Time for a little update on my current stash of cleansers and if you have seen any of the first five instalments of this blog series, you will know I like choices! I’ll also preface this by saying I haven’t tried any of the products on my eye makeup as I had laser eye surgery in December so wasn’t wearing mascara for a while and was trying to keep water away from my eyes for so long, I have just kept going! I use Nivea Double Effect Waterproof eye makeup remover for that now I have started wearing mascara again and I can’t recommend it enough!
Starting with the first cleansers and first up we have the The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm RRP £9.99* and I really can’t fault this. It contains oat kernel oil and colloidal oatmeal so as well as being nicely hydrating, it’s great for sensitive skin too! I use a flannel to wash it off and it removes makeup with ease and leaves my skin feeling soft and doesn’t leave a film behind! I have read some other reviews with people saying it can be hard to squeeze out so keep that in mind but I haven’t personally noticed this with my tube. I do quite enjoy a scent with my balms and this is unscented so that’s the only thing that lets this slightly down but again, great for sensitive skin and it’s cheap and cheerful!
Next up, the Aromatica Orange Cleansing Sherbet RRP £23 which I got to try as a cheaper alternative to my beloved Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing balm. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t quite hit the spot for me! It’s closer in consistency to the Elemis cleansing balm which I didn’t like, and the scent is a little too sweet/artificial for me. It still does a good job at removing makeup and leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated so I will continue to use it but I don’t plan on repurchasing it in the future!
Now time for an old favourite and the MOA The Green Balm RRP £16 actually featured in my first post in this series back in 2017 when it was £12.50! Yikes! It contains yarrow and tea tree and is another one that’s great for sensitive skin. It’s a bit of a do it all product and as well as a cleanser it can be used on bites/grazes, as a healing tattoo treatment or even added to hot water and honey to gargle for sore throats! I absolutely love the scent, it is so relaxing and spa like and it removes makeup well. It can leave a bit of a film but I don’t mind as it gets removed on my second cleanse and I think this is my third tub of this now! My mum loves this too and often puts it on any stressed patches of skin and leaves it overnight!
Another favourite now and I spoke about this one last week too! The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser RRP £13.90* is probably the best all-rounder I have come across! As well as being an effective first cleanse this is also lightweight enough to work as a second or morning cleanse too. The formula is so gentle, it’s a cream to oil-like cleanser and makes easy work of removing makeup, feels hydrating and comes in two sizes at a ridiculously good price! When using to remove makeup, I use a flannel, but this also emulsifies nicely when I use in the morning and never leaves my skin feeling tight or dry! It also features in instalment four of this cleanser series!
Moving onto second and morning cleansers and The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid Cleanser RRP £9.99* is one of the newest products to their line up! This has a pleasant gel formula that foams marginally and contains 1% hyaluronic acid compound which has been modified to stick to skin even after the cleanser has been washed off. My skin feels fresh after use but I would say a little tight around my nose specifically which I was surprised about considering the hyaluronic acid element. It doesn’t translate to dryness though and subsides when I finish my routine but I would say that I prefer their Fulvic Acid cleanser over this one!
The newest cleanser to me is the COSRX Pure Fit Cica Cleanser RRP £19* which was sent mid-January and I’ve been reaching for it regularly. It has a creamy formula that lathers gently, and it contains centella asiatica so it’s mild and it also contains eucalyptus oil – a scent I love! My skin feels nicely balanced using this and I haven’t noticed any dryness! It’s probably not one I would have picked up myself, but I have really been enjoying it!
Nearly at the end of my round up now and the Dermalogica Daily Glycolic Cleanser RRP £35* got a mention in my Best Beauty Discoveries 2021 as I love it so much! Despite containing glycolic acid, as the name would suggest, this is gentle enough to use every day and I have noticed a brightening effect as it sloughs away dead skin cells as well as my skin being smooth and well prepped for makeup. It doesn’t dry my skin out at all and is another win for Dermalogica who really know how to make a good cleanser – see my review of some of their other options here!
Finally, another regular on the blog – the NIOD Sanskrit Saponins RRP £37*. NIOD specify that this is a cleanser, not a makeup remover, and I’ve been through multiple tubes of this over the years! I don’t even mind the scent! It’s made with ayurvedic plant saponins and day-old coffee beans is the best way I can describe the noticeable scent! It’s a thick paste and works to clean oil and dirt from my face, making pores look minimised – despite it removing oil, my skin never feels stripped by this! It’s worked particularly well for me in the past when my skin was more oily/acne prone and it really removed build-up and helped clarify my skin and even now with my skin type being more normal I am still enjoying it!
So that’s what’s currently taking up space on my bathroom windowsill and I should have a few cropping up in my empties soon! Let me know what cleansers you are loving at the minute! I really want to get my hands on the Alpha H Melting Moment cleansing balm, Then I Met You Living cleansing balm and Omorovicza Queen cleanser next!
*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.
All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.
Danielle xx
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