19/06/2015

Cleansing 101

I'm just gonna start by saying I have a serious obsession with cleansers, I literally cannot stop buying them. When I look in my skincare cupboard it is just overrun with cleansers, I only have one toner, three serums, 4 oils and I would say somewhere in the region of 25 cleansers. Yep, that's right. I am on a bit of a binge at the moment of using my cleansers up and not being able to buy one until I have used 2 up to try and control it! So with that obsession in mind I thought I would bring you some of my favourite cleansers out of my collection, yep that's right, those cleansers in that picture are only a snippet of my whole collection.

Cleansers come in so many different shapes and forms, there are gels, foams, balms, oils, creams, milks, butters, micellar waters, hot cloth cleansers...the list is endless, which is why I think I have so many because they all have so many different uses. For my current favourites keep reading:

First up is the balms, I love cleansing balms. I have dry/dehydrated skin so balm cleansers really suit my skin type and help to inject some much needed moisture into my skin. My current favourites are the Sarah Chapman Ultimate Cleanse, this is a lovely thick balm in a pump bottle that when massaged into the face turns into an oil and feels so luxurious on the skin. I find this quite a heavy cleanser so I tend to only use in the evenings and I use it more in the Autumn/Winter months when my skin is really struggling. And my other favourite balm is the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Balm, I tend to prefer to use this cleanser to remove my makeup like an oil, I just get a little blob out of the tin and then massage onto my face. It removes makeup so easily and then I just remove with a flannel and then follow with a second cleanse. The product literally looks like lard in a tub but when massaged into the face it turns into a lovely oil and feels really soothing on the skin.

Next it's gels. Generally I'm not a fan of gel cleansers, they really dry my skin out and leave it feeling really tight and stripped and horrid and I've just never been able to get on with them until this little beauty entered my life. The Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel is unlike any gel cleanser I have ever tried, it isn't like any typical gel cleanser. I would personally would describe it as a gel like balm that turns into oil when massaged onto the face. I had heard so much about this cleanser but the name gel had been putting me off buying it for so many months, I am so glad I took the plunge as I just absolutely love it. If you are toying with the idea of buying but the word gel is putting you off then don't let it as it honestly isn't anything like a gel.

Then we have cream cleansers and my favourite for this is the This Works Clean Skin Gentle Cleanser. Containing ingredients such as rosehip oil, eucalyptus and vitamin e it really is a cocktail of goodness for your skin. I absolutely love this cleanser and use it pretty much every morning, it really helps to awaken my skin but also leaves it feeling really soft with a lovely glow ready for the day ahead. There's also cleansing milks which in my opinion are just a runny cream cleanser but hey ho. So for this I have the Elemis Rehydrating Rosepetal Cleanser, this is a lovely light consistency cleanser. Again, I use this in the mornings alongside the This Works cleanser depending on how my skin feels. Honestly, I believe every skin type can benefit from either a specific cleansing milk or cream. If you have dry skin like myself then I tend to lean more on the side of oil based milks/creams or if you have combination or oily skin then you are probably more suited to ones that will have a purifying and brightening effect to the skin.

So hot cloth cleansers, we all know and love them. My current favourites are the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and the No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser. Both feel super soothing on the skin and really help to freshen the skin up. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish feels more awakening on the skin as it contains eucalyptus whereas the No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser feels more luxurious and soothing on the skin. 

I rely solely on cleansing oils to remove my makeup at the end of the day as I find micellar waters to harsh on my skin when used on their own to remove my makeup. My current favourite is the Super Facialist by Una Brennan Cleansing Oil. This stuff literally smells like 500 oranges have been squeezed into the bottle, it's incredible! And it's not bad at removing your makeup either. I just think cleansing oils require such minimal effort and remove makeup so easily. They are fuss free. I just slap it straight onto my face on top of my makeup and massage in and then remove with a hot flannel, which is just heaven after a long day. 

Some people remove their makeup solely with micellar water, I can't get to grips with this but I do use these types of cleansers after my full cleanse to remove any residual makeup that may be left over or in the mornings I sometimes just sweep a cotton pad over my face soaked in this Clarins Water Comfort One Step Cleanse if I can't be bothered with a full cleanse. This Clarins version is a great alternative if like me you're not a massive fan of micellar waters, it's really soothing and doesn't feel stripping on the skin whatsoever. 

And lastly it's the foam cleansers, now generally I am the same with foam cleansers as I am with gel cleansers. They tend to dry my skin and leave it feeling really stripped but this Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean foaming wash is just beautiful. I use this cleanser when I'm in the shower to wash my face as it's just not like any of the above. It foams up into a luxuriously rich foam and leaves the skin feeling moisturised rather than stripped. 

So that's it, my low down of cleansers. Considering I'm normally preaching that I only ever use oil/balm cleansers, I actually own quite a few different types. Which cleansers do you use?

6 comments:

  1. You have so many! haha, love the image you take. I use the l'oreal micellar water and I love it! I'll have a blogpost on it soon if you want to see it!
    Charlotte xx
    www.charbeautypicks.blogspot.com

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    1. Ooh id be really interested in that xx

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  2. So many interesting recommendations! Now I just want to try them all haha!
    Rachel Coco

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    1. I'm sure the bank balance won't thank you lol! Xx

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  3. I love the No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser and am so happy to hear someone talking about it, I find their ranges which aren't anti-aging get overlooked but there are some real gems! xx

    Beaut Honesty | Bloglovin

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    1. You're completely right, I totally agree. They don't get enough coverage xx

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