Shu Uemura High Performance Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula

Six or seven years ago as I was trying to figure out was going on with my skin*, my searches led me to several message boards and to the oil cleansing method. I tried various oils- from jojoba to olive and everything else I had at home (you'd be surprised how many different oils can be found in your various cabinets). It was fine, I guess, but not enough to make me stick with anything specific or with the method itself. Yes, oil really helps to  break down grime and grease and remove makeup; as long as it's a good pure oil it doesn't have any additives and other questionable ingredients, so that's a plus, too. But I'm just not a fan of using food stuff on my face, dealing with the smell or feeling too crunchy.
I probably got the bottle of Shu Uemura High Performance Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula because it was on some serious sale and I've heard many raves and gushes about it, so I had to try. It's a cosmetics bottle, with a pump, so the mess is kept to a minimum and it doesn't have a Birkenstock aura,so that's a plus. And it's Shu, so I'm already a fan.
The good news about the Shu Uemura cleansing oil is that it cleanses really well. The high performance advanced formula keeps its promise to remove even the clingiest waterproof makeup (including mascara), which is a nice perk. It has also proven to be efficient in unclogging the occasional pore (the beauty blogger's biggest occupational hazard). The thing is the Shu oil is so efficient it completely strips my skin of every last bit of natural oil, which is not the best idea when one's skin can get very dry. Especially not in winter. I've found myself with such a tight dry skin I have to slather my face with the heaviest creams I own right after I finish cleansing. That's not my favorite thing to do during my nighttime routine- I prefer to start with something lighter than use serums, and only add the heavy guns right before bed.
Bottom Line: Scarily efficient. I'm saving the bottle till summer.

*My skin issue back then? It turned out I needed a lot more moisture and to avoid Clinique 1-2-3 system.
If you're in the US, Shu Uemura High Performance Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula ($28, 5oz), just like other Shu products, is only available online through the company's American website (shuuemura-usa.com).
Photo: style.com

Shiseido The Skincare Gentle Cleansing Cream

Shiseido is one of my go-to skin care brands and one I often recommend when asked for advice. I like their eye  creams and the White Lucent range and always count on them for performance. That's why I find the Gentle Cleansing Cream so odd. They promise a lot- a cleanser that works with or without water to remove makeup and impurities. Only it doesn't.

Maybe my primers have superpowers, but if other cleansers and wipes can take care of a full face of makeup, Shiseido's Gentle Cream should be able to do it, too. Yet, no matter if I use it wet or dry, about half the makeup (foundation, blush, powder) just smudges and smears, so I must follow up with a better cleanser rendering the Shiseido utterly pointless. I've tested it with three sample tubes from different sources (including one from the Salon du Palais royal Shiseido in Paris), always with the same results. It might be a nice product for morning cleansing, when you don't have any makeup on (I hope), but even I'm not so high maintenance to require a morning and an evening cleanser.

Bottom line: Not for me.

Shiseido The Skincare Gentle Cleansing Cream ($30, 4.3oz) is available from most department stores. Nordstrom is quite generous with samples.

Image: vintage Pond ad from paperpursuits.com

Erno Laszlo Blue Firmarine Treatment Bar

It says a lot about my trust in Erno Laszlo skin care that I was willing to test their firming face soap. I'm not a huge fan of soap bars in general, and face soaps tend to be far too drying. But the concept of a treatment bar that promotes skin renewal, firming and moisture binding seemed quite good. Moreover, this is not an acne fighting product and is labeled as suitable for slightly dry to slightly oily skin. And it's blue.

Testing Blue Firmarine for weeks has gotten me addicted to the clean feeling it creates. The main result I see after about four weeks of use is a more even skin and less tendency to flake around the nose, as long as I don't use the bar on very cold days. Super dry days are not the right time for an overachiever cleanser, so I'll never use it in the winter, but after a day spent in a sunny NYC, this is the perfect treatment.

The instructions for use recommend we follow with Laszlo Blue Firmarine SPF 30, but I admit I use either my trusty Secret de Vie or the Erno Laszlo pHormula 3-9 cream.

Bottom line: This is going to be a summer essential. Not for mature or extra dry skin.
Bottom line 2: I still wish it came in a liquid formula. Leaving a bar of soap out in a house full of cats is asking for trouble.

Erno Laszlo Blue Firmarine Treatment Bar  ($39) is available from select department stores. I received it as a PR freebie.

