Archive for the ‘Facial Cleanser’ Category

I’ve been a fan of the Yes To line since I was gifted several of their products at a Beautylish event a few years back, so I’m always eager to try their new stuff. I’m usually pretty up to date on what’s going on with the line but for some reason missed this, so when I spotted the new display at Walgreen’s the other night I was super excited. And by excited, I mean squealing as my boyfriend stood by with a confused look on his face excited. Men, they just don’t get it.

Naturally I tore into these the second I walked through the door because I like to wash my face as soon as I get home in the evening. As my obsession with makeup has grown it’s become my favorite part of the day as I love the fresh feeling I get after washing off all the foundation, bronzer and eyeliner that make me look so nice and perky at 8am. Over the past few years I’ve mastered my cleansing routine, of which facial towelettes have become an important component given they are the best way to remove impurities before slathering my anti-aging products. It’s turned me into somewhat of a face wipe connoisseur and in my professional, face wipe connoisseur opinion I have to say these are pretty darn good. I may even go so far as to say they are superior to anything else I’ve used, Yes To or otherwise.

The Good:

When I first opened the package, the fresh grapefruit scent hit me right away. It was so inviting it actually made me thirsty for grapefruit juice; good thing I had some in the fridge or I would have been making a late-night trip to Safeway. Once I got past the tasty smell, the next thing I noticed is how large the wipes are – nearly twice the size of other towelettes I’ve used in the past, including the Yes To Cucumbers Facial Towelettes I love so much. They’re so large in fact it only takes one clean my whole face and neck, including eye-makeup. The thing that impressed me the most however is the quality and texture of the cloth used to make these wipes. They’re super soft, yet super strong and the texture exfoliates as it removes dirt and makeup.

The Bad:

Honestly the only complaint I can think of is the package only contains 25 wipes as opposed to the 30 I’m used to. It just seems like an odd number – 30 is perfect because it’s a month’s supply exactly. Honestly though, for the price ($5.99) it still seems reasonable given the quality of the product.

All-in-all I’m very impressed with these wipes. They’re heavy duty enough to remove foundation and waterproof eye-makeup and leave my skin feeling fresh and exfoliated. It definitely makes me excited to try the rest of the Yes to Grapefruit line, which I’ll be sure to do as my Yes to Blueberries stuff runs out.

Final Verdict: Love it!
Price: $5.99
Get it: Drugstores, yestocarrots.com

I’m a huge fan of theBalm, so I make sure to stock up on my favorite palettes, polishes and blushes every time they have a sale on Hautelook. This product was new to me, but I decided to give it a try anyway since it was on sale and I’m always in the market for a good eye-makeup remover. All I have to say is OH-EM-GEE, how did I ever live without this stuff?

Fortified with vitamins, plant-based lipids and other magical ingredients, this balm removes even the heaviest eye make-up with virtually no effort. I used it for the first time a few minutes ago and was so amazed I practically ran to my computer to write this blog post. Eye makeup remover is kind of a big deal for me since I wear lots of waterproof eyeliner and mascara, which can be a real pain to remove. Especially without damaging the delicate skin around the eye with the constant rubbing when using less effective cleansers. Not only is it painful, but it causes premature aging and as someone who is constantly waging a war against crowsfeet, that just ain’t the business.

What makes this product so unique is it’s texture, which glides on like butter – I literally rubbed a teeny amount of the balm on my eyelid and wiped away all traces of eyeliner, eyeshadow and mascara with just a few swipes. Now that I’ve found this, I really don’t see the point of using anything else as I’d be hard pressed to find a better product. It’s a tad expensive ( $20 for 2.2oz), but when you consider how little product you need to get the job done AND how much money it’ll save you on Botox in the future, it’s a worthwhile investment. Especially considering you can get it on Hautelook for $10, which is even cheaper than most drugstore makeup removers.

Final Verdict: La-la-la-loooooooove it!
Price: $20 (or $10 during Hautelook sales)
Get it: thebalm.com, hautlook.com

Face wipes are an important part of my nightly skin care routine because it’s the best way to remove makeup and prep my skin for moisturizer. I have a few brands I tend to alternate between on a regular basis – mainly Neutrogena and Yes to Cucumbers- but these Clean & Clear towelettes have quickly become my new favorite.

I got these at Target for $5.29, which is a fairly good price except for the fact the package only comes with 25 wipes. Most other brands have 30, so I was a little butthurt about getting five less wipes. I know it’s only five, but still – that’s five days worth of cleansing. Luckily for the people at Clean and Clear the product is exceptional enough that I can get over getting cheated out of that much product.

The magic of these wipes is in the texture of the sheet itself, as you can see from this here handy dandy photo I included for your viewing pleasure. The wipes are soft, but the teeny little holes seem to help them swipe all that yucky makeup right off your face. They also smell surprisingly pleasant considering the packaging says it “dissolves makeup,” which makes me think they would smell more like some sort of industrial solvent than a skin care product.

When they say these things dissolve makeup, they really dissolve makeup. One wipe takes every last bit of makeup, dirt and oil off my face – even all my eye makeup. That’s no easy feat considering how much black eyeliner and mascara I pile on, as you can see from the wipe I used last night. It’s kinda funny how the makeup looks so fabulous on the face, yet it looks so gross when you look at whats left on a cleansing towelette. It almost makes me wanna stop wearing makeup. Almost.

My favorite thing about these is how cool, refreshed and clean my skin feels afterwards. The biggest test of their cleansing power however comes the next morning. Other cleansing wipes tend to leave a little mascara underneath my eyes, which usually ends up on my pillow-case. With these however, not a trace!

So to sum it: clean skin, clean pillow cases. What more can one ask for in a cleansing wipe?

Final Verdict: Love it.
Price: $5.29
Get it: Drugstores, Target

BONUS: While conducting scientific research on the Clean & Clear website, I found this coupon for $1 off any of their products. You’re welcome =)

Neutrogena Wave Power Cleanser – ZOMG I freakin’ love this thing!

I made this purchase on a whim during an emergency trip to Rite-Aid a few nights ago. Lemme tell ya, nothing is more alarming to a curly haired girl than realizing she’s out of hair gel at 6:45pm on a Sunday night.

So as I hastily made my way to the register, the Neutrogena display caught my eye, and I remembered the commercial I had seen for this cleansing device earlier in the day. Ah yes, there really is nothing like the lovely Vanessa Hudgens splashing water on her young little face, promising that I too can look fresh and perky. Oh Vanessa, I know I shouldn’t believe you. After all, I’m 28 and the crows feet have already started to invade the space around my eyes, but you are so sincere that I simply cannot say no. Well played Vanessa, well played.



I then picked up the $15 face cleansing apparatus and placed it in my basket. I figure it’s a small price to pay anyway, considering I got the device, the cleansing pads and a battery. BTW – I have to give props to Neutrogena on that one, cuz nothing annoys me more than getting a new product home and realizing I’m out of batteries.

Anywho, upon using the pint sized face blaster looking thing, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it felt on my skin – like a gentle facial massage. And the textured pads get rid of make-up and exfoliate, so by the time I was done my skin was clean and silky smooth. My only issue is the pads are a little small so I need to use two of them, but it’s totally worth it considering a box of 30 is only about $8.00. I also suggest using a seperate eye make-up remover as you don’t want this around your eyes. Even still, I’ve found my new favorite cleanser.

Final Verdict – WIN. Go get it!