face wash Archives - Curiously Carmen

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser

April 21, 2016

Kiehl’s is a company that has been around since 1851, but I feel as if it’s really gone under the radar this whole time. I don’t really see or hear people talking about Kiehl’s, even though it is a reputable company that offers great quality products!

I don’t normally walk around Kiehl’s, but the few times that I’ve been there have been pretty positive! The staff have always been really friendly and informative on their products, which is always a plus.

About a year ago, I received the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser as a gift from my friend. I can’t believe that I didn’t write a post about it until now, actually! But better late than never 😉
Anyways, moving on! This cleanser is the oil-free version of their popular original cleanser. Kiehl’s packaging is very simple and minimal. They list everything on the front, while the back is the exact same except in French!

This product has been one of my go-to cleansers whenever I just want a simple, gentle clean. The formula is lightweight and has a pearly white finish to it. It lathers up really nicely and leaves your skin feeling really clean and moisturized.

My skin ALWAYS feels amazingly clean and soft after using this cleanser, no matter what condition it is in (dry in the winter, oily in the summer, combination, breaking out, etc).
I definitely recommend this product to someone who would like a low maintenance skincare routine. It’s really simple, but it does such a great job in cleaning and making my skin feel fresh.

I’ve noticed recently that my skin doesn’t feel as soft, and has a slight dry/leathery feeling although it is a bit oily at the same time. I decided to stop and only stick with using only this cleanser and a day/night moisturizer for the time being until my skin gets better.

I suspect it’s from all the new cleansers and moisturizers I’ve been introducing, as well as having final papers and exams.

It’s only been two days and this cleanser has made my skin soft and supple again! When I finish this tube, I can definitely see myself repurchasing it. It’s done wonders for my skin and never fails!

This product is very reliable and no matter how many new products I try, this will always be a staple on my bathroom counter. After trying this, I definitely want to delve further into trying more Kiehl’s products!

Yay!

Thanks for reading,

Carmen

Bliss Fabulous Makeup Melt- Gel to Oil Cleanser

August 11, 2015

Once in awhile, you come across certain beauty products that you just can’t stop thinking about.

Enter Bliss’s Fabulous Makeup Melt!

We had a bit of a rocky start and I initially didn’t like it. However, after giving this product a second try and carefully reading the fine print on the packaging, I was blown away at the effectiveness of this cleanser.
As the package states, the Bliss fabulous makeup melt is a gel to oil cleanser. Initially, the cleanser comes out of the tube in a clear, gel form. As you massage this into your pores, the gel slowly turns slightly thicker and into an oil.

From wearing a full face of makeup, this cleanser easily melted away even my toughest foundation & primer regime (Hello, Urban Decay!). The result was moisturized, fresh, and soft skin that lasted until the next day.

In fact, while studying for my final, I was subconsciously touching my face and wondering why it was so soft that afternoon. Could it be the study gods, rewarding me for studying? It wasn’t until a few hours later when it hit me. The only difference in my skin care that day was introducing this amazing cleanser!
Initially, I had applied this cleanser on wet skin as I usually do. What resulted was a cleanser that did not bind and pull off my makeup, but instead smeared my eyeliner in a slightly horrific manner.

I’m really glad that I gave this product a second chance and that I read the instructions properly. Apply this on dry skin, everyone!

A disappointing start with a happy ending. I can definitely see myself incorporating this cleanser into my routine, especially if I have a full makeup face on.

This product effortlessly lifts my makeup off, revealing skin so soft I didn’t even recognize it as my own!

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Press product featured, all opinions are my own.

Garnier Clean + Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser

March 5, 2015

Hi everyone,

I’m always into trying out new skincare products. I wish I was blessed with perfect, fair, smooth skin but unfortunately I’m not. Luckily, there are a lot of products out there that can make your skin feel and look healthy, given that you are willing to put in the effort! The new Garnier Clean Plus is one of these skincare products.This product is targeted for those who have sensitive skin and wear makeup, especially those who live on waterproof mascara! Removing waterproof mascara is no easy task unless you have a great makeup remover at hand. In fact, waterproof mascara is so difficult to remove that Garnier specifically points out that this cleanser will remove waterproof mascara! That is a pretty bold claim!

