It has been a very long hiatus but I am back and ready to enable everyone again :)… so without further ado I present some things I am loving right now.. The Cleanser Edition!
I seem to go in phases as maybe most people do where my skin is really good and then it is really bad. I can’t say whether it is using bad products or something more to do with diet/medication/time of year. *Knock on wood* things are going pretty well at the moment. It could be the skin care regime I am using or it could not.
It is funny, i haven’t posted in a while and when I look back at what I was loving a year ago, it has really changed. I think it is because in between then and now I had a bad run with my skin so I was changing it up like crazy to find something that works. Plus I also moved houses in between and purged my stash like mad… a little too madly I think. I barely had anything left. Oopsie!
At any rate, I feel like I have a good lineup at the moment and thought I would share the cleanser portion of the program.
Obviously because skincare is so personal as we all have different needs and wants, this might not apply to a lot of people. For reference, my skin is currently normal – dry, slightly sensitive and semi prone to occasional breakouts. The things I look for in skin care are gentle, moisturizing ingredients that help with evening out the skin tone and redness.
I like my cleansers a specific way, not foamy or sudsy and that leave my skin while feeling clean, also feeling soft and not tight. I am all about preserving my natural moisture barrier. There are four I use right now in rotation that seem to achieve that.
If this is you too, here are some things that might help!
AM
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser – I have been using Cetaphil for 15 plus years and I find it a great morning cleaner to help get off the skincare from the night before but not much else. I think it is always best used when not trying to remove a lot of buildup/makeup/grime. It has a lotion like texture, that does not foam up in anyway. It leaves my skin feeling clean but definitely not dried out. I don’t like to use it at night when I am trying to remove make up. Although if you do use it then, I recommend applying it to your skin when it is dry as that seems to remove more makeup (or i could just be crazy.. one or the other).
PM
CeraVe Hyrdrating Cleanser – I find this very similar to Cetaphil but I think it removes make up a little better than Cetaphil can. This one contains MVE technology!.. although I have no clue what that is and why this might be a selling feature. Again I always apply it to dry skin and it seems to have no problem removing my eye makeup as well as my face makeup. It leaves me feeling clean, soft and not irritated in any way. Good for a light to medium make up day.
REN Evercalm™ Gentle Cleansing Milk – I first discovered this as a sample tube that was in a magazine I bought in the UK (why don’t they do this in North America, it is kind of awesome!!). It sat there for quite some time until finally i gave it a whirl. It seems great, smells kind of herbal and earthy, doesn’t foam up and leaves my skin feeling happy. It touts itself as good for sensitive, reactive skin that will leave it calm and soothed. I can get on board with that. It seems to do the trick. I do find it isn’t a master of makeup removal, even when applied to dry skin, so it is best for days when you weren’t wearing any but feel like the gunk of the day needs to be removed. This cleanser is paraben free.
Fresh Soy Face Cleanser – This is another one I seem to have a ton of little tubes collecting in my stash of trial sizes. I figured since they are so quick to give it away it must not be that great? I don’t know, that made sense in my mind. I remember trying it once a long time ago and not loving it. I think it was the smell mainly. Well I tried it again recently when I started getting into some of the Fresh products and you know what? It isn’t half bad. I am kind of over the smell, it really isn’t that strong. I can’t even really say what it smells like. This one foams up a tiny bit but definitely errs on the side of creamier. Of the 3 PM cleansers I list, this does the best job of removing make up in my opinion so it is good for the days when i cake it on. I am still using up all my sample tubes but will definitely buy a full size when I am done. This cleanser is also free of parabens which is always a good thing!
I do own a Clarisonic and kind of just realized I actually haven’t used it in a long time. Hmmm I will chalk that up to sheer laziness on my part. But honestly right now I am finding i am kind of alright sans Clarisonic. But if you do use it, I think you will find all the but the REN cleanser will work great with it. I think the REN cleanser being the creamiest and having the closest consistency to a moisturizer would not work so well. But hey that is just me!
So to sum it all up, if you dig the cleansers that almost feel like rubbing cream on your face more than something all foamy like, maybe you will find these cleansers good for you. I would love to know your experience with them. For now.. You Have Been Enabled.. go forth and purchase.
You can find Cetaphil and CeraVe at most drug stores and REN and Fresh can be found at Sephora.
