May 2, 2017

Urban Decay Rehab Makeup Prep Pretty Gritty Skin Polish Review

This was provided to me by a brand for review and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post but all opinions are my own.

Urban Decay Rehab Makeup Prep Pretty Gritty Skin Polish ($28) is one of several new Urban Decay Skincare products that launched for Spring 2017. This little formula is a powder exfoliator created to gently exfoliate skin prior to makeup application. But really, you can use it anytime you want to whisk away flaky skin.

It contains a host of interesting ingredients including Vitamin C as well as coconut oil and rosehip seed powder. I’m so odd I know but it intrigued me they marketed this as a way to gently exfoliate skin prior to makeup. I mean, any exfoliating product can do the same but I thought it interesting UD decided they’d market it that way. There idea is it’ll gently cleanse skin while polishing it so your makeup with look smoother and your skin brighter. Nifty, kind of makes it more appealing somehow right?

I’m no stranger to powder cleansers or in this case powder exfoliators. I’m sure you’ve read some of my past cleanser reviews like Softymo Q10 Face Cleansing Powder Wash and Kose Softymo Powder Wash Whitening Formula not to mention powder exfoliators I’ve used like Sephora Metamorphosis Exfoliating Powder and Farmacy New Day Gentle Exfoliating Grains. They are an interesting take on the regular round of liquid or cream formulas out there.

Props to Urban Decay for creating a fairly nice formula that doesn’t strip skin. According to the brand this is gentle enough to use everyday which I raised a brow at. When you have dry skin, you don’t want to exfoliate your skin every single day as it’ll leave you pretty darn tight and dehydrated. UD’s formula is pretty friendly in this area. It’ll gently whisk away dead skin and has an interesting slick formula that doesn’t leave skin dry or tight after use. If you’re used to grainer, harsher scrubs this might be a tad too gentle for you but it does a fairly good job smoothing and polishing skin when used daily.

They package it up in a 1.5 oz bottle that has a tiny hole which you can gently tap powder out of. It’s a pretty mess-free method of getting the powder out of the bottle. I had a severe problem with the size and price of this. It’s $28 for a mere 1.5 oz, couldn’t they have made it a bit bigger? Farmacy’s version is $30 and 3.5 oz in size so, the size is pretty small for what you get. I noticed a lot of their new skincare launches are pretty small. I feel like I can use this bottle in a month with daily use.

But size aside, I liked the formula a lot. I’m personally a fan of a harsher scrub but for daily use this does the job nicely. It starts out as a powder but with a little water you can work it into a paste. Once you apply it to your face it’ll create a nice lather with a slightly grainy formula that acts to gently exfoliate skin as you cleanse. I wouldn’t rely on this to remove my makeup but it’s a nice in shower cleanser that you can use in the AM to cleanse and exfoliate skin in one go. As I mentioned above it feels very slick and doesn’t leave my skin tight nor dry after use. My skin felt smoother and softer after using it but it does take a little work to rinse it completely off as it leaves a bit of slick film behind so a little more rinsing is required to completely get it off skin. By the way, it’s supposed to have a vanilla scent but it smelled like baby’s formula to me.

All in all, Urban Decay Rehab Makeup Prep Pretty Gritty Skin Polish is a surprisingly good formula just a little bit small for the money you’re paying for it. I struggle with exfoliating products as they can be a little too drying for me at times. This gently smoothed and softened without leaving me tight or dry which made it a great pick for my drier skin.

Urban Decay Rehab Makeup Prep Pretty Gritty Skin Polish is available now at ulta.com and sephora.com.

Tried it already?

Do share your thoughts on the formula!

Ingredients:
Sodium Bicarbonate, Tapioca Starch Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Citric Acid, Rosa Canina Seed Powder, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Vanilla Planifolia Seed Powder, Water, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid, Cocos Nucifera Oil / Coconut Oil, Polymethylsilsesquioxane.

This was provided to me by a brand for review and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post but all opinions 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‘.

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Comments

  • Robin

    I don’t think I want to do this before makeup. Seems backwards. I know it will make the skin smooth for makeu0, but I don’t want anything on my face except moisturizer after using an exfoliatator. Like doing a deep cleaning on a carpet then dumping potting soil on it.

    I love Amore Pacific’s Enzeyme Peel. It’s a powder that works the way the UD product works. Pricey, but lasts forever.

  • kjh

    Bicarbonate, really? Idk. Have seen some Asian products with bicarb, too, but it seems to me as if it’d mess with the acid mantle. I doubt the acids in the formula could balance it. Kind of like you need 3 washes with low pH cleanser, a wish, and a prayer afterwards. The texture of bicarb is actually a pretty nice scrub. (Understand this is embedded in a creamy matrix.). This makes no sense to me.

  • Isa

    I can only tolerate exfoliating three times a week max. It’s strange, I can handle prescription tretinoin every day, but if I ever try to exfoliate any more than three times a week, my skin kicks up a fuss immediately. It’s not like I’m using particularly harsh exfoliants either; it’s 2% BHA or 5% AHA, which are supposed to be appropriate for daily use.

    My skin likes manual exfoliants even less than it likes chemical, so this one is a definite pass!

    • Isabella Muse

      I’m trying hard to make the switch the chemical but I find it a little hard since I’m already applying a crumb load of stuff to my face at night and adding yet another step is overkill for me 😀 I typically do it once a week, physical that is, otherwise my skin becomes dry as hell!