An issue of taste: sugar or salt?

Ah, summer. The time when we're supposed to take off our long pants and our opaque tights and start wearing shorts (preferably not the formal sort! and not to the office!), capris (but not gauchos), and skirts. I always fall into the "my legs are so pale, I am going to wear my jeans all summer -- why are my legs so pale?" trap, so I'm saying to heck with it this summer and going for it... a little more than usual. I haven't busted out the gradual tanning lotion yet, but it may be a matter of time.

Here's my issue, though: if you're supposed to exfoliate right before you put on your bronzer, don't you just exfoliate it right off the next time you do it? What's the point of tinting a layer of skin you're going to slough off next time you want to use your tanner? Am I overthinking this?

Anyway, I've been using the past two scrubs since, oh, October: Philosophy's Gingerbread Man scrub from October to April, then LaLicious's Sugar Souffle in Passionfruit Lime. I've used both in the tub pre-shaving -- I don't scrub in the shower.

The Gingerbread Man scrub, being based on salt, has bigger grains and is a bit rougher to use. It also can leave brown goo on you or on the side of the tub if a bit of it lands and dissolves there, but it is easily wiped away. The scent is pleasant, if more autumn-y (it is gingerbread, after all). Since it's salt, it does sting if you nick yourself and put your nicked part in the water. However, it's not an oil-based scrub, so it won't make your tub slippery.

The LaLicious Sugar Souffle has a finer grain, but is definitely oil-based -- water beads up on you as soon as you start scrubbing, while the sugar and oil melt right into your skin. It smells really nice and is very moisturizing, but you will definitely have an oily tub after using it. It's also more expensive for less product ($32 for 16 ounces, versus $25 for 20 ounces), but LaLicious is a smaller brand than Philosophy, and I do like supporting smaller brands and trying new things.

So what's the verdict? Sweet or salty? I like both, but I don't really know which I would buy again if given the choice. Truth is, I have a big-sized jar of Crush On You in Yuzu that I've been waiting to use...

Philosophy products can be found at Sephora or Beauty.com; LaLicious is available at LaLicious.com or through their store locator.

images from lalicious.com and beauty.com