A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a cleansing oil connoisseur, but I’ve been a fan of them for a little while now and have tried far more than my fair share in the quest for perfection.  The beauty of a cleansing oil, for lazy girls like me, is that they offer a perfectly quick solution to makeup removal AND cleansing.  In theory.  In reality, I often feel as though I need to cleanse with another product once I’ve removed my makeup with the cleansing oil.  It’s not how they’re supposed to work – but I find that many others feel the same way, advocating the double cleanse method.

Douvall’s All-in-one Argan Oil Cleanser is a 100% natural and 71.9% organic cleanser, enriched with almond, safflower seed and grapeseed oil as well as the all important Argan Oil from which the cleanser derives its name.  In-fact, a glance at the ingredient’s list reveals that Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil is indeed at the top of the bill, reassuring.

I’ve been enjoying trying out this 20ml travel-size sample of the Oil Cleanser over the last couple of weeks, you only need a tiny amount to melt away your makeup so even just a small amount lasts a significant while.  The oil is thinly-textured but sufficiently viscous enough to provide some great oily massage on the skin.  My favourite thing about the Douvall’s All-in-one Argan Oil Cleanser is the scent – some oil cleansers stink, even the really posh eones.  In general, I’ve found that the more “organic” the brand, the better the scent that’s derived from some of the natural oils.   The Douvall’s cleanser is an absolute citrus dream, tsharing top position for the best I’ve ever used in terms of scent (Nude Skincare’s is the other one).  It’s uplifting and really encourages me to linger with the oil on my face whilst I massage it into my skin, not a bad thing.

It doesn’t emulsify very well, so be prepared with your basin of warm water and make sure that you rinse completely – it will take a few passes until your skin feels oil-free.  It doesn’t leave my face feeling tight though I still need to moisturise afterward.  A lovely, pampering treat for a mundane daily task.

Douvall’s All-in-one Argan Oil Cleanser is priced at £28.00 for 150ml and is available to buy online at The Urban Retreat Beautique.

The beautifully illustrated Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura collection celebrates everything there is to love about Summer, from the greater clarity of colour on the landscape to the striking fauna and flora that spend the colder months hiding away.

The contemporary Japanese Kimono Artist has taken inspiration from some of Japan’s most beloved Spring floral wonders including: Fuji, Sakura, Botan, and Ume and these elegant designs grace the packaging of both the iconic Cleansing Oils and UV Under Base Mousse primers.

At the core of Shu Uemura’s well-tested philosophy lies the words: “Beautiful make-up starts with beautiful skin” and our skin is in for a treat today because I have FIVE Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil and UV Under Base Mousse sets to give away to lucky Lipglossiping.com readers.

Want to be in with a chance of winning one of these limited edition sets worth £85.50 each?  Read on…

Shu Uemura is globally renowned as a pioneer of cleansing oil after introducing the first oil-based cleanser to the Japanese market back in 1967.  The following short video explains a little more about this iconic product (and also reveals the answer you need to enter today’s giveaway nestled just below – you may need to wait a second or two for it to load)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&C
1. Start date for this competition is 10th August 2012 at 00.01 BST
2. Closing date for this competition is 17th August 2012 at 23.59 BST
3. There are five prizes to be won, each comprising of a Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil & UV Under Base Mousse Set.  Cleansing Oil/UV Under Base Mousse varieties will be chosen at random and specific product requests cannot be accomodated. No cash alternatives.
4. UK entrants only. (sorry)
5. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
6. Only one entry per email address will be accepted.
7. Personal details will not be kept or forwarded and are only used in the context of this competition to inform the winner(s) of their prize status.
8. Five winners will be selected at random from all entries received.
9. Winners will be notified within 5 working days and will be expected to reply to an email sent to the address used to enter the competition within 5 working days or risk forfeiting the prize.

Good luck!

To keep up with the latest news from Shu Uemura, you can follow the Shu Uemura UK team on both Twitter and Facebook.

