Fresh Soy Face Cleanser Review

I picked up Fresh's Soy Face Cleanser  back in January when it was recommended to me during my Sephora Personal One-On-One Experience. I wanted an effective, but gentle gel cleanser that would clean out my pores and remove everyday makeup without drying out my skin. Oh, and I wanted something with a nice scent. Not too much to ask, I think.

According to Fresh, this is an "extra-gentle gel cleanser that instantly whisks away everyday impurities and makeup-even mascara-without stripping the skin of essential moisture." In other words, it's exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a little too gentle for my needs. Did this product wash off my BB cream and pressed powder? Yes. But my mascara? Nope, at least not fully (and no, I'm not wearing a waterproof product). It also struggled with removing some eyeshadows.

NIOD Sanskrit Saponins Face Cleanser Review

I've been intrigued by Canadian beauty company Deceim, aka the Abnormal Beauty Company, aka The Ordinary and several other brand lines, ever since it opened a store near me on Queen St. West over a year (or two?) ago. But even though Deceim generally offers very affordable price points, I'd never tried it until my friend started working for the company this past fall. Now, with almost two months worth of experience with several Deceim products, it's time for me to share my thoughts on them.

And I'm starting with the item that impressed me the least: the Sanskrit Saponins face cleanser. It's part of Deceim's NIOD line, which claims to be "skincare for the hyper-educated." It was recommended to me by a clerk at my local Deceim store (not my friend, she's not in a retail role) when I asked for a cleanser that would get deep down into my pores and clean them out.

Shu Uemura Porefinist Anti-shine Fresh Cleansing Oil Review

Will the third time be the charm when it comes to me using a Shu Uemura cleaning oil? I've previously used the brand's the Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle cleansing oil, as well as its Anti-oxi Skin Refining cleansing oil, and neither product really did it for me. Would the company's Porefinist Anti-shine Fresh cleansing oil be any different?

According to Shu Uemura, this is an "incredibly lightweight cleansing oil that leaves the skin clean, fresh and refined." With a new formula that contains cinnamon bark extract, it supposedly "regulates sebum secretion day after day."

Bella Aura Skincare Gentle Purifying Cleanser & Daily Repair Moisturizer Review

I've been meaning to write a review about Bella Aura's Skincare Gentle Purifying Cleanser and Daily Repair Moisturizer for weeks now but these two products are so boring that it's taken me forward to motivate myself to write about them.

At first glance the Bella Aura brand sounds like it has a lot of potential. The company has created five "...multi-purpose products that are suitable for all skin types" that contain "...four ancient beauty elixirs used for centuries for their radiance-boosting properties: Fig de Barbary, Argan, Neroli and Nigella." I've tried two of those products though at different times as they made their way into my hands via separate Topboxes. Maybe if I'd used them simultaneously the results would have been more impressive?

Aveda Botanical Kinetics Purifying Gel Cleanser And Toning Mist Review

Back in September I received I wonderful surprise: A selection of products from Aveda Canada. Two of those items up for review today: The Botanical Kinetics Purifying Gel Cleanser and the Botanical Kinetics Toning Mist.

Both products are designed for normal-to-oily skin and are designed to fight oil. According to Aveda, the cleanser uses "camomile, lavender and anti-oxidant vitamin E" to "gently dissolves makeup and impurities" leaving "skin feeling soft and refreshed." This product is then to be followed up with the "cooling, refreshing mist" that is the toner. Aveda says that this product, which contains "white oak, witch hazel and peppermint" "...helps hydrate and balance your skin while minimizing surface oil build-up."

Bioré Baking Soda Pore Cleanser Review

Let's start with a disclosure: I received Biore's Baking Soda Pore Cleanser for free, as part of Topbox's Glam Sense program. Often these programs send you a full-sized product but not this time. Instead, I received a deluxe-sized tube of this mostly liquid cleanser.

