Category Archives: Cleansers

Mud Cleansers; Erno Laszlo, LUSH, Olay

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Using mud to purify and cleanse the skin has a history that’s several thousand years old. Today, mud based cleansers are used to get a deep clean and remove all traces of oil for a fresh feeling you don’t get from creamy cleaners. Keep in mind that the mud breaks down oils, so if you have dryer skin, these may not be ideal for you. Here are a few I’ve used and really like.

Erno Laszlo’s recognizable Sea Mud Soap is a well-loved best seller. This black bar softens the skin by removing all traces of oil while gently exfoliating at the same time. If you’ve never used a bar cleanser, this one is a great place to start- you’ll be amazed at how much longer it lasts versus a liquid cleanser.

With the success of their blockbuster cleanser Angels on Bare Skin, LUSH has introduced Dark Angels ,  a cleanser packed with Rhassoul Mud and Powdered Charcoal to draw excess out oil. Just a tiny bit works to really exfoliate your skin giving it a radiant glow, and the Organic Avocado Oil gives a little moisture so your skin feels comfortable and not tight.

Purifying Mud Lathering Cleanser from Olay delivers the same quality results you’d get from a 20 minute mud mask in a foaming daily cleanser. It sops up oil so well you may not need a toner after, and the scent is so fresh and clean.

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June Jacobs

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June Jacobs is a 30-year veteran of the spa industry and a visionary in the field of hi-tech skin luxury. She has created around 100 products for skin and body using high-potency hydrosols (essential oils distilled from plant matter), powerful antioxidants, and plant extracts without the use of parabens, harsh preservatives, synthetic dyes, or sulfates.  Her opulent line is used in the most prestigious spas worldwide,  and also offered online for an unparalleled at-home spa experience.

I first noticed the product’s packaging which gives an immediate feeling of relaxation with its charming frosted glass jars, metallic tin lids, and sculpted bottles- even the logo and writing on the containers are neatly arranged and printed. Visually speaking, it’s a line you can’t wait to delve into right away.

Inside of those containers her products are rich in antioxidants, many from food-based sources like cucumber, green tea, grapefruit, lemon, and cranberry, and everything smells like heaven. Her version of what cranberry smells like trumps the actual fruit itself. Her Creamy Cranberry Cleanser and Cranberry Pomegranate Moisture Masque maintain a balanced sweet scent that isn’t too over the top while completely quenching thirsty skin.

Also worth trying is the Lemon Sugar Body Polish that reminded me so strongly of lemon meringue pie that it literally made my mouth water.

June Jacobs

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Kiehl’s Rare Earth

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After it successfully sucked up oil and impurities in the form of treatment masks, clay has been a favorite ingredient for those with skin on the oilier side since it clears out pores and leaves a clean, soft feeling behind.

Kiehl’s Rare Earth collection uses Amazonian White Clay and Bentonite in their 4 new products; (shown from left to right) Pore Refining Tonic, Pore Minimizing Lotion, Cleansing Masque, and the Deep Pore Daily Cleanser.

Their Pore Minimizing Lotion ($28) mattifies shine while keeping flaking away with a light hydration. Amazonian White Clay absorbs excess oil while allantoin reduces redness and irritation. It’s the solution for those who skip the moisturizer/ hydrator because they’re oily.

When you tend to have oily skin, sometimes cleansing alone doesn’t give that squeaky clean feeling like a toner can. Pore Refining Tonic doesn’t go overboard stripping skin dry, it just sops up remaining oil and dirt making pores less noticeable giving you a head start against shine.

Kiehl’s Rare Earth

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Liz Earle Superskin Range

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Liz Earle’s Superskin collection is a well executed offering of products that add moisture and to nourishment to dry, sensitive, mature, and stressed skin.

Just know that when you use a Liz Earle product, you’ll get 100% quality and satisfaction with each and every product. It’s a line that I absolutely trust because it’s responsibly made with top-notch ingredients. She still makes one of the best cleansers I’ve ever tried which I still use it daily, so I wasn’t at all surprized when her new Superskin Eye & Lip Treatment $50 became my go-to eye cream for night and day. Fine lines vanish immediately but without a tightening effect, plus it’s great for those lines around the mouth to prevent lipstick from bleeding.

25% plant oils are used in her new richer than rich Body Cream ($50)that creates a glowy radiance and the appearance of healthy skin. It’s honestly the most moisture I’ve experienced in a cream, but it isn’t the least bit greasy.

Also new to the lineup is her Bust Treatment ($50) to lift visibly plump and firm skin that’s lost its elasticity using kigelia extract.

Her Superskin Concentrate ($70) contains pretty much everything you’d want in a moisture booster; oils of argan and organic rosehip, neroli, lavender and chamomile and vitamin E. It’s 100% plant oils for all skin types to help calm, soothe, and add some needed moisture.

Worth checking out is her new Try-Me kit containing smaller sizes of all 5 Superskin products along with her signature Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (the one I use), and an Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer.

Liz Earle Superskin Range

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La Roche Posay Rosaliac Make-up Removal Gel

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Even the most simplistic of things can worsen redness in sensitive skin. Just cleansing can leave skin red, irritated, and maybe worse off than if you hadn’t washed your face at all.

La Roche Posay’s Rosaliac forms a soothing gel cushion over your skin while cleansing it and removing makeup at the same time. Tissue, or rinse it off to find your skin to be calm and clean- just the way you want it.

La Roche Posay Rosaliac Make-up Removal Gel

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Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

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Over the years, I’ve learned that I need to carry around something to remove old makeup from girls faces before I put their new makeup on. Rarely are they 100% without makeup just because most women aren’t in love with the idea of walking around completely bare-faced. I’ve found that the best solution for this is Simple’s Cleansing Facial Wipes.

They’re the first I’ve seen with no alcohol, oil, or fragrance that remove even waterproof mascara. All residue is completely wiped away with these pre-moistened wipes leaving skin toned and ready to go. Keep a pack in your nightstand for when the lengthy before-bed cleansing just isn’t in the cards.

$6 for 25 Wipes, Duane Reade NYC Locations Exclusively, Boots, Superdrug, Amazon.com

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

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