Palmers Cocoa Butter Gentle Daily Cleanser Review

Part 2 of my Palmers Skincare Haul  is a review of their Gentle Daily Cleanser.  I've been using this for a few weeks, and so far, I like it!  More details coming below, but first, some shots of the packaging.  

I like that this is in a tube, because it's neater, but one of my biggest complaints with this product is that it's soooo thick, I have to squeeze the tube as hard as I can to get the cleanser to come out. 

This cleanser has the thickness of body butter, and it comes out in one solid piece, rather than being liquidy like other cleansers.  So the best way I've learned to use this, is to rub it between my palms to liquify it before using it on my face. 

Here's what it looks like on my hand spread out a little bit- you can really see how thick this stuff is! 

Once you add water to it, this cleanser foams a little bit, but not too much.  Since I have dry skin, I like creamier cleansers, since foam strips too much oil and dries my skin out more.  I find that once I apply it to my face, if I add a little more water to it while massaging it in, it foams a little more and is easier to work with.  Below is what it looks like when you add water to it:  

This cleanser is really gentle, yet it still seems to get my skin very clean.  It removes makeup easily, and afterwards my skin looks brighter and clearer.  One thing that surprised me about this cleanser is that my cheeks felt a little tight after using it.  I wasn't expecting that because it has so many moisturizing ingredients.  It could be due to the fact that I have super dry skin and it's the dead of winter, but I'm not really sure. 

 Another thing I wasn't crazy about, aside from not being able to get it out of the tube easily, is the smell.  Like the eye cream I reviewed yesterday, it says it has a White Lily smell, but it's mixed with the scent of cocoa, which makes for an odd pairing.  

Overall, I'm really liking this cleanser, and I think it was worth the $7.99.  Palmer's skincare is pretty hard to find, but you can get it at Harmon's (I got mine at the Harmon's inside my local Bed Bath and Beyond).  

To see more reviews of this product, check out Makeup Alley. 

Loreal 360 Clean Review

Before the recession, I’ll admit that I spent way too much on beauty products. I stopped into Sephora several times a week, trying to buy my way to perfect skin, hair and makeup.
I was convinced that drugstore products just did not work as well- after all, they cost so much less, and the more expensive a product is, the better it is, right?
Well, times changed and money became tight. I could no longer afford my expensive beauty habit. I found myself heading over to the drugstore one night for the first time in years to find a face cleanser.

One of my favorite high-end facial products was Murad's Cleansing Scrub, which contained both scrubbing beads and AHA/BHA (alpha and beta hydroxy acids). It really blasted away the flakes on my dry, dull skin and made it look glowy, fresh and clean. It was the best, most effective cleanser I had ever used. It also cost $23 a bottle.

In the past, as a teenager, I had tried several drugstore brands which did an ok job of removing makeup, but never made my skin feel that deep down clean I was after. So, when I got to the drugstore and saw Loreal’s 360 Clean cleansers, I was excited to try one. The label on the bottle claims that the product gets deep down to the pores, and even though it does not contain any AHA/BHA, like the Murad one does, it comes with a "Scrublet", a small rubber sponge, which acts as a manual, rather than chemical exfoliant.

I purchased the formula for sensitive skin with the blue label for $6.99 at Walgreens.
The label states the following:
• Fragrance-Free
• Soap-Free
• Cleaner Skin
• Smaller Pores
• Smoother Skin
• Dermatologist tested
“The Scrublet is more effective than cleansing by hand. Super-soft, gentle, flexible material. Deeply cleans skin and unclogs-pore by pore-without overdrying. Removes all traces of oil, dirt, and makeup. Pores look visibly smaller.”
The Scrublet pops out of the middle of the bottle, and can be stored back in the same spot when not in use- which I think is an ingenious packaging idea. The Scrublet itself is a very soft, flexible rubber disc with hundreds of tiny little “fingers”. It felt so soft, I was skeptical that it would really get down into my pores and scrub deeply.
As a massaged the product over my face with the Scrublet, it foamed very nicely, and my face actually started to turn a little pink. I was surprised that something so soft was actually causing my skin to redden slightly. I rinsed after about 30 seconds and when I dried my face and looked in the mirror, the pink color was starting to fade and I saw that refreshed, clean glow I had, back when I used the Murad scrub. My skin felt extremely smooth and exfoliated, without a hint of dryness.
I don't recommend this product for daily use, because daily exfoliating can over-dry the skin. The exception would be those of you who have oilier skin- most experts recommend daily exfoliation of oily skin to prevent clogged pores. But for me, using 360 Clean a few times a week will give me super clean, glowy skin that's smooth and ready for makeup.

Based on my experience, this inexpensive exfoliating cleanser works just as well, if not better, than the high end cleansers you’d find at high end boutiques and department stores. I have to admit, I may just become a drugstore beauty convert after all!