Since the Clean + is for sensitive skin, there is no scent in it. I found the texture of the cleanser to be very creamy and thick, but also oily. I think the oily factor is for removing tough waterproof mascara. I’ve noticed that the best makeup removers I’ve ever used are oily, it must be some sort of ingredient in that oil that breaks and dissolves the makeup.
Since I had this product shipped from Garnier, it was out in the cold all day before I picked up the package. By then, the cleanser had slightly frozen over, I had to give it a good shake as all the oil was coming out instead of the creamy cleanser. This won’t be a problem if you are getting this product in stores, or if you don’t leave this out in the cold for hours on end. It was a weird and interesting experience as I’ve never dealt with frozen facial cleansers before!

I decided to test this out in the shower, without removing my makeup as I normally do. When I came out of the shower, any trace of my super tough Kat Von D eyeliner was gone. I was wearing minimal foundation that day too, Maybelline Dream Mousse, and it was easily removed as well! I noticed that my face felt really smooth and soft afterwards.
The next day, I decided to test out this product out with some of my toughest products and see if it would withstand the test. On my hand are five different products, including waterproof mascara on the bottom. For this test, I also primed my skin as well, like I normally would if I was wearing full makeup.
I was shocked at how effortlessly the makeup came off! The toughest product to remove was not actually the waterproof mascara, but my Stila waterproof liquid eyeliner followed by the Benefit push-up liner! Even then, they both came off a few short moments after.

The area where the cleanser went made my hand extra soft as well.

I would recommend this to those who have sensitive skin. As well, those who are looking for an all in one powerful cleanser – makeup remover, cleanser, AND moisturizer!

After writing this post, I am feeling like introducing my Holy Grail makeup remover in a future post!

Have you tried this product? Do you prefer to have a 3 in 1 cleanser OR prefer to do each step with different products?

Thanks for reading! You can see other reviews on this product here on She Blogs-CrowdSocial or check out #GarnierSensitive on Twitter!

-Carmen

Product provided for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and not altered by the requests of Garnier. This blog post does not reflect Garnier’s opinions in any way.

Favourite Drugstore Facial Washes

February 21, 2015

Good afternoon everyone! (Or whatever time it is where you are!)

I’ll be talking about my favourite drugstore facial washes today. These two face washes never fail to disappoint me, and always do an amazing job taking off my makeup at the end of the night. I’ve tried higher end face washes, such as the Bliss Fabulous Foaming Wash which was pretty disappointing. It’s kind of sad that a $3 product removes makeup better than a $24 product does… and it’s 8x more cheaper!

My two current favourite drugstore washes are the Olay deep cleaning face wash and St. Ives apricot scrub. They are both great at deep cleaning and will remove all your face makeup, no matter how much you have on or how much primer you put on!
Starting with the St. Ives apricot scrub, I’ve been using this for many years now… probably even since high school. I just have nothing bad to say about this product. For $3, it is seriously amazing. It smells great, removes all your makeup, and acts as a great exfoliant. After using this, my skin always feels great, refreshed, and re-energized.

While I was writing this review, I decided to look up some other opinions on this scrub. Some people said that the exfoliant in the apricot scrub was too abrasive and rough on their skin. For me personally, I don’t mind but I don’t use this product daily. I use it on days where I have full foundation coverage on because it does a great job in breaking down the foundation, or days where I feel my skin feels extra oily.

My second favourite drugstore foundation that works wonders is the Olay deep cleansing face wash with witch hazel. My mom bought this and at first, I didn’t really like it because of the scent, but it does a great job at deep cleansing your skin. It has a thicker and creamier texture, and is a weird silvery/grey colour. This one is suitable to use daily as it is not an exfoliating scrub like the apricot scrub.

When I’m taking my foundation off, I first start with the apricot scrub since the naturally grainy texture in it really separates and breaks apart foundation. I gently rub my face in small circles to get all my makeup off. If I feel like going the extra step, I’ll use the Olay wash next which is more gentle. My skin seriously feels soft, refreshing, and is makeup free after these two quick steps.

These two full sized products combined will definitely not break the bank. I get the St. Ives apricot scrub at Wal-mart for $3, I can’t believe how cheap it is. Actually, it might even be $2.50 or $2.95… I can’t remember exactly. I believe the Olay wash is around $4.