I don’t usually do “tip” posts like these, infact I’m not sure that I’ve ever done one before.  So it’s with a little apprehension and a large dose of ‘Do I know what the hell I’m talking about?’ that I present to you some of my tips for dealing with dry skin.

What do I mean by dry skin?  Well, for me… my combo/dry skin is largely self-inflicted.  I know I don’t drink enough water (and always see a marked improvement when I do), I refuse to give up my cleansing oil addiction and although I’m leaning more toward kinder organic cleansing balms, I refuse to just ‘get rid’ of some of my more drying oils until they’re finished.  Waste not, want not as my Mum would say.

I don’t suffer too badly in the Summer, but come the end of October, my skin loses its glow and the biggest problem I have to battle are those dreaded flakies that make any foundation look like crap.

I’m breaking the tips into a couple of posts:  cleansing, treating, moisturising & makeup.  Please remember that I’m in no way an expert, I’ve just bumbled through a lot of trial and errors to find what works well for me.  So without further ado…

Cleansing

1.  I refuse to give up on my cleansing oils/balms for makeup removal, so try to find one that is as natural as they come.  That means no mineral oils or other Petrochemicals.  Let your second cleanse shift the residue rather than relying on the inbuilt emulsifying agents.

Suggested products: Inlight Organic Cleanser, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, Nude Cleansing Facial Oil, Spiezia Organic Facial Cleanser & Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel

2.  Don’t use your hands to wash!  Make sure you have a stockpile of your favourite flannels/muslins and use them to exfoliate!  I can’t abide ‘flappy’ muslin cloths and always opt for microfibre or generic flannels.  I buy 2 microfibre cloths for £1 in Asda (the home cleaning aisle!) but anything is better than nothing at all!

3.  Choose your cleanser carefully.  My skin always reacts most positively to the ‘boring’ cleansers on the market.  These are usually the creamy-type ones that don’t make any additional claims other than to gently cleanse your skin.  Avoid that ‘squeaky’ clean feeling like the plague.  We don’t have the excess sebum production of oilier types and can’t tolerate twice daily skin stripping from harsher cleansers.  Avoid SLS and Petrochemicals.

Suggested products: Bare Minerals Purifying Facial Cleanser, Lavera Organic Lemon Balm Facial Cleansing Gel, Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream & Dermalogica UltraCalming Cleanser.

4.  Mind that water!  Living in the South, our water supply tends to lean toward the alkaline end of the PH scale which can encourage dryness if you don’t use a PH balanced cleanser to even things out when washing.  Most ‘gentle’ cleansers are PH balanced by default but it goes a long way to explain why I’ve stopped simply splashing my skin with water in the mornings.  I thought I was helping by not over-cleansing.  Wrong!

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I’m sure there are lots of other little gems out there to cleanse effectively without over-stripping our skin but these are the ones that I find work for me.

Do feel free to add any CLEANSING tips you’ve discovered from dealing with dry skin, I’d love to hear them.  I’ll be dealing with exfoliating, treating, moisturising, lifestyle type tips later.

* disclosure: in the above picture, the Inlight Cleansing Balm and Bare Minerals Cleanser are press samples

A serious cleansing oil ADDICTION I tell you!  Look at all these bottles that are sat on my bathroom windowsill in a constant rotation.  They feel sick and wanna get off the merry go-round!

L/R: Nude Cleansing Facial Oil, Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil, Muji Cleansing Oil

L/R: Shiseido Tiss Cleansing Oil, SK-II Cleansing Oil, Laura Mercier Cleansing Oil

L’Occitane Cleansing Oil

I repurchased the NUDE cleansing oil when it was half price and I’m still enjoying it.  I haven’t really used the SK-II for a long time (it just doesn’t emulsify that well).  So, with the exception of the Laura Mercier and the SK-II, I’m pretty pleased with the rest.

I just shouldn’t own so many is all.

I keep meaning to review the lot… but they’re not the most exciting products to write about.  I need a push, please answer my poll below!

