Thomas Wolfe said you can't go home again. Apparently, you also can't go back to products again.I discovered St Ive’s Apricot Scrub as a freshman in high school, when every girl I knew (including me) had to have a tub of it in her shower. And I do mean a tub: it was apricot colored, and you had to reach in to scoop it out, leaving the outside a gritty mess. I’d forgotten all about Apricot Scrub until a sleek white tube of it appeared in our shower shortly after our summer subletter moved in.
I’ve tried many, many face scrubs since my initial encounter with St. Ives (which I’m not even sure I used on my face, come to think of it), and none have really stuck. After eying our subletter’s for a few days, I tried a dab. It left my skin. . . softer. The new packaging sucked me in, and the scent was the same subtle, fresh scent I remembered. A week later, I tried another dab. Softer still. Stealing a bit every few days became a habit. It wasn’t my imagination – I had fewer clogged pores. But alas, after a long August vacation, I returned to find that our subletter had left and taken her St. Ives with her. I was so disappointed I resolved that I was going to recommit to this classic product. Or maybe it's just because every September I have a yearning to buy school supplies and new shoes, and this year my back to school urges were manifested in the form of going retro with my face scrub. (Tip: to really maximize the exfoliating effect, use it when your face is really wet. It's the last thing I use in the shower).
A few days after I made this resolution, I was wandering through the East Village Kmart (don’t ask) and my eyes searched out a row of sleek white tubes. Paydirt! I snatched one up, and I felt my smile of delight at finding my old friend scrunch into an expression of puzzlement. The label read “St. Ives Apricot Scub: Renew and Firm". Huh? I crouched down and discovered that there were now 4 kinds of St. Ives Apricot Scrub: Aging (Renew & Refirm), Sensitive, Blemish Control, and Blemish & Blackhead Control.
So much for back to basics. My head spun as I frantically tried to remember what our subletter's tube had said - but I just remembered that it said "St. Ives Apricot Scrub." I don't want blemishes or blackheads. But I also don't want fine lines - and I like anything that says alpha-hydroxies. And though it's never been confirmed, I have a firmly held belief that I have sensitive skin. What to do? After a solid twenty minutes of deliberation, I walked out with a headache and a tube of the Blemish & Blackhead control. We'll see how it goes.
1 comment:
I, too, had the tub of St. Ive's Apricot Scrub in my shower as a teenager. I admit my skin regimen has slipped since then. Last time I splurged and got a facial, the facial technician (is that what they're called?) noted how many dry patches of skin I had on my face. She asked me what kind of moisturizer I use. I just use the same lotion all over, so I sheepishly replied, "Johnson's baby lotion." She was horrified and speechless. I went straight to Clinique and got a real moisturizer, which is a definite improvement. If you have moisturizer recommendations, I'm all ears.
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