St Ives

I love body polishes that don't require excess force to work, particularly ones that use sugar, which is gentler on the skin. Over the weekend, I tried out St. Ives Moisturizing In-Shower Exfoliating Body Polish, Oatmeal & Shea Butter ($8), which contains natural sugar crystals for exfoliation, oatmeal to soothe, and shea butter for softer skin. While this polish is a little difficult to scoop out of the jar due to its texture (think of a dense Crisco), once it hits the skin and some water, it almost melts, creating a rich, spreadable lather.

The polish has a sweet almond scent and a finer, more dissolvable grit than the famous invigorating St. Ives Apricot Scrub ($4). Before shaving, I spread a little of the polish on my legs for a smooth, non-irritating result.

I like it for a pedicure, too. After scrubbing my feet with the body polish, I used my beauty shortcut to fake a real pedicure. A little goes a long way with this product, making for an affordable — and effective — drugstore find.

Back in July, you beauty marked some of your favorite face scrubs, and here are three oldies but goodies that I've adored for ages. Face scrubs are imperative in maintaining a healthy appearance. They work to gently remove dead skin, oil and residue from the daily grind. This helps unclog your pores and smooth out your skin.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub ($3.99) is likely my absolute favorite exfoliator. Even though the packaging seems to change every couple of years, the product remains the same — a thick, coarse, mild smelling facial scrub that has some of the largest grains of its kind. The oil-free formula is great for acne-prone skin since it contains two percent salicylic acid.

Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream ($17.50) is a smooth exfoliator intended for skin that isn't currently experiencing any breakouts. This is more of a maintenance product for when your skin is dry or uneven looking — not so much for acne-prone skin. It works to slough away dead skin cells and unclog pores. Simply massage a nickel-sized amount into your wet skin for 15 seconds and rinse off with warm water.

For one last facial scrub, read more

When Freeze 24/7 released Ice Shield a couple of years ago, I was intrigued. The cleanser not only removes dirt and oil, it also protects skin with SPF 15. Innovative, no? My only complaint was the $48 price tag, which seemed a little high, even for a two-in-one product.

Ah, but now St. Ives has stepped in with its Elements Protective Cleanser ($7.99). The concept of this cleanser is the same: You simply wash your face as you would normally, which simultaneously "washes on" SPF 10 coverage. It's that simple, which should please those of you who prefer having as few steps as possible in your morning routine.

Although I like the lower-priced option, I'm not crazy about the relatively low SPF rating. SPF 10 is small potatoes; at the very least, you should wear SPF 15 every day, and SPF 30 is ideal. If you're serious about protecting your skin, you'll want a higher SPF. But if you're the type of person who doesn't wear sunblock every day already, this is a good way to get at least a little protection without adding another product to your skin-care regimen.

I've been using St. Ives Collagen Elastin Advanced Body Moisturizer ($5.39) on and off for about a year now. When my precious Creme de Corps seems a bit heavy or if I am just not in the mood to use something that expensive when I know I am going to shower again later in the day, I turn to this creamy, sweet-smelling body lotion to make my scaly skin smooth.

I'm pretty particular about my body lotion and hand cream, and I think this one is tops. It penetrates quickly and leaves skin feeling soft and smooth, not waxy or oily. And when I say that it smells good, I'm not exaggerating. Think of slowly brewed tea made from chamomile, primrose, elder flower and sunflowers — that's what this lotion smells like. It's not over-the-top powerful, sweet or girly, it's just right. Apparently I am not alone in my affections. According to a press release from St. Ives, Collagen Elastin has been the brand's best-selling lotion for over 25 years! I really encourage you to try this if you are on the market for a new body cream. It's available in three sizes, including a travel size for 99 cents.