Monday 24 March 2014

CONFESSIONS: of a Scrubaholic (Part 1)...

Yes it's time to reveal one of several little personal secrets about myself - I am addicted to scrubs! They say that the first step along the road to recovery is admitting you have a problem, so this is my official "outing", not that I REALLY want to get over this though. There are far worse habits I need to break (like working ridiculously long hours) and at around $10 a pop, it's not really a serious issue...is it?

So here's what's currently in my shower stall - eight of 'em! Do I really need that many? Nope. Do I love having choices? Well that's a big fat YES, plus my skin seems to change with the seasons, or whatever else I'm using in my skin care routine, so it's essential to have a wide range of products on hand if my face is becoming either slightly more oily or dry. (Lol if I keep going, I might even convince myself ha ha...)


Exfoliation is an essential part of my daily shower routine - I find if I don't use a scrub every morning, my blackheads start to multiply, my complexion loses some of it's lustre and refinement, my pore clogging almost doubles, and I experience flaking of the skin around my nose and chin. Apart from preventing (or at the very least reducing) the aforementioned yucky developments, I love how fresh, clean and silky soft my skin feels afterwards.

Why do I have so many? I have to admit it's mainly so I don't get bored! Anything I do each and every day soon becomes a chore, most definitely dreary, and anyway, they say that variety is the spice of life - plus by using a different one each time, I never grow weary of any particular brand :-)

Important note: when I buy a new scrub, I make sure I use it exclusively for a week or two to see how it performs, and just in case there are any adverse reactions (like irritation or over-drying of my skin). If it passes my particular tests, then it joins the other members of my rotation collection...

I love all of the ones pictured above, for different reasons - potency or gentleness, fragrance or feel on my skin, each one of them has a quality that I don't want to miss out on. Here's a run down (in no particular order) of why I like them. Incidentally I've split this post into two parts so that YOU don't get bored before you've reached the bottom of the page ha ha...

Bioré Pore Unclogging Scrub


I use this probably once per week because it's quite a strong formula - the little blue beads are gentle, but the cream itself contains salicylic acid so I'm wary of using it too often on my old skin. I'm not so keen on the fragrance of this one (it's a bit chemical), but it's brilliant for a weekly deeeeeeep cleanse. The cream is nice and thick too so there's no chance of dispensing too much...

Clearasil Vitamins & Extracts Scrub


Love the smell of this one, and the fact that the cream contains two kinds of exfoliators - lots of gentle grainy bits in the thick cream base, plus a smattering of round blue ones. Not completely sure which of these is responsible for the reduction in my blackheads, but overall this little baby sure does the trick, and I will be buying this one again. My beautyheaven review of it is here...

Clean & Clear Morning Burst Skin Brightening Facial Scrub


This came in my Blogstar box and I'm so glad - I went through quite a dilemma when I bought the orange one as I was torn between the two. So now I have both, and they're equally effective, AND delicious smelling too. Super gentle, it contains lemon, caffeine and papaya, which all adds up to a zingy and refreshing start to my mornings. But be warned - this is quite runny (and the next one too) so go easy on the tube squeezing :-)

Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facial Scrub


Out of the two C&C scrubs, this one has the edge because of the fresh orangey scent - it's just a personal preference, and the colour makes me smile. Everything else about it seems to be identical to the lemon one - very gentle and it doesn't make my face feel tight or dry. Definitely a stayer in my collection...

Are you a scrub addict? Which one is your favourite?

Part 2 coming soon...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

17 comments:

  1. Haha love this post Kat! Nothing wrong with being addicted to scrubs! lol

    I also have Clearasil vitamins and extracts scrub and love it! :)

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    1. Phew - thanks Monique, I'm so relieved that it's all ok lol. The Clearasil scrub is one of my faves, I love the cleanser in this range too :-)

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  2. Haha! I can kind of relate to your 'problem' cos I currently have TWELVE bottles of shower gel in my shower!
    I buy the Clearasil for hubby, and I use the St Ives as a hand scrub.

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    1. Oh Rose darling, my shower gel problem is the NEXT one of my confessions! But I don't think I have 12(!) so I'm feeling heaps better already - thanks doll :-)

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    2. P.S. What a great idea to use the St. Ives one as a hand scrub - clever gal xxx

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  3. LOL Kats...loved this post!! I love reading your reviews and this was fantastic....I do love a good scrub too but because I use AHA Cleanser, Day and Night Creams I only use a very gentle scrub once a week.....currently using the QV Face one.
    Nothing wrong with being a scrubaholic I say!!!
    Lovely reading as always.........Love Flaming Beauty xxx

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    1. Flaming my precious - so glad you enjoyed this nonsense read hon :-) I've been meaning to try the QV Face one for yonks, I need a really nice gentle one so thanks for the tip darling xxx

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  4. So many gorgeous scrubs Kats. I think it's wonderful to have such a wide variety of choice each day :) I'm like you and find a daily scrub essential or my skin starts to clog and flake.
    I have two scrubs in my shower at the mo, the AUM skin polish and the Neutrogena Blackhead scrub. The AUM is for gentle use and the Neutrogena is more hardcore. Some days I just need to give my skin a real scrubbing.:D

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    1. Gemma dear, thanks for letting me know what YOU like - as you can probably tell, I am forever on the lookout for new scrub additions ha ha, and I couldn't bear it if my blackheads started getting the upper hand again. Must investigate AUM too - thanks babe xxx

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  5. Well, at least you have a colourful selection choice! :) I love scrubs too! Looking forward to part 2! :) xo

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    1. Gosh Candy, you know that the colour plays an important part in my choices too - I just adore the purple Neutrogena Mulberry one but I can't find it locally - boo! As for part 2, well I've already bought ANOTHER scrub since I took this photo, so I may have to do a Part 3 as well - eek!

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  6. What a delightful way to start my afternoon!!! Love it! Really good to have specific information and recommendations. Looking forward to part 2. Take care and try not to work manic hours.
    With love,
    Trish

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    1. How happy you've made me Trish, but then you always do xxx Oh how I wish I had time to read all the other marvelous blogs I follow - hmmm, maybe next week? Take care darling xxx

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  7. I like facial scrubs but I only have two that I am using, Kat. ; Johnson's face care daily essentials gentle exfoliating wash ( has the typical Johnson's aroma which I like) and Avado sensitives organic gel exfoliant. I like the sound of the Clearasil Daily Clear you described and if it has the same fragrance as their Wash, even more so !!! I absolutely love their Wash !!!
    Please tell me something....my Hubby gave me a Cusson's Body Polish. Can Body Scrubs and Body Polishes be used on the face too ?

    Arty Girl
    bh.artgirl@gmail.com

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    1. Arty the Clearasil scrub doesn't smell exactly like the wash (which I adore too) but it's close - the wash is my all time favourite, and I love that I can use it as a mask too :-)

      I've never used a body scrub on my face, but I've used a face scrub on my body - I think body ones might be a bit more potent, so I would just try it on small part of your face or neck to make sure it doesn't cause any irritation :-)

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    2. Thanks, Kat.

      I didn't know you could use the Clearasil Wash as a mask ! I'll try that immediately as I don't own a mask. It will be lovely smelling it for 15 or 20 minutes as I relax with my feet up, listening to soothing music :).

      Arty Girl

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    3. You most certainly can Arty - if you read the fine print on the back it talks all about it. It's no wonder it won a Glosscars! My bh review of it is here:
      http://www.beautyheaven.com.au/skin-care/cleansers-washes/37042-clearasil-daily-clear-vitamins-extracts-daily-wash/reviews/153773

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