Garnier Pure Active Exfo-Brusher Review

I was in Singapore recently and I picked this little thingamajig up when I saw it at Guardian Pharmacy. It's called Pure Active Exfo-Brusher from Garnier and what caught my attention was the brush like attachment at the top ~ although I must say the tester at the pharmacy was a little grimy looking....ewww! That did not put me off though so I purchased one to try. Apart from the brush, the other thing that caught my attention was the claim that the product would eventually fade acne scars. I do have a spot or two which I am in the process of trying to rub into oblivion and I thought that this could give it the much needed boost it needs.

It is a big bottle and you get 150ml's of product. I have been using this on and off for two weeks and I am quite pleased with what I am experiencing so far.

To begin with, I do have oily skin and this leads to the occassional breakout or two. As a result, I do have a few marks on my face, which is why I was interested to see if there was any truth to the claim that this will help diminish acne scars as well as lessen the sebum production a little too.

The active ingredient in this product is 2% Salicylic Acid. For those who would like to know, here is a little information on Salicylic Acid taken from E-How.com:-

• Salicylic acid is a beta-hydroxy acid derived from the bark of a willow tree. It has both cosmetic and medicinal uses. It is often found in skin care products because of its ability to treat acne, psoriasis, warts and other skin conditions.
• Salicylic acid has many cosmetic benefits and is usually used to treat blemishes. When applied to the skin, salicylic acid works by causing the cells of the epidermis to shed properly. This prevents the pores of the skin from getting clogged up and being infected with bacteria. It's basically a chemical agent that aids in the process of exfoliation by eliminating surface skin cells and opening up pores.

The Good:

The Exfo-Brusher head has180 ultra soft flexi-bristles which together with the liquid cleanser that it dispenses works to clean the face and exfoliate at the same time. I thought this was really unique that an exfoliator did not come with harder bristles to really rub the life out of your skin....so this was a pleasant surprise indeed.

What I did like about the product is the smell of the cleanser - it is fresh, pleasant and clean smelling and not at all cloying which is a big put off for me. The soft bristles was also another bonus and this meant that I would have to deal with a red face or be afraid of how much pressure I assert on it as I am scrubbing my face. I did like the lovely soft scrubbing sensation on my face as I used it. It cleans my quite oily face without leaving it taut and dry. My skin feels truly clean after washing with this.



To ensure maximum benefits, you need to turn the bottle upside down and press until some of the liquid comes out of the little hole in the middle of the brush (as you can see from the photo below). The cleanser is not gel like but rather very runny so you need to be sure that you do not over squeeze like I did the first time. This results in a lot of the product dribbling down the sides. Thoroughly wet your face and begin brushing this in a circular motion all over your face. For obvious reasons and you will see as you look at how the brush head is designed, this is not meant for more delicate areas such as the area under your eyes. I stay away from that area and concentrate more on five areas :- my cheeks; my forehead; my chin; my nose as well as my neck. A little bit of the product can go a long way as I use one generous squeeze for all these areas.

The cleanser is not overly foamy too which suits me fine.

I find that this product is more effective on a face that is devoid of makeup - so I do not use this when I get back from work to remove make-up. I remove my make up with moist towels which come pre-soaked in cleansing oil and then I wash with a cleanser. I keep this exfo-brusher for when I wash my face just before I go to bed. I like the slight tingly feel of a well cleansed face and you do get a tingly clean feel because the scrubbing action gets your circulation going and prepares the face well for night lotions and potions!

 

What Can Be Improved:

I think the overall design can be improved a little. For starters, the brush head is a little too big. If it were smaller, I would be better able to handle it and target specific areas. I found the areas on the bridge of my nose and around the nose area generally hard to handle because of the big brush head.

Also, the bottle becomes harder to manage when your hands are wet and soapy. I suggest rubber grips on the side to give more control over it's use.

If the cleanser was a little thicker, this can prevent too much product from dripping out as you turn it over to dispense the liquid.

I cannot comment on whether it has lightened my acne marks, because I have not used it long enough. I am not keeping my hopes up high but if there are any noticeable changes in a month or so,then I will report back.

My Top Beauty Picks of 2011!

Here are some practices I started in 2010 and am continuing through 2011 and beyond. These are items which have become entrenched in my beauty routine now and I cannot do without them.

Meet my not so new friends – NYX Eye Shadow Base and Smashbox PhotoFinish Primer. These are the two additions to my beauty steps prior to applying makeup.

