Mo’ Scrubs – Kate Somerville and Fresh 

I have felt pretty meh since getting back from vacation, so I decided to give two new facial scrubs a whirl – Sugar Face Polish by Fresh and ExfoliKate by Kate Somerville.

Key to a great at-home facial is starting with a nice, clean face.  Because the only thing grosser than a dirty face is scrubbing that dirt deeper into your pores.  Something gentle like Cetaphil will work well for a prep, as it won’t totally strip all the oils from your skin.

First I tried out the ExfoliKate.  It has a bit of a shocking green color when dispensed and a subtle, clean odor.  A little goes a looooooong way, so (despite its high price point) you will be able to get many, many uses for even the smallest of tubes.

Spread the green goodness over your face in circular motions…

… then wait 2 minutes for the treatment to do its magic.

The texture of ExfoliKate is not terribly course and is more of a gentle slough than some of your other exfoliating products.  I would say that this would be a plus for people with sensitive skin, HOWEVER this product contains some heavy-duty enzymes that give an intense tingle during your two-minute wait.  The result is smooth skin with an intense glow.  RATING: A-

The Fresh Sugar Face Polish requires almost an identical prep and procedure.  So start again with a clean face.

For this polish, I like to use a more generous serving of scrub when applying to the face.  It is a much coarser formula than ExfoliKate and (given that it is brown sugar based) tends to break down with any moisture.  Again, apply in circular motions with your finger tips for at least one minute to get best results.

With this treatment, a longer wait time between scrub and rinse is required for the product to get down to business.  It recommends 5-10 minutes.  I waited 15.  During this time, there is absolutely no burn and the scent is positively dreamy to take in.

Given the retinol and salicylic acids I use, my face is always peeling.  This scrub is the best thing I have used to break through all of those dead skin cells and reveal a fresh, new layer of skin.  It is also incredibly moisturizing, so despite an intense treatment, my skin feels baby soft after completion.  And with a very reasonable price point, I will be purchasing this again and again and again.  RATING: A+

WINNER: SUGAR FACE POLISH (by a nose; I would highly recommend either)

(pajamas – NICK & NORA Kids)

Now its time for me to go downstairs, pour a stiff drink and work on sallowing that new, bright complexion I just revealed.  xx.