Just a little of Huygens Organic Face Scrub

I love physical exfoliants. I like the chemical kind too and I balance out the use of them, because I don’t want to over exfoliate and cause myself problems. Since I was using the Perricone MD Exfoliating toner, I forgo other exfoliants for a while so I could see how it performed. (excellently as it turned out) I did however miss the physical exfoliants.

There is just something very satisfying about using a physical exfoliant. It is the same feeling you get after scratching an itch that you have been trying not to scratch for a while. It is an almost visceral pleasure. At least for me. I am careful not to over do it and as many as I will try out I am very picky about what I use. A facial exfoliant I don’t like on my face will get bounced to the shower to be used as a body scrub in a heartbeat.

While I have several full sized face scrubs I want to jump into trying out, I only had this one sample sized Facial scrub so I decided the Huygens Organic Face scrub had reached it’s moment of testing. There was only enough product to test it once though. The bottle as it turned out was mostly air. Still it was enough. So let’s look at what the product has to say for itself shall we?

Purify and brighten the look of skin with this creamy face scrub. Powered by rice powder to gently slough away dullness and debris, and sesame oil and orange blossom water to soften and hydrate, it unveils fresh, clean skin without aggravation or residue. The addition of antioxidant green tea extract supports a clear, luminous complexion.

INGREDIENTS: water (aqua), sesamum indicum (sesame) seed oil*, glyceryl stearate, cetearyl glucoside, cetearyl alcohol, glycerin*, oryza sativa (rice) powder, citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) flower water*, algin, camellia sinensis leaf extract *, tocopherol, benzyl alcohol, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, litsea cubeba fruit oil*, mentha viridis (spearmint) leaf oil*, citral**, citric acid, limonene**, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, dehydroacetic acid. *Ingredient produced from organic farming **Naturally occuring in essential oils
Huygens

Okay you may notice that I put the full ingredients list up there. The reason is because the description of the scrub did not match my experience and I knew I had to check the ingredients list.

Don’t get me wrong, the rice powder provided a fabulously gentle face scrub my skin felt clean and freshly exfoliated. It was, as usual a glorious feeling. And my skin looked really good. The scrub is fine grained and did it’s job well, rinsing off clean with no waxy residue.

It was just the scent of the product I couldn’t take.. From the description I expected sesame, or maybe orange, possibly even green tea. They are all top ingredients listed in the product ingredients as well as the description. Instead the product was dominated by spearmint and limonene. This product smells like what would happen if you combined an industrial lemon scented cleaner with toothpaste.

Which was a very odd thing to think as I was putting it on my face. Especially as it was white like toothpaste with little flecks in it. It was a fabulous scrub. It was gentle and it exfoliated brilliantly. It rinsed off clean and my skin loved it. But the entire time I used it I felt like i was putting toothpaste that some floor cleaner spilled on onto my face. I know it is the mental association of the scent.

Before on the left, after on the right. Skin brighter and softer after use.

I just don’t think I can get past the scent. It is a fantastic organically derived facial scrub. It works beautifully and is priced quite decently at only $14 for a full sized (20 mL) tube. But I know myself and scent. I will start off forcing myself to use it because it is good but at some point the scent will cause me to use it less and less and then the product will just get put into a drawer because I am not using it and it will go to waste.

At this point in my life I know this about myself. If my nose doesn’t like it then it is rare I will continue using a product. No matter how fabulous I will find reasons not to use it.

And so while this Huygens Organic Face Scrub was an excellent scrub, the scent makes this product not for me. Luckily it was just a sample size and so it now becomes the first empty of April. As I just emptied the bin yesterday, it is sitting lonely in the bottom, but soon I know other products will join it. I am glad I tried it as it is a good scrub. But the nose has vetoed it’s use. At least I have managed to eliminate another sample from the skincare collection.

OGEEGLOW10

Trying the Truely Matcha Whipped Face Scrub

I have seen Truly products around and I even saw a subscription box from the brand that I was thinking of trying out. This is however the first product I have ever tried from the brand before. It came in an IPSY but as I have been playing around with chemical exfoliators I set it aside to try out later. And oh yes, later has arrived. In case you are wondering I think it came in my IPSY December box. So it hasn’t been sitting that long.

