After having to tread quite carefully with skincare recently, like all good addicts, I’ve rewarded myself with a total binge; thankfully, my skin isn’t too bad at the moment as I have a little routine going that’s working for me, but one of my main weaknesses is cleansers, so I couldn’t resist getting stuck-in to the newbies from bareMinerals, all in the name of research, obviously. As discussed in my intro to the new Skinsorials range here, there’s a whole host of new skincare including four new cleansers, three of which I’ve been trying out. The one I haven’t got is the Pre Plush Gentle Deep Cleansing Foam. There are two other cleansers – Clay Chameleon Transforming Purifying Cleanser and Blemish Remedy Anti-Imperfection Gelee Cleanser – and one cleansing oil, the Oil Obsessed Total Cleansing Oil.
I’ll start with the brilliant Oil Obsessed Total Cleansing Oil, which is a truly lovely oil cleanser that’s light and easy to work across the skin, whilst doing a great job at removing all make-up, including heavy eye make-up and tricky mascara. It has a light fragrance of mostly lavender and the oils work alongside mineral-rich sea salts (a factor present in all the new cleansers) to leave skin feeling exceptionally clean without any tightness. I sometimes go in with a couple of cleanses with this first – mainly for my own reassurance if I’ve gone for the whole shebang of a heavy foundation and lots of eye make-up – and it doesn’t dry or strip the skin at all, nor does it upset the eyes, making it a truly great make-up remover. This is well priced at £22, especially as a bottle is supposed to last around 3 months.
The Blemish Remedy Anti-Imperfection Gelee Cleanser is my least favourite of the three I’ve tried, for no other reason than it doesn’t really suit my skin type; it’s a great option for those who are very oily and/or spot-prone, but if you’re dehydrated or dry then you’ll need to tread carefully, as whilst this won’t make you overly sensitive, nor should it anger skin, it will definitely dry it out a bit. Having said that, it contains some great ingredients such as ginger root and one of my all-time favourites, salicylic acid, so if your skin responds well to those then this is certainly one to try, and at £17 it definitely won’t break the bank – this is the one I’d give to a acne-prone teenager as it’s definitely gentle enough for younger skin types.
Finally, the Clay Chameleon Transforming Purifying Cleanser is a brilliant, clay-based, creamy cleanser that feels mask-like on the skin and is a brilliant choice for any type of skin that might be prone to a bit of congestion here and there, or hormonal breakouts, or indeed the very breakout-prone too; don’t let the clay convince you that you need to be spotty or oily for this to be of benefit, as it’s such a great product for leaving skin feeling deeply cleansed without stripped. I like to apply this as soon as I’ve finished my oil cleanse, then brush my teeth, thus giving the clay a few moments to pull out any impurities. You apply it dry, then add water to turn it creamy, and it’s got a dense, velvety finish that really moves around the skin making it feel as though every bit of dirt and grime is being pulled out, leaving skin looking and feeling very cleansed. It’s a very special cleanser, making £18 very well spent.
Soon I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the moisturisers, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
*PR Samples
