Love love this product! Unfortunately it's become very difficult to find. I've checked Target, CVS, Walmart, RiteAid, Price Chopper, Hannaford, all the usual places and nothing. Hannaford said they may have discontinued it?! Gasp! Off to Walgreens tonight...

I saw this on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart a little while ago, and remembered reading good reviews on it here on ChickAdvisor! So I decided to try it! I really like this product. It didn't smell chemically, the exfoliants are not too harsh and it makes my skin feel great! I didn't find it made my skin too dry, but I use it in the shower and put on moisturizer right away, so maybe that's helping. I use it about twice a week and can think of nothing bad to say about it. My roommate borrowed it and loved it too, now she has a tube of her own! :)
If I were forced to pick something negative, maybe it would be the price. It's a small tube for more than $10. But if you can find it on sale, then it's well worth it!

I must agree with the previous reviewer, this smells SO good! I've tried a couple other at home microdermabrasion scrubs and hated the chemically smell they had but this one is so light and relaxing, I love it. The little bit of lather is really nice, too. The exfoliating crystals are very fine and do the job well, but they are not too rough or harsh. They do seem to distribute more evenly than other scrubs so you get even exfoliation.

The only thing I don't really like is that after using it, my skin feels tight. Not dried out, just uncomfortably tight, similar to the way your skin can feel when it's dried out. I'm not sure that makes sense but I'm not sure how else to explain it. That tight feeling does go away after about an hour or so though. I use it twice a week though as part of my regular routine and I do like it a lot, it really helps keep my skin soft and glowy.

I've always had such a soft spot for St. Ives products. From face scrubs to hydroxy masks to body washes, when something new comes out, I'm just compelled to try it.

St. Ives has a new line of products known as St. Ives Elements which are each formulated to help rejuvenate skin using natural elements. The new line is paraben-free for those that are trying to do right by their skin but aren't ready to completely go all natural.

So, we've all probably heard the words muttered before either through a television commercial or from a friend of a friend. And that word is, Microdermabrasion.

What is Microdermabrasion you might ask? Microdermabrasion is a painless and invasive procedure in which the skin undergoes a series of resurfacing treatments. The treatments are meant to thoroughly exfoliate the top layer of the skin diminishing fine lines and wrinkles, fading age spots and acne scars, as well as refining pores, in order to return your skin's natural glow.

Professional Microdermabrasion procedures were initially administered by plastic surgeons. As time progressed, day spas incorporated the procedure into their services and now you can find different OTC brands expanding their skin care products to include Microdermabrasion kits and scrubs.

But while there are a handful of people (including yours truly) who cannot afford to successfully undergo consistent Microdermabrasion sessions at $75-200 PER SESSION (and it's advised to attend sessions every couple weeks!), Microdermabrasion kits are available at your local drugstores. They can range in price from around $10-40 depending on brand and whether or not the kits include tools or other products useful to the procedure.

So, like most people, I've opted for the lighter at-home version to get my feet wet.

Here enters St. Ives Elements Microdermabrasion Scrub.

St. Ives Microdermabrasion Scrub $7-8 USD

"Smooth away fine lines with our Microdermabrasion Scrub. Rich in natural Vitamin E anti-oxidants, the fine mineral crystals exfoliate and deep clean to even out your skin's texture. While chamomile delicately soothes your skin, to leave you feeling moisturized and renewed. Powerful, yet gentle enough to use every day. Now that's amazing." ~StIves.com

PRICE
I got a 4 oz tube for less than $10. Compared to a lot of other OTC Microdermabrasion kits, that is rather affordable. Although I haven't tried the other ones BECAUSE of the price, I'm led to believe that the other brands probably have additional products included with the kit if not a tool that helps.

In comparison to other St. Ives products, you do get less product with the Microdermabrasion Scrub than their other facial scrubs and it does cost more.

PACKAGING
It comes in a squeezeable tube like majority of St. Ives facial products. I actually prefer this packaging than having it come inside a tub as I hate sticking my fingers into containers and getting product under my fingernails. But one thing you do have to deal with in this type of packaging is when it gets down to the bottom of the tube. I'm sure everyone has experienced the bending of the corners in 20 million different directions to ensure you've used ALL the product. Of course your can snip the container and scoop out what's left, but call me lazy. I'm a bender, hah.

SMELL
The smell is sooo heavenly! Chamomile not only appeals nicely to my sense of smell but it's anti-inflammatory properties help soothe my skin after using it.

PRODUCT CONSISTENCY
St. Ives Microdermabrasion Scrub is comprised of very fine mineral crystals while the overall formula has a cleanser-like consistency that lathers slightly but is not sudsy. The feeling of the fine mineral crystals is so soft to the skin and when being spread throughout the face, the feeling of exfoliation is more so apparent than other scrubs of the St. Ives line. The mineral crystals distribute more evenly when using this product because they are milled so finely.

WHAT I LIKE
- I love the smell of the Microdermabrasion Scrub!! Oh that Chamomile is very pleasing to the senses.
- The fact that the crystals are very fine yet soft is amazing. This makes the exfoliation part of the process almost seem deep cleaning without the harshness or worry of scraping the skin.
- Unlike most scrubs, the fine crystals feel like they cover more ground on the skin and distribute more evenly.
- That the scrub slightly lathers. Something about lathering just makes me feel more clean about what I'm doing.
- My skin feels softer and glows a little better after using the product.
- The scrub is soft enough to be used on a daily basis.
- I see mild improvement on it smoothing out my fine lines.

WHAT I DISLIKE
- I was hoping that the pores on my nose would diminish even with concentrating the product in that area, but unfortunately I haven't seen much difference.

OVERALL
I do like the product. I know that there are probably better Microdermabrasion products out there whose upkeep can replicate actual resurfacing procedures, but for a glorified scrub, St. Ives does fine. I think it does a decent job in regards to Microdermabrasion and I wouldn't mind to keep using it regularly as I really feel it does exfoliate the skin better than their infamous Apricot Scrub. The fine mineral crystals play a huge factor when it comes to reaching surface area which is why I think it does so well at exfoliating. Not to mention the crystals are soft yet tough enough to penetrate the outer skin layer which does reveal smoother skin with continuous use. At least for me it did.