For gentle exfoliation.

A crucial step in achieving the perfect lip is exfoliating. There's nothing more irritating to me than applying lipstick (especially a liquid matte one!!) and seeing it cling to all the flaky and dry part of my lips. No matte what lipstick finish you're using, exfoliating beforehand is a must. It may be time-consuming but honestly, it's freaking worth it.

I've tried a few lip scrubs before and most of them are sugar-based; hell even the DIY lip scrub I used before is sugar-based. I like the grittiness of sugar scrubs because it gets the job superbly and gets rid of all the flakes off my lips. However, I know some people find them a bit abrasive, a little too rough on the lips. I have a feeling those who prefer a more gentle scrub would like this product I'm about to share.

This is the Innisfree Smooth Lip Scrub, described as "a lip scrub that softly exfoliates dead skin and residue on your lips with fine walnut and coconut shell granules." It contains camellia oil and shea butter that moisturize and soften the lips. 

Unlike other lip scrubs in the market that are in jars, this one is in a tube, making it very purse-friendly and easier to carry around.

The product itself reminds me of a facial scrub- creamy with exfoliating beads. However, the beads on this scrub are smaller, more granule-like rather than beady. They feel like a finer version of granulated sugar- smaller, finer, and a little less coarse on the skin. The only difference is that the shells in this lip scrub don't dissolve at all while sugar obviously does.

The scent of this scrub smells sweet with a hint of nuttiness. It doesn't have that strong artificial smell which I appreciate. Also, it may smell sweet but it doesn't taste like anything (which my brain finds really weird haha!)

I prefer squeezing the product on my fingers then work it on my lips in circular motions rather than doing it directly on the tube. I just feel like my way's more hygienic and I feel like I reach more areas with my fingers than the tube. After working the product in, it leaves a balmy film on the lips which acts as a moisturizer after all the scrubbing.

So here's how I look at it: this scrub is more of an on-the-go scrub rather than a deep scrub. If you have severe chapped lips, this won't be able to exfoliate everything off- you're honestly way better off exfoliating with a toothbrush. As an everyday casual scrub, though? This one will get the job done, anytime, anywhere. If you want to lightly exfoliate before putting on a matte liquid lip, using this will help you achieve a nice smooth surface. So in short: use this if you don't have very dry and chapped lips.

 I think this is a nice product to have on hand in times where you forgot to exfoliate and need to. I also like that it's a fuss-free and mess-free product. It's not that gritty and abrasive but it still gets the job done. As I've said before, gritty and abrasive aren't everyone's cup of tea so this scrub may be worth a try. I probably won't repurchase it but I sure as hell would use it all up, especially when I'm in the mood to wear matte liquid lippies!