So, you’re looking for a new cleanser? And I just happened to test out four..
I’ll be honest with you, I have become quite tired of testing skincare. Mainly due to the fact that the majority are so so similar, you would barely notice any difference even if you used them for years and then switched to another for the same length of time. If I was to take 12 weeks to test out every piece of skincare I was interested in, this blog would be boring, sparce, and quite frankly I don’t have the patience. For me, good skincare should be noticed pretty quickly, if not in a few weeks, where it meets a few requirements that I look for. In relation to cleansers, I feel a good cleanser should remove makeup with a ridiculous amount of ease, and in some cases remove waterproof makeup (properly!!! I stress this point), leave your skin feeling bright, fresh and totally clean, but then not too tight and dry. It should also have a consistency that feels beautiful on your skin, and afterwards, your skin should feel softer, smoother and more radiant. I mean, is that too much to ask, and is that not what everyone else wants?! Now, I find that most skincare items can tick the majority of those boxes, and that’s where testing skincare becomes so difficult. There isn’t much difference in their feeling and effects and it makes it hard to really promote one product as being the creme de la creme. The products that I really rant about are those that have gone past my expectations AND ticked all of the boxes, and mainly, the ones I truly enjoy using.
So here I tested four very different cleansers over a matter of weeks. A water, a viscous gel, a beaded gel and a cream. And this is my very quick, and to the point, verdict.
1. Lets start with Oskia. The
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel is £28 for 100ml, and I’m quite the fan of the white and simple packaging in honesty, not that that really matters. The product inside is a dull orange, that is best worked into dry skin to break down dirt or makeup. If you get the gel wet, it just slides off your hands and face and doesn’t work its magic, so best to keep all liquids to the removal of the gel. I apply a 5p amount to fingertips, and massage it all over before taking a wet cloth, or wet hands, to buff away the product and dirt from the skin. It removed and melted the makeup away thoroughly, leaving my skin fresh, clean and bright. I didnt use it on my eyes, as Im not overly keen on using gels on my eye makeup, but for the rest of my makeup, it did an excellent job of removal.
2. Moving onto the
Nuxe Miscellar Cleansing water, which as you’ve guessed, is a water based product at £14.50 for 200ml. In terms of eye-makeup removal, which I expected was a key job of this product, it was pretty poor and didn’t manage to remove even non-waterproof mascara, so I wasn’t overly impressed on first use. The water has a subtle rose scent, and is definitely lovely to wipe over the face with a cotton pad, to remove face makeup, but I found it wasn’t overly thorough. Im never that impressed by cleansing waters in honesty, they just seem so lacking in oomph.
3. The
Bee Good Honey 2 in 1 Cream Cleanser is a 100ml product for £11.50. This is the cream product, in a generic light consistency, with a lemon and citrus fragrance. I do really like cream cleansers, as I feel they can be massaged into the skin and therefore remove more makeup that waters ever could, yet this is probably not the best I’ve tried. I’m not sure why, I just don’t feel amazing during or after using this. I just applied it all over my face, used a hot cloth to wipe it off, and although my skin feels lovely and soft afterwards, this isn’t a product that I feel I absolutely HAVE to go out and buy again. And for that reason, Im not wowed by it.
4. Ive left the best until last, the
ESPA Optimal Skin Procleanse, which unfortunately is also the priciest at £30 for 100ml, and I just cant seem to find it online in many places apart from their website. This is a light gel consisting of small gel balls that break down and melt on the skin. It means that you can lightly exfoliate the skin alongside cleansing, and the light gel feeling on the skin is so soothing and softening. My skin felt wonderful, soft, smooth and refreshed after using, and since initially testing the product, it is the one I have reached for the most. It ticks all of the boxes, and more and has become a brand I will be keeping my eye on in future.
I have even more cleansers to review really soon, so make sure you check back. But for now, that is my verdict on those four that you may have been interested in trying. ESPA followed by Oskia followed by Bee Good and the Nuxe product isn’t something I would recommend. There are much cheaper cleansing waters that can do a similar job, if you ask me.
What are you favourite cleansing products right now, and why?
Some of these items may have been sent to me for review. Please see my disclaimer for more information