At first I was worried that this size wouldn't give me enough product to test it out but it turns out that one small tube can pack a lot of cleanser. I ended up using this item one-twice a day for over three weeks; more than enough time to see how well this product really cleans.

According to Bioré, this item "...deep cleans and exfoliates dry, flaky, skin, letting your skin feel clean, soft and smooth!" It's designed for combination skin, which I have, and uses "natural baking soda" to leave "...pores 91% cleaner."

bliss Fabulous Makeup Melt Gel-to-Oil Cleanser Review

Last week's arrival of my Bioré Glam Box, which contains a tube of Baking Soda Pore Cleanser, reminded me that I had a half-written review for bliss' Fabulous Makeup Melt Gel-to-Oil Cleanser sitting in my drafts. So earlier this week, I put the Bioré product on hold and gave the bliss one another shot.

I was quickly reminded about this cleaner's good qualities. The "gel-to-oil formula" is applied to dry skin and instantly melted into a warm oil that felt wonderful on my skin. That great feeling continued as I rinsed the product off. According to bliss, this product leaves skin, "...feeling completely clean, silky-smooth, and perfectly nourished, with a gorgeous afterglow." I completely agree about the "feeling" part. This cleanser did leave my skin feel soft, hydrated and very clean. However, a close look in the mirror revealed that while this product left my skin feeling fantastic, it wasn't cleaning it as thoroughly as I needed it to.

Bioderma Hydrabio Lait Moisturising Cleansing Milk Review

I started off the year using Pur-lisse's Pur-delicate Gentle Soy Milk Cleanser, which did a terrific job at cleaning my face while keeping it soft and moisturized. Just as it was running out, I received a full-sized bottle of Bioderma's Hydrabio Lait Moisturising Cleansing Milk in my January Topbox. What great timing! Unfortunately, this wasn't a great product.

According to Bioderma, using this cleanser results in, "skin immediately regain(ing) comfort, suppleness, and radiance." It supposedly achieves these results through "a patented complex (that) teaches the skin how to generate, in depth, and lock in, the moisture essential for its natural balance."

Pur-lisse Pur-delicate Gentle Soy Milk Cleanser Review

Dear Canadian stores that sell facial cleansers, can you one of you please stocking Pur-lisse's Pur-delicate Gentle Soy Milk Cleanser? It appears that I can only buy it online and I really hate buying beauty products online, especially from US retailers.

So as you might have guessed from my introductory paragraph, I'm a big fan of this cleanser, which I received as a Christmas gift (thanks Santa!). Prior to receiving it, I'd never heard of Pur-lisse, a California-based company that describes itself as blending, "traditional Chinese beauty rituals of yesteryear with today’s French skincare technology" to create "superior age prevention, healing hydration and skin-soothing products." But after using this cleanser for the past three weeks, I would love to check out what else this brand has to offer.

Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser

Face cleansers generally aren't very exciting products but when I read Tata Harper's description about its Regenerating Cleanser, I was intrigued. While I've tried multi-tasking face cleansers before, I'd never tried one that claimed to be "a 4-in-1 product." And what four tasks does this product claim to do? According to Tata Harper, this "gentle exfoliating cleansing treatment..." works to "...thoroughly cleanse and improve glow while purifying, minimizing the appearance of pores and helping to protect the skin’s natural hydration balance." (Wait, isn't that five tasks?)

"Free of soaps, alcohols and detergents, this cleanser clarifies with fresh enzymes, clays and essential oils, while microspherical beads polish the skin and reduce appearance of blackheads" says Tata Harper, who adds that this product contains ingredients like apricot seed powder, pomegranate enzymes, willow bark and French pink clay.

THEFACESHOP Chia Seed Fresh Cleansing Form

It's been over a month since I started using THEFACESHOP's Chia Seed Fresh Cleansing Form as my primary face wash and I think that's enough time to make a verdict on this product. I should note now that I received this wash for free from THEFACESHOP when I attended that chain's launch party. But just because I received this product for free doesn't mean that I'll be going easy on it.

