Some may see cleansing as a tedious chore, something they can hardly be bothered to do at the end of a long day. But for me cleansing resembles a kind of therapeutic ritual, something I look forward to every morning and night. It’s that precious 10 or so minutes everyday that I feel calm and strangely detached, as if there is nothing else more important but me and the hypnotic circulating movement of my fingers on my face. Some people meditate whereas I…. well, cleanse.
Of course using the right cleansing products play a big part in making the whole process more enjoyable. I went from being a ‘one cleanser-does-it-all’ kind of girl to fully embracing the oil hype, then cleansing balm and the formidable art of double cleansing.
In the morning it’s pretty quick and simple, since I don’t wear a full face makeup to go to bed (!), all I need really is one good cleanser to remove the residue of skincare products I put on the night before as well as any excess oil my skin naturally produces overnight. I have gone back to the old school of Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. I LOVE using this in the morning. It has a light weight creamy texture that feels like silk on your skin and the fresh eucalyptus scent that wakes you and your skin up in the morning. The eucalyptus oil gives you that nice cool tingling sensation that does the best job at getting you up and going in the morning in my opinion.
Night time routine gets a bit more complicated and this is where double (or triple in my case) cleansing comes into play. Because I had just spent the whole day with makeup and sun protection on as well as being exposed to all kinds of stressful elements, including pollution, as soon as I get home I want all of these washed off my face pronto. First I soak two cotton pads with Bioderma, which probably needs no introduction here, and swipe them over my eyes and face to remove the first layer of makeup. I have tried many other drugstore dupes (Garnier Micellar Water, Nivea Daily Essential Micellar Cleansing Water, etc) but nothing comes close to getting all the dirt and grimes off my face like Bioderma. It is a cult product for a reason! Next I use Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Cleansing Oil and massage it on to my face and this is to give me an extra help with my waterproof mascara because with waterproof products, the only solution to completely remove them is with oil. This is a lovely cleansing oil, infused with all kinds of goodness, including Vitamin C and nourishing Olive, Grapeseed and Rosehip oils. It is very lightweight with a lovely zesty scent and leaves your skin feeling squeaky clean and refreshed.
The last part of my cleansing routine is more of a pamper/skincare treatment and the only product worthy of the task is non other but the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel. I’m sure you’ve heard other beauty bloggers raved enough about this product so here’s my quick two cents; it’s a cleansing gel that has a lightweight balmy texture with gorgeous subtle rose scent that is not too overpowering. Apart from all kinds of vitamins goodness, the product also contains pumpkin enzyme, which lightly exfoliate and leave your skin feeling softer and looking brighter with each use. This product is a ‘treat’ to use as it melts into rose scented oil once massage on to face and I can easily stand in front of the bathroom mirror for hours completely submerged into this incredibly therapeutic process. As I like to say ‘the fine art of cleansing should never be taken lightly’.