According to the Truly website this Truly Matcha Scrub Whipped Face Scrub is…

Natural sugar and Dead Sea salt granules intertwine with antioxidant-loaded green tea for an invigorating scrub. This delicate, whipped scrub delivers a gentle exfoliation to the skin without being too abrasive or causing micro-tears to the skin. Matcha helps nourish the skin, for smoother and softer skin. Glycolic acid gently removes layers off the skin, which helps reduce the appearance of blemishes, fine lines, discoloration and wrinkles.

And so the jar was opened. There was no interior seal inside, which i found a little strange. It is also very green. I’m guessing from the matcha. Even more surprising was that it was dry and crumbly. There wasn’t enough moisture to really apply it easily to the face. I wet my skin and then added a little moisture to the mask I scooped out of the jar. Just out of the jar it feels like slightly damp densely packed sand.

While the main ingredient is sugar for the scrub, I expected something a little different from the description of Whipped in the name of the product.

I don’t know if it dried out somehow, but with a little water added it was fine and I could use the mask. I rubbed it into my hands and then rubbed it onto my face. It applied badly because it was so dry but with a little more water it became something that I could scrub over my face. I think if I use it again I will keep some facial oil handy to use with it. I think that might help it out.

This is a rather rough exfoliant. To me it feels like it is more of a body scrub than a facial one. And in truth I may add some oil and if the oil doesn’t hydrate it and make it easier to massage into the skin, then i will just use it as a body product. Which I am fine with, I don’t currently have a boxy scrub. But it was really rough to use on my face. When I rinsed ot off my skin did feel very exfoliated and while I was expecting some irritation, i didn’t get any. I’m guessing that something in the scrub was soothing.

I don;t know if this dried out in transit or if I got a bad batch, but this was far more of the consistency I would expect for a body scrub than it is what I would use for my face, I found myself double checking the label to make sure it was for the face and not the body. I will say that my skin is quite exfoliated but it was not a pleasant experience. I would much rather use this on my legs pre shave to get a better shaving results than I would on my face. It is just too course a grain of exfoliate for me to use on my face. The smell though was nice. It smelled a bit like green apple. It will make a nice addition to the bath, but I suspect it will not be going on my face. The Truly Matcha Facial scrub was just too rough for my face to enjoy.

Trying out the Elemis Black Currant Jelly Exfoliator

I think by now we all know how much I love exfoliators and Elemis is one of my favorite brands. In fact the Elemis Skin Buff is one of my all-time favorite exfoliators. However it is an exfoliator that I can only use once or twice a week. So when I was on the Elemis site and saw this Blackcurrant Jelly Exfoliator which is considered safe enough for daily use, I had to try it.

I also love blackcurrant jelly and I might have been a bit hungry at the time, but I actually made myself some toast with jam and still wanted to order the exfoliator so I did.

This nourishing jelly exfoliator is packed with antioxidant-rich Superfood extracts, including Nordic Bilberry and Black Tea for revitalised, healthy-looking skin. It is formulated with sustainably-sourced Blackcurrant scrub particles, a by-product of the juicing industry in France and Poland, to gently yet effectively cleanse the skin of dulling dead cells, revealing a super smooth and radiant complexion. A Prebiotic naturally derived from sugar helps to maintain balance in the skin’s microflora.
Elemis

I have to admit I also like the using of a byproduct rather than disposing of it, especially if it has skincare benefits. It is something I personally enjoy. And I love thinking that there is a waste reduction somewhere along the line.

When the product is dispensed it looks like black currant jelly. It has no scent to it. As I love the scent of black currants it was a little disappointing, but I can see why there is no scent. Looks like jam, smells like jam…And the package specifically says do not eat in big bold letters.

There is no real scent to it. Applying it to the skin was interesting. It was the consistency of jelly but it didn’t have the stickiness. Just the texture or viscosity I suppose. It was easy to apply and once in place it stayed where it was put so I know I had a thin layer over my skin.