I couldn't find this product on THEFACESHOP's website (which desperately needs an overhaul) so I don't know what exactly the claims are for this product apart from the tube's mention of it being a "Foam cleanser that deeply cleanses your pores."

I also recall from the launch party that the chia line is aimed at people with combination skin, which is what I have. Between that and my love of cleaned our pores, this should be the perfect cleanser for me but sadly, the results say otherwise.

St. Ives Nourished And Smooth Oatmeal Scrub + Mask

Back in February, I headed to Fiji with a number of new products in my bag including this two-in-one face/mask scrub by St. Ives (which is supposedly "America's #1 scrub brand"). It made the cut for two reasons:

1. It has a "...dual purpose formula combines oatmeal extract with 100% Natural Exfoliants" that lets it be both an exfoliant and a face mask;
2. St. Ives rates in as a "gentle" exfoliant, making it ideal for skin that would like be a bit on the burned and sensitive side.

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser

I received my sample of First Aid Beauty’s Face Cleanser as a freebie from Sephora. While face cleansers aren’t the most exciting products, I was happy to get this sample because it was the perfect size to take on my recent two-week vacation.

According to FAB, this product “…gently cleanses the skin, removes surface oils, make up, dirt and grime.” I completely agree. While this is a very mild cleanser, it does a great job at getting rid of surface dirt. It didn’t quite clean out my pores but then it doesn’t claim to be a deep cleansing product.

It did though do an impressive job at keeping blemishes at bay. While I was on vacation, I sweated a lot (I was in Fiji, which is a very hot and humid place) but despite that, I didn’t get a single pimple during the two weeks I was away.

Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser

Micelle solutions weren't the only trend in skin care in 2014. Charcoal also become a hot ingredient. While dirty, dark charcoal might at first seem like an unlikely item to include in a beauty product, there is some science behind its use. In addition to being a natural disinfect, charcoal also has amazing absorption properties.

Of all of the new products using charcoal, Biore's charcoal line is likely the most high profile, as it's available in most drugstores and at reasonable prices. While this line is comprised of two products that promise to leave skin "tingly smooth" while purifying and deep cleaning "all 200,000 of your pores," I've only tried out the Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser, which I received in my Spark Sessions swag bag.

According to Biore, this cleanser, "Draw(s) out and trap(s) 2x more dirt and impurities than a basic cleanser with this innovative black cleanser that foams white and rinses clean. Infused with Japanese Skin Purifying Technology, this facial cleanser gives you results after just one use!"

Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution

Skin care trends might not be as obvious as makeup and fashion trends but trust me, they exist. In 2014, micelle solutions were one of the hot products that appeared seemingly overnight in everyone’s bathroom. While these cleaners have been around for a few years now, they seemed to really take off in North America this year and leading the pack was Bioderma’s Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution.

This product, and all micelle cleansers, uses the power of a certain type of molecular cluster to remove dirt, makeup and other gunk from skin without using water and with minimum impact on a skin’s moisture levels (read this article over hear if you want to know more about the chemistry of these products).

Up & Up Exfoliating Cucumber Cleansing Towelettes

A few weeks ago, Target held a party at Roy Thomson Hall to celebrate summer and push its new summer line. All attendees, including myself, received a swag bag that was actually pretty impressive considering that hundreds and hundreds of bags were being given away.

One of the many items included in the bags was a full size package of Exfoliating Cucumber Cleansing Towelettes, made by Target's Up & Up line. While I'm not a big towelette fan—they never feel like they truly clean my face—I decided to give this product a shot by using it twice-a-day, most days, for over two weeks.

I quickly discovered that this is one of those form-over-function products. The form part comes from the towelettes' terrific scent and texture. While cucumber is in this product's name, it doesn't really smell like that vegetable. The scent is certainly fresh and energizing, but it's not like a cucumber. Instead, it's much, much better.

