Laneige Balancing Emulsion Moisture

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Shelly

Product: Laneige Balancing Emulsion Moisture
Price: USD 26.50 for Emulsion @ Sasa
Review:

You can find my initial review of the Moisture line here.

Laneige Balancing Emulsion Moisture

I’ve already gone over the benefits of the ingredients and details about the moisturizer in my initial review, so I won’t be addressing those details anymore. I’ve listed them again below just for reference.

Ingredients: Bio Dusali, Hyacinth extract, royal jelly extracts, jojoba oil

In my previous review, I had already raved about how much I loved this moisturizer. I still pretty much love it a ton. The only reason why I had stopped using the entire Laneige Moisture line was because I was wary of the extracts and enzymes in the Moisture line that was affecting my skin. Like I said before, the moisture line contains ingredients that can mimic exfoliation of the skin. I am already using Tazorac 0.1% and other products that exfoliate the skin, so I think I had just overloaded my skin on exfoliants previously. I was using both the toner and the emulsion at the time, so I wasn’t sure whether it was the toner or emulsion my skin was reacting to. I have since sold the toner (the Laneige Power Essential Skin Refiner Moisture).

Since the emulsion was just sitting on my desk, I figured that I would give this emulsion another chance – especially since the weather has begun to drop below freezing. I took a wild guess that my skin would need the extra moisture that the jojoba oil and royal jelly could provide.

I am in love with the light and watery texture of the emulsion. My skin feels like it is literally drinking up this emulsion as it doesn’t take very long to massage and tap the emulsion into my skin. My skin does not feel sticky afterwards. Actually, my skin feels instantly smooth and hydrated. In addition, my skin definitely has become less oily since beginning to use this emulsion (along with my toner and facial spray containing hyaluronic acid). I find that on days I don’t use any make-up, I actually don’t need to blot at all. On days that I am wearing BB cream or mineral foundation, I find that I might need to blot only once or twice throughout my entire 12-16 hour day. Without using these hydrating products, I am blotting my face every other hour.

I’ve been using this product for a little over two months now and I have not experienced any new breakouts in odd places. My breakouts are still only restricted to my lower jawline and chin – a sign of hormonal acne. I conclude that my skin wasn’t reacting to the emulsion but to the toner. My skin is absolutely loving the emulsion. I’m definitely going to repurchase this product for now.

The only downside to this emulsion is the fact that it doesn’t contain any SPF protection. I use Olay Complete all day moisture lotion SPF 15 (sensitive skin) on top of this emulsion, especially if I’m going outdoors.

Rating: 5/5

Posted in Moisturizers, Skincare | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

How I Think About My Acne

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Shelly

I think psych rotations are taking its toll on me as life reserves me even more time to look at myself, to judge myself. I’m going to go on a wild tangent for just one second –

I always think that there is this huge debate about whether talking about something is a sign of healing, whether making it an issue solves the issue at hand. Take for example – racism. There is no doubt that racism still exists in our society today. Morgan Freeman made a bold statement that in order to get rid of racism, we need to “stop talking about it.” In part, I’d like to believe that is true. At least, I’d like to believe that it is true up until the point I start thinking about all the issues that would persist and arise if we were to stop and let things be – if people were to stop advocating for themselves. I don’t know if that’s what he meant but if I could interpret his statement in that way, millions of others out there can do the same. Sometimes we need to make things an issue so that we can solve that issue. And other times, we can solve an issue by not making it a non-issue. Confusing, no?

I’m not here to talk about racism today. I’m here to talk about something much, much simpler than centuries worth of power struggles and oppression. I just want to talk about acne. At least, how I deal with my acne. I’m not trying to draw any parallels with acne and racism – these two are very different and independent issues. You know what, let’s just forget I mentioned anything about racism.

It’s kind of ironic how I deal with my acne. Even though I have this blog (that I rarely ever get around to updating) where I want to share my story and write about what I know and learn about the disease (or condition, however you think about it) – I absolutely hate talking about it in real life.

