The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is
boundless.
 - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
 
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To continue my review with the products that I am currently using, I will share the exfoliant that I am using which is St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub.

To begin with, I actually bought this product first before I have decided to grab the St. Ives Green Tea Cleanser. And before that, I visited St. Ives page to read about this product. What I actually read is about St. Ives Naturally Clear Blemish & Blackhead Control Apricot Scrub, which is award winning (see here). I’m quite not sure if it’s the same with the one I bought which is the St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub. But I guess there’s quite no difference between the two products.

So according to the site, the key ingredients in this product are Apricot, Corn Kernel Meal and Walnut. Apricot is commonly used in most of St. Ives Facial Scrubs. It contains high level of carotenoids (which is Vit. A) and is also an antioxidant. On the other hand, Corn Kernel Meal and Walnut are primarily used as the exfoliant. Their main purpose is to remove dead skin cells in your face. Just like the Green Tea Cleanser, this product also has Salicylic Acid which helps the skin to shed off dead skin cells. With this combination, this product will not just remove dead skin cells (which is its primary purpose) but will keep your skin healthy with the help of Vitamin A and antioxidant present in Apricot. So this product is quite promising.

The product claims that it is oil-free, dermatologist-tested and has 100% natural exfoliants and extracts. It also claims that it is hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic. And of course it is formulated without paraben and phthalates, which is common for all St. Ives products. The oil-free and non-comedogenic claims are good for me since I have blemish prone and oily face, so it won’t add to the oil to my already oily face and it will not clog pores since it’s non-comedogenic. Salicylic Acid also is good since it will help drying out excess oil.

To be honest, I am quite excited to use this product. On my first wash, I actually use this after the Green Tea Cleanser. After the wash, I didn’t dry my face with towel yet; my skin feels smoother and fairer. And right after drying, I tried to feel my skin again, and it’s really smooth. I am not joking around, I really feel great that time. Well, I’m not actually using any exfoliant before, so I cannot compare to other product available in the market. But I guess I will not be trying out other product than this as of the moment since I’m really impressed and would like to know if it will really get well with my skin. I’m also quite afraid to try out other product that I’m not confident with since I have a sensitive skin, and it’s hard to gamble with that. It was just the first wash, and so I continued using it.

According to the product instructions, use it only 3 – 4 times a week. I suggest that we follow it. Don’t use the product more than what is recommended, because they know their product. Maybe you can use it lesser times, but I really suggest not to over scrub your skin. You might not just remove dead skin cells; you might just scratch the new layer of your skin after the shedding. And it may bring horrible result if you over scrub your face.

After a month of use, I really saw the difference it makes for my skin. Even my friends noticed it. They asked me what I was using for my face, even though I haven’t opened it up to them yet until they asked me. My face is clearer and fairer, compared before I used it. I am actually using it every other night, so that makes 4 times on this week and 3 times next week, and so on. I prefer using it at night so I have a lot of time to massage it in my face. I suggest you massage it to your face GENTLY not like scrubbing the floor and avoid the eyes. You will feel the scrub like small beads rolling on your skin. Actually, that experience is more than just cleaning, it’s quite relaxing also (based on my experience). I believe it has a psychological effect also, but not the negative one. You see, while using it, you will be relaxed from all the stress you have and absorbed the whole day. And I am quite a believer that stress can cause pimples, because stress will shoot your hormones rocket high.

So up until now I am using this Blemish Control Apricot Scrub together with the Green Tea Cleanser, and have no remorse of using it. This combination is great for my face and also affordable.  I would really recommend these products for those with oily and blemish prone skin like me. I would suggest that those with dry skin will not use these because it may over dry your skin due to salicylic acid. Besides St. Ives offers variety of Facial Cleanser and Scrub formulated for dry skin, you might just want to grab some of those like the Olive Cleanser and Scrub. For additional information, the Green Tea Cleanser has its own partner scrub, which is the Green Tea Scrub. I’m still thinking if I should use that to complement the cleanser.

Share me your thoughts about these products. =)




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