturally fragranced with plant extracts and essential oils" but it could be a trigger for those of you with particularly sensitive skin.
The actual scrub has quite a gel-y base but one that doesn't foam up at all, but sort of just acts as a slippy base to carry the granules. I wouldn't say that the granules are "ultra-fine" but actually quite gritty, which you can see in the photo above. They aren't scratchy or 'sharp' but they can be quite rough. They say you can use it 2-3 times a week which I would agree with, but I wouldn't suggest any more than that. That also, of course, depends on how vigorously you are scrubbing. I tend to just go around the face with slightly more than a pea size, in circular motions for about thirty seconds or so. I then like to leave it on my face while I wash my body just so I can give the fruit extracts an opportunity to do some exfoliating. After rinsing, my face feels quite soft but also a tad dry. It also looks a little red but that is to be expected with the combination of friction and warm water. My skin isn't irritated or aggravated afterward at all.
This has been a lovely scrub that I've been using 1-2 times a week. The results I've seen haven't been drastic but I do think that a manual scrub is essential, and I like this as I know it's doing more than just ridding my skin of dead cells. My skin is softer and I will admit slightly more radiant-looking after use, and with consistent and prolonged use, I think it will help with the fading of scars. Overall my skin has been in pretty good condition since starting using this, and a scrub I will continue using, and update progress later or in an empties post! It retails for AUD$19.99 at Priceline.
