Here's another case of not judging a book by its cover or indeed, a product by its packaging.
Because I think we can all agree, ladies, that this pot is pretty grim. Now before I get disapproving comments castigating me for my shallowness, of COURSE it shouldn't matter what sort of receptacle your beauty buys come in. But in reality it's actually vitally important, especially to attract first-time punters.
Good packaging vs bad can make or break a brand regardless of how good or bad the goop is contained therein. If something looks cute and nice, that can often be enough to flog it all on its own. It's a hard lesson for brands who quite rightly concentrate so much on the quality of what's inside, and then leave the packaging as an afterthought. Because the product will sell based on the contents, right?
Well - sometimes, and generally only with a massive marketing machine behind it, like Creme de la Mer. That brand's pots can be uninspired to say the least, but it sells like hotcakes. And in a tough market, every little bit of differentiation helps especially if you don't have a lot of dough to plough into advertising.
Advertised
So that was why Beauty Begins Within Microdermabrasion Facial Resurfacing Crystals, which arrived during the summer along with an accompanying body scrub, made my heart sink a little. I gave the body scrub a whirl, didn't think much of it - it wasn't doing anything any other brand wasn't already doing better, and I didn't like the almond scent. I figured the facial scrub would be much the same.
But I was very glad indeed that I did recently dig it out of the bottom of a box of 'to-test' items, because this is a really good facial exfoliator. Aloe-based, not tested on animals, very lightly scented, white and almost mousse-textured, it's very very scrubby. As a consequence, I wouldn't recommend for a super-sensitive skintype as I think it would be a little too aggressive - though the brand says you can mix it with cream cleanser to take the edge off.
On my dry skin it worked really well to slough off flaky bits and leave complexion really smooth. I brought it to the states with me recently to give my phizog the once over after the dry plane air and it worked a treat. This'll also be great for anyone with oily or blemish-prone skin as it really does clean and refresh. Pricey enough for an unknown (to the Irish market) brand at €24.95, if you really like a facial exfoliator that works hard, which you can really feel doing its thing, and which leaves skin tingling and clean, then you will like this.
Mine came as a review sample from bodyright.ie, where you can also buy the rest of the range. On the packaging note again, the brand itself - a US-based naturals line that sells exclusively online - has a policy of no excessive packaging or advertising, preferring to trade on the quality of its formulas. So this is deliberate on its part - you've read my thoughts above, but do you think it's a good idea?