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Take a stroll through Soho and you’d be hard-pressed not to end up in Japanese store MUJI…  There’s something about that small store on Carnaby Street that draws passing foot traffic like bees to honey.

Inside, shelves are packed from floor to ceiling with countless arrays of practical and simply-designed products that are guaranteed to make your life a little easier.

One of the latest installments in the “making life easier” category is a new range of skincare that I first talked about a couple of weeks ago.

As a bonafide cleansing oil addict (I currently have 6 bottles on the go) I was keen to see how the new MUJI Cleansing Oil stacked up against some of the more established market leaders.

MUJI were good enough to send me out a couple of pieces from the new range, and I’ve been using them for nearly a month now.  I know there’s been a lot of interest in this product particularly so I wanted to get my thoughts ‘out there’ without too much delay.

MUJI’s offering is cheap.  Not the kindest way to open a review, but I am talking money!  In a world where you can easily pay £35 for a simillar sized bottle of  cleansing oil, this is a bargain.  Hand over a tenner and expect change.

MUJI’s Cleansing Oil comes in a standard, no frills bottle… the emphasis is on functionality rather than aesthetics, although many would argue that the minimalistic design is more aesthetically appealing than many alternatives.

The biggest draw for many will be the fact that this cleanser contains no mineral oils.  A plus point indeed!  Mineral oil is one of the world’s cheapest substances and is a cause of skin irritation and dryness for many.  I’ve moaned previously how one of the most expensive cleansing oils in my bathroom cabinet is full of mineral oils, to see that MUJI (with such a low price point) has taken the care to avoid such fillers, impresses me.

So what does it contain?

Well, the most active ingredient is Hydrogenated Polyisobutene which from my (very limited) research (thank heavens for Google) appears to be a far more sensible alternative to mineral oil. It’s colourless, odourless and tasteless. Non comedogenic, non-irritant, non-toxic, emulsifies in water and is also used in many emolliating products for it’s hydrating qualities. This is all sounds good to me. The other less active (but more recognisable) ingredients include olive oil, jojoba oil, peach leaf extract and orange flower water. Unfortunately, it’s one of the (few) products in the range that does contain parabens, so if that’s something you’re trying to avoid, the MUJI Cleansing Oil won’t be for you.

It’s a light feeling oil, practically colourless and certainly odourless.  Two pumps is plenty to cleanse a heavily made up face.  The oil spreads smoothly over my skin thanks to a fairly thin texture, dissolving my foundation as it goes.  It’s easily as good at removing all powders and lipsticks as any I’ve tried… mascara takes a touch more work, massaging it gently into my lashline does the job after a little while.

The first couple of times I used the MUJI Cleansing Oil, I did feel a little bit of eye-irritation which was very disappointing.  I experienced a slight sting and eye cloudiness as I was cleansing, which although didn’t last longer than a couple of minutes, left me feeling thoroughly disappointed.  However, it’s important that I state that I haven’t experienced any irritations since those first few days of using.  I can’t explain what caused them, perhaps my eyes were suffering from some irritation already without my knowledge.  It’s something I want to make you aware of incase you have particularly sensitive eyes.

The product emulsifies nicely in warm water, though not completely… I need to follow this up with a cleanser (which I always do anyway) and there’s only ever been one cleansing oil that I would happily use without double cleansing (and I must review it soon!).

This is also one of the least drying cleansing oils I own aswell.  For the price and availability in this country, I’d put this in my top five cleansing oils quite happily.

MUJI Cleansing Oil is available in store and online from MUJI.  It’s priced at £9.95 and quite frankly, is a jolly good buy.

I first read back in January from the inimitable BeautyWooMe that kings of minimalism Muji were introducing their skincare line into the UK and as a huge fan of Japanese skincare, I was chomping at the bit for the release.

Comprising of two core product ranges:

Sensitive Skin: A hypo-allergenic skincare range formulated for delicate, sensitive skins.

