Today’s sample is another high end sample, lucky me! Working for Cohorted means there are always beauty samples around and I occasionally am allowed to ransack the pile. I picked up MAC Mineralize Volcanic Ash Exfoliator because it caught me off guard that MAC even did skincare. Call me silly, I just got so caught up in them being famous for their lipstick I forgot they did anything else!
According to the MAC website, this exfoliator is a cleansing and exfoliating blend of volcanic ash and fine sugar crystals which work to refine and unclog the skin, add moisture and leave feeling soft and clean. I love a good exfoliator so I was more than happy to put it to the test!
The first, obvious thing about this scrub is that it is jet black. It stays jet black until you wash it off too, so after giving my face a thorough scrub it looks like I’m wearing a face mask. I really love the texture of this, it’s gritty so it ticks that sloughing dead skin box, but the crystals are soft and small so it doesn’t physically hurt like some harsher scrubs do. After using, my face did feel clean and smoother, but I also felt it was a bit parched. I tend to find products that aim to clean and refine do dry out my skin a bit, so it was no surprise there. That being said, all I needed was a good serum and moisturiser and you wouldn’t have known it had felt dry previously, but I would worry about the long term effect of stripping my oils off regularly and if I was to get this I’d have to invest in a good facial oil to go with it.
Overall, I do actually like this scrub. A little goes a long way (I reckon I can get about six uses out of the tiny sample pot!) as the exfoliating crystals don’t disappear, and it does thoroughly clean and exfoliate. My only concern is that it could be a little stripping, but if you have a good skincare routine I don’t think this would be an issue.
You can get it on the MAC website for £22 for 100ml. Like I said, a little lasts a long time so I think the price is actually justifiable. I’m debating getting this in the future actually, but I am undecided so far.
Have you tried any of the MAC skincare range?
Sample Sunday #2
