The Body Shop Spa Fit Smoothing Refining Body Scrub

One of my favourite kinds of beauty products are body scrubs. I love that feeling of literally scrubbing away dead, dry skin while I give myself a bit of massage.

My go-to scrub is The Body Shop's Cocoa Body Butter Scrub but while I do love that product, I'm always looking for something better. That's how I ended up with Spa Fit Smoothing Refining Body Scrub; I walked into The Body Shop to get one thing but, lured in by pretty package, I walked out with something else.

According to The Body Shop, "This zesty citrus scrub contains 100% natural-origin citrus ingredients. It refines skin’s texture, and will leave it looking smoother and feeling firmer." Having used product now for close to two months, I can now confidently say that this scrub had no impact on my skin's firmness nor did it noticeably refine it. It did leave my skin feeling a bit smoother but the results were nothing dramatic.

Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator

I was thrilled to receive Vasanti’s BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator in my June 2014 Topbox. I always love a good face scrub and this one sounded particularly impressive. This exfoliate supposedly “Brightens with powerful papaya enzymes to give radiance, exfoliates with dermatologist grade micro-crystals and gently cleanses with aloe vera, coconut and panthenol.” All of this is supposed to “Dramatically improve your skin’s texture to reveal softer, brighter and younger looking skin.”

But not right away, a fact that is revealed in this claim, “Powerful papaya enzymes break down dead skin cells to help progressively smooth your skin’s surface and uncover a healthy radiant glow.” Most beauty products promise instant results, results that they never deliver so I really liked that this one admitted that its results are progressively delivered.

Cake Milk Made Smoothing White Sugar Body Scrub and Nourishing Body Butter

If you’re one of those people who, for whatever reason, aren't into highly fragranced beauty products, stop reading now.  And if you’re someone who hates the scent of vanilla cake, also stop reading now because the stars of today’s review, Cake’s Milk Made Smoothing White Sugar Body Scrub and Nourishing Body Butter, smell exactly like that and it’s not a mild scent. Oh no, these products are two of the most highly scented items I've ever used.

And personally, I'm okay with that. I love the smell of vanilla cake and I even more, I love the smell of these products. Yes, it’s strong but it’s sweet and cakey and just all around amazing.

And just as amazing are the results of these two products. I've always used them together, so I can’t comment on how they work independently but I can say that together they do indeed leave skin “deeply hydrated, velvety smooth and ravishingly radiantly.”

Burt's Bees Anti-Blemish Pore Refining Scrub

This is no overnight, miracle product but if you’re patient and use it for at least three weeks, two-four times a week, this face scrub does seem to “help reduce blemishes and prevent future breakouts”, as per Burt’s Bees’ claim for this product.

While initially I wasn’t overly impressed with this scrub, which uses willow bark-derived salicylic acid to battle pimples , now, over three weeks into use, I do have the “refined, clear and smooth skin” that this product promised me.

And best of all I did it without irritating or over-drying my skin. Too often any anti-blemish products rob the skin of too much oil, leaving it dry and unhappy. But this one, which also uses “a natural fruit acid complex,” truly did provide “gentle exfoliating results.”

Bath & Body Works Skin Smoothing Shower Gelée

Well, it’s a good thing I didn't become a fan of this product, which I received this summer as a gift, because it turns out that Bath & Body Works has discontinued it. Despite that fact I'm still going to write a quick review up about it because I wouldn't be surprised if the company brought it back, maybe for Christmas?

Also, while this product is called a “shower gelée” it’s really just a body scrub and not a particularly impressive one at that. The packaging for this gel mentions how it has “soft  exfoliating beads” and “nourishing marine nutrients” that are “...gentle enough to use every day, leaving skin feeling super soft, noticeably smooth, refreshed and conditioned.”

Personally I didn't notice any of those effects. While this gel does contain “beads” that are soft and gentle enough for every day use, they aren't at all exfoliating and they did nothing to smooth or improve my skin.

Orlane B21 Oligo Vitalizing Scrub

Who doesn’t love a good face scrub? You know the kind; one that’s gritty but still gentle and results in skin that glows.

Orlane B21 Oligo Vitalizing Scrub is exactly that kind of scrub. It has a very fine grit that feels almost too gentle at first but then as you continue to rub it in you can feel it literally scrapping the dead skin off your face. By the end my face felt so fresh and clean and there was no redness, only glowing skin.

A closer look at my skin showed that sadly, this scrub didn’t clean out any blackheads but it did take care off a couple of small dry patches that I had.

According to the info sheet that came with my sample, this scrub, “Smoothes, refreshes, softens. Ensures effective yet gentle exfoliation.” While I didn’t notice any smoothing effects, my skin certainly felt soften and refreshed and overall, I feel that this product is both an effective and gentle exfoliator.

The Body Shop Spa Wisdom Morocco Black Olive & Argan Oil Scrub

Of all of the products I received in my Body Shop Elle-Magazine-best-of-2011 gift basket, this scrub was the one I was the most looking forward to using. I love body scrubs and the idea of one made with Morocco black olive and Argan oil (the same stuff that’s in Moroccan Oil) sounded really decadent. Plus the scrub came packaged in a sleek plastic container with one of those metal snaps on the lid.

But because I received this scrub shortly after I had opened jumbo sized container of another scrub, I ended up putting this new item under the sink and then forgot about it until a couple of weeks when I happily rediscovered it.

Olay Pore Minimizing Cleanser and Scrub

I received Olay’s Pore Minimizing Cleanser and Scrub as part of a Facebook promotion they were running earlier this summer. I was actually quite excited about this product because A) it full size sample and B) it targeted the appearance of pores, something that’s been a bit of an issue for me this hot, sweaty summer.

Now, the truth is, you can’t really shrink pores and Olay knows this. That’s why it uses language like this on the back of this product’s bottle, “…to help minimize the appearance of pores.” So nothing’s really changing, it’s just the appearance of things that are changing.

The Body Shop For Men Maca Root Face Scrub

Yes, Body Shop week was last week here on my blog but I figured that I’d post my review of For Men Maca Root Face Scrub today as sort of a “bonus” entry.

As you’ve probably guessed by the product name, this item isn’t for me, it’s for my husband. But I tried it any way and you know what, it was OK.

Made with rice, this is a very gritty scrub, much grittier than most face scrubs out there.

The Body Shop Peppermint Smoothing Pumice Foot Scrub

This is another product that, just like the Hemp Hand Protector, I used to regularly use. But unlike with the hand cream, I do remember why I stopped using this item: It didn’t work that well.

The only reason why I currently own Body Shop's Peppermint Smoothing Pumice Foot Scrub is because it was a freebie I got from The Body Shop. I was hoping that maybe it was reformulated over the past few years and that it would work better now but sadly, nope.

REN Jojoba Microbead Purifying Facial Polish

It’s probably for the best that I don’t love REN’s Jojoba Mircobead Purifying Facial Polish since at over $35 a bottle, this stuff isn’t cheap

For that price, I want a product that wows me but this face scrub just makes me go, “Meuh.”

The only aspect of this product that really pleased me was its texture. As the name suggests, this scrub contains “microbeads” made out of jojoba oil. These beads have a nice weight and feel to them; they’re gritty but not too gritty and as a result you do get a “non-abrasive” and “gentle” scrub, just like the packaging claims.