I love NYX Eye Shadow Base for the lasting power it gives my eye shadows and now I do not have to worry about that ugly oily crease that I get in my eye socket by midday. I used to be so self conscious about it and sometimes when I am busy at work and forget to check, I wonder how others would have felt when they had to look at the ugly light brown line on my eye where the oil had its way! Not any more…..i wonder why I did not discover this earlier, because it certainly has been a wonderful product. Initially I was skeptical as to whether this product would deliver as even though I had heard about Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, I had not come around to purchasing it due to the numerous complaints about its seemingly flawed design. There were hundreds of YouTube posts on how to depot what was in the cute bottle and that scared me a little, I must admit.

Well, the NYX ES Base indeed was a little surprise in a pot for me as the payoff was good, bright colors and most important of all, super staying power. Even when I walk out in the sunny heat for lunch, my eye does not get that oily crease-y gunk that looks terrible. I cannot say enough about how much I love this product.

When I finally got round to purchasing Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, I did not use it as much as I do my NYX. I have also (albeit, a little unfairly) not given it a spin and put it to the 12 hours and above test like my NYX. I guess I will have to get round to doing that soon and when I do, I will let you know how that went. In fact one day I am going to use UDPP on one eye and NYX ESB on the other and put it to the test that way!!

My other makeup staple now is the Photofinish Primer by Smashbox….which they have thankfully also repackaged! The old packaging was terrible and until this day I have not figured out how to get the last bit of Primer out of that damn package! I love how my face looks and remains fresh throughout the day with the Primer on and it really controls the oily shine that is so unsightly. I still need to pat my oily face with a tissue or Blotting papers after lunch everyday but even if I forget, the oil does not shine like a beacon on my face!

Another good substitute for this Primer, if you are a beauty on a budget is Monistat Chafing Gel. It is just as good as the Smashbox version only cheaper. I do use both interchangeably without preference for any one. I think Smashbox is slightly better at controlling my oiliness but just marginally so. I do not think Monistat can be purchased here in Malaysia (at least I have not seen it in the shops) but there are some online spreer’s that will be more than happy to purchase it for you.

Apart from these, I am also more aware of the need to exfoliate regularly and I use Clinique’s Exfoliating Scrub every two or three days. The grains in this gentle scrub are not abrasive and can be used often. It is 100% fragrance free and its top ingredient is water. I never realized how my pores can get clogged and thus resistant to absorbing all the good and expensive products I have bought for my skin until a recent experiment done by my favorite SA at Clinique (Pavilion). She cleansed my cheeks – one side with cleanser and the other she used the Exfoliating Scrub. She then applied my moisturizer on both cheeks and asked me to feel which side had absorbed the moisturizer best. Lo and behold it was the cheek that had been exfoliated that had completely absorbed the moisturizer! That side of my cheek felt smooth and satiny. The other side was still a little damp with my moisturizer just ‘sitting’ on my skin and after some vigorous rubbing, I then felt that the moisturizer had been absorbed. That too not as fully as the other cheek that was exfoliated.

We may sometimes think we know so much about makeup but there are still some tips and tricks we can learn that will benefit our skin greatly. It is one thing to talk about the benefits of doing something or using some product but until we experiment and see the results for ourselves, we will never know. So do try this little experiment for yourself with whatever Exfoliating Scrub you currently use and then see how well your moisturizer is absorbed. For my face, I have to exfoliate every three to four days in order for my moisturizer to properly be absorbed. The environment we work in also plays a big part in clogging our pores. A cleanser alone cannot wash away what is deeply embedded in our pores and the dust (heat and dust are our greatest enemies when it comes to clogged pores and being in the tropics, we cannot run away from these two things). So, surprise, surprise, our cleansers do clean what lies on the surface but a thorough exfoliation or even a deep clay mask will do the trick of cleansing from deep within.

What are your must haves for 2011 dear readers? Have you discovered a tip that was interesting? Do share!

Tip! Which Lotion Comes First?

As consumers we are bombarded with lots of lotions and potions that each claim to perform some miracle on our faces and with agressive advertising we always get the impression that every product that comes out is "THE " product to have! I suspect that most of us don't have the three basic products - cleanser, toner moisturizer but rather a whole host of products in each category and if you are cofused as to which order to use them then do I have a tip for you.

Read on!

Always, always CLEANSE and EXFOLIATE first. The only way to start is with a clean face. If your face is not clean, then you are likely to clog your pores further by adding and layering products on your face.

