La Roche-Posay Physiological Ultra-Fine Scrub

Do you know the new IT words? 

Micellar.

Physiological.

Physiological, like the solution in the IVs. Who would have thought that glorious liquid would do gloriously on your skin too? Not just by refreshing, nurturing it, but by cleansing too! And cleansing like not many does. Not leaving (oily) residues or stripping your skin of hydration, yet removing makeup and dirt and oily built up during the day.

This is the La Roche-Posay Physiological Ultra-Fine Scrub.

This scrub not only removes all the above mentioned yucks but also dead skin cells. Its beads are fine enough to do the work and be gentle at the same time.

As it does not promise to whiten, remove wrinkles or other miracles, I can't say much only that I plan to try many other scrubs while not forgetting this one....and if I can't find any that does a better in this basic task, I'm gonna name this my HG scrub.

Description: "Smoothes and gently exfoliates skin, while respecting its physiological balance. 

• Ultra fine scrubbing particles for gentle exfoliation
• Fresh, water-gel texture
• For more active cleansing Gentle and physical exfoliation"

Highly recommended. Do try! 

Missha Facial Choco Cacao Scrub

Let me introduce you a favourite face scrub of mine: Missha Facial Choco Cacao Scrub

To find a perfect and/or good quality scrub is not as easy as one might think.

Some say that scrubbing (eg. physical erosion) is bad for the skin, doing more damage than good and swear for chemical peeling.

Well, I'm not a fan of peeling. For once, I had a horrible experience with a not so cheap product which looked fabulous in the store when testen on hand, yet at home....

Other peelings did almost nothing. Maybe I just haven't found a really good one that actually works, I don't know. Anyway, I don't feel like looking for a working one.

I'm the good old believer, a physical-type-fan. 

In my opinion a good scrub should have such tiny brittles that are not harsh on the skin nor impossible feel. You should feel them working yet it shouldn't hurt.

Too hard particles like sandpaper are simply not good. Those are indeed damaging. If you find using your scrub unpleasant then you should look for another one!

Too soft particles are unable to reach the desired results: to remove old cells, fat and impurities. It's like rubbing cream or jello on your face and wishing for a snakeskin to fall off you....not gonna happen.

So the ideal material should be small, round (at least not sharp-edged/ and (not too) easily dissolving.

This way the upper layers of skin can be removed while the young, lower layers remain unharmed. Moreover, depending on the other ingredients they are either got to renew themselves faster, refreshed, hydrated, or whitened, etc, etc.

Now that I blabbed so long about my personal opinion, back to the product. Here is the description: 

Contains edible cacao that removes aged skin cells and helps create firm, silky skin.

1. Contains cacao powder from Amazon River of Brazil

2. Cacao contains abundant Polyphenol known to prevent skin aging

3. Contains 15% of edible cacao that provides mild, gentle exfoliating effect.

Can also be used as a mask. Simply apply a thin layer onto dry face and wash off with warm water after 5 minutes. Avoid eye area.

First of all, the cacao they used as an ingredient might be edible, but the product itself is NOT!

It does smell heavenly and tempting to eat but it does not taste good. Not horrible either, just, not good. And who knows....chugging down all might not be healthy either.....8D

See those yellowy dots? They do the hard work. :)

Usage of it is pleasant, does not hurt, yet the rubbing particles remain intact long enough to work on your face and then your neck and décolleté if needed.

I'm not saying you will have baby-smooth skin afterwards, but it definitely does what it promises: removes aged skin cells. 

As for functioning as a mask: I have not tried it yet this way, but judging from the fact that it does not dry my skin (YAY\*.*/) and leaves my skin feeling pleasant, I'd say it's not a waste of product ;D

I recommend Missha's Choco Cacao Scrub to those who:

- need a good face scrub

- are chocolate skincare fans

- don't want to spend a fortune on a scrub

Those who need a heavy duty scrub should look elsewhere or use this frequently.

Being it a jar in stead of a squueze tube might not be hygenic or practical (especially in the shower) but you can see how much is left and scoop out every bit at the end....aaaand....you can use the jar for whatever creative stuff during your DIY phase! 8D

Price-wise: on the US site 70g sells for 13 USD which is a good price IMHO and they have all kinds of sales & promotions all the time so it's not hard to get it cheaper ;)

Lush scrubs

Well, the two cleansers or scrubs by Lush about I'm sharing my opinion are nothing new or special. Actually, everyone knows them well: Angels on bare skin and Dark angels.
Dooh I'm so predictable.
When I first went into a Lush store at home I wanted something trustworty that proved to work for everyone (& I mean bloggers) coz you know, Lush stuffs are not the cheapest things ever, I didn't want to spend my money on something I've never heard about, probably my skin wouldn't like it, etc. etc.
So I picked these things up and I'm glad I did.

