For the past 6 months, my skin has been in better condition than I can remember – which I attribute to really being careful with each and every product I use, reading ingredients, steering clear of fragrance, and opting for gentle products that don’t cause irritation and possible inflammation. One way I’ve helped my skin in particular is completely swearing off manual exfoliators – for people with eczema, roughing up the skin doesn’t do us any favors.
However. Dude, you KNOW how sweet it is when you scrub your skin and how soft and smooth and lovely it feels afterward? Yea, I MAJORLY missed that. So I’m cheating a little bit – and thankfully my skin’s not paying the price!
Marcelle’s Hydra-C Radiance Facial Exfoliating Gel (100mL) is purported to gently eliminate impurities and dead surface skin, and is hypoallergenic, perfume free, and paraben free. When I saw it on sale at Lawtons about a month ago, I was far too tempted, and picked it up to spoil myself with every now and then.
The exfoliating properties of this gel are very gentle – used on damp skin, the scrub feels more like a slightly granular cleanser than much else; on dry skin (which is how I use it), it refines the skin along with giving it a clean, refreshing feeling. Though it claims to unclog pores, improve skin texture, and bring back freshness and radiance to the skin tone (through the inclusion of Vitamin C + E), the effects are really quite subtle. While my skin feels smoother and fresher after use, the exfoliation aspect is secondary. However, it’s just enough that my I get my ‘fix’ without the resulting irritation, and that’s perfectly alright with me!
Marcelle is a Canadian brand carried at drugstores around the country. For sensitive skin, the brand carries quite a few products that are well-suited and a reasonable price – I’ve used several different products from the line and have never had an issue.
Do you use manual scrubs? Which one? Have you tried Marcelle products before?
#1 by BeautyReflections (@BeautyReflectTS) on July 16, 2012 - 9:51 pm
Sounds like a great one! I think I might pick one up to spoil myself as well!
#2 by Latoya on July 25, 2012 - 10:49 am
Ooh you should Tracy! I used it this morning and the scrubbies are so nice
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#3 by Liz (@Reductionista) on July 16, 2012 - 10:03 pm
I had it and really liked it! It’s actually quite tempting not to pick it up again while I’m trying to slug through other cleansers. It was nowhere near a scrub for me though – my skin likes the really rough stuff like the St. Ives Apricot.
#4 by Latoya on July 25, 2012 - 10:52 am
If I had my way I’d use the rough stuff too, I totally hear ya Liz! But I just can’t
I do like this and it fills the void well enough that I don’t feel tempted to run out and grab another that would do some major damage. It just gives a lovely fresh feeling!
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#5 by Barb on July 17, 2012 - 8:39 am
I’m in the “Clarisonic” cult… my skin is as soft as a baby’s bumbo ;o) and once in a while I go for Laura Mercier’s scrub… which is scrumptious….but yeah…after the clairsonic no other exfoliators come close (for me anyway)
#6 by Latoya on July 27, 2012 - 2:17 pm
I think when the next VIB event rolls around, I’m gonna pick up a Clarisonic too Barb – I think it’s just what I need! I want skin as soft as a baby’s bumbo
I’ve also heard LM’s scrub was lovely – will have to give it the eye too 
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#7 by Becca @ The Beauty Sample on July 17, 2012 - 5:09 pm
I’m SO jealous of all you that have Marcelle and Annabelle products!!! *sigh* I like to switch it up. Sometimes I use my Clarisonic, sometimes I use my Kiehl’s Epidermal Re-Texturizing Microdermabrasion (the grains are SO fine, it does a very thorough job!), sometimes I use a papaya-enzyme mask, sometimes I just use a glycolic toner.
#8 by Latoya on July 30, 2012 - 6:18 am
Yea, I would like to incorporate some other types too – as long as its not rough and granular (I have the Kiehl’s but it’s too harsh on my skin) its generally ok. My skin was really reactive a while back so I’m just slowly introducing these kinds of products back in my regime
I never realized Annabelle/Marcelle wasn’t available in the States – I could send you some anytime you like, Becca!
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#9 by Larie on July 17, 2012 - 8:10 pm
Hmm, it sounds good! It doesn’t really make sense for me to get hooked on a Canadian cleanser, though
Even though Marcelle does ship to the US, it’s a $50 minimum and I don’t think I could hit that every time! Haha. I’m glad you found something that works, though! I need a new scrub, myself.
#10 by Latoya on July 30, 2012 - 6:30 am
Yea, probably not the best course of action lol!! I never even thought about Marcelle not being available in the US (d’oh!) It’s nice they ship outside Canada though – I suppose if you had a handful of products you liked, the $50 wouldn’t be so bad. But, I’d probably opt to stick to skincare I could buy in person on the regular too; its a higher level of commitment than makeup!
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