My Thoughts on Sugar Scrubs, Peeling Gels, & Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid

Sugar Scrubs

Andalou Naturals Clear Skin Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub felt so harsh on my skin at some point. I don’t know what was going on with it or with my skin, but I used it again with awesome results. It didn’t feel too harsh or rough on my skin this time. It helped remove dead skin cells off of my face and left my skin feeling and looking smoother. I had dry patches of stubborn, flaky skin that came off using this facial scrub. My skin looked clearer and more glowy afterwards. It looked better. I didn’t think it felt harsh or rough on my skin as before. It’s like my skin just changed and the facial scrub now works. So much has happened over the past year. My skin is finally healing ❤️‍🩹. I don’t need a lot of product when using this facial scrub to exfoliate my skin either. Just a little bit goes a long way. This is what I’ve been using to remove dead skin cells off of my face for the time being. Even though the results have been good, I’m still not sure if I’ll purchase it again. I’ll have to think about it. I do have another facial scrub (Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub), but I don’t really like it. I’m just using it to get rid of it. It doesn’t have the same effect as the Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub. Also, the granules are larger too and feels more abrasive on the skin. I’m also not a fan of the stickiness of the Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub. The results have been so much better with the Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub that’s all.

Peeling Gels

I still have nearly a full tube of Benton PHA Peeling Gel, which I’ve been using only once a week. That’s if I remember to. I’ve lost interest in peeling gels. They do absolutely nothing for my skin. I haven’t noticed any improvements whatsoever. Yeah, they feel nice on the skin. Like I’m pampering myself, but I feel like it’s a waste of time and money. I haven’t noticed any significant results using it. I still have a couple of more unopened tubes of peeling gels that I purchased a while back (of a different brand). Maybe they’ll be different compared to Benton. I’ll have to try them out to find out. So, I’m not a fan of this particular peeling gel — Benton PHA Peeling Gel. It’s not for me. No results. Waste of money. Waste of time. I got nothing out of it. I’m not going to purchase any peeling gels any time soon. Moving on…

Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid

I’m just going to get to the point. This product isn’t what it used to be. It doesn’t work at all. At least on my skin. I was still developing acne, blackheads, cysts, pustules, whatever. The point is, it didn’t nothing for my acne. I’m not going to purchase it again when I’m done with it. I really don’t know what to do with what I have left. Probably just give it away. Haha. Out it goes! I really tried to make it work too. It’s an overhyped product, in my opinion. It wasn’t worth it for me.

That’s a quick update on some products that I have and what I think about them. I feel like I’m purging a bunch of skin care products from my life. If it doesn’t work, it just doesn’t work. Stay tuned for more skin care updates!!

Review: Andalou Naturals Clear Skin Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub

Here’s one more Anadalou Naturals skin care product! I hope! So this is the Andalou Naturals Clear Skin Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub. It’s not in the rosewater collection. For reviews on the rosewater collection & other Andalou Naturals skin care products I have reviewed, go here:

Review: Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Eye Revive Contour Gel

Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Pearl Exfoliator

Review: Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Rosewater Mask

Review: Andalou Naturals Luminous Eye Serum

This face scrub is made from fruit stem cell complex with argan stem cells, manuka oil, agave, and organic cane sugar to gently exfoliate dull, dry skin to improve tone and texture. Meyer lemon refreshes and revitalizes for a bright and balanced complexion. It is non-GMO, vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free.

Enjoy my review on Andalou Naturals Clear Skin Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub! 🙂

My experience

This facial scrub smells like vanilla-lemon. I’m not too fond of the smell of the product. The mixture of vanilla and lemon isn’t for me. It smells weird. The scrub feels grainy and rather rough. Seems a little too much for the facial skin, to be honest. Once I tried it on my face, yep, it was way too much for my skin. It’s a sugar scrub, so the pieces of exfoliant feels granular. But the exfoliant melts a little when mixed with some water and as the scrub is rubbed into the skin. Still, it still feels too rough on the skin. That’s just not good or healthy for the skin. It’ll create micro-tears in the skin. Also, the lemon in this product burns the skin. Lemons and the facial skin just don’t go together. It irritated my skin like no other. My skin was bright red after using it. It’s just way. too. harsh! In my opinion, this facial scrub is just plain terrible for the face. It’s more for the body like the hands, feet, and elbows. But, there’s a few good things I noticed when using this facial scrub, which is funny because of how awful it is for the facial skin. It actually did leave my skin feeling and looking softer and smoother afterwards. It removed dead skin cells! I noticed how velvety my skin felt when I was washing my face the next morning and my makeup went on ultra smoothly. Also, my skin looked brighter and glowy. Hmmm, interesting! 🤔

How can something be so bad but be so good? lol.

