Review: The Body Shop Rounded Handle Facial Brush

I was having one of those "needless spending" days and after darting around to different stores, largely unsatisfied with my findings (or rather, lack of spending), I decided to wander into The Body Shop because I recall seeing an exfoliation brush that went for $3 (thanks to /r/SkincareAddiction). Turns out they were having a sale... more on that later, but I did pick up the exfoliation brush that I intended to get.

 I've never used an exfoliation brush before so I don't have much to compare it to. My facial routine is very basic and goes like this:

1. Wash my face with a cleanser (either a foaming type or Noxzema) and rub it in with my fingers in a circular motion.
• I dry my skin afterward by wiping downward on my face with a towel.
2. Apply moisturizer and follow up with eye cream.
3. Once a week I do an intensive facial mask (at the moment I'm using a generic mint julep mask which I leave on for 20-30 minutes).
• Dry by dabbing (rather than using strokes).
• Follow up immediately with a toner.

So my routine doesn't utilize much exfoliation in it. I still get the occasional acne but in general it's not anything that is bothersome. I never really thought about getting a brush but I figured it was worth the shot especially since the instructions of use is very similar to what I already do (utilizing small circular motions and most recommend that you focus on the problematic areas and try to not to be too rough). I'm still in the process of testing it out (it's only been two weeks now and I'm keeping it down to exfoliating 1-2 times a week) so this review is based on the initial impressions.

Well, to start it's a very small brush (I missed it quite a few times when I was in the shop even though there was a whole basket filled with them). It's about the same brush size as other brushes (such as the Sephora Complexion Brush) but the handle is small which makes it seem even smaller. Nonetheless, I liked how cute it looked. Plus the container itself allows for the brush to hang in the correct way so that it can dry better.

Please note that if you have a cat (particularly kittens) they will think that it's a toy. On the first night that I got it, I walked to get my camera and came back to the two of them going to town on it. So, keep it away from them since it's small enough to register as kittens to be within the toy category.

Moving on, it was a bit small and took a bit to get used to although that didn't take too long. The bristles are incredibly soft which makes it easy to use, especially with a foaming cleanser. I have yet to try it with the Noxzema so hopefully I can follow up with an update about that.

Overall, for the value and for it does, I'm pretty amazed by it. My roommate had been exclaiming the goodness of the Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System and after reading the thread about having  an exfoliation brush, I just had to give it a shot. I'm pretty happy that I did; my face felt not as tight or dry after I was done (I actually can't explain why that happened, so let's pretend it was a fluke). 

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Product: The Body Shop Rounded Handle Facial Brush

Price: $3

Stars: ★★★★★

Takeaway: For $3, you can't really go wrong with this experiment and while that might not be a huge pro, consider that exfoliation is one of those things you need to do once in a while and so long as you have that circular motion down, you're doing it lightly, and that you follow up with a toner, it's not too bad to at least try it. For me, I enjoy it once or twice a week (and never after I've done a mask because I don't need to stress my face out too much) so it's been a great "investment."