The range is:

• Alcohol-free
• Paraben free
• Unperfumed
• No artifcial colouring
• Free from mineral oils

High Moisture: An intensive moisture rich skincare range formulated for dry skin.

• No artifcial colouring
• No added synthetic fragrances
• Free from mineral oils

The High Moisture range also contains Hyaluronic acid known for its moisturising properties and Lipidure ® (Polyquaternium -51), for locking in moisture, protecting and softening the skin.

In addition to the two core ranges, the skincare line also offers a Cleansing Oil (yippee!), a Cleansing Milk and a Cleansing Gel aswell as some rather nifty facial tools such as a Massager, Face Masks, Eye Masks and ever-useful Cotton Pads.

The skincare range starts from a very reasonable £7.95 and combined with the aesthetically pleasing packaging and somehow satisfying experience I always get from shopping in Muji, I’m gonna be making a beeline for the store every opportunity I get.

Or I could just be lazy and order online.

I have a couple of items that I’m testing at the moment so expect a review shortly!

If you wanted an introduction to some of Shu Uemura’s most iconic products… look no further than the limited edition Iconic Discovery Set which comprises 3 of Shu’s most well-known offerings.

The neat little box contains:

~ Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curler (multi-award winning.. yano the ones)
~ Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse SPF30 (full size, new formula)
~ Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil (50ml complimentary/travel size)

After being sent the set for review consideration, I was extremely keen to find out if the infamous cleansing oil would live up to the hype that surrounds it.  Infact, so keen was I… I went and took all my makeup off with it in the middle of the day.  In the same way a 4yr old with no patience might.

It’s a light-feeling oil that spreads easily over skin with no dragging as you massage it into the delicate eye area.  The scent is extremely mild and totally pleasant… not at all oily-smelling like the DHC oil.

It emulsifies nicely with warm water and rinses away leaving my skin completely free from makeup.  Mascara melts happily between my fingers as I gently work the oil across my lashline.  If you are going to use a cleansing oil to melt away mascara, then you need to GENTLY encourage the oil onto those lashes.  I have used cleansing oils in the past that have left my eyes stinging or at the very least – cloudy.  This is a total “no no” for me and thankfully the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil left my eyes fully unaffected.

I was hoping that the Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil would be the one that put an end to the ‘after cleansing tightness’ that is a significant cleansing oil annoyance for me.  It didn’t.  My skin was left a little tight as with most oils I’ve used… nothing that wasn’t remedied by a slick of moisturiser, but it means that (for me) Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils have been lifted down from their pedestal status.

A great cleansing oil, but I’ve used ones that are just as good for 2/3 of the price.

Ahhh, those “eyeconic” lash curlers!

I’m blessed with naturally curly lashes, so curlers aren’t something I generally incorporate into my daily routine.

At least, they weren’t until I tried these.

I’d previously owned one pair of curlers, a set of ELF ones that I bought last year and struggled to make fit my eye socket… contorting my face and gurning as I angled my head this way and that trying to get all my lashes to squish into the business end.

I gave up.

When I pulled these out, I was surprised by how light they felt.  There’s a real delicate ‘springiness’ to them.  I have to say, they fit my lashline perfectly… from those little lashes right in the inner corner around to the longer outer ones.  I can also get right down into the base of my lashes with these Shu Uemura curlers.  I can completely see why they’ve achieved the cult status that they enjoy.

My lashes get enough natural lift at the base, but a little squeeze towards the tips with these curlers makes quite a difference to achieving a more doe-eyed flutter!  I’m impressed.

Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse SPF30 PA+++

Beige it says on the can…. Beige.

Beige is never good for me.  As a pale chick, you get to know these words… “honey, beige, sand, caramel, fawn…” and seeing them written on the back of any kind of base product is enough to set the corners of your mouth into a downward direction.

“Beige” (in this case) is actually more “Vanilla” to be frank.  You can see in my swatches that it’s really quite pale.

You give the can a shake (it has a noisy little metal ball bearing inside which makes this far more enjoyable than it sounds!) and squirt a walnut-sized amount onto your fingers.  Spread between your digits and then straight over your face before the mousse evaporates.

