Category Archives: Cleanser

Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser

Double-cleansing and I go way back. This extra step in one’s skincare regime has been in mine since I hit puberty (I hit puberty pretty early in life) and that’s when I noticed little bumps growing on my once baby soft skin.

I’m like a kepoh (busybody) auntie who goes round telling others to double-cleanse if they ever ask me about my skincare routine. This is because your skin will not be able to absorb all the lovely serums / products you apply onto it should you not cleanse it well beforehand.

Then comes in a lot of blessings. I am incredibly blessed to have someone like Stephanie in my life. This lovely sister from another mister produced this as a gift when we met up sometime last year. =)

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SK-II Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser

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When it comes to cleansers, I usually opt for the cheapest variant because my cheapo mentality tells me not to spend money on something you will be “washing off” in a jiffy. As I tried various cleansers from different ends of the price spectrum, it hit me: there is a difference.

In comes the SK-II Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser:

Now this isn’t my first encounter with this product, nor the brand as Mum has been an avid SK-II user for a good 5 years now. I used certain SK-II products during my university years but strayed when I discovered the joys (or woes) of trying out different skincare products. Also, not all SK-II products I tried then agreed with my skin but that is a story for another day.

Fast forward a few years later and many more skin issues later, I’m facing one of the worst problems my skin has ever had to face. Bumpy cheeks that sting when I touch them, Random clusters of spots appearing on the cheeks and forehead… It’s never been this bad.

Mum then came to the rescue and chucked aside all the other random skincare products I’ve been using and gave me a set of SK-II products, insisting I give this brand another chance. So I did as I was at wits end, as you will notice in my revamped current skincare regime page.

This SK-II Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser is my second full-sized tube, having used up the first 2-3 years ago. I remember how much I liked using it as it didn’t leave my skin feeling “squeaky clean” a.k.a “taut” unlike some other cleansers I’ve tried. I only use a pea-sized amount for my face and neck as this lathers up beautifully into a soft, bouncy cloud of foam that doesn’t pull at my already irritated skin.

This product lies on the upper end of the price range, retailing at RM209 for 120g of product but it is worth every single penny. Also, I clearly remember how long my original tube of this cleanser lasted – close to a year. Pretty value for money and you get a product that is of great quality.

Here’s the ingredient list for those interested:

Have you tried anything from SK-II and did it work for you? Although not all of their products worked for me in the past, they do now and I’m guessing it’s because I’ve…. Aged.

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Review: Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

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This is a very much raved about product in the UK and it took me ages to purchase this product as Liz Earle’s pretty difficult to come by in stores other than in John Lewis (which I do not have access to in Canterbury) so I am pretty late in hopping onto the Liz Earle bandwagon!

I’ve been using this on and off for a good 5-6 months now as initially I wasn’t too sure of this product!

Here’s what Liz Earle has to say about the product:

Our plant based cleanser has a two-phase action, phase one is the cleansing. Free from mineral oil, it has a rich and creamy texture and swiftly removes all traces of face and eye make up, even stubborn mascara.

Phase two is the polishing. Polish off the cream using the pure muslin cloth to gently dislodge dead skin cells and help reveal clean, soft and radiant skin.

I purchased the starter kit which costs approximately £13.25 which consists of a 100ml pump bottle of Cleanse and Polish with 2 muslin cloths. This cleanser is arguably one of the most talked about hot cloth cleansers in the UK and nearly every beauty blogger / columnist have been waxing lyrical over this product which I presume prompted other brands such as No7 and Sanctuary Spa to come up with their very own versions of the hot cloth cleanser.

So what is hot cloth cleansing? It’s essentially cleansing using a cream-based cleanser which is wiped / polished off with a muslin cloth. This not only removes make up but the muslin cloth acts as a gentle exfoliator too.

The Liz Earle website states that this can even be used to remove ‘even stubborn mascara.’ However, I recommend against doing so as the muslin cloth seems harsh for our sensitive eye area. Being the ‘good’ *ahem* beauty blogger that I am, I decided to put the Cleanse and Polish to test and see if this cleanser actually removes ‘stubborn mascara.’

I recently acquired Shiseido’s Perfect Mascara Defining Volume (which is amazing – no smudges, holds curl perfectly) but like most good things comes a con…. It’s a pain to remove!

Sadly, Cleanse and Polish failed to remove this stubborn mascara and my eyelids felt sore after even though there wasn’t any rubbing involved. An eye make up remover should be the first step before moving on to the Cleanse and Polish for all you ladies who paint your beautiful peepers!

Application and usage of this product is easy enough: I do not use a lot of make up (just a bit of foundation over my nose and chin area, loose powder and blush) so one pump of Cleanse and Polish is more than enough to dislodge all the gunk. Lightly massage the cleanser all over dry skin and soak the cloth into warm water, wring dry and gently polish the make up off your face!

I usually rinse the cloth and repeat 2-3 times to ensure there isn’t any residue left before using a regular cleanser.

The end result? Soft, clean skin! The product stays true to its claims of being able to remove make up and gently exfoliates the skin. I have noticed a reduction in blackheads around my nose area since I’ve started using this and I have not been using any facial scrubs over the last couple of months as I’ve been lazy! So yes, this product is good but as it’s difficult to come by for me (available online and at John Lewis stores only) I do not know if I will repurchase! I wish Liz Earle’s available locally though!