Okay, backstory: KarlaSugar did a post on cleansing oils a couple months ago. If you don't read her blog, what is wrong with you?! She is the queen of swatching, and as such, needs to have a quick and effective way of removing makeup from her arms, hence her extensive experience with cleansing oils. She said that Shiseido Ultimate Cleansing Oil is her absolute favorite, and since I was running low on the oil I was using before, Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil, I decided to try out the Shiseido.
So, how does Shiseido stack up against Softymo? Whereas Softymo was orange-tinted and scented, Shiseido is clear and smells vaguely like sunscreen (and, according to Karla Sugar, the oil was designed to completely remove Shiseido's heavy-duty sunscreens). While I definitely prefer the smell of the Softymo, the Shiseido blows it out of the water performance-wise. Using one pump of cleansing oil and massaging thoroughly, I don't need any other makeup remover, even for heavy eye makeup (or, at least, heavy for me, with waterproof eyeliner and mascara). There's absolutely no product left behind after using this. No raccoon eyes. No weird eyeliner smears. No tenacious bits of eyeshadow. Everything just gone. It's awesome.
In short: Karla Sugar was right. This stuff is the bomb. I will continue buying it until they discontinue it or I die (here's hoping it's the latter). I figure a bottle should last me 4-5 months, based on how long the Softymo bottle lasted, and at $25, it's an investment I am happy to make. If you wear makeup daily, I highly recommend getting some to try yourself!
$25 for 5 oz, available from Sephora and Shiseido counters
Do you use cleansing oil? Which one is your favorite?
PS: If you haven't already, vote in the blog poll! It ends tomorrow, and the more input I have, the better I can tailor the blog to your interests :-)
image via Sephora
For those who don't know what cleansing oils are, here's a quick rundown. Cleansing oils are an Asian invention that has begun to spread to the US (much like BB creams!). "Cleansing oil" seems like an oxymoron, because spreading oil on your face would seem to be the last thing you want to do, especially if you suffer from acne-prone skin like yours truly. The trick to these, though, is that they emulsify, by which I mean that, when mixed with water, they turn white and milky and rinse right off, taking your makeup with them. Since like dissolves like (one of the few things from Chemistry that I remember), oil cleansers are extremely effective at removing oily build-up and cosmetics. To use, just squirt some oil in your hand, rub it between your palms, then apply it to your dry face, rubbing gently for ~30 seconds to make sure you've covered your whole face. Rinse and rub your now-damp hands over your face in the same way to break down the oil and makeup. Then rinse your face with warm water and apply your second cleanser, if you use one (I do, because I don't want to risk any oil being left on my skin, and because I prefer double-cleansing to cleansing and toning). Et voila! Completely clean, smooth, happy skin. The whole process takes about 75 seconds, give or take 15.So, how does Shiseido stack up against Softymo? Whereas Softymo was orange-tinted and scented, Shiseido is clear and smells vaguely like sunscreen (and, according to Karla Sugar, the oil was designed to completely remove Shiseido's heavy-duty sunscreens). While I definitely prefer the smell of the Softymo, the Shiseido blows it out of the water performance-wise. Using one pump of cleansing oil and massaging thoroughly, I don't need any other makeup remover, even for heavy eye makeup (or, at least, heavy for me, with waterproof eyeliner and mascara). There's absolutely no product left behind after using this. No raccoon eyes. No weird eyeliner smears. No tenacious bits of eyeshadow. Everything just gone. It's awesome.
In short: Karla Sugar was right. This stuff is the bomb. I will continue buying it until they discontinue it or I die (here's hoping it's the latter). I figure a bottle should last me 4-5 months, based on how long the Softymo bottle lasted, and at $25, it's an investment I am happy to make. If you wear makeup daily, I highly recommend getting some to try yourself!
$25 for 5 oz, available from Sephora and Shiseido counters
Do you use cleansing oil? Which one is your favorite?
PS: If you haven't already, vote in the blog poll! It ends tomorrow, and the more input I have, the better I can tailor the blog to your interests :-)