Well! From this experience, the bad outweighs the good no matter how good the good is. This facial scrub is just too rough on the facial skin no matter how much I don’t want it to be, lol. I was very ecstatic to try this facial scrub. It just looks very promising and seems like it’ll give results. And it did! With a price. 😮‍💨 The product looks good upon opening too. It’s also vegan and cruelty-free. What’s not to love? But, I can’t imagine using it again (on my face, of course). I’ll use it on my feet or legs. The other ingredients in it besides the exfoliant looks pretty good too. Let’s do a run through of the ingredients at a glance…

It contains sugar cane juice, vegetable glycerin, coconut oil, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, sunflower seed oil, olive fruit oil, vitamin c, vitamin e, manuka honey, fruit stem cells (argan, malus domestica, solar vitis), bioactive berry complex, white tea leaf extract, lemon peel oil…

The ingredients look more natural compared to other skin care products I’ve used. Too bad that it had to be so harsh on the facial skin. I stopped using it.

This is what the Clear Skin Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub looks like. The coloring of the packaging is so cool. 😍

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Removes dead skin cells
• Leaves the skin feeling softer and smoother
• Makeup goes on much smoother after using this facial scrub
• Vegan and cruelty-free product!

❌ Cons

• Way too harsh on the facial skin
• Burns 🍋🍋🍋
• Not a fan of the smell of the product

Conclusion

I still have an almost full jar of Andalou Naturals Clear Skin Lemon Sugar Facial Scrub sitting around. I haven’t been using it much. Only once in a while if I remember, lol. I’ve been using it to scrub my lips. I’m just happy that I’m using it for something, or it’ll go to waste. But, I won’t purchase it again. I’d much prefer a facial scrub that’s more suitable for the facial skin. You know, a more gentle yet effective exfoliant that doesn’t harm the skin. haha. Would I recommend? No.

Review: Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Pearl Exfoliator

So I have another Andalou Naturals skin care product to talk about. Yes, another one! lol. If you missed out on my previous reviews on Andalou Naturals skin care products, click on the links below to check them out!

Review: Andalou Naturals Luminous Eye Serum

Review: Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Eye Revive Contour Gel

The product I’m sharing this time is Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Pearl Exfoliator. I was on the quest to find an amazing facial scrub. I thought I would give the brand Andalou Naturals a try. So this exfoliator is a mineral exfoliator with alpine rose stem cells. It gently sweeps away impurities, dull skin, and dry skin. Contains pomegranate to uplift tone. Has moisture-binding humectants to help revive skin’s hydro lipid barrier for a flawless looking complexion. It’s non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, cruelty-free, pH balanced, hypoallergenic, and dermatologist tested. I finished the whole product. Now here are my thoughts on it!

My experience

This product is a gel with very tiny exfoliating beads in it. The beads are not harsh or abrasive. They’re smooth. This exfoliator is indeed very gentle on the skin. It didn’t burn or irritate my skin. I want to emphasize the gentleness of this facial scrub because it truly is. Even though I love how gentle it is on the skin, I wish it was more exfoliating and actually did something for my skin. I didn’t think it did anything. I saw no improvements in the condition of my skin. I still had dead skin stuck to my face after use. It’s supposed to be an exfoliator, right? Shouldn’t it remove dead skin cells and leave my skin feeling softer and smoother afterwards? It just didn’t do anything. It’s too gentle. The amount of beads in this product is very sparse. It feels more like a facial cleanser than an exfoliator/facial scrub. Since the exfoliator was terrible at removing dead skin cells, I tried pressing the exfoliating beads onto my skin a little more. Giving it a little bit more pressure to feel the beads on my facial skin, but that didn’t work either. It didn’t help remove dead skin from my face. From this experience, I think this exfoliator is just too weak and just not right. When I’m exfoliating my facial skin, I want the process to be a smooth, effortless, and natural as much as possible. For that reason, I didn’t like this facial scrub. I wasn’t happy finishing the product. It’s just a very bad product.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Extremely gentle on the skin
• Good for sensitive skin
• Cruelty-free
• Vegan

❌ Cons

• Not enough exfoliating beads in this product.
• Doesn’t exfoliate the skin. I still had dead skin stuck on my skin after use.

Conclusion

Another Andalou Naturals product down. This exfoliator was just really bad. It didn’t exfoliate like it’s supposed to. It didn’t sweep away impurities, dull, dry skin or uplift the tone. It didn’t leave my skin looking flawless. My complexion didn’t glow afterwards. I had no results from this product. It was a waste of money. I won’t purchase again. It’s not an exfoliator I would recommend. Don’t buy.

My Experience with Silicone Exfoliators!

After trying a konjac sponge (Purito Jeju Volcanic Scoria Konjac Sponge), I thought I would try a silicone exfoliator instead, since it looks more clean and sanitary for daily use or when I need to exfoliate my skin. The purpose of using a silicone exfoliator is the same as using any other facial exfoliator tool. It helps to clean out the pores, remove dead skin, and leaves the skin soft and smooth. Now here are my thoughts on this silicone exfoliator!