Love. It.

There’s a definite ashiness visible at first thanks to the SPF which is a touch off-putting to say the least…  but after about 40 seconds the base turns completely invisible on my skin.  I would insert a caveat here that if you’re darker-skinned it may not be quite so invisible… because lets face it, if it looks ashy on ME… anyone darker will really notice that greyness and it may not fade so well.

Once the base has had about a minute to “fit” to my skin, I’m SO loving the effect.  Again, as with all primers I’ve used… I’m not seeing any pore filling or wrinkle reducing stuff.  But what I’m seeing on my skin-tone is a reduction in redness, a far matte-er appearance, a softer feeling complexion and thanks to the hint of colour, a more even overall tone.  Throw into that mix a decent SPF30 sun protection and I would be more than happy to pop down the shops sans foundation.

Another reason that I’m loving this product so much is… it’s easy.  You don’t need brushes… it’s fun to use.  Squirt and spread, squirt and spread.  It dries to a powder matte finish in less than a minute.  It’s a true no-fuss base.

My one reservation with this product is that I think it would be too drying for me to use in the Winter.  For the Summer, I will be squirting with reckless abandon… thrilled to have found something that leaves a long-lasting matte effect down the bridge of my nose!  However, I have a couple of dry patches at the moment above my eyebrows and I don’t think that this base is doing them any favours.  It’s something to consider if you’re a dry-skinned lady.  If you’re more oily… I think this could be a fantastic product for you.

So, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad (as they say).

You can purchase the Shu Uemura Limited Edition Iconic Discovery Set from Beauty Expert.  It’s priced at £41, which is a saving of £12.50 were you to buy the curlers and UV under base separately.

Are you a fan of the Shu?

With my love for cleansing oils fairly well documented, I was keen to try another in my (quite possibly) never-ending quest for the ‘perfect’ cleansing oil.

I want my oil to do 3 things…

1). Cleanse my skin (like, duh!)

2). Rinse clean leaving no oily residue.

3). Not dry my skin out.

There’s other stuff too like “smell nice”, “not break the bank”, “easy to dispense”, “look pretty in my bathroom”… but they’re secondary to my 3 Commandments of Cleansing Oils.

I was sent a bottle of Nude Cleansing Facial Oil for potential review and immediately liked it’s sleek, minimalistic exterior.  I am a sucker for packaging, and this ticks all the boxes for me.

Detergent free? So that’s SLS and the like which are well known culprits for stripping skin of moisture… good stuff!

The ingredients are listed as:

INGREDIENTS: glycine soja (soybean) oil, polyglyceryl-4-oleate (vegetable oil), squalene (olive oil), tocopherol acetate (plant sources), natural fragrance (parfum), benzyl benzoate (essential oil), linalool (essential oil), eugenol (essential oil)

The first thing I noticed was the quality of the ingredients… At £28 a bottle, this stuff isn’t cheap.  But if I think back to my SK-II, (which came in at a hefty £32) it’s central ingredient was mineral oil.  I commented then on how mineral oil is one of the cheapest substances on Earth and I’m delighted to see that Nude Skincare have stayed true to their Organic ethos by keeping their ingredients as natural and pure as possible.

On their website, Nude assert that…

Up to 70% of what we put onto our skin is absorbed into the blood stream. Our remarkable products work with the skin, using active ingredients that face and body can understand and use without harm.

I can get on board with that..

Packaging is 40% recycled plastic apparently and I have no quality issues to report.  The bottle is great for travel… I carted this up to the North East with me and didn’t experience any spillages.

The blurb says to dispense 1 or 2 pumps.. I don’t wear huge amount of makeup, but I don’t find 1 pump to be enough.  It’s quite a thick oil and doesn’t spread *that* easily.  2 pumps makes it easier to guide over my face, and if I’m wearing a smoky eye… then it needs to be 3, which is quite a lot compared to other oils.