First, let me confess that I'm operating with stock photos, coz
1) I'm all out of Angels on bare skin, and when I still had it I was too lazy to take pictures,
2) Dark angels looks gross and shapeless in its plastic jar, there's no point trying to photograph it,
3) the stock photos look great hehehe

Angels on bare skin

Ingredients: Ground Almonds, Glycerine, Kaolin, Water, Lavender Oil, Rose Absolute, Chamomile Blue Oil, Tagetes Oil, Benzoin Resinoid, Lavender Flowers, Limonene, Linalool

It even looks yummy, right? I really-really loved AoBS, during winter it was heaven! It cleansed my super dry and easily irritated skin well, it felt nice, not scratchy at all. The scent was something super...maybe it was the almond in it or God knows what, anyway, I miss it so much! Unlike for winter, I found this to be not suitable for summer. For the hot summer months I need something stronger.
Too bad Lush is not available in Georgia. *sniff*

Dark Angels

Ingredients: Rhassoul Mud, Organic Cold Pressed Avocado Oil, Glycerine, Powdered Charcoal, Black Sugar, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Perfume, Linalool, Sandalwood Oil, Rosewood Oil 

Looks so evil, doesn't it? :) Its name fits well! :)

This one I use during summer or when my skin is oilier than usually and I like this one too. However, it's harsher than the soft Angels on bare skin, actually it's scratch thanks to the black sugar, but it works well. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that I have to work double, coz the charcoal is not that easy to wash off of the sink or the shower tub. hehehehe

All in all, I think Angels on bare skin and Dark angels would be a good pairing for those who have dry skin with oily T-zone and the oiliness swithes to overload during summer.

Lierac

Oh, a new post! I haven't posted for ages, but here I am, with a long overdue review. And by long I mean loooong. Something I bought last December. *cough*yes, last year*cough*

I'm planning on catching up with the reviews...

I'm way too lazy to write about each product in a separate post so I just do it all at once.

As you can see they are a scrub and a decollete product.

Lierac Microabrasion Stimulating Smoothing Cream

Description: Drawing inspiration from the cosmetic technique of micro-abrasion, MICRO-ABRASION Stimulating smoothing cream helps deliver “brand-new skin” in just 2 minutes! This cream works to exfoliate the skin deep-down and prevent and correct the appearance of visible signs of skin aging (loss of radiance and tonicity, fine lines, dehydration).

Results are visible from the very first session: skin feels smoother, toned and moisturized; the skin’s texture appears more refined, the complexion more radiant and fine lines diminished.

How to use: Apply MICRO-ABRASION Stimulating smoothing cream once or twice a week to dampened skin on the entire face and décolleté, then massage delicately in small circular motions for 2 minutes. Rinse off thoroughly.

I love this scrub! It's harsh enough for my liking yet it's soft enough not to hurt my skin. It has alumina crystals. I think fine sand must be like this. However, I never experienced real sand from the seashore >.<

The scrubbing particles don't melt away, you can exfoliate with it thoroughly. As for the result, I'd say it's quite good, but it leaves my skin....I don't know the right word. Can't describe it. After usage my skin is not stripped of moisture, not at all but isn't as smooth as when I use my other favourite, Angels on bare skin from Lush either. I think it's because Lierac's doesn't contain moisturizing/softening ingredients....?

I always hated chemistry but I don't see anything on the ingredients list that would help smoothing. Correct me, if I'm wrong. ^^ Should it be urea? If it should then it doesn't work for me, at least not thaaaaat well. "Thaaaat well", becoz it doesn't dry me out.... Maybe I have too high expectations.

The squeeze tube which is easy to squeeze (but decently firm too) dispenses quite well (no spurting or playing for hours, you control the amount you want to use....I'd say every single brand should use this tube it's so good!) and holds 50ml of product.

The price? Dunno...I bought mine during a 60% off sale and those damned dept.stores here don't carry this brand anymore....WTF?! Thanks to the internet it's around 38$ or 22 euro. More or less.

Lierac Phytrell Bust firmer gel

Description: Intended for minor skin slackening problems, responsible for a sagging bust, this formula contains 14.8% of the plant complex (alchemilla, ivy, horsetail, agrimony and sage) to help reactivate collagen and elastin production in order to effectively fight against skin slackening and to help restore shapelier breasts.

How to use: Apply regularly twice a day to the breasts and the bust, massaging gently in circular motions.  Use for 6 to 8 weeks.

Now, I'll be super fast writing about this gel since I don't have much to say about it. 

It's good. 

Not like I had sagged decollecte and this gel worked miracle pulling it into a baby's soft skin.....but my skin is dry in general and hates alll kind of body moisturizers. Thus this acts as a kind of moisture replenishment (I know it's not!) and my bust really does feel firmer and softer!^^ 

The paper note included in the box also mentioned that it's good for preventing those dark patches caused by ageing. Well, due to my age I'm unable to comment on this matter. :) 

As you can see from the ingredients shots, neither products are paraben-free.

The price? Again, I'm not sure....I got mine for no more than 15 dollars during the sale, and the prices I see on the net are USD 38 and up.