My experience

The pack I purchased contained 5 silicone scrubbies in a variety of colors. Mine came in lavender, mint green, baby blue, yellow, and baby pink. The first one I used was the lavender one (not pictured). These silicone exfoliators are pliable. It feels like plastic. To use this exfoliator, I applied my facial cleanser onto my skin first. Gently rub it in to my skin. Next, I lightly move the silicone exfoliator in circular motions on my face to remove dead skin. Not too much pressure. Just a little bit. I had some dead skin hanging from my face, and I noticed that it removed them pretty well without being harsh. Not bad at all! It helped to remove (some) dead skin cells without being too abrasive. It’s very similar to the konjac sponge, except it doesn’t feel soft and squishy on the skin. What’s great about these silicone exfoliators is that they’re easier to clean and sanitize. They’re also portable. Sounds all good. But, I didn’t like the way it felt on my skin. I think I’d rather much prefer a facial brush or something else that’s softer instead. Since the silicone exfoliator is a piece of plastic, that’s what it feels like when I use it on my skin. I just didn’t like it. So I eventually stopped using the silicone exfoliator. It didn’t do much for my acne anyways. Moving on…

This is what the silicone exfoliator looks like. The product is very small. It fits in the palm of my hand.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Easy to clean
• Inexpensive
• Gently exfoliates the skin

❌ Cons

• Doesn’t do a thorough job at removing dead skin
• Plastic feels a bit rough on the facial skin

Conclusion

I wasn’t too much of a fan of the silicone exfoliator. I still have a pack of these exfoliators sitting around untouched. Maybe I’ll put them to good use by using it to exfoliate my legs or something, lol. I just didn’t enjoy using it on my facial skin. A soft, gentle facial brush works so much better and removes dead skin cells just as well without feeling like I’m rubbing plastic on my face. I think it’s just a preference. This silicone exfoliator may work for someone else. It’s just not for me.

Review: Neutrogena Bright Boost Resurfacing Micro Polish

It looks like I’m on a roll with products with alpha hydroxy acids. Neutrogena Bright Boost Resurfacing Micro Polish is an exfoliant I’ve been using to remove dead skin cells from my facial skin. I do use peeling gels, but they’re super gentle on the skin. I needed something that’s more aggressive and effective on my skin. I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted to see using peeling gels. I still like peeling gels. They feel nice on the skin, but I needed a product that helps to remove dead skin when my skin is sloughing off. So I chose this product! This is a polishing facial scrub that cleanses away dirt, oil, grime, impurities, and bacteria. It’s formulated with glycolic acid and mandelic acid. Helps to exfoliate the skin and make it smoother and brighter. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now. Here’s my experience with it!

My experience

This polish is a cream with fine exfoliating particles. It has a floral scent to it. It’s not fragrance-free. Fragrance is listed as an ingredient. The fragrance doesn’t bother me. It’s not too bad. So I was very excited for this face polish! It’s because I haven’t found a good, effective facial exfoliant in so long. Most facial scrubs I’ve used were too harsh on my skin or not aggressive enough. The base of the product would sometimes irritate my skin. And that didn’t work for me. My face would turn red and burn. With the Neutrogena Bright Boost Resurfacing Micro Polish, the base is soothing and creamy. It doesn’t burn my skin. Also, it contains fine, tiny exfoliating particles to remove dead skin cells. It’s aggressive enough to remove dead skin cells on my face without being harsh. The polish does sting/tingle the skin just a little bit (much different than burning) when applied to the skin (contains glycolic acid and mandelic acid), but I don’t leave it on for too long. Just a few minutes then rinse.

So this polish helped to remove all of that flaky dead skin that I was dealing with. It happens a few times a week where I have a chunk of dead skin sitting on my top of my face (needs to be removed!!). It works! Without having to put too much pressure on the skin. I just smooth the exfoliating scrub all over my face. Once I feel that the dead skin has been detached from my facial skin, I rinse it off. I’m left with softer, smoother, more glowy skin afterwards! As for acne, it’s really hard to tell if it helps acne or not. I mainly purchased it to remove dead skin. And chemical exfoliants (glycolic acid, mandelic acid) are more effective when left on the skin. I’m already using a glycolic acid product (my thoughts on it here). For me, this polish is a nice little addition to my routine to remove dead skin cells. It seems to be working for me. I only use it a few times a week. It’s perfect for those days when my skin is extremely oily. Beyond greasy, ahem! It just wipes all of the oil away and leaves my skin feeling and looking happy. The results are softer, smoother, prettier skin. 🙂

This is what the polish looks like. Ever so creamy!!

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Contains glycolic acid, mandelic acid
• Brightens the skin
• Exfoliating particles feel gentle on the skin
• Removes gunk, dead skin cells from the skin
• Effective exfoliant

❌ Cons

• May be to aggressive for sensitive skin (patch test first!)

Conclusion

After a couple of weeks of using this polish, I really like it. Sometimes when I use an exfoliating brush or other facial scrubs, dead skin doesn’t come off properly. They’re still stuck on my face. With this polish, it really helps! I’ve seen noticeable improvements after each use! My skin is softer, smoother, and more glowy afterwards! I highly recommend this product! It’s been awesome!

For more reviews on Neutrogena skin care products go here!!