When using this, I actually feel like I’m experiencing a ‘treatment’ rather than simply cleansing my face.  One of the reasons is the scent.  Quite strong and pungent, it’s inescapable.  If you’re not a fan of strong scents in your skincare products, then I’d think really carefully before purchasing this cleansing oil.  I’m a huge fan of the smell… it reminds me of something quite specific which you’d probably all laugh at, but which turns the whole experience into something a little more special than simply washing my makeup off.

I can’t really say that without telling you what it makes me think of can I?

OK… it reminds me of being a teenager at my parent’s home in France.  It reminds me of Autumn and of damp horse chestnuts scattered over the lanes… It reminds me of woodburners and the wood from those horse chestnut trees spitting as the resin gets caught by the flames.

Silly and very personal to me but I can only review on my experiences.  What’s useful for you to take away from that is the fact that scent-wise, I think you’d either love it or hate it.  Have a sniff of it next time you’re in Space NK and let me know what you think!

Because the oil is of a thicker, more viscous consistency, I find myself massaging it into my skin in little circles.  I do this without any real thought – it’s almost a subconscious action, and one that probably benefits my skin more than I appreciate.

What about cleansing though? Does it budge mascara, foundation, eye liners?  Yes… apart from when I use a particularly hard to budge eyeliner, I have no problems removing my makeup with this cleansing oil and my eyes suffer no sensitivity from wiping this over my eyelids.

It doesn’t emulsify as completely as I would like.  I’m finding this to be my main annoyance with most of the cleansing oils I’ve tried.  It (like many others) leaves a slightly oily feeling on my hands and face.  I don’t think it leaves a proper ‘residue’ per se, but my skin doesn’t have that squeaky clean feeling after rinsing off.  I need to second cleanse with another product when using this cleansing oil.

A huge plus point in it’s favour is that I’m not noticing this oil drying my skin out at all.  Compared to all the others I’ve tried and reviewed (DHC, Shiseido, SK-II, Smashbox) – this one leaves my skin feeling as soft and supple as promised.  I’m putting that down to those carefully selected ingredients.

So, Nude Cleansing Oil… are you my Holy Grail?  You *are* lovely and I have thoroughly enjoyed using you…. I love the feelings your scent invokes and the way you’ve quite unexpectedly turned my cleansing routine into a mini spa.  I just wish that you emulsified completely and were a little more affordable.

Pros: Beautifully Scented, Removes makeup well, Quality Ingredients, Great Packaging, Non-Drying & Luxurious to use

Cons: Doesn’t emulsify completely, Expensive

I’ve been waiting to write this review for a long time, I’ve owned the SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil since the summer, but was being a good girl and using up my Shiseido Perfect Oil before commencing a new product!

The SK-II Cleansing Oil is another string to the bow of the Japanese Skincare Line SK-II (owned by Procter & Gamble) – the USP of SK-II is a single “anti-aging” ingredient called Pitera which they claim works to allow the skin to rejuvenate more effectively.

For your money (and rather a lot of it, I might add) – you get 250ml of oil, which, thankfully… is a generous sized bottle.  The packaging itself is plastic but at a glance looks like frosted glass.  I prefer the fact that it’s plastic, which allows for safer transportation.

They say:

This delicate oil with Wild Rose Extract and Pitera emulsifies with water and ‘Lifts and Locks’ onto hidden sebum and impurities. The ‘Lift and Lock’ formulation allows oil to transform with water to gently lift away make-up and impurities from the skin. Leaves it soft and fresh.

I never notice any discernible scent when using this (unlike the NUDE Cleansing oil – review to come soon!).  It’s a clear liquid of medium consistency which spreads quite easily over my face.  It’s lighter than the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil but heavier than my Shiseido Perfect Oil.  A happy medium!

I’ve never had to use more than 2 pumps, 1 pump will suffice if I’m not wearing mascara.

