Clean Skin, Happy Skin | Dresser Diaries V
It's finally time for dresser diaries post number 5! I've been dragging my feet with this post and with blogging in general so I'm happy to finally hit the publish button. I'm trying to get my IRL life in order and between applying to jobs and stressing about applying to jobs and all that jazz, blogging has been put on the back burner. And even though I could find the time to blog, I seem to be lacking the motivation. For now, I'm just going to push through and hope in a few weeks time I find more motivation. My goal, for the time being, is to publish at least one post a month. And that's more than anyone probably cared to hear, but sometimes you gotta let your word vomit out.
Anyways, today's post is all about the cleansers I've been testing over the past month or two 😏
Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm
Price & Size: $110 for 1.7 oz via Sephora & Nordstrom or £47 over at Cult Beauty
Ingredients: Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Heptanoate, Silt (Hungarian Mud), Squalane, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Prunus Domestica (Plum) Seed Extract, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene, Parfum (Fragrance), Saccharomyces (Hungarian Thermal Water) Ferment Extract, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Aqua (Hungarian Thermal Water), Linalool, Malpighia Punicifolia (Acerola), Dehydroacetic Acid, Fruit Extract, Phospholipids
So. If you read my Cult Beauty haul post a few months ago you may remember that I bought this ridiculously expensive balm by accident. On the bright side, it was much cheaper to purchase it from Cult Beauty than to purchase it from Sephora.
I do have to give credit to Omorovicza for making the whole experience of using this balm very luxurious. It's packaged in a heavy glass jar and is accompanied by a spatula and wash cloth.
The consistency of the balm is quite thick. When I first looked at it I assumed it would be gritty because of the mud, but it has a very smooth finish. Like most balms, it melts when I start rubbing it in, but I don't find it melts completely into a liquid; it's got more viscosity to it. Again I assumed it would be grittier when I start rubbing it in but I was wrong once again as it's still smooth and very soft.
It claims to remove impurities and cleanse the skin plus all makeup (including waterproof mascara) while leaving your skin soft and hydrated. And I think it does just that!
Because my eyes are prone to tearing easily, I didn't test to see if the balm would remove waterproof makeup. Even though you can't feel the mud when using the cleanser, I was still paranoid it might irritate my eyes or worse I might accidentally get some gritty piece that would scratch my eye! Yes, I'm a bit of a drama queen but better safe than sorry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Additionally I usually a generous amount of cleanser to remove waterproof mascara and I didn't want to waste the good stuff.
Thankfully it emulsifies well! Even if I don't use the cleansing cloth it comes with, my skin still feels clean and film-free. Despite the fact that it contains mud (an ingredient that can be drying in my experience) my skin is really left feeling so soft and hydrated. If I do choose to use the cleansing cloth, I feel as if my skin isn't as soft but I do enjoy the slight abrasive action I get from the cleansing cloth.
If you peeked at the ingredient list you probably noticed it does contain fragrance. I would say it smells like fancy oranges. From googling apparently the proper term for that scent is "orange blossom"
While I enjoy this cleanser, it's hard for me to say it's worth a $110 price tag. If I'm paying crazy high prices for skincare, I'm looking for crazy good results-- products that fit that bill for me are Sunday Riley's Good Genes and Drunk Elephant's C-firma day serum... a cleanser, not so much.
Because I purchased it from Cult Beauty with a coupon code, I paid around $40 for it. And I do think it's worth $40 to me! I would repurchase it sometime in the future but not before giving some of their masks a try first.