You really don’t need to spend lots to have effective face washes! =)

Also, if you’re wondering, my daily cleanser is the Lush herbalism cleanser. While the Lush cleanser is just as effective as these two, it also costs more and I try to only use a little bit each day because of the price. With that said, I need more product when removing a full face of makeup, so I rather use the apricot scrub or Olay wash. You can read my detailed review on the herbalism cleanser here.

What are your favourite face washes? Have you tried any of these products and how did you like them?

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Cetaphil DermaControl Review & Giveaway (Ended)

January 18, 2015

Hi everyone!

I am so excited to be holding my first giveaway! My blog is turning one soon (January 30th, to be exact) and I wanted to do something here to celebrate it. Perfect timing to do this giveaway, so thanks to Canadian Beauty Bloggers & Cetaphil for the opportunity! Cetaphil will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the first face cleanser I’ve used, so there was a bit of nostalgia while writing this post.

Please keep in mind this is my first giveaway, I am welcome to suggestions on how I can improve it.

Keep reading on this product and how to win!

The Cetaphil DermaControl line is specifically formulated for oily, combination or blemish-prone skin… right up my alley (unfortunately? haha!). The special ingredient in this is zinc, which apparently absorbs oil really well and provides a shine-free, matte finish. Let’s see how it does!

I was a bit hesitant as to how effective it would be, but as I mentioned before, I used to be a big fan of Cetaphil in my puberty days and knew that their products were always great. For the sake of this review, I went back to basics and used only these two products for a week, before mixing these products in with my other skincare favourites!

First up, was the oil control foam wash. The scent was slightly medicinal, and had a light and airy feel to it. I agree that it was very gentle and would be suitable for those with sensitive skin!

My skin did not feel dry after using this product, and felt moisturized! I felt like this was a good everyday wash if you don’t wear heavy foundation. Otherwise, I don’t think it will be enough to take off heavy face makeup.

After using the cleanser, I followed up with the oil control moisturizer. I liked how the moisturizer was lightweight and non-greasy. Just like the cleanser, the moisturizer did not have any fragrance or perfume to it. It smelled a bit like sunscreen due to the SPF 30, but wasn’t as thick as sunscreen.

I used this every morning for a week while going to work to establish a regular routine. I chose to do this when I was back in the office as I noticed that my skin tends to get oily around 1pm. If my skin was not very oily in the afternoon while I was work, I knew that the cleanser and moisturizer had done its job!

Cetaphil foam wash back — Back of the Cetaphil Derma Control foam cleanser!

For the first day I used this, my skin was amazingly not oily by the time 1 pm rolled around! I was quite surprised, as I had gotten used to having to blot my face but I didn’t have to. For the rest of the day, my skin did not get oily or shiny! But I thought maybe this was beginners luck… nope!

For the next week using this product, I am happy to say that it these two products did an amazing job at combating my oily skin. I love how these two products are very gentle and mess free to use! I’m not sure how well this product works for non oily/blemish prone skin, but I can say without doubt that this product will do a great job at making you oil and shine free for hours and hours!

Cetaphil moisturizer back — Back of the Cetaphil Derma Control Moisturizer!

Oh Cetaphil, how much I’ve missed you. Sometimes it’s great to go back to basics and your beauty roots. I’m glad that I did too. Thank you Canadian Beauty Bloggers and Cetaphil for giving me this opportunity! Click on their names to read more =)

How to enter:

Comment on this post below and let me know:
- The first skincare brand used
- And how old you were!
Go on Instagram (@curiouslycarmen) and like my giveaway photo, and comment with the first skincare brand used and at what age
You don’t have to do both, but it will increase your chance of winning!
This information is not used for marketing purposes, I’m just curious and want a fun/personable way to host this giveaway, as Cetaphil was the first brand I personally tried!

Giveaway fine print:

Prizes: One travel sized Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Foam Wash & One travel sized Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Moisturizer SPF 30 (Same as the two products I just wrote on!)
Open to Canadian residents only
Must be of legal age in your province or territory of residence
Winner will be contacted by e-mail and announced on February 1, 2015 (So be sure to leave a valid email when commenting. If entered through Instagram, I will contact you via private message!)
If you are the winner (yay!), you will need to provide me with your mailing address and phone number as well
Questions: Leave a comment or email me at hello@curiouslycarmen.com / leave me a message on Instagram

Thanks for reading and best of luck!

-Carmen

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