**I received all products in this post complimentary from Influenster.**
This year, I decided to really start hitting my skincare samples and powering through them because I have somehow accumulated A LOT. I started with cleansers and made a pretty good dent, down to half of what I started with. It seems that Influenster had other ideas about my progress, because they sent me the St. Ives VoxBox which included a full-size cleanser. It was St. Ives’ Hydrating Daily Cleanser in watermelon and their watermelon lip scrub to match, which is newer to the St. Ives lineup. I generally like to put skincare to the test for six weeks before I feel comfortable giving my verdict but this time around, because of deadlines, I have only been using them for four and a half weeks. Since I’ve been testing so many cleansers recently, I have been primed for this task! I used the cleanser, which is a foaming cleanser, in the morning and night following my oil cleanser. I used the lip scrub twice a week in the morning. I do want to note that although the bottle says St. Ives is cruelty-free, they are NOT Logical Harmony approved.
The St. Ives Hydrating Daily Cleanser is supposed to “leave skin instantly hydrated & glowing” and is to “ensure your glow radiates day and night!” I genuinely do not know how a cleanser can increase your “glow” and I definitely did not notice a difference in my complexion on that front. I do agree somewhat with the hydration claim, my face felt clean and refreshed after using it, but not stripped or tight. I’m not sure if it necessarily hydrated more itself or just simply did not strip natural oils. I also felt like my vitamin C serum absorbed a bit more easily into my skin at night. I did not have any breakouts during my trial use. I found that their recommendation of using a nickel-sized amount was true, it is not as concentrated a cleanser as I have been used to. The scent is a very strong candy watermelon scent. It is so strong, in fact, that I could still smell it lingering on my face after I rinsed thoroughly. I usually don’t mind fragrance in rinse-off products since it, you know, rinses off, but this one is way too much and not necessary at all.
The St. Ives lip scrub was a very different experience from other lip scrubs I have tried! It is much more base-heavy and creamy. Because the sugar in the scrub is so fine, the exfoliant density was actually perfect. I did not need to use a ton and just gently scrubbed it over my lips. The removal was the most annoying part. I am used to the Lush scrubs which you simply lick off, but this one said to wipe. I found wiping with a tissue removed the base easily, but the exfoliants did not want to leave my face! I’ll be honest, I did end up licking a bit off as it was so hard to simply wipe it. This has a similar candy watermelon scent, but more sweet if anything than the cleanser. Though the balm is very red, it did not stain my lips or skin.
Overall, I found these products satisfying to use. I cannot bring myself to recommend them, however. Since I have absolutely zero morals when it comes to nail polish, I am trying to keep my future skincare purchases cruelty-free and St. Ives does not fit that bill (I pretty much only trust Logical Harmony as my source). I think there are plenty of cleansers that are cruelty-free and that are not so heavily fragranced that I see no need for you to run out and get this one. It also did not live up to the glow claim, though I struggle to understand how a cleanser could help with that. The lip scrub has a wonderful texture, but it is so messy to remove. The Lush ones work just great, you can lick them off, and they are cruelty-free! If you need drugstore options, these are nice, but I definitely will not be repurchasing and I don’t find that they added anything super new or fun to the skincare game. I’m not going to stop you from trying them, but I’m not going to encourage it either.
Have you tried any new skincare lately? Please let me know!
xx, Ashley
Influenster sent me all these products for free for testing purposes. St. Ives is not cruelty-free.
short nail swatcher 