As you can see from the above list, mineral oil is the central ingredient… which is a shame, and at over £30 a bottle, I’m disappointed to see that they’re using such a cheap filler that is widely known to cause skin congestion thanks to it’s pore-clogging abilities.  Did you know that mineral oil is a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil and that it actually costs more to dispose of it than it does to purchase it?  Now, I’m no Organic junkie… sometimes, chemicals just work and I admit to being endlessly suspicious that Organic products in general don’t work as effectively as their chemical-laden alternatives… but in this case, I’d rather my £32 bottle of cleansing oil wasn’t full of one of the cheapest substances on earth.

But, how does it clean?

It cleans well… It removes all mascaras (inc. waterproof) and leaves my face feeling fresh and (as promised) soft.  As with most cleansing oils… I do however, find it a little drying with continued use.  It also doesn’t emulsify as well as my DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, leaving a slightly oily residue behind untl I’ve followed up with another cleanser (which I always do anyway).

This puts it in the same category as the Shiseido Perfect Oil… but let’s remember… gram for gram (or ml for ml) the Shiseido would work out less than half the price of the SK-II for the same quantity.  The DHC Deep Cleansing Oil also works out cheaper, and thus rendering it still my #1 choice for cleansing oils.

I mustn’t forget the Pitera… and if I were comparing anti-aging night creams, I’d have a harder time eliminating it as a reason for purchasing.. but to be honest, I want my cleansing oil to clean – I’m not fussed about it’s anti-aging, skin regenerating properties.  I’ll save those concerns (and money) for my moisturiser.

You can purchase the SK-II line from Harrods, both in store and online.

Since discovering cleansing oils about a year ago, I couldn’t go back to life without them.  I didn’t believe it could ever be possible to remove makeup so effortlessly and quickly.  If you’ve never tried including a cleansing oil as part of your beauty routine – you must.

My benchmark cleansing oil is DHC’s Deep Cleansing Oil.  This was my first foray into oils and I instantly fell in love.  One thing that I have never loved however, is the price.  At £16 + £3.95 shipping from the DHC website, this is venturing very closely into a price range that I’m not happy to pay.

So come, join me in my quest to find a purse-friendly alternative…

I have already blogged about the disaster that is Smashbox’s Cleansing Oil (thankfully now discontinued, although I still have my full bottle sitting in my bathroom cabinet *just bin it already*)

Next on my list was Shiseido’s Perfect Oil thanks to a recommendation by Kathi from Lotus Palace whose opinions on all products Japanese and Korean I hold in high esteem.

Let’s have a couple of quick fire comparisons:

Packaging… Yeah, Shiseido wins this one easy… simply prettier to sit on your shelf, plus it comes with a little ‘clip’ (not pictured) to put round the neck of the bottle to avoid the pump being mistakenly depressed whilst travelling – you do NOT want this shit leaking all over your holiday clothes!

The Shiseido oil has a fairly pleasant fragrance whilst the DHC smells like chip fat.

Shiseido’s formula is thin and watery compared to DHC’s heavier, oilier formula.   A lot of people would prefer Shiseido’s easy to spread formula I would imagine, but not me!  I actually prefer the heavier, oilier texture of the DHC as it feels so lovely to massage into my skin.

They perform equally brilliantly at shifting the makeup.  Heavy foundation?  “No problem!”  Waterproof mascara?  “Lemme at it!” – so yes, top marks for both on that score.

Shiseido easily triumphs with regards to cost… it literally piddles all over DHC.  I paid £8.50 for a 150ml bottle on eBay, compared to nearly £20 for DHC’s 200ml.  Also, because the Shiseido spreads so easily – I find that unless my makeup is particularly heavy, I can get away with using only 1 pump each time.

However, there is one thing that sets them apart and unfortunately it makes the Shiseido a big fat fail for me.

Emulsification people, I cannot stress the greatness of DHC’s emulsifying abilities!  This thick, slightly smelly but extremely effective oil gently foams on contact with water before melting entirely leaving my face clean and residue free.  It doesn’t stick to my cloths, the basin or my skin.  I always ‘double cleanse’ with a mild soap afterwards out of habit, but when using the DHC oil, it wouldn’t bother me if for some reason I couldn’t.

