facial 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

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.

Amie Morning Clear Facial Wash

November 26, 2014

After being introduced to a few Amie products in September, I have quite liked all the products in the line so far. If you haven’t read my previous post on Amie products, Amie is a UK-based skincare company that has recently launched products in Canada. For now, Amie products are exclusively available at Shoppers Drug Mart locations, but I haven’t been able to find any of the Shoppers locations that I go to. I think maybe because they have just recently launched, they are slowly bringing it to all the stores? Also, am I the only one that finds the Shoppers website hard to use? I tried to search up which locations sell Amie products but it was giving me a difficult time like always… I guess I’ll just try my luck by visiting the stores in person, hopefully each Shoppers will carry Amie products soon!

Amie’s morning clear purifying facial wash claims to be a “moisturising facial wash that removes all dirt, oil, and makeup leaving skin beautifully soft and refreshed. Mayblossom and elderflower help control oiliness and prevent blemishes while orange blossom and raspberry tone and refresh. Natural moisturisers ensure skin is not dried out.”

unnamed (4) — Looks the same as the facial wash, amirite?!

First impression: The packaging and design of the bottle was the same as the previous Amie products I tried, so nothing new there. The colours of this tube are also the exact same as their hydrating daily moisturizer which added to the confusion. It may not seem that confusing but trust me, when you are half awake at 7 am on a Monday morning, things can get tricky (that or I need more sleep).

Compared to Amie’s exfoliating daily wash, this facial wash had a very creamy texture. In fact, the first couple of times using this was a bit strange to me because the texture was exactly like moisturizer, and I felt like I should just be applying this on my face as a cream rather than washing it off with water.

My favourite part of this facial wash, and what made it stand out for me was the scent! My goodness, if Amie ever came out with a perfume that smelled like this facial wash, I would be their first customer. The facial wash had a very flowery and girly scent to it. After washing my face, the scent stayed on for awhile and was quite noticeable, the boyfriend could smell it as well.

This product was also purposely sent to me in the upcoming winter season, as it is supposed to protect your skin against the cold. After a few days of usage, I noticed that my skin was a bit softer. I’ve been suffering from very dry skin lately, which was very surprising because my skin tends to be the opposite- very oily!! I’m pretty sure this facial wash played a vital role in moisturizing my skin, it doesn’t feel as dry and look as flaky anymore. One of the main ingredients in this face wash is cacao seed butter (no, I don’t mean cocoa) which contains a very high amount of antioxidants and is really moisturizing as well. I probably wouldn’t use this when it starts to get warm again because it’ll just make my face extra oily. But in the current weather, it brings a good balance to my skin. Yay!

unnamed — My Amie haul from September- Click to read!

Another great thing about this product is that it is free from parabens, sulphates, mineral oils, petrochemicals, products that have been genetically modified, and animal extracts. Amie also does not test on animals. All products are suitable for vegetarians and vegans, and their formulas contain high-quality plant and botanical ingredients. No, they did not pay me to write that! 🙂 It is also 100% soap free but to be honest, I’m not sure what kind of pros are involved in that so I’ll have to contact Amie and get back to you LOL. If you know, please leave a comment and enlighten us all.

Well, another great and moisturizing product from Amie! Have you seen any Amie products in your local Shoppers Drug Mart? Please let me know in the comments down below!

Thanks for reading!
-Carmen

This product was sent free of charge in exchange for a product review. Opinions are my own and are not altered by the requests of Amie.

Update (12/2/2014): After asking Amie what the benefits of a soap-free product are, it means that the ingredients in soap (Sodium Laureth Sulphate and Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) have a high pH level since it is an alkaline/base (remember your high school chemistry? haha). Therefore, it can disrupt your skin’s natural acid balance due to it’s high alkalinity, which can leave skin feeling dry and taught (I personally hate that feeling). In case you didn’t know, acid and base are opposites. For example, Tums stomach pills are high in alkalinity because when you have a stomachache or heartburn, the acid in your stomach increases, so the Tums balances out the acidity. Hm, the things you learn beauty blogging!