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. 

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.