Whyld Skincare Active Botanical Cleanse (PR Gift)
Prize & Size: $36.00 for 4 fl. oz via Whlyd Skincare
Ingredients: Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice, cocoglucoside, sodium cocoyl glutamate, glycerin, sodium lauroyl lactylate, Sapindus mukurossi (soapberry) fruit extract, Oryza sativa (rice) seed extract, Spirulina platensis (algae) extract, Camellia sinensis (white tea) leaf extract, PCA glyceryl oleate, Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower oil, Rosa damascena (rose) flower oil, Anthemis nobilis (roman chamomile) flower oil, Cymbopogon martinii (palmarosa) leaf oil*, Cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil*, caprylyl/capryl wheat bran/straw glycosides, fusel wheat bran/straw glycosides, polyglyceryl-5 oleate, glyceryl caprylate, sclerotium gum, gluconolactone, sodium benzoate
I had a love at first sight-of-ingredient-list moment with this cleanser. It's chock full of delicious, skin-loving ingredients like white tea life extract and rice seed extract. It even has a nice herbally scent to it thanks to its green ingredient list.
It claims to remove makeup but I've never tested that claim as I always use an oil based cleanser to remove my makeup. I can say it does a good job at removing residual makeup and oil cleanser residue that's sometimes leftover. So I like to use this as my second cleanser at night or as my only cleanser in the morning.
Texture wise it's a goopy gel that's easy to spread onto my skin with or without water (although I generally prefer using water when applying cleansers.) It doesn't leave any sort of waxy finish or residue behind nor does it strip my skin of all moisture.
I got to chat a bit with the founder of the brand and was so pleased to hear that she had some of the same concerns I (and many other skincare enthusiasts) had with the skincare industry. Green washing and wildly exaggerated marketing claims are just the tip of the iceberg. I can always appreciate a green beauty brand that focuses on ethical practices instead of fearmongering.
Also, you may notice that there's some bubbling on the label. After I posted a photo of the bottle in one of my Instagram shots, they reached out and let me know that it's something they're working on! Another thing I can appreciate? A brand that's looking to improve their existing products instead of focusing on releasing a new product every 2 days!
Jordan Samuel Skin Plié Cleanser
Prize & Size: $20.00 for 3 fl. oz via Jordan Samuel Skin
Ingredients: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Water, Sucrose Laurate, Propanediol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Symphytum Officinale (Comfrey) Rhizome/Root Extract, Anthemis Noblis (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Citrus Fruit Extract Blend, Simmodsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylhyroxamic Acid, Capryl Glycol
If you're active on the skincare community on Instagram, you've probably heard of Jordan Samuel Skin. The brand has almost a cult following with some people exclusively using only his products! Personally, I'm too fickle to have a monogamous relationship with any skincare brand. Because of the immense hype around the brand, I figured it was my duty as a skincare enthusiast to finally try it out. As is obvious at this point, my first purchase from the brand is their famous Plié cleanser.
I feel like it's almost sacrilegious to say this... but I don't like this cleanser.
Even though I'm all about extra 3249823 step skincare routines, I'm still rather lazy when it comes to the individual steps themselves. I want a low-effort cleanser and an easy to use mist and a moisturizer that melts instantly. This cleanser does not fit that ethos.
At the beginning, all is well. It easily squeezes out of the bottle, doesn't sting my eyes, and is easy to apply. When I start to rinse it off is when it all goes downhill...
Since I've seen people use this as their lone cleanser, as their first cleanser, and as their second cleanser I tried it all three ways. As a first cleanser it doesn't really remove all my makeup, even something simple like light concealer and some powder. Waterproof mascara? Forget about it. After a minute of gently rubbing, I gave up and rinsed it off. As a second cleanser + lone cleanser it didn't work out well for me because it left me with a waxy layer on my face.
I also had a few people suggest using it as a mask... unfortunately I didn't like it as that either. Again it left me with a waxy layer on my face.
While it's hard for me to verbalize the difference between a cleanser that leaves me hydrated and a cleanser that leaves me with a waxy layer, I can easily tell the difference in real life. And unfortunately, this cleanser falls in the latter category.
One way I was able to avoid the waxy layer was by wiping it off with a wet wash cloth! But like I said, I like easy skincare steps. Being forced to use a wet washcloth is nowhere near as easy as using my two bare hands to wash off a cleanser.
