Hi everyone! How is everyone doing? I hope you’re all having a great week and that your summer is going well. I love connecting with you lovely people so you can share more in the comments or message me on Instagram at @smallbitsofloveliness. I’m so grateful that I can say I’ve been doing well. We’ve been having a nice summer – obviously and unfortunately we’re not taking as many short weekend getaways as we did last summer but still it feels like we are exploring many new places (or revisiting old ones), and that makes me happy. I’m thinking of getting a new bike, hopefully that will come to fruition soon, which will be so much fun and I cannot wait to explore & see more of beautiful places. I’m sure you’re not here for reading these random facts so let’s turn our gaze to the topic I wanted to talk to you about today – face cleansers.
Properly cleansing your face, especially in the evening, is so ridiculously important! Through the years of exploring skincare and using many products, and also hearing others talking about their experiences, having a proper and thorough cleansing regimen has been doing great things for the skin. I’m all for double cleansing in the evening, meaning that I first wash my face with a cleansing oil or balm, and then follow up with another cleanser, usually a milk, powder, gel cleanser, something that isn’t stripping to the skin. A cleanser that you can remove with water, without the need of a washcloth. I do this always, no matter if I wear makeup or not. I always wear sunscreen (Farizad’s Veil Sun Protector by Earthwise Beauty is my go-to, always! Affiliate code Loveliness saves 10%) and it’s really important to remove all traces of sunscreen. A freshly washed face is also just the best thing ever so I really try to be very diligent with it (sometimes I’m too quick for my liking but some days you just gotta be quick, am I right?). I won’t go into all the details what kind of cleanser to use but I encourage you to use something that isn’t drying or stripping, and a cleansing oil/balm is an absolute must in my opinion. Anyways, here are a few face cleansers I’ve been enjoying and loving lately.
Mar Galliti Skincare Restorative Sea Buckthorn Cleansing Balm* deeply cleanses the skin by removing impurities and makeup. I’ve mentioned this cleansing balm before but this one really deserves all the love it has been getting on social media. And more. It is utterly divine! This is a cleansing balm true to its word – rich with 100% natural ingredients, like high quality Shea Butter, enhanced with special soothing oils, like Calendula, Sesame and Borage Oil. The balm gets its stunning colour from the Sea Buckthorn Extract. Like mentioned, it is free from any synthetic ingredients, there are only butters, oils and plant extracts, so know that this balm has to be removed with a washcloth. As I always say I don’t mind that one bit and I actually love the whole routine. I always use a washcloth when removing the first cleanser in my double cleansing evening routine. The founder Zita created this cleansing balm to be very silky and smooth, it is a softer balm which instantly & very beautifully melts onto the skin. The experience of massaging it into the skin is so great and not only that I love its colour and the nourishing ingredients, I cannot forget about its scent. What can I say to truly express how I feel about it? Would “I love it!” work? Because I do, it’s amazing. Zita says it’s a “subtle feminine fragrance that invigorates your senses”, and I would have to agree with her. It’s a sweet, floral scent, a happy, vibrant, bright scent, it makes me happy and it uplifts my spirits. If I’m not mistaken they describe Ylang Ylang as such and yes, this is the main essential oil that I smell. But it’s rounded very nicely with citrus (Sweet Orange and Bergamot), Vanilla and Rose. A gorgeous, gorgeous scent. If you haven’t heard me talking about Mar Galliti Skincare, I urge you to check their website. This is a Hungarian skincare line and Zita, the founder, was inspired to create her brand by the humble yet so powerful Lavender. Sometimes I just immediately fell in love with a brand and feel a connection that I cannot explain, and Mar Galliti Skincare is absolutely one of those brands. You can get the Mar Galliti Skincare Restorative Sea Buckthorn Cleansing Balm here. If you wish so you can use my affiliate code Loveliness for 10% off.
