Trader Joe's Blueberry Acai Facial Scrub Review

Trader Joe's is one of my favorite places in the world. Not only do they offer my favorite gourmet indulgences like fleur de sel caramels, salt water taffy, and buttery, chocolate-coated toffee, they also have a niche selection of their own natural/organic beauty products! When I stopped by the Trader Joe's store on Union Square the other day to pick up (yet another!!!) bag of their fruity, chewy salt water taffies, this product caught my eye while I was waiting in the humongous line snaking around the corner (is it me or do all NYC Trader Joe stores just have perpetually infinite lines at all times???). I was immediately drawn in the by its name: Trader Joe's Blueberry & Acai Facial Scrub. Now I don't know about you, but I like my blueberries and acai berries in my smoothie or in an acai bowl, but it never occurred to be me that I could rub it all over my face for a nice polish. I wasn't too sure, and seeing as I've never heard anything about this product, I was definitely intrigued. Into the basket it goes!

What It Claims To Do
Here's what it says on the Trader Joe's website: "While this Scrub is exfoliating, save for a few stray blueberry seeds and its very slight general graininess, it’s not really its texture that does the exfoliating—it’s the alpha-hydroxy acids, or AHAs. We also include colloidal oatmeal, shea butter, meadowfoam seed oil, and various plant extracts to soothe and pamper that beautiful mug of yours."

Essentially, it's an antioxidant rich, exfoliating face scrub that's supposed to slough off dead skin cells and leave you feeling smooth and pampered. It also contains alpha-hydroxy acids, which is supposed to treat acne and improve the appearance of scars. As you can see in the photo below, there are bits and pieces of seeds in the product for added texture and grittiness. 




How To Use
"Massage a fingerful of Blueberry & Açaí Facial Scrub onto your face in a circular motion, rinse thoroughly with water, pat dry, and enjoy the glow! For best results, use 2 – 3 times a week, and be sure to use a daily sunscreen while using this product (and for a week after discontinuing use), as AHAs are known to cause sun sensitivity."

My skin is a little sensitive, so personally I like to use this product about 2 times a week. You definitely don't want to over-scrub your face as it can lead to sun damage. Here's what the scrub looks like swatched on the back of my hand:


Fragrance
This. Smells. Incredible. It smells really fresh, sweet, and juicy, just like fresh picked blueberries or a freshly made acai breakfast fruit bowl. It also has a hint of vanilla/yogurt flavor. I'm  seriously tempted to eat this straight from the jar, but I'll just have to indulge in their salt water taffies instead.

Performance
The texture of the product feels very rich and thick, like a creamy mousse or dessert pudding. You'll definitely want to wet your entire face before you apply it to your skin. On my face, it applies very smoothly and spreads evenly. I personally find the scrub to have the perfect amount of grittiness to it - it's not so harsh where you feel like you're rubbing your face down with sandpaper, but it's not so gentle that it has no effect. When I rinse it off in the morning, it leaves my skin feeling super glowy and smooth, like a new born baby's butt. I've only been using it for a couple of weeks, but I can feel that the texture of my skin has evened out significantly. I also feel like my moisturizer absorbs better and my makeup applies smoother after I've used this product, because it removes all the dead skin cells on the surface of my face. I haven't used it long enough to see if it has made my skin firmer, plus I don't have any acne scars or wrinkles so I can't tell you if it's helped with that.

If you have extremely sensitive skin, you'll definitely want to apply sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher after using this product, because the AHA gently removes the surface layer of your skin and leaves it exposed to potential sun damage. I haven't had any issues with this scrub staining my fingers or face at all, but you'll want to be careful cause it might stain your white towels or shirts.

The best part is, it leaves your face smelling like a berry smoothie - you'll be good enough to eat!

Packaging
I'm not going to lie, the packaging on this product is gorgeous. It's clean, simple, and not excessively wasteful like some beauty products I've tried. The heavy, frosted glass bottle even feels expensive and luxurious, definitely not something you'd expect from a $6 scrub! The jar itself comes in a purple cardboard box, which has descriptions of the product and directions for use. I honestly feel that the quality of the packaging is on par with big expensive brands you'd see in Sephora. Definitely A+ on the packaging!



Price
$5.99 for a 2 oz jar.

Final Verdict
Overall, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this product and would definitely repurchase in the future. For the price of just $5.99, I think this is an absolute steal! Honestly, the quality and packaging reminds me of something I'd get at Fresh Cosmetics for about $55. You also get a very generous amount of product in the jar, and it'll probably last you at least a couple months. I think this product makes a delectable treat for your skin, and is perfect for pampering nights like movies and masks with your friends or just kicking back by yourself with a pizza and some Netflix (nothing wrong with that!). The smell is incredibly light and refreshing for the summer, and I feel like this would even make a great stocking stuffer during the holidays. Overall, I'd rate this product a 5/5, approved by the Style Jeenies!
Have you tried the Trader Joe's Blueberry Acai Face Scrub yet? What are some of your favorite face scrubs? Let me know, because I'd love to hear your recommendations. Thanks for reading, and until next time!