I do plan on purchasing more products from the brand in the future since they have such a cult following! Next on my list is the Hydrate serum. I've heard people use it in conjunction with the Plié as a mask and I hope I have better luck with that combo 🙏
Fin
And that's the end of this dresser diaries! What are your favorite cleansers in the moment? I have a few others that I've started testing and sharing over on my Instagram stories (shameless plug @sharmtoaster)
Anyways, today's post is all about the cleansers I've been testing over the past month or two 😏
Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm
Price & Size: $110 for 1.7 oz via Sephora & Nordstrom or £47 over at Cult Beauty
Ingredients: Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Heptanoate, Silt (Hungarian Mud), Squalane, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Prunus Domestica (Plum) Seed Extract, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene, Parfum (Fragrance), Saccharomyces (Hungarian Thermal Water) Ferment Extract, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Aqua (Hungarian Thermal Water), Linalool, Malpighia Punicifolia (Acerola), Dehydroacetic Acid, Fruit Extract, Phospholipids
So. If you read my Cult Beauty haul post a few months ago you may remember that I bought this ridiculously expensive balm by accident. On the bright side, it was much cheaper to purchase it from Cult Beauty than to purchase it from Sephora.
I do have to give credit to Omorovicza for making the whole experience of using this balm very luxurious. It's packaged in a heavy glass jar and is accompanied by a spatula and wash cloth.
The consistency of the balm is quite thick. When I first looked at it I assumed it would be gritty because of the mud, but it has a very smooth finish. Like most balms, it melts when I start rubbing it in, but I don't find it melts completely into a liquid; it's got more viscosity to it. Again I assumed it would be grittier when I start rubbing it in but I was wrong once again as it's still smooth and very soft.
It claims to remove impurities and cleanse the skin plus all makeup (including waterproof mascara) while leaving your skin soft and hydrated. And I think it does just that!
Because my eyes are prone to tearing easily, I didn't test to see if the balm would remove waterproof makeup. Even though you can't feel the mud when using the cleanser, I was still paranoid it might irritate my eyes or worse I might accidentally get some gritty piece that would scratch my eye! Yes, I'm a bit of a drama queen but better safe than sorry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Additionally I usually a generous amount of cleanser to remove waterproof mascara and I didn't want to waste the good stuff.
Thankfully it emulsifies well! Even if I don't use the cleansing cloth it comes with, my skin still feels clean and film-free. Despite the fact that it contains mud (an ingredient that can be drying in my experience) my skin is really left feeling so soft and hydrated. If I do choose to use the cleansing cloth, I feel as if my skin isn't as soft but I do enjoy the slight abrasive action I get from the cleansing cloth.
If you peeked at the ingredient list you probably noticed it does contain fragrance. I would say it smells like fancy oranges. From googling apparently the proper term for that scent is "orange blossom"
While I enjoy this cleanser, it's hard for me to say it's worth a $110 price tag. If I'm paying crazy high prices for skincare, I'm looking for crazy good results-- products that fit that bill for me are Sunday Riley's Good Genes and Drunk Elephant's C-firma day serum... a cleanser, not so much.
Because I purchased it from Cult Beauty with a coupon code, I paid around $40 for it. And I do think it's worth $40 to me! I would repurchase it sometime in the future but not before giving some of their masks a try first.
Whyld Skincare Active Botanical Cleanse (PR Gift)
Prize & Size: $36.00 for 4 fl. oz via Whlyd Skincare
Ingredients: Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice, cocoglucoside, sodium cocoyl glutamate, glycerin, sodium lauroyl lactylate, Sapindus mukurossi (soapberry) fruit extract, Oryza sativa (rice) seed extract, Spirulina platensis (algae) extract, Camellia sinensis (white tea) leaf extract, PCA glyceryl oleate, Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower oil, Rosa damascena (rose) flower oil, Anthemis nobilis (roman chamomile) flower oil, Cymbopogon martinii (palmarosa) leaf oil*, Cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil*, caprylyl/capryl wheat bran/straw glycosides, fusel wheat bran/straw glycosides, polyglyceryl-5 oleate, glyceryl caprylate, sclerotium gum, gluconolactone, sodium benzoate
I had a love at first sight-of-ingredient-list moment with this cleanser. It's chock full of delicious, skin-loving ingredients like white tea life extract and rice seed extract. It even has a nice herbally scent to it thanks to its green ingredient list.