I then massaged and rinsed. It was a very gentle scrub and one I can actually see myself using daily without damage. With one use my skin did feel softer. This is more of a first use post so we will see if this was just a flash out of the gate with a later fading of results or if the results end up being cumulative (which is what I always hope for with skin care). But for the moment I am very pleased to have a daily exfoliator added to my skin care regimen and happy to use the Elemis Blackcurrant Jelly Exfoliator.

30% off on select products. Use code: WISHLIST.

Best of 2022: Excellent Exfoliators

While I love a good physical exfoliator, I am a bit picky. I’ll try just about any product but only a few make the list. In a good physical exfoliator I look for something gentle yet effective on the skin that rinses off clean without leaving any residue on the skin. This year, these are the four that made the cut for me. If you are looking for a good physical exfoliator, you might want to check these out.

Best Physical Exfoliators of 2022

1- Elemis Skin Buff

2- ESPA Refining Skin Polish

3- Gatineau Paris Radiance Enhancing Enzymatic Gommage

4- Eight Saints Zen out of Ten Bamboo Detox Scrub

Each of these physical exfoliators has fine particles that provide a great exfoliation without going too far (use only a few times a week, I go for twice a week tops) and rinse off clean leaving only fresh skin behind.

Its time to Scrub a dub in the tub with Dermalactives

I apologize for the dark picture above but with the product being a dark green and the lettering being black I think the only way you can see the details clearly is after the entire jar is empty. Currently I am about halfway through with the jar. I’ll have to take a shot at photographing it once it is empty to see if i am right.

This is the Demelectives Elastin and Collagen Rejuvenation Soft Salt Glow Body scrub in Apricot and Green Tea. If this seems slightly familiar to you it was recently featured in the Dermstore beautyfix beauty box ($24.95 per month – I believe this was a feature in either august or September) and on the IPSY website.

According to the brand site…

This gentle soft scrub is enriched with Apricot Abrasive and Green Tea extract for natural exfoliation that is also rich with antioxidants and nutrients. It provides skin with the essential nourishment & conditioning while cleansing it of unwanted pollutants leaving skin looking fresh & clean, with a vibrant & naturally healthy radiance.

I am a huge fan of exfoliators (I think you know that by now) but finding a good body scrub is surprisingly difficult for me. I often feel like Goldilocks actually. This one is too harsh, this one is too soft. this one leaves too much undissolved particle in the bottom of my shower, this one leaves too mush residue on my skin.

I have to admit, i was somewhat skeptical of this one when I tool off the lid. while the scent is amazing, mostly apricot with a fresh green tea backer to keep it from smelling too sweet (Too sweet always makes me think sticky even if it isn’t. Not only was this not sticky but it didn’t feel mentally sticky), it looks like particles suspended in jelly.

when i dipped it out onto my fingers I thought at first that it was just speckled jelly. At first I couldn’t feel the exfoliates. Then as I used it they made their presence felt. The particles proved to be a good, yet gentle exfoliate that, when they did their job, dissolved and didn’t leave particles all over the shower tiles. To be honest i expected them to stay and exfoliate my feet until I scrubbed down the bottom of the shower.

they didn’t which was a pleasant surprise. In fact most everything about this was a pleasant surprise. The jelly melted over the skin, sticking around just long enough to get the exfoliates where they needed to be. While they did hydrate the skin a little bit, the gel aspect was much more of a conveyance mechanism. I’m sure it did some hydrating, but I still had to moisturize post shower and when i use the more moisturizing exfoliators I don’t have to do that.

This isn’t a criticism though. I have plenty of body lotions I am more than happy to work on using up. As I said before a good body scrub isn’t all that easy to find. This one was good. It exfoliated and washed away clean leaving no film on the skin as it left.

Sadly none of the scent remained on the skin. There might have been a delicate trace of scent prior to my toweling off post shower, but it didn’t remain and was obliterated by the body lotion I used afterwards. The scent was nice in the shower, but didn’t last so if you are looking for a clean smelling body scrub that won’t clash with post shower products this is definitely one to look into. As I liked the scent i was somewhat disappointed. I may have to search the brand and see if they have anybody lotion in this scent to go along with the scrub. I may not have put apricot and green tea together on my own, but it definitely worked well in my shower.