Image: The Big Blue by Bob Clark

Josie Maran Bear Naked Wipes

I admit it: I bought the pack of Josie Maran Bear Naked Wipes because of the polar bear picture on the packaging. Other than being a vegetarian, I'm not very crunchy and usually get annoyed when companies use questionable "natural" claims to convince me their products are healthier. But Josie Maran had two things going for her with these wipes (other than the bears): They are biodegradable and a portion of every package of sold goes to the Natural Resources Defense Council's Polar Bear SOS initiative (I wish they'd say how big that portion is, though).

The wipes are much softer than others I've tested and used so far, which gets them major points. They remove all the face makeup quite easily and efficiently with no rubbing. Following with a mild toner shows that all makeup has been removed with no residue. Eye makeup was a bit harder- the wipes aren't a match for most mascaras or for the eyeliners I'm using, so an efficient eye makeup remover is still required. It doesn't matter much since I'm always using separate products for eye and face cleansing, so the Josie Maran product is definitely becoming part of my regular rotation.

Bottom line: Do it for the bears.

Josie Maran Bear Naked Wipes ($12 for a pack of 30) is available from Sephora, online and in store.

Photo: naturescrusaders.wordpress.com

Underachievers And Underperformers

There are so many great products on the market and it's hard enough to keep up with them. I usually manage to avoid the really awful ones, but what about the ones that aren't horrible, just don't perform as you would hope?

Here are a bunch I've encountered in recent months. Please comment if they happen to work better for you.

Boots Time to Cleanse- Time Dimensions deep cleansing wipes
I always have makeup removal wipes on hand, even though it's not the most effective method. You know those nights when one step cleansing is all one can manage? That's when cleansing cloths are a life-saver. I usually use the regular ones in the greenish packaging, but my Target isn't known for being well-stocked at all times, so I picked these instead. They clean, sort of, if you insist and rub your face enough. Not exactly what I want to be doing. Following with a toner solves the problem, but that defies the purpose.

Guerlain Success Future Day Care SPF 15 Wrinkle Minimizer
I've gone through several sample tubes before giving up. It's a daytime moisturizer with SPF 15, but it's just doesn't deliver on the moisturizing front. I tested it under various conditions and the result is always the same: needs supplement. While at $140 for 1 oz it's about half the price of the heavy guns, it's still way too much for a non moisturizing day cream (and the pure amber extract? I don't buy it).

Skyn Icelandic Relief Eye Cream with Biospheric Complex
(Have you noticed how all these products are a mouthful?)
An eco-friendly eye cream full of good intentions but does diddly squat on those mornings one needs extra help to perk up. I've been spoiled rotten by Lancome Secret de Vie Eye, so it's hard to compromise. Works great as a lip balm, though.

Arcona White Tea Eye Makeup Remover
I usually love Arcona products. They tend to smell great and feel wonderful on skin. The high concentration of plant extracts doesn't hurt, either. But when it comes to removing eye makeup this product is a dud. It takes a lot of product and too much rubbing to remove my mascara and eye liner, and even then it's never 100% clean. Completely unacceptable.

Image: synergizedsolutions.com. Some rights reserved.

L'Occitane Immortelle Cleansing Foam

While my mother is a big fan of L'Occitane's Immortelle skin care line, none of the creams has ever worked for me (this range is designated for mature skin, and I'm not quite there yet). This means I didn't have a good reason to buy their cleansing foam, other than the packaging: I picked it up months ago when I needed a travel-friendly cleanser, and the 5.1 oz pump bottle looked just about right.

I used it for the two weeks I was away in June and loved it. Then I put my travel bag away and promptly forgot about it until this week when I had to pack again. That was one happy reunion.

Everything about this foam is fabulous: the delicate scent, a light and airy texture, and most of all: performance. I find that it removes every last trace of makeup, including stubborn mascara (hello, Givenchy!), while giving my face the softest feel. There's no need for a once-over with a toner and my face doesn't scream for mercy afterwards.

I don't know about the promise for brightening: A product that you wash off quickly can't do much in that department. But I can tell you that it does my skin a world of good in the softness and smoothness department, and I love that it's the first and last stop I need for cleansing and makeup removing.

L'Occiatne Immortelle Cleansing Foam ($24) is available online and from every L'Occitane store. I bought mine at my local mall.

Liz Earle Cleansing System

My fickleness regarding cleansers is a well-known fact. I rarely stay with one product, and more often I rotate between several cleansing methods on any given month. But lately I've been so happy with the Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser from Liz Earle and the matching toner, that I'm as close to skin care monogamy as I can ever be.

