St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub Jar Review

Body scrubs can't be gone missing on my skin care routine because I'm an ultimate huge fan of it ever since! I always use it at least thrice a week (since I don't want to strip off my skin its natural oils) after cleansing my skin because I wanted the feeling it leaves me every time I use it - skin that's softer, smoother, firmer and more glowing. So after I finished up my Gluta-C Intense Whitening Body Scrub, I decided to give the America's Number One Scrub a try - St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub. I've been using it for over three months already. And let me tell you, I still can't get enough of it! It's supposed to be a facial scrub but I don't mind using it all over my body.

I've used a whole plethora of body/facial scrubs before. One of those was the St. Ives Brightening Facial Scrub. I wasn't just able to post a review about it because I haven't started blogging yet by the time I was using it. So including another product from the same brand in my skin care regime didn't worry me at all. Anyway, just let me tell you how amazing St. Ives Apricot Scrub is!

The reason I bought it was because I've been long suffering from pimples/acne marks and large pores. And now, you can guess that I have oily skin hahah! I've read good reviews about it online so yeah, I tried it, after all, there's no harm in trying naman. To better tell the world that I'm really in love with St. Ives Scrubs, I even searched for their official website and eventually joined beauty forums and leave some love for St. Ives products through posting their own reviews LOL!

Just like what I've said, this scrub is the second one I've bought from St. Ives (the first is the St. Ives Brightening Apricot Scrub). Though the latter works well on brightening my face, it didn't help well enough in getting rid of breakouts and it's quite pricier. Fortunately, I was able to try their Blemish Control Apricot Scrub and it really works wonders for my skin! Though it helps in keeping oil at bay (and good news, it's oil-free), I don't think it did anything to minimize my pores after months of use. Guess I needed to use it quite longer to notice the effect.

The photo above probably shows how addicted I am with this scrub. Yey! It's half-empty already. Can't wait to try St Ives' other scrubs. Actually, I'm planning to buy their Green Tea line by the time I ran out of this scrub. It's just so sad that most of their product line aren't yet available in our country. I would also like to try their oatmeal scrub and I've been looking for it on beauty sections of supermarkets, department stores and Watsons but to no avail. I guess they just sell limited products in our country.

By the way, the tub as big as this retails for only PHP335 (price is increasing overtime). It's a pretty decent amount considering that you are getting a full jar with 10 oz amount inside. Also a little goes a long way so you can make sure that this will last you for quite a while.

Anyway, here's another good news! St. Ives's using 100% natural exfoliants with apricot seeds and walnut powders, so you need not to worry because it's environmental friendly. You also won't need to worry of the harmful chemicals other scrubs have since St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub is free from Parabens and Sulfate which can produce potentially serious health side effects. Better be careful what you choose for your skin nowadays.

Claims: This scrub deeply cleanses pores and stop breakouts before the occur. ALSO: For prevention of acne; for prevention of blackheads and acne-blemishes

Ingredients: Water, Juglan Regia (Walnut) Shell Powder, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Meal, Cocamido propyl Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit Extract, Cetyl Acetate, Carbomer, Polysorbate 60, Ceteareth-20, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, PPG-2 Methyl Ether, Phenetyl, Alcohol, Glycerin, Methylsothiazolinone, Fragrancem Titanium Dioxide

Directions: Clean the skin thoroughly before applying this product. Cover the entire affected area with a thin layer and rinse thoroughly one to three times daily. Because excessive drying of the skin may occur, start with one application daily, then gradually increase to two to three times daily if needed or as directed by a doctor. If bothersome dryness, or peeling occurs, reduce application to once a day or every other day.

Application: Oppose to the direction, I usually scrub my body three to four times a week ONLY as too much exfoliation can do harm on your skin. I also let it stay for about 3-5 minutes letting the active ingredients enter my pores. For better results, I mixed equal amounts of the scrub and honey together, making the scrubbing twice effective!

What I like:

• Keeps my skin soft, smooth, and moisturized
• Helps to reduce rough areas on your body
• Smells not too overpowering
• Non-drying (at least for me)
• Non-peeling (a least for me)
• Prevents breakouts
• Cleanse well
• Not harsh on my skin
• Works well on both face and body
• Has 2% Salicylic Acid
• No parabens
• No Sulfate
• Non-comedogenic (won't clog pores)
• Hypoallergenic
• Oil-free
• Retails for only P335 for a 283 grams tub
• Available in all supermarkets/drugstores nationwide

What I don't like:

• Didn't think it works well in minimizing pores
• Limited product line in the country

Remember that we all have different skin types or may react differently to certain products. What works for me, may not work for you. It's better to check the product first if it suits you well and discontinue use when causes you irritation. Also, while using this product, apply sun protection as exfoliation may increase the risk of sun damage.

