Over the summer, St. Ives a popular beauty brand opened a mixing bar on Broadway in Manhattan. The long line was worth the wait to buy a custom face scrub and lotion both in amazing tropical scents. Overall my two purchases a lotion, coconut pink lychee and my face scrub, pineapple mango with volcanic sand; were amazing purchases and were well worth the wait.
The face scrub, exfoliates enough to brighten my skin and cleanse it of dead skin, but is gentle enough to not irritate my sensitive face. However overuse could be damaging, and while this is true for every scrub on the market, caution should be exercised since harsh exfoliates can cause microscopic cuts on your face which can become infected and cause breakouts. The lotion smells like vacation in a bottle, it creamy and thick formula is ultra hydrating. The lotion is perfect to use after shaving since it rehyrdates and replenishes skin.
Both the scrub and the lotion have lasted me from August 2017 to January 2018 and are still half full.
The experience of the mixing bar was different social media precieved it to be, the pop up shop was bigger than I believed it would be and featured a photo booth full of apricots referencing St. Ives iconic apricot face scrub which according to St. Ives website will "help reduce breakouts and prevent acne. Crushed walnut shell powder leaves pores fresher than fresh for beautifully glowing skin." There were also sinks in which the sample scrubs could tested both for scent and exfoliation factor as well as being able to test the lotions. In addition, there was a free sample vending machine, in which you put information about your skin and a free sample was distributed.
I enjoyed the overall experience however, for a popup shop that was so widely advertised there was only 3 stations to make your scrub and lotion causing long lines and wait times.