Shu Uemura Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil

I first tried a Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil back in October. At that time, I was using a free sample from the company. That sample was for the Anti-oxi Skin Refining oil and while it didn’t have any kind of negative impact on my skin, it also didn’t clean it as thoroughly as I wanted.

Shu Uemura offers a number of different oils and I thought that perhaps the Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil, which is promoted as “ideal for normal to oil skin types and acne-prone skin,” would be a better fit for me. But since it retails for over $70 (Canadian), I wasn’t about to buy a bottle to find out. So I was quite happy to see a deluxe-sized sample of that exact product in my November Topbox.

I started using this oil to wash my face soon after I received it and, having now used it once-to-twice a day for over a month, I can say that it does do a better job at cleaning out pores than the Anti-oxi Skin Refining oil. However, it doesn’t do such a good job that I’ll be purchasing it.

Shu Uemura Anti-oxi Skin Refining Cleansing Oil

Back in September, Shu Uemura launched a giant sample giveaway campaign that saw the company mail out thousands of packets of its cleansing oil to participants. While I think that giving away samples is one of the smartest things that a beauty product company can do (assuming, of course, the product is good), I think it’s a particularly smart move in Shu Uemura’s case since its cleansing oil retail as much as $90 US. At that price, no one’s picking this product off the shelf, just to try it out.

As well, we North Americans are still weary of using oils on our face. We seem to be comfortable, finally, with using oils in our hair and I do think that in a few years, facial oils will been seen as normal beauty products but right now, they’re kind of scary. But a free sample of a very expensive oil that also happens to have a lot of buzz about it? Well, that’s not so scary.

I’m not scared of facial oils, but I can’t really afford to spend over $90 on something that might not work for my skin so I happily jumped at the chance to try this product out. The product I (and maybe everyone) was sent was the Anti-oxi Skin Refining Cleansing Oil. It’s summarized as an “anti-dullness” oil and, since I don’t have dull skin, it wouldn’t be my choice of Shu Uemura cleansing oils but hey, it’s a free sample so I can’t complain.

Clean & Clear Morning Burst Hydrating Facial Cleanser & Gel Moisturizer

Well, they can’t all be winners. In my last post, I praised Clean & Clear’s Oil Absorbing Sheets, a Clean & Clear Klout perks pack. But while that item is fantastic, the other two items in my pack, Morning Burst Hydrating Facial Cleanser and a Morning Burst Hydrating Gel Moisturizer, aren’t so impressive.
product that I received for free as part of a

Neither are bad products, they didn’t cause breakouts or irritations or anything like that, but they also didn’t work particularly well.

Let’s start with the cleanser. According to C&C, this water-based cleanser uses “BUSTING BEADS technology and a blend of cucumber and green mango extracts to clean deep while refreshing skin with an added touch of moisture.” Personally I found that the “beads” did nothing. I couldn’t feel them and based on what I saw after two week’s worth of use, the beads, and any other ingredients, didn’t do much to cleanse or moisturize.

Olay Fresh Effects Shine, Shine Go Away! Face Cleanser

When I first saw the ads for this new face wash from Olay I went, “Minimize shine? Yeah, sure.”

Then I received a free tube of this product and, after three weeks of use, I discovered that actually it sort of did.

I say “sort of” because while this foaming cleanser did have an instant mattifying effect, thanks in part to its use of kaolin clay, that effect didn't last all day.  

So was “shine minimized” like Olay said it would be? Technically yes, though if you're looking for a long-lasting solution to shine, you will be disappointed by this product. Instead, this cleanser needs to be treated like just one step in the multi-stop trip that is controlling shine.

And while this product's focus is controlling shine, Olay claims that this cleanser also “purifies like a mask” and “lifts away impurities for a deep down-to-the-pores clean.” I don't completely agree with this because I still have some clogged pores and blackheads but I will give Olay its claim that this product removes twice as much dirt, oil and makeup as “basic cleansing.”