If you consider your acne a disease, you are a person that externalizes your acne. As a disease, it is something that is destroying my life – something I did not ask for. Something that is afflicting me, coming from some unknown entity or source to target my skin, my confidence, my self esteem. Something that is not a part of me, separate from me as a whole. If I were to view my acne as a condition, it would be something my body itself is going through, a situation I am putting myself through. I haven’t embraced my acne yet – not even close. Even after almost 12 years, I am not ready. It is not a part of me. It is not a part of who I am and please don’t try to tell me otherwise. I refuse.

Don’t mention it to me on the street, in the store, at a family gathering or if we’re having some ridiculous one-on-one friend-to-friend, sister-to-sister, daughter-to-parent talk. And especially not at school. We’re starting our official course on physical assessment this semester and I opened our book for the first time to see this:

Acne

I’m already anxious about our lecture on skin, hair and nails. Really anxious. Whenever the word ‘acne’ comes up, I get the feeling that everyone must be looking at me – thinking about me and how sorry they are for me. I’m terrified that my professor will point me out in class and use me as an example. I’m the only one in my class of about 80 nursing students with acne. During our introduction lecture, she called on someone else in the class and said, “…see D, when I take a look at your skin it’s pretty obvious that there isn’t anything wrong with it.” My heart rate raises so much and I’m too afraid to even breathe when I think about how she could potentially turn to me and say, “Now when I look at Shelly, I can tell she has some pretty bad acne.” I don’t want to be used as an example for everyone else who hasn’t ever dealt with severe acne. I’m not just an example.

I don’t need people to imagine my pain. I don’t need people to pretend they understand when there is no possible way they can (another post to come about this). I’m trying to deal with my acne on my own, in my own way. I dislike it when others come up to me and tell me to “think positively” and do certain things. This is my fight and I’m not willing to share my battle with others just yet. At least, not in real life.

This blog is my outlet and a place for me to share – but if you’ve noticed, I’ve stayed relatively anonymous. Have you seen my entire face? Do you know what I look like? Most likely – no. While I want this blog to become famous and a resource for others, I’m also very afraid of people in real life finding out about this blog. It brings too much attention to me and my face. I don’t want my acne to define who I am. It’s a struggle for me every day to make it so that people notice other qualities about me.

That is why you haven’t seen my face. That is why you have no idea who I am. That is why I won’t make any videos or do anything even close to identifying myself. For fear that family, friends and classmates will stumble across it and further label me as “the girl with acne”. I don’t want that.

I don’t know where this post really goes but this is how I think about my acne. I’m not here to provide therapy for any of you. I’m not here to tell you that the way I think about my acne is healthy. Acne is something I’m extremely embarrassed about but I am willing to share my story, so long as it stays nearly anonymous. At least, for the time being.

Until I find the strength.
Until I find the wisdom.
Until I’m ready.

Posted in Acne, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sana Hadanomy Collagen Mist

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Shelly

Product: Sana Hadanomy Collagen Mist
Price: ~USD 12.70 @ Sasa.com
Review:

Sana Hadanomy Collagen Mist

I’ve had this product since around June 2011, right when my current acne flare up was at its worst. I had given it a try for a week or so then but I felt that it exacerbated my acne. I then gave it another try starting in November 2011, so it’s been about two months since I’ve been using the product. For your reference, I currently have about half the bottle left and I’m content with how it’s been treating my skin.

I was mainly attracted to this product because of its extremely cute packaging. It comes in a plastic pink spray bottle and comes with a cap, so it’s pretty convenient for travel. It contains 250 ml worth of product and you’re supposed to hold it 15cm away from your face to spritz. This mist can be used as a toner before your regular moisturizer or to touch up your make-up throughout the day.