Have you ever tried St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub? Share it here with me! Happy blogging!

Disclosure: This blog has been updated as of 04/19/20. By this time, St. Ives revamped the packaging and named it St. Ives Acne Control Apricot Scrub Jar but formulation is still the same.

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REVIEW: Hortaleza Professional Hair Spa Treatment

As a beauty product junkie *ehem*, I always drop by at every beauty store if I have the time. (I wish I have all the time in the world haha!) Two months ago, I had my hair dyed in this favorite salon of mine. I also had their keratin treatment and they advised me to go back to their salon every month so that I could keep my hair smooth--since dyeing your hair could make your hair rough and frizzy because of the chemical content hair dyes have, I know all you are aware of that lol-- and well, I could not afford to get my hair pampered that often so I head to the HBC store, the nearest one from my place, to find something which I could use for my diy hair treatment. Oh how I love DIYs, not just you get to learn beautifying yourself, but you could also save a lot!

Anyway, the HBC people (lol) told me that this Hortaleza Professional Hair Spa Treatment is best for color-treated, rebonded and straightened hair. They told me how effective this product is but of course I know better not to believe until I tested it myself. And I wasn't disappointed! Thanks to them I got the chance to try the magic of this tub! Hahah! And I wanna thank them as well for patiently answering my questions until I brought the product all the way to the cashier. They are very accommodating as ever.

Hortaleza Hair Spa Treatment is available in 20g sachets (less than PHP20 I think?), 250g tub (for PHP153) and 500g tub (which retails for PHP200-PHP300). Should I have known at first that HBC has the bigger tub, I would have bought it instead since I could save mor
e if that's the case. Well, talk about being practical. Heheh!

This treatment claims to "help revive damaged hair" and is "ideal for color-treated hair and hair that has undergone rebonding, straightening and relaxing treatments"

I only dyed my hair just once in my entire life and I can tell that it already has damaged every strands of it. Before I dyed my hair, I need not to apply conditioner every after shampoo but now, I feel like I have to, otherwise my hair would turn to a bird nest. Seriously. I also noticed that it has dried big time so I really had to use hair treatment every now and then. I also think that rebonding my hair for the second time would tame my hair once again (since I have that naturally straight hair) but my friends said that I have that "nice" hair already and that I don't need some rebonding. But I don't think that's the case because it doesn't feel like that anymore.

That's when I decided that I really had to go to salon. The problem was that time, I did  not have 2K for the treatment! Hahahahah! Probably, next time.

I still want to have my hair rebonded though it has returned to its normal look again. But I hate those flyaways and those straighteners, and curlers, and blowers, so straight hair is where I'll never get wrong. Hahah!

Application: I apply it as directed and only once a week. After shampooing my hair, I apply a generous amount of the formula into it with constant massaging for a better blood circulation. Oh, and did I forget to tell you that I'm also adding honey, coconut and olive oil to the formula in equal parts. It was not directed though, but in my case it so works! After at least 3 minutes, I fix my hair into a ponytale, secure it with a band and top it off with a shower cap for better nutrients absorption. After 30 minutes (or an hour), I rinse my hair and let it air dry!

Can you believe it? A 250g tub only retails for as low as PHP153! I think it would last me for up to a year! You can also buy it in every HBC store nationwide.

The manufacturing and expiration date are printed at the base of the tub. Obviously, it has a life shelf of at least 2 years which is great since I think it will be emptied by 2016. Another thing that I like about it is the complete information printed on every product because if you're like me, you're going to check out/read every little detail first before purchasing it. You might want to know that the product you are purchasing isn't expired yet or you'll end up feeling sorry. (Hahah! Kidding! I'm pretty sure the HBC people won't sell/do anything that would possibly tarnish the image of the company.)

The formula was not at all yellow-ish. I just had to add some honey onto it since just like what I've said, adding honey and oil works well for my hair.

Photo below was the actual color of the treatment. It's kind of gel-like in consistency and smells good for me. It also has a kind of plastic protector so as not to contaminate the contents easily.

What I like:

• the affordability (PHP153 for 250g tub)
• long-lasting
• has glycerin known to be a good moisturizer both for hair and skin
• has Vitamin E known to prevent further damage and promote hair growth
• has Aloe Vera that promotes shine and moisture on hair
• smells really good (even after two days, the smell still lingers in my hair! It's just so sad that I need to use it only once a week. I'm actually tempted to use it as my conditioner instead.)
• its effectiveness (makes hair softer and smoother)
• exclusively available in any HBC stores nationwide

What I don't like:

• has parabens (lthough it's not yet clear whether parabens are unsafe or not, it would still be better if we get to be conscious enough as our health is what's at risk here)

How about you? Have you tried Hortaleza Professional Hair Spa Treatment? You can share it with me! Happy blogging! xx

Love, Hanna