Hi everyone,
So the title of today’s post pretty much gives it away and sums it up in one fell swoop. Mysterious, no? When I was back home for a minute, I decided it was my time to indulge in everything Australian, which included Tim Tams, muesli, underwear and, of course, cosmetics. Before I even landed I knew what I was going to go for, and these brands included Natio, Australis and the holy grail of Australian skincare, Aesop.
For those of you who are unaware with the godliness that is Aesop, let me introduce you. I actually only first experienced it last year, after my brother kindly bought me a set of their skincare for Christmas. I was in love straight away and although I hadn’t purchased anything from them myself (until now), I considered myself a fan – and a customer. I used up their Fabulous Face Cleanser in what seemed like a flash, and I still have some of their B & Tea Balancing Toner and Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste which I love. I also previously reviewed their Camellia Nut Facial Hydrating Cream and have found all of their products to be gentle, nourishing and gently cleansing. And they smell divine! Mm-mmm!
While I was home, I wanted to buy a number of presents to celebrate my brother and his girlfriend’s new house, say thank you to my Korean co-teacher (who kindly covered most of my kindergarten classes) and sneakily congratulate my best friend on getting engaged. She came shopping with me and didn’t know that I was planning on gifting her some items from the store (these shops are an experience, btw). She is a self-confessed make-up girl, whereas I tend to more of the skincare, indulgent side of things. When we were in the store, I was testing the Geranium Leaf Body Scrub and was trying in vain to get her to test it for her ‘opinion’. At the end of our time together, I gave her one of these babies (and the Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser) and she almost wouldn’t accept it until I practically forced her to. She was shocked, I was gleeful. Good times at Chadstone!
I bought the same set for my brother and his gf, and then decided I would get one thing for myself. It was a pretty easy decision. The second this stuff hit my skin, I knew it was amazing. The lady at the Chadstone Aesop store was so nice and applied to it to my hand so I could feel the goodness. And it’s so good. It felt really gentle and didn’t scratch or tug on my skin at all, and somehow felt moisturising while it exfoliated. This is a pretty novel experience for me and I was ultra impressed (can you tell?).
So the saleslady told me that this product has two different types of pumice in it, one is larger and one is finer and I think that is why it is not too harsh. It sort of feels like an exfoliant wrapped up in a gel, as it goes on smooth and softens your skin gently. And I love the smell of this too! It’s herby and a little bit fruity and smells very natural. It actually reminds me of an old Jurlique exfoliant I used to have, which had oats in it to soak up excess oil and dirt. I remember the Jurlique saleswoman telling me (I like to have involved conversations with salesladies, it would seem) that a lot of scrubs are too harsh and actually make tiny abrasions in the skin, which ain’t a good thing. I find that this scrub avoids that problem as well, as it gets rid of dead skin cells but doesn’t take off all your skin in the process. Win!
Here’s what it looks like on:
After the saleslady gave me a hand scrub and I rinsed it off, the skin on my hand felt SO smooth. I used this in the shower for the first time the other day and I was so excited! And oh gee, it feels so good when you wash it off. Unlike most scrubs I’ve used, this one doesn’t irritate my skin in the slightest and actually feels sort of creamy and… smooth?! It’s crazy but it works! Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely an exfoliant, but it’s super gentle and nourishing and won’t leave you feeling like a plucked chicken (or something). As you may know by now, I do claim to have the World’s Most Sensitive Skin which requires certain types of care, and this scrub by Aesop fits the bill entirely. I’m in love.
(Also, the woman at Aesop gave us some tea while we were there, which was DELICIOUS and just made me love her/Aesop even more!)
I stocked up on this in Melbourne (the home of Aesop!) but it is actually available in Korea too. I spoke to the lady about that and she did know that, which is impressive, and after some Googling I have found it at certain department stores and independent retailers (mostly in Gangnam). Although it is a little bit more expensive here, it’s nothing too outrageous and I like knowing that if I ever panic and need a taste of home in the form of exquisitely crafted natural skincare, I can get it. Always calms an Aussie girl down!
So just how much is this baby? This 170ml tube will set you back AUD$37, and in Korea it’s ₩45,000. Really not such a bad difference for a pretty high-end, imported product. And although this is by no means cheap, I actually find the tube to be a generous size and it doesn’t require much product to get the desired result. A small dob of this in your hand lathers up and lasts for quite a while. Either way, this scrub is amazing and I am so glad I bought it and I just can’t go back now.
And now, here’s a picture of me and my tube of body scrub hanging out on a Saturday afternoon:
And that concludes this review/rave about Aesop’s Geranium Leaf Body Scrub! If you’re in the market for a new scrub and you want something gently exfoliating, delicious-smelling and from the best country in the world (sorry, Korea), then I highly recommend jumping on this product. Dare I say… Holy Grail? It’s early on but I think this is the beginning of a beautiful, friendship. It’s all smooth-sailing from here! ^^
Until next time,
Steph x
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