Anatomicals // Scrub Tropicana Coconut Body Scrub Review

Anatomicals // Scrub Tropicana Coconut Body Scrub
RRP £1.50 for 50ml

This is a full size 50ml tube that I received in the August 2019 Birchbox. I believe this was an exclusive, made for Birchbox, product for that month.

First Impressions:

Smells absolutely fantastic. It's slightly heady and oriental with a super sweetness coming through. it doesn't smell at all like coconuts to me though. The granules are very large and I don't feel it does a good job of exfoliating properly to me but I do like how it smells.

Usage
First use - August 2019
Last use - June 2020

Would I buy it: Yes; if you could.

Overall Impressions:

Unfortunately this is no longer sold or made. Anatomicals is such a weird brand; it's like the Ikea of skincare. Some products are super cheap and feel it; others are super cheap and feel great. This is the latter.

I don't think this is the best exoliator in the world but I did enjoy using it; that is when I remembered to use it. Body scrubs are just tone of those products that I always forget about. It was only in the past couple of months now that tan season is upon us that I've truly been feeling the need to exfoliate. I wish they made a shower gel in this scent as it's the best thing about the product.

Manna Kadar // Champagne Charcoal Scrub Review

Manna Kadar // Champagne Charcoal Scrub
RRP $24 for 520g

This is a full size 520g tub that I received in the FabFitFun Spring 2019 box.

First Impressions:

It smells kinda nice...I guess. It has an artificial sweetness to it that gets on my nerves after a while. The granules are very fine and it feels like I'm scrubbing my body with caster sugar. It did leave a mess in the shower though.

Usage
First use - June 2019
Last use - December 2019

Would I buy it: No.

Overall Impressions:

This took me a long time to get through and eventually I just stopped using it. There's about two more uses left but I just couldn't be bothered with it anymore. I'm surprised I managed to make my way through it. I suppose if I used fake tan more often I'd be using body scrubs but they're just one of those products that I think are useless. I'd expect a body scrub when I go to a spa. Maybe if it had a better scent then I'd enjoy it more but saying that, I rarely use my Sol De Janiero brazilian body buff and I think the SDJ bum bum smell is the best scent ever created; so maybe I wouldn't.

Murad // Age Reform AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser Review

Murad // Age Reform AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser
RRP £38 for 200ml

This is the 200ml full size that I chose as part of my latest in beauty box in May 2019.

First Impressions:

This runny cream contains fine granules that gently exfoliate the skin but they do not dissolve. They are not microbeads but jojoba beads which take a while to dissolve in water. It slightly foams up but for the most part I did not find this to adequately remove makeup.

Usage
First use - September 2019
Last use - March 2020

This took me a long time to get through; mainly because it doesn't cleanse, it's just an exfoliator. This is the product that also caused me a trip to A&E in December as one of the jojoba beads got stuck in my eye. It was there for 2 weeks before I couldn't take it any longer and went to the hospital. They removed it by flipping my eyelid inside out and swabbing the area (and my eye) with a cotton wool bud. That was not a pleasant experience. It felt like someone was stabbing my eye with a tiny needle. Jojoba beads are marketed as"bio-degradable" so they're better for the environment but they appear to take a long time to degrade so are they really a better alternative?

Would I buy it: No.

Overall Impressions:

I'm a bit on/off with Murad. Some products I like, others just seem overpriced. This is one of them. I'd say my skin started to look better after I stopped using it. For AHA's I prefer using my Dr Nassif Detox pads (they work like a charm) and exfoliator wise; I tend to avoid them now as sugar scrubs can cause micro-tears in the skin and jojoba beads can get stuck in your eyes (it doesn't matter if you don't apply it near your eyes, they somehow still get in there). 

As a cleanser it's pretty much useless as well as it does not remove makeup adequately; I always had to use a second cleanser. 

Trifle Cosmetics // Sugar Pear Sublime Lip Scrub Review

Trifle Cosmetics // Sugar Pear Sublime Lip Scrub
RRP $9 for 10ml

This is a full size 10ml tube that I received in a Glossybox way back in either 2014 or 2015. Yes, this is a vintage lip scrub...don't worry, I haven't been using it.

First Impressions:

I remember way back in the day, the first time I used this I loved how it tasted. I think that's why I've held onto it for so long. It had a really sweet, pear scent and taste and I could've just eaten the product.

Usage
First use - Sometime 2014/2015
Last use - Several years ago

Would I buy it: Yes? Maybe?

Overall Impressions:

I think out of all the lip scrubs I've ever used this has stood out as my favourite. I came across it when doing a clear out of my stash as I've realised that you really should stop using products after their expiry date. You can read about my experiences with the 6 months out of date eye cream and 1 year out of date eye cream. It just goes to show though how little I go through my stash. It's only since I started seriously panning products in September last year that I've been going through items systematically and finally getting rid of all the samples I've been hoarding for years. Being subbed to 6 beauty boxes didn't help either.

Back to the product though; from the few times I did use this, I did enjoy it. This past winter I could've really done with a lip scrub but there's no way I'm sticking this on my lips (especially with my tendency to eat some of it...). For $9 this is pretty good and I'd be willing to pay full price for it. It's a shame that shipping is a $25 flat rate to the UK (and that's not even tracked). Trifle Cosmetics is featured quite often in UK beauty boxes which is odd considering they don't sell anywhere else. I've seen a few things in TK Maxx over the years but nothing is there regularly. It's annoying because their Lip Parfait (in the blue tube) is my favourite lipstick of all time and I reluctantly threw it away because it was almost 6 years old. 

