Scrub those impurities away! (St. Ives Swiss Formula - Apricot Scrub Gentle)

Member Name: Emily_09

Product:	St. Ives Swiss Formula - Apricot Scrub Gentle
Date:	24/09/09 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good results, lovely smell,not too expensive

Disadvantages: Big tube which is hard to store

I am a bit of a beauty product junkie and always fall for anything that promises to make my skin look a bit better than it already does. If there was one thing on my body that I could change it would be my skin as it seems to have every possible flaw; blemishes, excess oil and blackheads. I know it probably doesn't look as bad to other people as I think it does but I have a real complex about it and so am constantly trying to improve it.

I read in a magazine a few weeks ago that exfoliating was meant to be very good for your skin and St Ives Swiss Formula was one of the products that they recommended for sensitive skin which, surprise surprise, I also suffer from!

St Ives is a company that manufactures hair and skin products and after visiting their website (www.stives.com) the brand became even more appealing to me after I read that they don't use parabens in their products and use as many natural ingredients as possible. I am very careful about what I use on my skin and have heard some nasty stories about parabens so their commitment to choosing careful ingredients made this brand even more appealing.

I bought the Apricot scrub from Superdrug at a cost of about £4.20 for a 150ml tube which wasn't too bad but at the moment the product is half that price so if you want to try it now is the time to buy it. The St Ives range is available in most Superdrugs and can always be bought on the website if you have trouble finding it.

The packaging of the tube looks quite expensive and resembles the kind of product that you might find at a spa. The background is plain white with the St Ives logo on the top and an orange strip in the middle of the tube indicates the Apricot fragrance of the scrub. The tube is quite large and I've found that it's a bit too big to store easily in my drawers so I have resorted to standing it on my shelf, although the size really isn't ideal for travelling if you want to take it on holiday with you.

The scrub itself is nothing unusual in how it appears. When squeezing a small amount onto your hand the first thing that you notice is the little grains which you can really feel when you rub your hands together. The grains aren't huge but are big enough to feel that the scrub will be removing all of your skins impurities and get deep down into your pores.

One of my favourite things about this product is the smell as I really love the apricot fragrance that remains on your skin even after you've used it. Some products can smell a bit overpowering and full of chemicals but this scrub has a light, sweet smell that isn't too artificial, fitting with the theme of the brand using natural ingredients.

Although the fragrance is very nice, how well the scrub does it's job is what counts and I am pleased to say that it works as nicely as it smells. To use the product I firstly wash my face with warm water, a must as using the scrub on dry skin will scratch your face, and rub a small amount of the product all over my face. I usually spend a few minutes rubbing the scrub into the little creases in my face, not only because I want to exfoliate everywhere but also because the feel of the grains on your face is a strangely pleasant sensation. I then rinse off the scrub and pat my face dry with a towel. Getting all the grains off of your face is easier said than done however, as they seem to remain on your skin for ages and it takes a good few minutes of washing to get them all off.

After use, your skin does feel as if it has been cleansed right down to the pores and your face feels fresh and glowing. The product is a great exfoliator but make sure not to use it too often. When I first used the scrub it made my skin feel so nice that I decided to go against the directions and use it every night. This was a big mistake as within a few days my skin was so dry that it felt tight and I had to stop using the scrub for a few weeks until it felt better. It's tempting to use it a lot but once or twice a week is plenty to keep your skin looking good.

I was a bit worried that the scrub would irritate my sensitive skin, however although it got dry from over use, when I used it less often I had no adverse reactions.

Overall I really love this product and provided that I only use it once or twice per week it makes my skin feel lovely and improves it's condition. It has a few minor faults, such as being hard to wash off and difficult to store, but in general, based on the results that you get from using the scrub I would definitely recommend it.

Summary: 5 stars! love it!