little white truths

I've mentioned before that we're camping out at Mum and Dad's at the moment because we're waiting to move into our new house, and since they're overseas, it was a happy circumstance that we could avoid paying rent for a bit but also look after their house for them while they're travelling.

Anyhoo. The point of saying all that is: while we're here, I've been given the green light from my mum and sister to have a play with a few of their beauty products so I can review them. Huzzah!

This little body polish is one of those products, and I'm wondering how old it is (!) because I've just seen that it's been discontinued - although it's still available online from some retailers - but the product itself is still ok since I've tried it before while staying here and it still looks and smells the same.

Clarins claims/product details:

• A gentle, soothing exfoliator that leaves skin satiny smooth
• Formulated with sugar and sea salt crystals, essential oils and plant extracts
• Gentle on your skin while being relaxing and promoting a sense of wellbeing
• Eliminates dead skin cells and impurities while respecting the hydrolipidic film
• Refines skin texture and leaves skin wonderfully soft
• To use: apply with light massage movements to damp skin; rinse thoroughly
• RRP $38 AUD for 250g, but do shop around

Verdict

I haven't had a lot of luck with Clarins products and this one is no exception. Having said this, if I use the scrub dry (and not in the shower or bath, where water is quickly combined with it), I find that it does a much better job of exfoliation and I quickly grew to like it a lot more than I did on the first couple of uses.

It's a thick product that's more like a balm and a little goes a long way, so that's a plus when it comes to expensive products because they wind up being better value than you might think when you first use them.

Probably the stand-out aspect for me is the strong smell, which I don't like and don't find at all relaxing. I can't pinpoint the scent exactly, but it smells something like sandalwood and patchouli, with something bitter underneath that penetrates my nose quite sharply (aniseed?). Do note, though, that I have a strong sense of smell - so it may be that others don't smell it as sharply as I do.

The other issue I have with this product is that it melts all too quickly when mixed with water, so the scrubby crystals vanish and it's not a good scrub for this reason because it becomes more like a balm that does little in terms of cleansing and exfoliation.

However, if I use this dry, it's a gentle scrub that feels beautiful on the skin and I do like it. In terms of texture, it reminds me of a Natio hand scrub I've used before, and when used on my hands it leaves them feeling soft and supple, and it seems to have a hydrating effect as well because I don't need to slather my hands with cream after use.

I've had a look at some reviews online to see if others found the same issues I did. Interestingly, I saw a couple of reviewers say that it works best if you ignore the usage instructions and use the product dry and not on damp skin, so it looks as though they've come to the same conclusion as me.

I should also note that a lot of people said they love the smell of this product, so of course, it all comes down to personal opinion.

Happily, my sister has said that she doesn't want this particular product and I'm welcome to keep it (yay!), so I may well do so and use it as a dedicated hand scrub, since I have other body scrubs I prefer and nothing to use on my hands.

In sum, this product grew on me and while it's not one I would buy, I'm enjoying using it now and I'll happily use it to keep my hands in good shape.

Worth trying if you like gentle scrubs.