I'm pretty sure that there was over half a tube of this lip scrub left when I binned it which means if I were to buy another lip scrub it wouldn't be a necessity. I think I would use this once a year, or whenever I felt like "pampering" myself. I think if you're wearing matte lipsticks all the time then you need one but if you just like to stick some lip liner on and mix it with lip balm, it's a product to skip. 

Hollister // Pacific Beach Black Currant + Vanilla Exfoliating Body Wash Review

Hollister // Pacific Beach Black Currant + Vanilla Exfoliating Body Wash
RRP £13 for 266ml

I bought this from a Hollister in Birmingham on Black Friday 2019 for £3.90 (never again will I go to Birmingham on Black Friday).

First Impressions:

Smells fruity and delicious; very refreshing. It is difficult to get the product out though as it's thick with large granules which I suppose are the exfoliating bits. I used this with a shower puff so I didn't actually feel any exfoliation but it lathered up well and lasted long enough to wash myself thoroughly. 

Usage
First use - End of February 2020
Last use - May 2nd 2020

Would I buy it: No.

Overall Impressions:

This product smells and looks great but it should not have been put in a squeezy tube as I really struggled towards the end of the bottle to get product out. It seems that the closer you get to the end the more it's just the granules left and it's almost impossible to squeeze product out. The amount of times the bottle went flying everywhere was riduculous. I ended up finishing it with product still left just because I couldn't be bother fighting with it anymore.

They do other scents and they all seem to match the body sprays (which I love) but they're all an "exfoliating" body wash which means they just have the same problem. I liked that the formula didn't leave my skin feeling squeaky clean (I hate that feeling, it just means the skin is ultra dry) but clean and soft. I always apply moisturiser after so I can't comment on how the skin feels sometime after showering. 

It was nice to use (and I did nail of the bottle!) but I would not buy this or another body wash from Hollister again unless they remove the exfoliating granules.

Intelligent Nutrients // Refining Micro Polish Review

Intelligent Nutrients // Refining Micro Polish
RRP £52 for 100ml

This is a full size that I received in the Summer 2019 FabFitFun box.

Usage

My first use was 10th April 2020 and that was also my last use.

Would I Buy It: Hell no.

First Impressions

This is not a "Micro" polish; it has grains the size of rice in it. The beads in it do not dissolve in the slightest and even after thoroughly cleansing there were tens of little beads stuck to my face, neck and hairline. This terrified me as I got a micro bead (from another scrub) stuck in my eye in December for 2 weeks and ended up going to the emergency eye clinic at the hospital. They eventually got it out by folding my upper eyelid inside out and swabbing the area with a cotton wool tip; this is not pleasant. It feels like tiny needles pricking the inside of your eye and you can't blink or move your eye.

I did not want a repeat of that experience (I even found one the beads dangerously close to my eye after rinsing) so I threw this product straight in the bin.

Overall Impressions

This product says it uses Jojoba Esters which are little balls of hardened Jojoba wax to exfoliate the skin. Apparently these are soluble but they didn't dissolve at all for me. I won't use this again though because the beads are too big and frankly, I don't want my eyelid turned inside out again.

Sand & Sky // Australian Pink Clay Flash Perfection Exfoliating Treatment Review

Sand & Sky // Australian Pink Clay Flash Perfection Exfoliating Treatment
RRP £36.90 for 100g

This is a 10g that I received in the Birchbox August 2019 box.

First Impressions

This has a nice almond/marzipan smell to mask the clay smell with a nitty gritty texture that isn't too rough on the skin. You can leave it on for a couple of minutes as a mask as well and then scrub and wash off.

Usage

This took me about 5 months to use up but only because I kept forgetting to use it. That said, I did get a good 10 uses out of it as I used it as a scrub instead of piling it on my face as a mask. It has extremely fine grains like caster sugar as well as some darker, chunkier ones.

Would I Buy It: Yes actually. I really enjoyed using it.

Overall Impressions

This has been added to my wishlist for when I get a higher disposable income as Sand & Sky products are quite pricy. That said, I do feel it is worth £37; this is not your basic exfoliator. The grains are super fine and it really feels like dirt and debris is being lifted away.

Sand & Sky do have some before and after photos on their website (which I've linked above) but they do look proper sketch though as they're very low quality and to be honest, the skin looks exactly the same but with a blur filter applied.

This product also contains AHAs so I think it is a good thing I didn't use it too often; I tend to only use products containing the chemical once/twice a week so 100g will go a long way. Because I used it so inconsistently I can't say definitively if it did anything for me but I enjoyed the sample so much I'm will to shill out £40 on the full size.

Nuxe // Insta-Masque Exfoliant + Unifiant Review

Nuxe // Insta-Masque Exfoliant + Unifiant
RRP £19.50 for 50ml

This is a 15ml sample I received in the August Birchbox 2019...At least I think it was the August one.

First Impressions

It smells of rose...not good. My skin and rose do not do well. It kind of feels like spreading melted Turkish Delight on your face and leaving it for several minutes. 

Usage

I have a confession; I haven't fully used this. I just can't bring myself to finish it. I have another 15ml pot in my skincare drawer as well which I'm planning to take to work to see if someone wants to take it off me. I used around half the pot in the 5 months I had it but I just kept forgetting to use it as I'm not quite sure what it is. It doesn't seem to fit in with my sheet masks days where I focus on moisturising and it doesn't fit inw ith my clay mask days where I focus on cleansing/purifying.

Would I Buy It: No.

Overall Impressions

After some research I think this is supposed to be an exfoliator as it has tiny grains in it. I eventually tried using this before my clay masks but I don't think my skin enjoyed the rosewater ingredient. It always kind of felt a little bit itchy whilst I used it. I did like that this was 2 minute mask though as I could stick it on in the shower.

I do like the only review on the Nuxe website though which was clearly written by an employee:

This product isn't unique; it's an exfoliator.