Trying out the Kate Somerville Exfoliacate: First Use

I have to admit, this one was a fun test for me. First of all you know I love exfoliators. I love the physical ones and I love the chemical ones too. In addition this is a Kate Somerville product. I find Kate Somerville an interesting brand.

On one hand there are so many people raving about the products that it is hard to believe the hype.

On the other hand, every product I have tried from the brand has lived up to the hype.

But this is the Exfolikate. To be more precise this is the Kate Somerville Exfolikate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment. I have heard so many super fab things about this product for a really long time. Everyone I know has at some point tried this. The reactions range from ‘this is the best’ to ‘it was a little too intense for me but it was still fabulous’. In short I have heard no bad things about this other than comments about it’s intensity.

But what’s a little pain among friends?

And so I am going to pretend i have not heard any of the rave reviews and see how it works for my skin, after all what is fab for one isn’t always fab for all. So to the website!

Reveal smoother, clearer skin in two minutes with Exfolikate® Intensive Exfoliating Treatment from Kate Somerville. This clinic-inspired exfoliating scrub clears pores and preps skin to better absorb the rest of your regimen, making every product and ingredient that follows more effective.

Removes surface dullness

Softens fine lines and wrinkles

Reveals a smooth, healthy-looking, glowing complexion

Helps reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles

Dermstore

This product retails for $28 which is quite reasonable actually. According to the directions, a thin layer is applied to the skin, it is massaged in and left for a maximum of two minutes. And then it is rinsed off. The results I am looking for are listed above so I know what I am looking to find. And so onto the face we go.

I have to say I wasn’t expecting it to be green. I know that is an odd thing to say but somehow I thought it would be a clear jelly like thing. I think that might be because a lot of the chemical exfoliators I’ve tried have had that kind of texture. So i found it surprising.

The treatment was easily smoothed over the skin and before I even began the massage in circles part, I could already feel my skin heating up under the mask. I started the timer, massaged the mask and waited the two minutes.

They are not kidding about the intensity of the mask. It was quite intense. I began to have visions of my skin burning off and leaving me extra crispy like Spawn or maybe Freddy Kruger. About the time I was contemplating a life of horror movie existence, the timer went off and I gratefully washed the Intensive Exfoliating Treatment from my skin.

Much to my relief my skin was still there. My skin looked less dull and was in fact glowing just a little bit. It felt soft and smooth. It is recommended that this product be used twice a week. I am sure that if i used it twice a week it would have some pretty good effects. I plan to try it actually. So while I go on with my other skin care I will go on with the ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating treatment. Once I am finished with the tube (or a month has passed whichever arrives first) I’ll circle back and compare my skin to the photos in this post. However I have to say that for a first use, this was quite the product and as impossible as it seems, it feels like the Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment will be living up to the hype.

A familiar favorite for Face Mask Friday

Oh yes my darlings, this afternoon I brought back a familiar favorite. It is the Yensa Pumpkin Turmeric 2-in-1 Radiance Polishing mask. I’m sure we have covered the basics before, but to refresh, according to the product page…

Get your SUPERFOOD GLOW on with our Pumpkin Turmeric 2-in-1 Radiance Polishing Mask. Infused with 8 orange skin-loving ingredients to help nourish and polish the face for hydrated, smooth, supple and radiant skin. The lightweight and exfoliating formula polishes and resurfaces skin in only 5-10 minutes! Pumpkin helps boost collagen and Turmeric soothes skin.

In case you are wondering the 8 orange skin loving ingredients are: pumpkin, turmeric, carrot, papaya, grapefruit, ginger, honey and orange. Personally I think they are stretching the term orange with both honey and grapefruit, but as I adore this mask I am willing to be a little color blind.

I chose this mask because despite the early in the week exfoliation, I could use a little bit more. (I always do this after being sick actually. It doesn’t matter what the illness is, I generally find that as I get better I need more exfoliation. Its like my skin is purging while my body fights the internal fight. But only when I am on the mend.) And this is an amazing and gentle exfoliation. It always leaves my skin feeling simply fabulous and I thought fabulous was perfect for a Friday.

