The Scrub That Makes Us Feel Rich
When you began a self-care regime with more steps (i.e. going beyond brushing your teeth, washing our face with some sort of cleanser, and slapping on deodorant), you probably began with an exfoliator from St. Ives (it was probably apricot). But the world of skincare continues to offer us new takes on the products in our medicine cabinets, which is why when we ran out of the exfoliator we’ve been using forever, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to try something new. Though the brand has around for a decade now, we had never heard of Acure nor its Brightening Facial Scrub until it was recommended to us because let’s be vulnerable: it’s far easier to throw your go-to scrub into your cart while you’re already at Target on a Sunday. Acure notes that “Sea kelp super-nutrients soften and detox while lemon peel and French green clay cleanse. Madonna lily brings the brightness to round out this refreshing facial scrub.” When you open the tube, you immediately notice that fresh, herbaceous smell, which may be the combination of sage and lemon peel. Squeezing it onto our fingers, we were then wowed by the scrub’s intense emerald color: unlike the pastel creams used by many exfoliators, this scrub the color of green juice looked expensive. And it stayed that way as we began to spread it on our face and scrub, leaving us looking like we were in the middle of a spa treatment in Sedona. One thing to note is the amount of exfoliating granules/ml is quite high, which means we didn’t feel like we needed as much product for our whole face and that we felt our skin came out smoother because of it. The best comparison is to a salt or sugar scrub. As such, there is the chance to overdo it when scrubbing, probably because we’re so used to a more watered down scrub, but you eventually adjust. At $9.29, compared to, say, St. Ives, you’re paying 166% more for 2 oz. less but the quality of the product truly makes it worth it. If you’re going to start upgrading your staples, start with this.
Brightening Facial Scrub, $9.29
Price point: Medium
Details: 100% vegan, paraben free, sulfate free, mineral oil free, petrolatum free, formaldehyde free, cruelty free