December 26, 2012

MAC Mineralize Volcanic Ash Exfoliator Review

This was provided to me by a brand for review but all opinions expressed are my own

I thought I’d revisit with MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator today considering MAC has now made it permanent. I’ve been waiting for Mineralize Volcanic Ash Exfoliator to be added to the general catalog for too LONG. Since the original launch, when it was packaged in a tub, I was in love with it.

And here we are several years later with new packaging and an endless supply we can easily get our hands on. Fond farewell to my hoarding away bottles of this stuff.

As of December 13th Mineralize Volcanic Ash Exfoliator will be available at all MAC locations as well as online as part of the permanent MAC Skincare Collection.

Phew! This is amazing news. I’ve been obsessed with this since its 2008 release. At the time MAC housed it a messy tub with a screw top. Believe me trying to juggle a jar of this in the shower was not a friendly experience. Plus it would end up around the rim of the jar which would make screwing the lid back on a bitch to say the least. MAC has since ditched that packaging and embraces a 3.4 oz squeeze tube ($28).

So what is this Volcanic Ash stuff anyway?

I’ve likened it to Lush Coal Face and Lush Dark Angels Cleanser.

Made of a dark black thick paste it quite looks like something you’d find oozing out of Mordor.

Natural Volcanic Ash and fine sugary crystals are used to exfoliate skin and deeply cleanse all skin types. It’s gritty at first but as you apply and wet it it begins to emulsify and lather up. The sugar crystals break up easily when you apply any sort of water or wetness.

I like using it in the shower on a wet face. I rub it all over my face, massage it in, wet my hands, massage some more, and finally rinse it off. It rinses clean away leaving skin feeling smooth, soft, and squeaky clean. My drier skin adapts to it well and I can easily use it daily should I choose as it never dries my skin out.

I’ve always found it’s a great daily exfoliator however, during really cold winters I sometimes need something a little gritter to remove flakes completely. But if you do use it daily, chances are, you won’t have to contend with flakiness anyway as this keeps skin super smooth.

I’m not impressed with a ton of the MAC skincare products I’ve tried but Mineralize Volcanic Ash Exfoliator is the exception. It’s an incredible product that’s long over do to become permanent. I rejoice I can get it easily without having to hoard away bottles of it when it’s introduced for a limited time. Never tried it? I urge you to do so. It’s an instant love.

Muse Approved.

A great Winter introduction for MAC, Just the thing we need for the winter ahead!

Have a love affair with it?

Do share!

This was provided to me by a brand for review but all opinions expressed are my own

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  • kimkats

    That sounds like something I must have, tho I seem to recall the intro price on it from several years back was a heap cheaper than $28. Am I wrong?

    Ah, well… Life’s too short to go thru life (or at least the winter!)with flaky skin! 😀 Must check this out next time I’m at MAC!

  • Ruth

    I like to use it as a mask and let it suck all the gunk out of my pores. Also, the clear tube is awesome! now you can see what is left instead of squishing out the last bit and suprise! it’s empty.

  • JoElla

    I have always been curious about this, thanks Muse for the fantab review.

    Hope you had a fantastic Holiday filled with laughter and love!

  • Cj

    I’m so so so glad they finally made this permenant! I still have 2 tubes left of the last time they released them 🙂 Best exfoliator ever!q

    So how was your Christmas?? Get anything good ^-^?

    • the Muse

      ME TOO me TOO!!!!!!!!!! it was amazing! fav gift=Doctor Who Limited Edition DVD Set with Sonic Screwdriver…;-D how about you?

      • Cj

        Awesome! My best friend got me this crazy tokyoflash watch lol it’s really cool, I’m still trying to figure out how to tell time on it lol!

        • the Muse

          congrats lol! have fun going crazy ;-D did you ever see the Radioactive Active Reactor watch? You need to be a brain surgeon to get the time on that thing! but no doubt they make wicked cool watches ;D

          • Cj

            Oh god lol that’s insane! It looks like mines one of the easiest ones to read lol! She knows me so well rofl I got the night vision one 🙂

          • the Muse

            my friend has it, he explained how it worked and I still don’t get it?! WTF?! lol! what shade did you get? the red one rocks ;-D

          • Cj

            I got the blue 😀 I really like it, n it’s funny cause I hate watches lol when she told me she was getting me a watch I looked at her like she was crazy but it’s awesome xD

          • the Muse

            the blue is nice as well! it would be cool if they combined all three shades into one watch like have it change every hour. I do watches much either but those are funky watches, bet it looks brills!

  • Cynthia Ramirez

    I’ve heard good things about this, glad to have your take on it! I’m very interested in picking this up now.

  • Hoang

    I have always wanted to try this scrub! Does this stain your sink when you use it though? I have been scared about the black color aspect. Does it go on black on your face?

    • the Muse

      it’s black on your face yes, never had problems with staining in my skin/tub

  • Crystal

    Hi Muse! Do you think this product is good for removing/clearing blackheads? I have some that are finally starting to pop up and out of my forehead and I want to cleanse out those suckers as fast as I can!

    • the Muse

      crystal could work to decongest clogged pores on your forehead…doesn’t work great on deeply embedded blackheads though!

  • Libby

    Yaaaaay! It’s permanent now?! :DDDDD

    I bought it recently during the last relaunch when it was available and picked up two tubes, one for a friend as well. Then another friend was desperate to try it and I ended up with no tube for myself, lol 🙁 I’m super happy to hear it’s back. A girl can’t ever have too many exfoliators to try! (Important to note I only have one face though T___T)

    Thanks for the great news!

    • the Muse

      it is indeed! lol one face never stopped me libby ;-D my pleasure! Enjoy trying!

  • Angela

    I’m glad that now we can get this all year long. I still remember when this first came out, there were so much buzz about it online but it’s sold out everywhere.

  • Michelle

    Just curious, would you consider Lush Dark Angels better or this? I never bought it out of convincing myself not to drop $30 on something that Lush does amazingly as well.