Plus even with my still stuffy nose I can smell this mask. It has a warm scent that it spicy, earthy and sweetly pumpkin-y (it isn’t a ‘pumpkin spice’ scent though) and just reminds me of fall.

This mask goes on clear but with an orange tint. It looks a bit like honey to be honest, but it doesn’t have the cloying sweetness or the intense stickiness. It does make you look wet for the 10 minutes you have this on. The wet look remains as you wait, there is no change in the mask as it sits on the skin.

turns white as you massage with just a little bit of water

And even though it looks liquidly and makes me think of honey dripping, the mask doesn’t drip, it actually stays in place well. I never lie down when I am wearing it though. even though the mask doesn’t move a part of my brain still thinks honey and I just can’t lay back on the pillows. I have to sit up. I have tried and it is fine, it just hurts my brain and becomes less restful, so I work at the desk while it is on. I just have to use the speaker phone if I answer any calls.

when the ten minutes are up, I return the toe bathroom sink. I put a little water on my hands and massage the mask into the skin. Here the masks starts to turn white and the exfoliation comes into play. I massage the mask in small circles periodically dipping my hands under the tap for a little more water. Then when I felt I have had enough exfoliation I rinse the last of the fine grained particles away.

before mask on left, after mask on right, not much difference in the photos, it is a gentle exfoliation after all, but the skin feels so much better, just ignore the baggy allergy eyes

As always my skin looks healthy and freshly exfoliated. It feels fantastically clean and I honestly don’t want to put anything over it for a bit. After a few minutes I will go in and put a tiny amount of moisturizer on my skin. Moisturizing right after exfoliation is always a good thing, I just love enjoying that freshly scrubbed feeling for just a little bit.

Today I brought out this mask because I wanted a little exfoliation and a reminder that autumn is on it’s way and that this summer will not last forever. This summer has been brutal in so many ways and I am more than ready for a change of the seasons. While this Yensa Pumpkin Turmeric 2-in-1 Radiance Polishing Mask can’t change the seasons, It can remind me that a new one is on the way and make my skin feel fabulous while I wait. As far as consolation prizes go, that is a pretty good one.

And as a reminder Yensa still has a sale going on: Yensa CBD cleanser is still on sale for 50% off (!!!) until Monday, August 15th. Use code CBDDAY22 at checkout and stock that cart up to over $50 pre-tax for 50% off the cleanser and for free shipping. CBD is a natural anti-inflammatory and can help your skin relax and feel good while you remove the dirt and makeup from a long day. I really enjoy this cleanser and have used it a number of times.

Rub a dub with Saturday Skin

This week has been about getting my skin back into good condition. It took quite a beating recently. There was fever, there were chills, there were irregular eating habits (Ginger ale was my BFF for the week and while settled the tummy it added way more sugar than I am used to). In addition most of my normal skincare was skipped. I ended up taking my facial cleanser into the shower as a combination shower and skincare moment and that was about it. So once I started feeling better there was work to be done.

One of the first things I needed to do, was to get rid of any accumulated anything that was on my face and that is where the Saturday Skin Rub a Dub refining Peel Gel came into play. According to the product page the Rub a Dub is designed to…

Gently peel away dullness and impurities with power of papaya and pineapple. This refining peel gel gently cleanses skin and improves dullness with natural fruit enzymes. Natural cellulose lifts and removes impurities while aloe extract soothes the skin. Use one or twice per week to treat troubled skin and visibly enhance vitality and glow.

When you dispense this gel it is a pinkish gel that does feel like there is an extremely fine grained exfoliate inside. While this may assist, this is mostly a chemical peel. What happens is that the gel pulls up all of the dead skin cells and left over products that are on your skin and rolls them up, like when cloth pills through rubbings and use, although significantly less harsh. these pills of debris as I like to think of them can then be washed away. leaving behind the beautiful skin that Saturday Skin says the product will give you.