Odylique Silk Touch Cleanser*. This unique double-action formula deeply cleanses and removes make-up whilst providing the ultimate in skin comfort and long-lasting rehydration. This is your true and proper rinsable cleansing balm – you absolutely don’t need a washcloth to remove it, which let’s face it is usually the case with rinsable cleansing oils and balms. So whenever I do use such a product I don’t even bother removing it with water, I always rather go straight in with a washcloth so I don’t end up with an oily skin. This cleanser has a very silky, almost a gel like balm consistency. It’s actually very emollient and I could almost describe it as greasy, but I mean that in the best possible way. They describe it as an oil-gel texture and I would have to agree. I do use it to remove makeup but I actually prefer to use it on days when I don’t wear makeup or as my second cleanser. As is with cleansing balms and oils, I apply it on dry skin and gently but thoroughly massage it all over my face. Then I add water and for me that’s when the magic happens. The oiliness disappears and what’s left is this milky cleanser that feels light, non greasy and almost slightly foamy but not. It is perfect. I so appreciate that it doesn’t irritate my skin and in fact it is great for sensitive skin too. On their website the brand is described as “a haven for those seeking care for their sensitive skin” so definitely a brand worth checking out if your skin easily reacts to products & ingredients. This family-owned brand/company lies in the amidst the rolling fields of Suffolk and every single one of Odylique’s products is handmade there. Let me end by saying that I like the packaging but I do wish it was in glass. The cleanser has a very nice and subtle scent of Lavender and is made with 98% organic ingredients, including Sunflower Seed & Castor Oil, Glycerine, Ylang Ylang. You can get Odylique Silk Touch Cleanser at LoveLula here.
Dafna’s Skincare Recovery Cleanser* is a rinsable cleansing balm but note that for me it doesn’t rinse off completely. I have to use a washcloth which is fine but I just want to mention that. I received this cleanser in the April/May The Clean Beauty Box and I loved it then & still do. See this photo where I shared my initial thoughts. Like the Odylique cleanser it has this unique texture of a balm that feels like a gel-ish balm. Very silky and smooth. They say “luxurious, silky balm-to-milk cleanser that melts at contact”. I love its silky consistency very much and I also love the fact that this cleanser can be used as a mask as well. To be more precise, as an overnight treatment mask. I’ve never used it as such but I did left it on my face for a few minutes and I have to say that it feels very lush. It has a fresh citrus scent thanks to Sweet Orange, Lavender & Rosemary. Among the ingredients are also Shea Butter, Olive Oil, Moringa Oil, Squalane (which locks in moisture and is one of the ingredients that helps to make it a lovely hydrating overnight mask), Calendula Extract and Salycilic Acid. As mentioned, I got Dafna’s Skincare Recovery Cleanser from The Clean Beauty Box – you can shop here.
Alteya Organics Rose Otto Cleansing Milk* is described as a gentle cleansing milk formulated to purify, bаlance and moisturize skin. I got this cleansing milk after I used up the amazing Cleansing Milk with Papaya Extract* from a Slovenian brand Mayarula. Such a beautiful and lightweight cleansing milk! I think I’ll have to repurchase it. Ok but back to Alteya Organics and their Rose Otto Cleansing Milk. It comes in this huge, big ass glass bottle (200 ml!). I was in shock when I received it since I wasn’t expecting a 200 ml bottle (not that I’m complaining). This is your typical cleansing milk meaning it has a gentle, soft milky consistency that doesn’t foam. They say that it effectively removes makeup and penetrates deep down the pores to visibly reduce their appearance for a clearer looking skin. I never use cleansing milks as my first evening cleanser or makeup remover so I can’t say anything about that but I do enjoy it as my second evening or morning cleanser. It consists of some beautiful ingredients such as Aloe Vera Juice, Kokum Seed Butter, Macadamia Oil, Plum Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Coapiba Oil and more. I do find it hydrating and I’m so glad it doesn’t dry out my skin. It is gentle but I have to say that sometimes I feel almost a slight tingling sensation. That goes away as quickly as it came and there’s no redness or irritation on my skin but perhaps that is something worth mentioning for those of you who have more sensitive skin. Although they do recommend it for sensitive skin so I would love to know your experience if you’ve tried it. For me that is just a minor remark because otherwise this cleansing milk is super lovely. The scent is also very beautiful and I can choose the same words for the scent as I can for the consistency and the whole experience with this cleanser – soft, gentle, delicate. It is a floral scent but nothing too overpowering or too much. The blend of Palmarosa, Rosewood and Geranium really agrees with my nose. It’s a pretty scent, a very lovely one. You can find Alteya Organics Rose Otto Cleansing Milk at LoveLula here. I will say that thus far I’ve tried a few products from Alteya Organics and they are all really nice!
Without a doubt I could mention more cleansers but I will stop at these four since I’ve been mostly drawn to these in the last couple of weeks. Let me know if you’ve tried them and what are your thoughts. Is there any cleanser you would like to recommend or you have it on your wishlist to try? I’m all ears. 🙂
Thank you so much for reading!
Have a great week,
Jana xx
*samples generously provided
**this post contains some affiliate links