I first saw Buddy on the BR home page as a trial opportunity. Intrigued I had to know more. The description of Buddy made him come to life and his personality was something I could get on board with. He sounded fun and flirty! I was even more stoked to see Buddy in the vault, as I knew that was my best chance of getting a hold of him.
Buddy comes in a simple white baggie with a ziplock top, perfect for keeping out the moist and wetness from the environment. At first I thought it was a coffee scrub but I do think I am mistaken, and I think it is just a charcoal and sugar scrub. It's surprisingly gentle for a scrub but it's not so soft it doesn't scrub. It also smells like peppermint candy canes, and it's a really big plus for me.
Buddy claims to reach all parts of my body, and it's true to an extent - but Buddy can only reach everywhere I can reach, so sadly stupid bits like my back get missed completely. I need to invite someone else to the shower to help!
When I tried it on my hands it felt slightly drying, but on my body in the shower it was the most delicious feeling ever. I smelled like a giant candy cane! The sugar somewhat dissolved on my wet skin and left me covered in a grey sheen which made me feel like the lake monster. Rinsing was easy, Buddy just slid off my body, and true to his word he left my skin feeling clean and bright. It was also glowing and so unbelievably soft.
There was a few bits of grey left over that I missed from rinsing but that's nothing. Buddy is lovely and I do like to use him. And I think I would repurchase him too!
I have used many different body scrubs in the past including coffee scrubs and sugar scrubs. However I had never come across an activated charcoal scrub before so I was very interested in seeing how this scrub compared to others.
This scrub comes in a plastic resealable bag and it is 200g which is the same amount as the Frank coffee scrub products. It is also marketed in the same way as the Frank coffee scrubs. I was expecting this product to smell like dirt because of the charcoal in it. But it actually smells EXACTLY like peppermint candy canes, which I absolutely loved and it made me feel christmassy all over again.
I tried using this product on wet skin and dry skin, however I had more success using it on wet skin. If you use it on dry skin, 90% of the product will end up on the floor. I preferred to use it in the shower (without the water running) as the application of this product can get super messy. Your skin should be damp (not completely soaking wet) otherwise the sea salt and sugar will dissolve straight away and it won’t be a scrub anymore.
After using this product my skin felt very soft, well-cleansed and moisturised. I was worried that I would be left with grey patches on my pale skin from the charcoal, but it washed off easily. One problem I found with this product was that my chest and face broke out in tiny pimples a few days after using this scrub. I can’t say with 100% certainty that the pimples were directly caused by the scrub, but I never changed my skincare routine or diet in any other way over this time. When I used this product again I made sure to only use it on areas such as my arms, legs and hips. I never experienced any other problems after I used it in this way.
I’m not sure if this product helped with my stretch marks or cellulite. I think I would need to use it over a longer period of time to notice any difference.
I really enjoyed the peppermint smell of this product and how it left my skin feeling super soft. I would say that I still prefer coffee scrubs to this charcoal scrub. However I would purchase this product again if I felt like switching up my body scrub routine.