Anybody that's been a long term reader of my busy little musings will know that my skin does tend to have a hissy fit at the first sign of something it doesn't like, be that something I've eaten or a new product I've used that my skin hasn't taken a liking to. So I'm constantly on the lookout for gentle cleansers that will be tough on makeup but not cause my skin to freak out too much. Now these are a few I've been using recently and having given them each a fair trial I thought I would share my feelings.
The Body Shop Camomile sumptuous cleansing butter says it's suitable for all skin types but you know if it has camomile in it, it's going to be calming and gentle on the skin. Apart from the fact it comes in a tin that you have to dig the product out of I really can't fault it. It has a light floral scent and you know with The Body Shop you can't really go wrong with the ingredients. Once warmed up in the hands and applied on to a dry, full face of makeup this just melts away everything you have on including stubborn mascara and all you need is a clean muslin cloth or flannel to rinse away the product. It's great for my dry skin as it leaves my skin feeling nourished without that tight feeling some cleansers can leave.
Now you may think if you love the cleansing butter so much why buy more cleansers but it was the messiness of it that led me to the Boots Botanics All Bright Cleansing Foam Wash. This says it 'gently lifts away makeup and impurities' which I would say it only half does. It has a gel like consistency which you are supposed to massage into damp skin to remove makeup but I always find I'm left with panda eyes from my mascara and eye liner after using this and even if I then go in with a second cleanse I still don't feel as though it's all gone. I don't really feel as though my skin benefits in any way from using this although it is marketed as containing Hibiscus as 'Nature's brightness booster' and that natural AHA's from the flower act as a mild exfoliant to smooth and brighten. There could possible be some slight brightening effects with this but aside from that and the convenience of a gel cleanse it's pretty redundant.
And finally the No 7 Beautiful Skin foaming cleanser for normal/oily skin. You're probably wondering why I would buy a cleanser targeted at more oily skin types but I don't use this everyday. This is more a cleanser for those evenings after a sweaty long day at work or for a quick cleanse after a good gym session. This again does nothing for removing mascara or eye liner although it says it dissolves makeup I beg to differ and because this is targeted at removing oil and tightening pores it does leave a little bit of a tight feeling just after washing but as long as I only use this once or twice a week and I go straight in with a good toner, serum/oil and moisturiser that feeling doesn't bother me too much. I will however continue to hunt for the perfect gentle cleanser and if anybody has any suggestions please do pop them below.
