Let's talk skin care: Cleansers/Makeup removers

Hello my lovelies! Today I thought I'd start with a new series on my blog - Let's talk skin care. :) Since I'm a self-proclaimed skin care junkie and a lot of my readers seem to trust my judgement/advice when it comes to skin care, I thought I would delve a bit deeper into the skin care world and try to bring you a bit more information/help. Hopefully you'll find this interesting and maybe try out something you haven't thought of till now. :)

But before we get started a little disclaimer - I am not a dermatologist therefor I am not a specialist in skin/skin care (even though I did study dermatology in college). And even if I were one, products or methods that work for one person, can fail miserably on another person's skin, so it's all in testing out different ones and trying to find one that works best for you.

So, today we're going to talk about the first step in skin care - cleansing/removing your makeup. This is a very important step that shouldn't be underestimated. By finding and using a cleanser that works for your skin, you can make a huge difference/improvement in it (trust me, I've tried them all! or almost all...). 

I was once a teenager without any real knowledge about skin care/cleansers and bought products based on their advertisement - so, if I had a bit of acne/problem skin, I would of course buy cleansers that were marketed for acne-prone skin. A huge mistake! Now, I'm not saying every single cleanser for/against acne is bad for your skin, but sadly most are - they are far too aggressive and usually just make matters worse. And even when I was older, but not really experienced in skin care yet, I still bought products that weren't good for my skin and ended up regretting every purchase and feeling more and more frustrated. Thankfully I started blogging and discovered the wonderful, huge community that is beauty bloggers. :)

Invest in a good makeup remover

The first thing I would recommend every girl/woman that wears makeup on a regular basis is to invest in a good makeup remover, and I mean GOOD. I feel like there are so many makeup removers on the market now, you really shouldn't settle for a mediocre one that almost takes off all the makeup, almost. Why would you use a product that doesn't do what it says? Why would you have to use two or more products to get the job done? That just doesn't sound right to me... 

Removing makeup is very important for your skin and if you use the right product for the job, you won't have to worry about it and there will be no reason for a second cleanse or any residue left on your cotton pad when you move on to your toner. :) 

My top two makeup removers are of course Liz Earle's Cleanse&Polish, which is a cream cleanser meant to be used with a muslin/wash cloth and Clarins' Pure Melt Cleansing gel, which is a gel-to oil-to milk kind of a cleanser (really interesting formula), that only needs to be rinsed off. Depending on your preference, you can go for either one of them or both, like me. :) Both work absolutely amazing and leave no trace of makeup behind, only fresh, soft and clean skin.

Use a gentle cleanser for morning/evening cleansing

As much as I love my Cleanse&Polish and Pure Melt Gel, I don't use them as my everyday cleansers, I use other products for that. I feel like no matter what your skin type is, it needs to be handled with care and not be 'attacked' by harsh cleansers/scrubs and other products each day. Even if you have super oily, acne prone skin, you should not, I repeat, you SHOULD NOT use harsh, drying products on your skin! Gel and foam cleansers that are 'made' for oily/problem/acne skin are usually too harsh, they strip the skin of all oil and moisture and create a PH imbalance that makes the skin produce even more oil and bacteria thrive.

If I just think of all the harsh cleansers I've used in the past and the feeling they left on my skin when I rinsed them off... ugh, never again! And don't get me started on 'face soaps'! It makes me cringe every time I see a soap bar marketed as a super gentle cleanser or an effective cleanser for acne prone skin. Yeah, right! I don't like soap bars for my hands (except the one from Dove), let alone for my face!

Not all gel cleansers are bad and some really are gentle, but there's really just a few of them. If you can find one that doesn't strip your skin and leaves it soft and supple, then go for it, otherwise I would definitely recommend cleansing milks, creams, balms, oils. The two that I have fallen in love with are Vichy's Purete Thermale 3in1 and Lavera's Cleansing milk - both are super gentle, they cleanse the skin nicely, yet leave it looking like a million bucks, not dry or tight at all.

The craze - micellar waters

Micellar waters have become super popular among beauty bloggers and rightfully so - they feel like you're using water to remove your makeup, are very gentle and actually remove makeup nicely, what's not to love right? I myself have been enjoying one or two as well, but I have to say I'm not on board with using them as your only makeup remover or even as your cleanser. I believe micellar waters are ok for removing makeup when you're in a hurry or super tired in the evening. They're excellent to use for touch-ups when you're doing your makeup (a little eyeshadow fallout, a little liner mishap, some lipstick out of line and such), but I would not recommend using them all the time and not investing in a proper cleanser/makeup remover. 

I especially hate the fact that most are marketed as some kind of 'toners' as well and imply that you don't even have to rinse your face with water afterwords, just slather on some moisturizer and you're done - please, don't do that. 

I actually don't like the feeling micellar waters leave behind - your skin doesn't feel dry, but it's not moisturized or soft either, some can also be a bit sticky. And even though they don't irritate my eyes per say, I find removing my eye makeup with cleansers much, much more gentle and easy.

So, that's about it for the first 'part' of these series. I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface when it comes to cleansing, but hey, maybe there is something interesting in there for you. Let me know, if you'd like to read more on cleansers (what to do, what not, should you cleanse morning and evenings, should you use oils or milks or creams or what). :)

I've also just barely talked about some of my cleansers here, but I will do a battle of the cleansers (comparison) soon, so keep an eye for that.