It works like this: You slather your face with the cleansing cream and thoroughly massage it, including your eye area. It feels like any lotion or even cleansing oil: you'll get the sensation of pores opening and gunk moving out (a bit weird if you've been using rinse-off soaps and gels for a long time). Then you get one of the muslin cloths nice and wet (hot water) and polish it all off, leaving the eyes till the end. The muslin is quite gentle, but just abrasive enough to give you a nice exfoliating without rubbing your face raw. A quick rinse in cool water followed by patting dry with a soft towel and you're all set.

I was surprised to see how well the cleanser removes eye makeup, including mascara. The only problem is that some mascaras leave semi-permanent stains on the cloths. But maybe I should do more aggressive laundering.

A toner is not really necessary, especially not if a cleansing system is as efficient as the Liz Earle one. But I have a thing for toners, especially in the morning. It helps me wake up and look a bit more alive even before I have my tea. The Instant Boost Skin Tonic smells like perfume (lavender, rosemary and some flower extracts) and feels wonderful. Looking at the ingredient list, the toner is much more natural and far less chemical than just about anything I currently have in my cabinets. The main ingredient after water is aloe vera juice and there are other extracts and essential oils that seem to be in high concentration. My only complaint is the cap, that seems to let too much toner out and is quite wasteful. Other than that it's fast becoming a favorite product (and I just discovered that my husband has been secretly using it, too).

Liz Earle products are available online directly from the company's website and also at Fred Segal in Santa Monica and Brownes & Co Apothecary, Miami Beach. I got the products as PR freebies.

A Non-Update On Mario Badescu Cleanser (or: How To Annoy A Blogger)

Remember when I contacted Mario Badescu for some clarifications regarding the ingredients in their green (and apparently edible) Enzyme Cleansing Gel?

The next day, my hit counter showed a visit from someone at Mario Badescu. How did they get here? Not from the link in my email signature. The person did a search on monomides, probably trying to find the answer to my little chemistry question, but only found my blog. A nice Google page rank would do that. But apparently, the answer wasn't found in my original post, and the customer service rep must have given up on the issue, because I never got a reply.

What I receive instead is spam. I never asked to have Mario Badescu newsletter sent to my blog email address (I'm not talking about press releases, what they send me is the regular pushy stuff that I already get in my other email). I am not amused.

The case of the mysterious ingredients: Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel

My original plan for today was a review of another cleanser. A pretty good one, actually. But the list of ingredients ended up annoying me, and besides, lately I've gone back to using an old standby, Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel. I've been using it on and off for nearly four years and it never disappoints. It removes layers of makeup, sweat and city gunk, doesn't make my skin feel stripped or parched and has a short and sweet list of ingredients, if you don't mind a little paraben with your papaya. From the Mario Badescu web site:

Deionized Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Papaya (Carica Papaya Fruit) Extract,
Grapefruit (Citrus Grandis Fruit) Extract, Monomide, Triethanolamine,
Methylparaben

They don't list which monomide is used here (monomides are stabilizers for detergents that are water-based and contain over 10% of materials that tend to decompose. In other words: a preservative, just like our friend, methylparaben). The other chemical here is used to balance the gel's pH.

Something that isn't listed here is fragrance. However, what I smell from my bottle is neither papaya nor grapefruit. I like this cleanser a lot, but I'm beginning to suspect that the gel contains a bit more than meets the eye, and it bothers me. I sent an inquiry to the Mario Badescu people, so hopefully I'll know more soon, and so will you.

Mario Badescu is a NYC salon and spa. Their products are available at Nordstrom, Henri Bendel and Fred Segal and several locations worldwide. I originally got some free samples years ago, long before starting this blog and have kept buying from them ever since.

Old Fashioned Washing- Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash

Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash has what might be the most schizophrenic ingredient list I've seen in a while:

Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Rosa Canina Leaf Extract (rose hips), Silybum Marianum Seed Extract (milk thistle), Passiflora Incarnata Extract (passion flower), Chamomilla Recutita Leaf Extract (matricaria), Acetyl Hexapeptide 3, PEG 12 Glyceryl Distearate, Cocamide DEA, Glucosamine, Pentylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Polyethylene, Blue 1, Fragrance, Triethanolamine, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Methylisothiazolinone

I'm definitely not one who is scared of old fashioned soap, and I'm well aware that the much-maligned SLS suffers from a bad rap mostly because of an urban legend, but it is still considered a skin irritant and many brands have developed more gentle products. The paraben issue is another controversy. Personally, while I'm not convinced it's going to kill me, I still prefer paraben-free products whenever possible. So, it is surprising that such an iconic product from a company that markets itself as modern and revolutionary could have just as easily be made in the 80s.

