This $85 Face Scrub Completely Transformed My Skin

No hate on Dry January, but why does the New Year have to be all about self-deprivation? After months of spending our time, energy, and money on everyone else, we're ready to treat ourselves. Welcome to our series To Me, From Me.

My skin and I have always had a contentious relationship; two rounds of Accutane as a teen will do that to you. Even now that I'm well into my 30s and mostly blemish-free, I still have to be careful what I apply to my face. Over the last decade my skin has gone from oily to dry to combination and back again more times than we've had seasons of The Bachelor.

That's why I'm hyper-vigilant when it comes to what I use on my face. Just because people swear something is "the best" doesn't mean it's the best for me. Or that the most expensive face cream on the market will give me J. Lo's glow-from-within complexion (no, only J. Lo's genes will do that). So when I find something that works for every season of my face, you better believe I'm sticking to it.

Now, before we get to what that product is, I need to lay the foundation for why I don't mind spending so much money on it. I love makeup, and I'm not ashamed to say that pretty packaging will usually take me straight to the checkout line. But I also want whatever makeup I buy (and trust me, there's a lot of it since I'm usually out at events or at awards shows most evenings) to look amazing, do the job, and stay on without fading or melting. In order to do that, my skin has to be prepped and primed and ready to accept whatever liquid foundation or pigment I throw on it. If my skin is dry or flaky, or if my pores are clogged, then my makeup is just not going to look good no matter who makes it or how much it costs. And who wants to waste money because of that?

Perhaps that's why I can justify (even though, in all honesty, I still cringe) when I pay $85 for the best face scrub I've ever found: Chantecaille's Bamboo & Hibiscus Exfoliating Cream.

Chantecaille's website says it will do all the wonderful things that I would hope any product that costs almost $100 would do: It claims to gently polish, refine, and improves the appearance of your skin's texture while delivering major hydration. It promises to minimize pores (thanks to glycolic acid), reduce fine lines (because of peptides), and improve my skin without causing irritation or redness (h/t to hibiscus flower, which contains high levels of pyruvic acid to help retexturize skin). And you know what? It does. Of all the exfoliating scrubs, wipes, and creams that I've used in my 30-plus years on this earth, I've never found one that leaves my skin so baby soft and luxurious. My makeup has never glided on so well—or stayed on all day. My bank account says, "Crap!" but my skin says thank you.

Yes, spending nearly $100 on a face scrub is probably insane to a lot of people. (I'm the daughter of a bankruptcy attorney, so he taught me well—maybe too well.) But I also look at it this way: It's cheaper than weekly or bimonthly facials. It's also better than spending half that amount on a product that doesn't quite do the job. I make sure to use it sparingly. (You don't have to use more than a dime-size amount to reap all the rewards, and I use it only three times a week.) Plus, I love to support companies that are cruelty free, like Chantecaille. All of their products are free of animal components, parabens, phthalates, sulphates, synthetic fragrances, and GMOs, among others. That's important to me.

So, spending $85 on something that's good for my skin, good for the environment, and frankly, good for my bank account (because as my dad tells me, money is meant to be spent if it's for a smart reason) is a win. And while I can buy all the makeup I want, the skin on my face is the common denominator. And that deserves the ultimate treatment.