REVIEW: MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator

I know, I know. I've put this off way too long. Like I said, I'm easily distracted! I need to make a to-do list!

Ok, so, what's this MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator all about? MAC describes it as,

"A highly effective, dual-purpose, foaming and exfoliating scrub blending natural Volcanic Ash with fine sugar crystals from the islands of Vanuatu. Adds moisture: leaves skin feeling soft and comfortably clean. Mineral-rich. Good for absorbing skin’s natural oils. May be used on any part of face or body. Rinses off with warm water. "

I'm not exactly sure where Vanuatu is (a quick google of it tells me that it's somewhere in the middle of the ocean to the west of Fiji...?) but it sounds exotic. Exotic. Maybe that's what is enticing about this product- it's made of the ash from a volcano on some tropical island... And you rub it all over your face! Yes, that's exactly what I want to do!!

When you open the jar, you're presented with some wiggly black sludge. Lovely. Actually, I think it looks pretty freakin' awesome. The scent is kind of strange- like a mix between burnt sugar and weird, pungent men's cologne. Not gross, but not really good either.



You can easily scoop the product from the jar- it's not too runny, though it's definitely not firm. It sort of reminds me of the texture of Cream of Wheat. Loose, grainy, not too drippy.

When you apply it to your skin, it forms a small amount of lather. Lathering scrubs bother me- they lather all over and go up my nose and in my eyes an mouth... NOT FUN!! But this one only lathers a little bit- not enough to make bubbles but enough to lighten the dark black to a grey.

It's really nice and scrubby. The sugar crystals give that satisfying scratchiness, and once they dissolve the ash gives a smooth feeling. It exfoliates quite well- leaves no flakes behind, but it doesn't dry your skin. It rinses clean, but you may want to use a bit of toner afterwards to make sure all the black is gone.

After I rinse it off, my skin feels a little tight, but not dry. I like the sensation. It feels clean! It hasn't made me break out- very important! A lot of MAC skin products make me break out, but this doesn't. I love it.

Overall, I really like this. The only thing I don't like is the scent. I like rubbing black sludge all over my face. Did you ever see those commercials where the guy has "engine gunk"? It's like that, BUT BETTER!!