The Shiseido just can’t compete.  It’s not THAT far off… It’s not a complete loser like the Smashbox, but it does leave a slight residue and I can feel an oiliness on my hands which doesn’t disappear until I’ve 2nd cleansed.  It also means that I have to scrub the sink after EVERY use or my husband calls me a minger for leaving the sink scummy. (Like he can talk with all those beardy little hairs he leaves behind after shaving, and he’s SO showing his age with that particular term of ‘endearment’… ).

I digress…

In conclusion, I won’t be repurchasing the Shiseido… but I also still refuse to spend £20 on a cleansing oil, so I need to hunt down my next contender!

I’ve never understood cleansing in the traditional cotton wool pad and white cream sense…

I just don’t feel like my face is clean unless it has come into contact with water at some point during my getting up/going to bed routine.

Being a confirmed ‘washer’ doesn’t stop me from being tempted by lovely smelling cleansing lotions and equally fresh smelling bottles of toner – but in general, I just don’t get it?

It seems to me that ‘cleansing’:

a) takes longer
b) involves wiping chemicals on your face and then not washing them off
c) is more expensive
d) involves more waste (cotton wool pads)
e) is less ‘portable’ when travelling

I don’t even own a bottle of make-up remover… although, wait… does cleansing oil count? No, I’m discounting it because it doesn’t involve cotton wool pads and you still need water to use it.

Any of you ‘cleansers’? If so, tell me why! Has no-one let me in on the big secret? I know it’s a personal preference thing and that there are no right or wrong choices, but I would love to undrstand the motivation behind it!

I was on the lookout for a replacement for my beloved DHC Deep Cleansing Oil (which at £16 a bottle is a touch rich for my blood whilst currently hemorrhaging money in preperation for my new arrival)… when I came across Smashbox Cleansing Oil on eBay for £5 a bottle.

I’ve been trying it for 3 weeks now and thought I’d give my verdict on how it compares to DHC.

It’s a huge bottle in comparison to most branded Cleansing Oils weighing in at 345ml and is definitely thinner and lighter so a little really goes a long way!  It doesn’t cause me any sensitivity – even practically rubbing it into my eyes (and I often react to the mildest of products).  It removes all that DHC does and removes everything perfectly – so far top marks…

I’m not a huge fan of the smell, it’s slight cucumber-ey in a cheap rather than refreshing way, but it’s not terribly noticeable.  The real problem though…

…It just doesn’t emulsify well at all (which DHC does brilliantly), this stuff sticks to my face-cloth and skin like tar no matter how many times I rinse in hot water.  Which means that even after the next step of washing my face with my favourite cleanser/mild soap I can still feel the oil on my skin thanks to it transferring back from my face-cloth. 

I also have to scrub the sink everytime I wash my face as it leaves a ring of make up on the sink – not really a problem (infact it’s quite satisfying looking at all that makeup grime in a gruesome sunburn-peeling kinda way) but worth mentioning.

This ‘problem’ as I see it might not bother you if you’re used to traditional OCM, but if you’re prone to breakouts – you need to be extra vigilant to ensure your skin is free from the product after cleansing.

I bought my Smashbox Cleansing Oil from this seller, it’s available from other sellers and also some of the discount cosmetic websites have it in stock at a good price as it’s now a discontinued Smashbox skincare item.

However, I won’t be buying it again – I just don’t have the patience last thing at night to meticulously go over my skin a 100x to ensure all the oil is removed.  Such a shame, ‘cos everything else about it is truly spot-on.

I can’t bring myself to bin it either seeing as it does work so well in all other aspects.  I shall have to invest in some more face cloths and ensure I only use one for the oil and refill the sink a couple of times inbetween cleansing… makes it all a bit high maintenance though!

Oh, I hate to give it such a low score – but that singular problem is a BIG deal for me.

[starreview tpl=14]