It claims to remove makeup but I've never tested that claim as I always use an oil based cleanser to remove my makeup. I can say it does a good job at removing residual makeup and oil cleanser residue that's sometimes leftover. So I like to use this as my second cleanser at night or as my only cleanser in the morning.
Texture wise it's a goopy gel that's easy to spread onto my skin with or without water (although I generally prefer using water when applying cleansers.) It doesn't leave any sort of waxy finish or residue behind nor does it strip my skin of all moisture.
I got to chat a bit with the founder of the brand and was so pleased to hear that she had some of the same concerns I (and many other skincare enthusiasts) had with the skincare industry. Green washing and wildly exaggerated marketing claims are just the tip of the iceberg. I can always appreciate a green beauty brand that focuses on ethical practices instead of fearmongering.
Also, you may notice that there's some bubbling on the label. After I posted a photo of the bottle in one of my Instagram shots, they reached out and let me know that it's something they're working on! Another thing I can appreciate? A brand that's looking to improve their existing products instead of focusing on releasing a new product every 2 days!
Jordan Samuel Skin Plié Cleanser
Prize & Size: $20.00 for 3 fl. oz via Jordan Samuel Skin
Ingredients: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Water, Sucrose Laurate, Propanediol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Symphytum Officinale (Comfrey) Rhizome/Root Extract, Anthemis Noblis (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Citrus Fruit Extract Blend, Simmodsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylhyroxamic Acid, Capryl Glycol
If you're active on the skincare community on Instagram, you've probably heard of Jordan Samuel Skin. The brand has almost a cult following with some people exclusively using only his products! Personally, I'm too fickle to have a monogamous relationship with any skincare brand. Because of the immense hype around the brand, I figured it was my duty as a skincare enthusiast to finally try it out. As is obvious at this point, my first purchase from the brand is their famous Plié cleanser.
I feel like it's almost sacrilegious to say this... but I don't like this cleanser.
Even though I'm all about extra 3249823 step skincare routines, I'm still rather lazy when it comes to the individual steps themselves. I want a low-effort cleanser and an easy to use mist and a moisturizer that melts instantly. This cleanser does not fit that ethos.
At the beginning, all is well. It easily squeezes out of the bottle, doesn't sting my eyes, and is easy to apply. When I start to rinse it off is when it all goes downhill...
Since I've seen people use this as their lone cleanser, as their first cleanser, and as their second cleanser I tried it all three ways. As a first cleanser it doesn't really remove all my makeup, even something simple like light concealer and some powder. Waterproof mascara? Forget about it. After a minute of gently rubbing, I gave up and rinsed it off. As a second cleanser + lone cleanser it didn't work out well for me because it left me with a waxy layer on my face.
I also had a few people suggest using it as a mask... unfortunately I didn't like it as that either. Again it left me with a waxy layer on my face.
While it's hard for me to verbalize the difference between a cleanser that leaves me hydrated and a cleanser that leaves me with a waxy layer, I can easily tell the difference in real life. And unfortunately, this cleanser falls in the latter category.
One way I was able to avoid the waxy layer was by wiping it off with a wet wash cloth! But like I said, I like easy skincare steps. Being forced to use a wet washcloth is nowhere near as easy as using my two bare hands to wash off a cleanser.
I do plan on purchasing more products from the brand in the future since they have such a cult following! Next on my list is the Hydrate serum. I've heard people use it in conjunction with the Plié as a mask and I hope I have better luck with that combo 🙏
Fin
And that's the end of this dresser diaries! What are your favorite cleansers in the moment? I have a few others that I've started testing and sharing over on my Instagram stories (shameless plug @sharmtoaster)
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