June 4, 2015

Clear skin cleansers

Hello darlings! You've been looking for a face cleanser to give you photo-shopped looking skin, no? Well, some little birdie told me about a few different face washes that can help with that problem. And here's what I think about them....


OSEA Malibu Ocean Cleansing Mudd


I am so glad this skincare line came into my life. My love affair with it started when I got a facial at one of my favorite spa's that exclusively uses this line. I first got the travel size for when I was jet-setting this fall to see mis amigos.

If you have normal to dry skin with the occasional oily patches and break outs, then this shall be your cleanser mister-ess (not to be mistaken with mistress). I only use him when I'm craving something different, and during the other times--I hide him away. If you have normal/dry skin like me, then you'll only need to use it 1-2 times a week or whenever you have breakouts.

I love essential oils and this one is packed with them. Packed so strong that I sometimes have to hold my breath when washing because the minty-ness is pretty intense. You can especially feel the tingle sensation on your skin. Leave it sit on your face for a few minutes for the essential oils to work their magic and heal before washing off entirely.

The clean and modern look of the bottle had me at first sight. I love that all their products are in glass. They get major points for being sustainable and looking stylish at the same time. Half the reason why I became interested in this line was because they didn't store in plastic. Knowing that chemicals aren't breaking down into my product from a plastic bottle puts the mind more at ease.

If you like an intense and refreshing feeling and a good, deep clean then you'll enjoy this. If you have sensitive skin and like face washes that foam a lot, then you probably won't like this. Though it does have some foaming action, the amount is very minimal. 

The list of ingredients is music to my heart. The only thing I wish they might consider is to swap out the "aqua" for something like coconut water or even aloe vera juice. I usually get deterred from products that contain water and have it first on their list, as a preservative is usually needed--thus bringing in synthetics. It seems though that OSEA is using an abundance of essential oils as a natural preservative here, so A+ in my book.

Purchase again?: Definitely.  

1 fl oz. | $16 USD
6 fl oz. | $44 USD

Ingredients: Aqua, *Macrocystis Extract, Decyl Glucoside (Vegetable Foaming Agent), Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, *Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Cocoglucoside & Coconut Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, *Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, *Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Essential Oils of: Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf (Tea Tree) Oil and Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf (Rosemary) Oil and Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil and Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil and Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil and Cupressus Sempervirens (Cypress) Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Vaccinium Mytillus (Bilbery) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonium (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharinium (Sugar Maple) Extract, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate (Natural Smectite Clay), Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract (and) Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract (and) Aqua *CERTIFIED ORGANIC INGREDIENT



Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser


Juice Beauty was one of the first skincare lines I turned to when I switched completely to natural. This old friend has turned out some nice things n stuffs over the years. Again, this list of ingredients makes my heart beat fast, especially considering some of it contains organic ingredients. 

The texture is a thick gel consistency. If you use their award winning Green Apple Blemish Clearing Peel, then you know exactly what the texture is like. I'm not a big fan of gel cleansers, but I wanted to give this a try for a long time. The foam action is minimal (which is a plus!) and smells like a burst of Autumn apples and lemons. 

Clearing results weren't immediate but it took a couple uses for my problem areas to clear up with this product. Results may be different depending on your skin type. It comes in a plastic bottle with a pump. Yay on sanitary pump, nay on plastic bottle. I would probably get this again considering the ingredients are marvelous, they are cruelty free and the company's eco-friendly way of producing their products is impressive, but I don't think this one is my holy grail. 

Purchase again?: No.

6.75 oz. | $22 USD


Ingredients: Organic juices of citrus medica limonum (organic lemon juice)*, prunus avium (organic sweet cherry juice)*, vitis vinifera (organic white grape juice)*, aloe barbadensis (organic aloe juice)*, decyl glucoside, vegetable glycerin, sodium hydroxide, gluconolactone, sclerotium gum, xanthan gum, lysolecithin, pullulan, sodium benzoate, sodium levulinate, organic botanical extracts of salvia officinalis (organic sage leaf extract)*, taraxacum officinale(dandelion leaf extract), melissa officinalis (lemon balm leaf extract), algae extract, tocopherol (Vitamin E), retinyl palmitate (Vitamin A), citrus aurantifolia (lime oil), tetrasodium glutamate diacetate, sodium anisate, citric acid, litsea cubeba (may chang), citrus aurantium amara (organic bitter orange)* and cananga odorata (organic ylang ylang)*pure essential oils. * = Certified organic ingredient



Andalou Naturals Citrus Kombucha Cleansing Gel



Another astounding product for clearing breakouts and problem skin. I think I might like this cleanser a little bit more for the cleansing properties. I tried the travel set for the "clarifying" line for a few days in a row and solely used just these products. It did actually clear my skin in a timely manner. 

Citrus Kombucha Cleansing GelKombucha, an active yeast ingredient, helps with an array of things such as: improving skin tone, texture, clarity and hydration. It also helps diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I did see improved clarity and skin tone. As far as lines, I would say I can't comment since I'm not at the age range yet where I can see this with the naked eye. But to be honest--if there really was any brand that actually diminished wrinkles and fine lines, then nobody would be getting cosmetic surgery. I usually take wrinkle claims as a LOC. (Load of Crap, in case you were wondering =D )

Besides skin benefits, this is the same popular ingredient that is taking the hippie and hipster world by storm. It gives the same "feel good" benefits as Maca powder/root does. Things like pretty ugly hangovers and gnarly headaches feel like they were immediately improved upon drinking one--or so a little birdie told me. 

But in the end, I love love love this brand's cleanser. It's a clear liquid/gel consistency and has a moderate foam to it with a fresh scent. I usually lather it on my face (and sometimes chest/shoulder areas) for a few minutes to let it do its thaaang. I think this was key to getting the products to produce good results on my skin. For such great ingredients, you get a lot of product for a low cost. So bite that all you designer label brands! ;P

Purchase again?: Yes.

6 oz. | $12.95


Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Juice*, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Vegetable Glycerin, Sodium PCA, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) and Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Juices*, Saccharomyces Xylinum (Kombucha) Black Tea Ferment, Fruit Stem Cells (Malus Domestsica, Solar Vitis) and BioActive 8 Berry Complex*, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Vitis Vinifera (Grape Seed) Polyphenols, Lippia Citriodora (Verbena) Extract, Salix Alba (Willow Bark) Extract*, Citric Acid, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Aspalathus Linearis (Rooibos) Extract*†, Allantoin, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cymbopogon Flexuosus (Lemongrass) Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil* 

Non-GMO verified    *Organic    † Fair Trade