Crunchy vs. chemical debate aside, this face wash, while far less foaming than you'd expect from the name and the level of SLS it contains. Still, it cleans well, dissolving every trace of makeup and city grime while surprisingly not drying me out too badly. In two weeks of testing, I had no problem with skin irritation or extra sensitivity and have no complaints about this product, other than that those tiny exfoliating beads are quite useless. Not that it's a bad thing. I prefer to exfoliate using a warm damp washcloth rather than anything grainy.

Bottom line: it's a face soap. It cleans. Is the $22 price tag justified? Probably not. I'm pretty sure you can find more innovative cleansers at your local drugstore.

Bliss products are available from the company's web site, Beauty.com, Sephora and most department stores.
The travel size bottle I've been using for this review came as a gift with a recent order.

Image: Art.com

The Alton Brown Approach to Skin Care- Biotherm Biosource 3-in-1

If you're familiar with Food Network guru Alton Brown (who finally lost that unfortunate facial hair. Hallelujah), you know that he claims that the only kitchen tool allowed to be a "unitasker" is the fire extinguisher. It saves kitchen space, that's for sure, so I wouldn't object to a similar approach to beauty, if only for the sake of my overflowing cabinets and drawers.

Biotherm Biosource Miceallaire 3-in-1 is a cleanser, toner & eye make-up remover. The concept sounds a bit scary, considering most toners have this "avoid eye are" clause and usually a recommendation about what to do if you did manage to get it into your eye, and it ends with "call your doctor".

But I'm a brave little beauty blogger, so I gave it a try.

As far as cleansing goes, the 3-in-1 wasn't up to the task. I don't use tons of makeup, but it still failed to thoroughly remove my foundation and required follow-up with something more efficient. Surprisingly, it did much better on my eyes and managed to easily take care of both my mascara and eyeliner, with only a couple of swipes across the area and no need of pulling or rubbing.

The best results were when used as a toner, after a regular cleanser. It made my face feel clean and refreshed with no drying or tightening. I especially like using it in the morning, because it feels so gentle while waking up the skin.

Black Soap

There's something a bit disturbing about a black soap. The muddy color doesn't seem right for a product that's supposed to clean, and the smell isn't all that great, either. But the African Black Soap Facial Wash from Quench , a small company that offers a handful of products based on natural African ingredients, is a real gem.
(Despite the somewhat annoying web site)

I've been using it for the last couple of weeks with great results. At first, I was worried that the "squeaky clean" feeling it gave me while washing my face meant that the soap was stripping the skin, but to my surprise it didn't. I didn't get the all too familiar tightening sensation that screams for moisturizer.

The cleansing action is very good. It washes away all the grime, including makeup, leaves my skin soft, doesn't cause any irritation, redness or breakouts and doesn't leave any residue behind. All that, without drying and causing skin go into an overdrive of oil-producing. It seems to be gentle enough even in cold weather, which is very welcome right about now. Despite the non-cosmetic scent and the simple packaging, this cleanser feels almost like a luxury product.

They claim the soap is made of organic materials, but the label of the sample I was sent has no further details or a "certified organic" stamp. Also, the list of ingredients doesn't seem to be full. I wasn't too worried, because my allergies have yet to be triggered by a non-mass market product.

Squeaky Clean

How many of you are addicted to face cleansers? To that feeling of tightened, squeaky clean skin that tells you there's no more grime and makeup? Eventually I learned that this practice actually over-dries the skin, interferes with its natural balance and is not good whatsoever.

I've settled on a simple routine of makeup remover towelettes and damp, warm washcloths. I don't over dry my face and in return it never freaks out on me. A pretty good deal. However, with the hot and humid weather we've been going through, I could use a little more cleansing action, just without the parched feeling.

I wasn't expecting much from the sample of Bobbi Brown's Lathering Tube Soap, but I'm happily guinea-pigging my skin in the name of this blog. Normally you'd expect a soap that lathers so much to be on the drying side, but, surprisingly, it isn't. It removes makeup, sweat and whatever lands on your face during a NYC day, leaves the face feeling very clean but the tight feeling at the side of the nose that I was expecting never showed up. Of course, one still needs to moisturize well, but I do it year round.

There's also a rich cream version for dry skin, but I haven't tried that one. Personally, I only need a good soap for this time of the year, and when I do, I want it to be more soapy than creamy.