Get Some Polish With Shiseido Refining Body Exfoliator
Usually, the word “scrub” gives me pause— partly because I listened to the TLC “No Scrubs” anthem a bit excessively, but mainly because my skin is so sensitive that body polishes grate my skin like a paper shredder on speed. But I overcame any trepidation to test out the new Shiseido Refining Body Exfoliator, hoping it wouldn’t inflame my skin and leave it looking like a slab of tenderized meat. To my surprise, this body polish has trumped every exfoliator I’ve ever tested and secured a VIP spot in my shower. The Shiseido Refining Body Exfoliator has a lightweight consistency that’s a gel-and-cream hybrid, and the polish beads in the formula are so microscopic they’re barely noticeable, making the exfoliating experience ultra gentle.
What makes this exfoliator so delicate? In keeping with its reputation as a skincare innovator, Shiseido developed a formula that incorporates a cream base, then infuses it with two different types of micro beads: amorphous particles that remove dead skin cells along the top layer of the epidermis and spherical particles that roll onto the skin gently and gingerly, smoothing the skin surface without being abrasive. When you massage the Shiseido Refining Body Exfoliator onto damp skin, you won’t have to suffer through that unpleasant scratchy sensation that tends to accompany most sugar- or salt-based body scrubs.
The blush pink body polish smells so delicious that, if it were bottled and sold as a shower gel or perfume, I might just invest in the entire range. The fragrance is a nod to the ancient Japanese scent Kuroha, once heralded by aristocrats, which combines clove, musk, frankincense, and sandalwood notes. This spicy scent is then combined with a feminine cherry blossom aroma. The marriage of these notes is beyond harmonious so that you literally feel like a sex goddess as you massage your skin, making the bathing and exfoliating ritual feel all the more indulgent.
Shiseido Refining Body Exfoliator, $38.50. Available at Sephora.com, Nordstrom.com, and Barneys.com