And it does. This product works well, it really takes off all of the external gunk and leaves you with fresh skin. It isn’t harsh. It is very gentle but as with anything you can over do it so stick to once or twice a week. The fun thing with this product is that it will tell you when you are doing too much. The more often you use the product, the less effective it looks like it is working. This isn’t because it has stopped working, it is because you don’t have as much gunk on your skin as you did so there is less to remove. The more you have to clear off then the more dramatic the removal process is. If you use it and aren’t getting a lot of dead skin removal then you might want to think about backing down on your exfoliation.

As my recent skincare usage has been abominable, there was a lot to remove.

not the most attractive, but this is what the pilling up of dead cells should look like if you have a lot to remove

One of the tricks to using this product though is to start with a smaller amount of product than you think you might need. If you add too much at a time it takes longer for the gel to sort of evaporate and kick into motion and it wastes product. If you start with a little product and then just add a little bit more if you feel you still need it, the process is quick and easy and no product is wasted so this little tube will last a lot longer than it looks.

I am a big fan of this type of product. It especially helps me out in the summer time when I am sweating a lot and my pores have a tendency to gunk up and cause blemishes. It helps keep the surface clear of dead skin cells ad anything that may help in clogging the pores and thus reduces the amount of blemishes. Plus, right after use my skin feels amazingly soft and fresh. I like peels in general and Saturday Skin’s Rub a Dub is a good one that is gentle enough to use at home by novice skincare users who want the clean fresh skin but who are nervous about the words peel. there is no burning or irritation and as soon as you finish using it you rinse the last of the product off of your skin. It is affordable, easy to use and painless with good results. Over all, an excellent product.

It’s Glam Glow for Face Mask Friday

My plan was to go through my sample sized masks and clear a few of them out. And then I saw the Glam Glow Youthmud Face Mask on sale. Now here is the thing. While Glam Glow and I have a hit or miss relationship, I adore this mask. I have had numerous sample sized tubes of it come my way over the years. Any time it is a selection option I choose it and if it is an add on, I add it. I absolutely love this mask.

But I have never had it in a full size before. I’ve lost count of how many samples I’ve had of this mask, but never gotten around to purchasing it. It seemed strange to me that i would never have purchased it, so I went ahead and purchased it. And when it arrived I still had every intention of using my samples. Except when I reached into the mask samples I pulled out the Glamglow Supermud face mask sample.

So I decided it was a sign.

I know, I didn’t need much convincing.

This mask is an exfoliating mask. It goes on with a rough texture and sits for 10 minutes. Then you add a little water and do a bit of exfoliation rubbing before rinsing it off. They say that the mask feels tingly when it is on and I suppose that is so, but for me it is less a tingling zing and more like a bracing wake up sort of tingling. I always feel more awake when i use this mask.

Plus you know how I love exfoliation.

So today I am using the full size. I think I am going to use this as a full month mask, but it really only needs a twice a week use, so I am going to go for a Monday and Wednesday with the Glam Glow and Friday I an still use my samples. Since most of my sample sized masks are hydrating masks it should work out fairly well.

With this mask I was surprised by how large the box was in comparison to the jar. The jar was the size I picture it being, but the box was very large and seemed like overkill. As usual I applied the mask, waited ten minutes, it mostly dried down and changed color, and my skin felt invigorated. It is a clay mask so there is some tightneing in it as it dries. Personally I really like clay masks so I am okay with this even if it does make me look like a grumpy guts midway through because I can’t move my mouth to smile. When it was time to rinse off, I added water, massaged a bit to exfoliate and then rinsed off.

With exfoliating masks it is important to moisturize right after. Since I was moisturizing, I like to go over my face with just a little bit of toner on a pad to make sure i took off all of the mask before adding a layer of moisturizer.

Every time i use this mask I am impressed by how my skin looks and feels and this time was no different. i enjoyed it thoroughly and am glad that i will be using this for the next month. I am very curious to see what effect a month of use will have on my skin from this mask.

I will be monitoring the exfoliation level though and if it does become too much I will discontinue use. I will be setting aside my regular exfoliators while I use this because i am pretty sure that would simply be overkill. The exfoliating Glam Glow Youthmud Face Mask twice a week should be plenty for me. in terms of exfoliation,

Honestly I am glad that i am finally getting to try a mask that I loved in sample form in the full size. It makes me want to go through my samples faster and to double check my list for things I want to add for longer term use.