STEP 1a: CLEANSING

Cleansing is also a crucial step. Check your cleansing routine. Some years ago, I discovered that I was not cleansing the area close to my hairline well. I began having breakouts in this area and upon investigation I realized that my cleansing routine was wrong.

Start by spashing some water on your face. This is important to allow your cleanser to mix with the water and begin its work. Then squeeze or pour out a decent measure of cleanser on the tips of your wet fingers and rub well to produce lather. Once this is done, start working the cleanser on your face. I begin with my t-zone (my nose and forehead) and then move to my cheeks and then all around my eye area, lip area, near the hairline, close to the earlobes and under my chin as well as my neck. Gently rub in circular movements for a minute or two.

Once you complete this step, splash your face with water and focus on your hairline, around the eyes, and on the neck to remove all traces of cleanser. You are done once you gently pat a towel on your face to remove the moisture.

STEP 1b: EXFOLIATING

I usually exfoliate once a week or if I do have time, at night while I am showering. This helps deep cleanse the face and remove stuff like dead skin cells. Exfoliating also reveals the freshest layer of skin on your face and if done well, you should notice a brighter and slightly fairer face after. Too  much exfoliating is not good as it can lead to redness blotchy skin. So take it easy on this one.

STEP 2: TONING

This is an optional step for some people and always comes AFTER cleansing. At this point, your face is still a little damp.

Take a piece of cotton wool - they come in squares or circles in packs and are really cheap. I personally prefer the circular ones because I feel they are thicker. Splash a few drops of toner on your cotton piece and sweep over face concentrating on areas around the hairline and close to the earlobes. Don't be surprised to find some last traces of makeup on the cotton.

Toning will tighten up pores and preps the skin to receive all other products. If you don't have large pores and oily skin (lucky you!) then by all means skip this step.

STEP 3: SERUMS AND TREATMENTS

If you have a serum then now is the time to put it on. Rub your fingers together to warm it up and then pump or pour out a little of the product on them. Rub your fingers together to spread the product and gently swipe on your face. Let it set and settle for a few seconds. Give your skin time to absorb the product before you move on to the next step.

STEP 4: MOISTURIZING  

A good tip is to buy a moisturizer with an SPF factor of at least 15. What is an SPF you ask? SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor.

A sunscreen with an SPF of 15 filters 92% of the UVB. Put another way, a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will delay the onset of a sunburn in a person who would otherwise burn in 10 minutes to burn in 150 minutes. The SPF 15 sunscreen allows a person to stay out in the sun 15 times longer. (Taken from About.com - dermatology)

UVB (or ultra violet) rays are bad and small amounts of these are emitted from your computer screen and flourescent lighting too (surprised right?!). Wearing a moisturizer with SPF will give you some measure of protection from this.

Again, with moisturizer, get some on your fingers and rub between fingers to dispers and then apply on your face. Do also factor in some for your neck....this is often overlooked and will begin to show signs of ageing later in life so better start taking care of it now!

So there you have it. Hope this was useful!

How Often Do You Exfoliate?

It is believed by many that cleansing and exfoliating is important in maintaining great skin. Thus I cleanse three times a day - first thing in the morning, as soon as I get back from the office and just before I sleep. This is because of my combination skin which causes the area around my forehead, nose and chin to become oily. I also exfoliate once every week. 

Following the extremely dusty environment that I was working in these few weeks, I needed to step up my cleansing routine to ensure that my pores were not clogged and thus began exfoliating twice a week.

My favourite exfoliant is this one by Aesop - Tea Tree Leaf Facial Exfoliant and I have had it for the longest time as you can see from the tired looking bottle!

 

The exfoliant is a mixture of ground tea tree leaf, nuts and purified clay. It is suitable for most skin types which is perfect for my combination skin. I just tip some of the powder into the palm of my moistened hand and gently rub over my face and neck. I also use the excess on the back of my hands to give it a gentle scrub as well.....as you know a woman's true age is reflected by how smooth the back of her hand is and I am hell bent on that age being 25 and staying there!!

There are many types of exfoliants on the market such as beads which are gentler and grains such as the one I am using which is why the texture is on the coarse side so for those who prefer a gentler scrub, this may not be suitable.

Also, gentle massaging helps to zap the impurities that cause dullness and helps to stimulate blood flow which restores the natural luminosity of your skin.

So dear readers, how often do you exfoliate?