Clinique Exfoliating Scrub > Reviews > A scrub with a zing...

Author's product rating:   

How does it affect your skin?	It is quite gentle / nice
Does it dehydrate your skin?	No
Value for money	Good

Advantages:	Very fine grains, refreshing menthol sensation
Disadvantages:	Uncanny resemblance to gritty toothpaste !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I'm a major Clinique fan, so when I saw this scrub in a discount cosmetics store in the US whilst on holiday I just had to try it. I got it there for around $15, over here it is sold for £14.50 for 100ml. (If you like Clinique, definitely look out for it if you're in the US on holiday, it is much cheaper!).

I tend to use an exfoliating scrub once a week, or just before an evening out. I find it makes my foundation look more even and go a lot further, and it clears and minimises pores and blackheads. I've tried lots of different brands, from the old faithful Aapri (ouch those big rough apricot kernels can hurt!), to the facial washes with grains (which never seem to actually do anything). But this version is far and away the best one I've tried.

The Clinique Exfoliating Scrub is sold as 'a skin-clearing, water-based scrub for oily skins'. Interestingly, it also contains menthol, which 'gives the skin a fresh, cooling sensation'.

It comes in a squeezy tube, and has the thick consistency of toothpaste. It is full of tiny grains, like fine sand, which are rounded so as not to scratch your skin. I find it a little odd that it is 'Fragrance free' - since you can smell the menthol, which adds to the toothpaste resemblence! But this menthol is great, it is really refreshing and gives you a zingy kind of feeling, waking you and your skin up. You only need to use a small amount each time, around the size of a couple of peas, so it lasts months.

You put it on damp, make-up free skin, and massage it with a gentle circular motion, avoiding eyes and lips. You then just rinse it off with water and, in normal Clinique-speak, 'follow with 3-Step Skin Care System'. You shouldn't use it on 'active breakout' which I guess means a major spot fest. It seems to work best as a preventative measure, rather than using it when the spots have already appeared.

I really love this product - it gently polishes my skin like any other good quality scrub, but the difference is that the menthol also gives me a lovely wake up tingly feeling.

And, here's a confession - my husband uses it too! He finds it really helps to cut down on nasty ingrowing hairs and reduces open pores. So it's not just for the girls!