Which to be fair, is kind of the point of samples.

Trying the Gatineau Gommage

I have to admit, I chose to try this out so soon after it arrived because it was the one item that came in my Allure beauty box that wasn’t explained in the pamphlet. I kind of find this amusing actually. There is an entire page about a lip scrub scrubbing lips and a body moisturizer being used to moisturize the body but not a single mention of the Gatineau Radiance Enhancing Gommage.

Because gommage needs less explanation apparently?

(oh and I checked, the Limited Edition refers to the packaging not the product so I’ve linked to the product on the website in the usual packaging just in case they take the Limited Edition down from the site. The difference between the regular and the Limited Edition is the color of the bottle – white for regular, peach for limited edition. If there is any other difference I couldn’t find it.)

Right, so let’s look at the product page on the brand’s website…

The perfect exfoliator for sensitive skin and for those experiencing breakouts, clogged pores, dull skin, uneven skin tone and pigmentation. Radiance Enhancing Gommage uses a mild enzymatic formula free from grains and beads to remove dead skin cells. The unique texture begins with a luxurious balm-like consistency, transforming into a soft nourishing oil as it gently dissolves the outermost layer of the skin. Radiance and luminosity are immediately increased and a fresh, glowing complexion is revealed.
Gatineau

Yup, it’s an exfoliator. Technically it translates to erasing or exfoliation and is considered a more gentle exfoliation than is traditional. well traditional here, it is apparently the more traditional French variety.

So now that we’ve had our morning vocab lesson, let’s look at the exfoliator.

I generally like using an exfoliator once or twice a week. This week has been interesting. In the summertime, time outside causes me to sweat a lot and while that causes me to seek out gentle cleansers so I don’t over wash my face as I add in an extra mid afternoon rinse, it also tends to limit my exfoliation use. I don’t know if it is just the summer sweat making me feel like my pores are purging themselves but i just don’t feel it as necessary.

However this week has been different. The heat index popped very high, too high to spend time outside so it has been an indoor week. While exfoliation is usually a Saturday self care moment, I find myself thinking mid week wasn’t a bad thing. I think it may be the not sweating while staying indoors with the air conditioner aspect.

For whatever reason I decided an exfoliation was in order and as i just finished my last exfoliator, I chose this newly arrived one to replace it. The scent is light and fruity. It is like a peach mixed with a hint of mandarin. It is a very light scent and it also smells like fresh skin care. It is just enough scent to be a pleasant whiff, but still clean enough to smell of skincare.

it dispenses into the hand and feels like a gel. On the website the advice is to “Rub until the balm turns into an oil, then rinse’. So that is what I did. I applied to the skin, and felt it melting into an oil from the heat of my skin almost immediately. Still I massaged a bit and then rinsed.

My skin felt fantastic. It was a very light exfoliation, there are no hard bits in it whatsoever so I’m guessing it leans more towards chemical exfoliation (hence the enzymatic in the description) If I run my finger over the areas where my pores tend to get clogged, they feel slightly more raised then they did prior to use. And to be honest, I felt that rise the next morning rather than right away. For me this tends to happen with chemical exfoliators. My skin will feel soft and extra clean after use and then the next morning the clogs in the pores will rise. this was done in a gentle way. It smelled light and fresh and gave the rest of my skin a good clean (with surface clear out) while bringing clogs to the surface.

This is all i really expect from an exfoliator. To exfoliate. this worked well, but gently and I think would be good for someone just trying exfoliation or who has sensitive skin. I would try it on the inside of your arm before your face if you have sensitive skin (and as always double check the ingredients list before applying it if you know you have allergies). It is however a very gentle exfoliator and I was very impressed by the Gatineau Radiance Enhancing Gommage. Prior to this I never heard of the brand Gatineau before, however with this product working so nicely, I think I may have to take a deeper dive into it. It was a very nice brand introduction. I just wish Allure saw fit to put more about it in the brochure.