Weekly Skin Exfoliators: No 7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser & St Ives Blemish Fighting Facial Scrub Review

...Luceat Lux Vestra...

Around every week or so I like to pamper my skin (mostly on a chilled out Sunday) using a good scrub or a spa type treatment to exfoliate my skin; I feel that this routine helps to keep my skin rejuvenated and  smooth without it being too much of an effort. To do this job I usually use two my favourite products (alternating when I can, I like to mix it up); they are no other than the No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleaner and St Ives Blemish Fighting Facial Scrub. 

No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser

Let’s start with the No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser, think of this as a gentle spa treatment in the comfort of your own home without the hefty price tag. No7 have come a long way in recent years (from re-branding to branching out in new lines) offering good quality drugstore products which have been trusted by so many. It is no wonder that this cleanser has received so much positive feedback and is one of No7 more popular products.  

Its simple clear packaging enables you to see how much of the product is left and it is packaged with a small muslin cloth. The purpose of this Hot Cloth Cleanser is to give your skin that deep invigorated spa treatment, (give a good old dusting to those pores)! It aims to remove all dirt and grime and exfoliate your skin using the muslin cloth which you simply run under warm water to use.

To do this you simply apply the creamy thick cleanser onto DRY skin using the pump applicator (one squirt of this foamy matter is more than enough), and then (after some optional intermittent-lounging-for-some-time-with-your-cucumber-peels moments) use the wet muslin cloth to wipe away all of the cleanser.  Use warm water to wash away any remainder that is left, and (most importantly) make sure you use cold water after to close your pores.

The muslin cloth acts as an exfoliator to lift dead skin cells and any grime away from your skin (think of it like a brush), to leave it looking baby soft and squeaky clean. Another advantage of using of a muslin cloth weekly is that it encourages circulation to give you that bright hallow glow without it being too harsh on your skin (as you are not frantically scrubbing away daily)!  The only slight minus point for me personally is that I feel the muslin cloth is not that tough, or of a great quality. I don’t feel it lasts that long. I often use my own flannel or a textured face towel which I will put in the wash once I have used it.

This is a great quality product which I would recommend to rival any other hot cleanser, its thick consistency and texture doesn't disappoint on results. It is gentle enough to be used on sensitive skin on anyone who wants to have that indulgent experience!

It comes in a 200ml size which you can pick up from Boots for £9.95 (very economical as it lasts ages - plus if you have a £5 No7 voucher you only pay £4.95 - bargain)!

St Ives Blemish Fighting Facial Scrub

This apricot scented scrub is one of my staples that I have used for years, I remember using this since being in my teens (such fond memories… *ahem*). You only have to look at the Swiss company behind it and look at their glorious blemish free faces to know that St Ives are winners when it comes to facial scrubs, is it any surprise that they are consistently voted as the UK’s Number 1 Scrub band? I use this twice a week (the most) for maintaining clear skin and tame my oil/combination skin.

The secret of a scrub is a bit like a muslin cloth, scrubs exfoliate any dirt and grime away, they mostly contain small beaded ingredients - in this case brown coloured beads, (think of these little wonders as tiny little muslin clothes acting together to add that sparkle to your skin) which help to scrub away the bad stuff such as dead skin cells away to leave your skin polished and clean. In this way they are easier to use as any other daily cleanser, as you just apply it to your face and rinse as you normally would do.

St Ives Scrub lives up to its reputation, it is a no-nonsense tough scrub that you can feel scrubbing against you skin as you apply it. For this reason I would not recommend daily usage of this product, as this can be very harsh to the natural ph and oil balance of your facial skin, (and in actual fact may trigger breakouts if used excessively)!

I love the apricot smell, it surely does smell of all the good natural elements which it is based on, plus it no longer contains no parabens or phthalates *hooray* (even though on boots online they still seem to have the older ingredients listed, for this reason I have taken a photograph of the ingredients for you sceptics to have a look at - see below).  I have found using this weekly (in addition to my daily routine) my skin is a lot less oily and I don’t really suffer from major breakouts (I bet I have just jinxed myself) although I use this to maintain clearer skin and love it for its thick beady texture.

"Formulated without Parabens and Phthalates" 

You can purchase it from any good supplier; I usually pick it up from Boots for £4.29 for 150ml tube.

What are you best skin exfoliators?

...ArA...