Favourite Things: Clinique Sparkle Skin Body Exfoliator

With a name like Sparkle Skin, you'd be expecting a shimmer-laden body lotion, but this classic Clinque product is a fabulous body exfoliator.

While the scent might not be to everyone's liking (I find it inoffensive but not particularly pleasant), there's no doubt that using this scrub is a very refreshing experience, due to the menthol content. Not only does it smell sharp and menthol-y, it also feels very cool on the skin - not in a cold way, but in an invigorating, wake-up kind of way.

The exfoliating beads in this are fairly large and effective, but not so rough that they scratch the skin. After use, my skin always feels soft and smooth, but never over-exfoliated. The formula is gel-based, and this stops the product from running/falling off your hands or melting away in the shower too quickly. A surprisingly small amount goes a long way too; I've been using mine about once a month for a year, and there's still about a third left.

If you'd like to try it for yourself, you can buy it from Clinique.co.uk for £15 for 200ml. It's also usually available with the Deep Comfort body cream at Christmas, in a cute little set which includes travel sizes - sold out online, but probably available in store.