Ingredients: water, butylene glycol, alcohol, glycerin, hydrolyzed collagen, peg-60 hydrogenated castor oil, methylparaben, carbomer, gellan gum, acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, sodium hydroxide, honey, pelargonium graveolens oil , citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) oil, citric acid, foeniculum vulgare (fennel) oil, malpighia emarginata (acerola) fruit extract, sodium hyaluronate, rosa centifolia flower oil

The one thing I do like is that the product actually contains a significant amount of the ingredients that it advertises. Collagen is listed in the top ingredients. For those of you who may not know, ingredients listed at the top of the list make up a majority of the product. Glycerin, hydrolyzed collagen and hyaluronic acid are super moisturizing for your skin. I’ve already discussed the benefits of hyaluronic acid before, so I won’t go into it right now. Glycerin is often used in cosmetics to boost moisturizing properties since it is known to absorb water from the air – as much as 50%.

This product is most known for containing 1000mg of micro collagen per bottle. Collagen has been huge in Asia for a while now and is touted to help your skin achieve what they call the “toink toink” effect. Hydrolyzed collagen is added into cosmetics to help moisturize and firm the skin. Collagen helps to prevent the loss of elasticity and wrinkles.

The collagen spray states that it is mineral oil free, color free and nongreasy. There is a light floral scent to it but it is nice and isn’t overwhelming at all. I would warn you that this “mist” is actually pretty thick and viscous. It’s way more gel-like than you would expect of a regular facial spray. The consistency of the spray is actually this products biggest downfall. The mist is not very fine and when it sprays out, it sprays visible drops onto the skin and does not distribute very evenly. It takes me a good 4-5 sprays to ensure that my entire face is covered.

Sana Hadanomy Collagen Mist

I feel that this collagen spray would be too thick to use in the summer but has been working great for me in the fall/winter. It depends on how cold and dry it gets where you are though. In addition, I generally use a BB cream along with mineral foundation so this spray really helps me set the powder products and prevent over-drying my skin. When I have excessive dry spots or flaking, I feel that a few sprays from this spray helps to get rid of them.

I would be careful and test this on a small patch of your skin first. Despite containing a lot of moisturizing ingredients, one of the top ingredients is also alcohol- which is very drying for the skin. In the summer when I first tried it, the area where I sprayed this product erupted in several more pustules. I only started using the collagen mist after I felt that my acne had gotten more under control. I actually dislike how this collagen spray feels after spraying and lightly patting it into my skin. Most likely because of how thick it is, the finish is actually quite sticky afterwards.

On a more positive note, I have noticed that my skin feels more supple, plump and healthy. Since this product is so moisturizing, my skin actually feels less oily because it isn’t trying to compensate for over-dry skin. There hasn’t been any new acne eruptions since I started using this collagen mist for the second time. My skin has that natural healthy glow – that dewy effect that most people aim for. I personally can do without the dewy effect, since it only accentuates my acne and scarring.

Overall, I think this product is slightly overrated for what it is. This was my first facial spray/mist, so I’d definitely like to try out a few others before I decide where this collagen mist stands.

Rating: 3.5/5

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Naris Up Skin Conditioner w/ Hyaluronic Acid

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Shelly

Product: Naris Up Skin Conditioner w/ Hyaluronic Acid
Price: ~USD 13 @ Amazon.com
Review:

Naris Up Skin Conditioner

Remember back in September when I said I wasn’t going to start using this product after hauling it? Well I lied and actually started using this skin conditioner in my regimen a few days after making such a post. I get really antsy when I know I have new products that I want to try and waiting somehow is never an option for me. I’m not a very patient person, despite the decade long struggle with acne. I’m currently almost finished with my first bottle, as you can see in the image above.

I first became interested in this product when I randomly watched a video by Michelle Phan in which she used one of Naris Up’s skin conditioner’s to make her own emergency mask. Naris Up makes several types of skin conditioner lotions, such as those with Vitamin C, marine collagen, and soybean extracts. I purchased the one with hyaluronic acid since I’ve recently been in a hyaluronic acid kick.

Ingredients: Water (aqua), butylene glycol, alcohol, glycerin, methyl gluceth-10, PEG-20, sorbitan cocoate, methylparaben, ethylparaben, PEG-9M, xanthan gum, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, sodium citrate, citric acid, hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin, sodium hyaluronate, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate

I ordered this “skin conditioner” solely out of interest – I had no idea what the ingredients would be (other than the fact that it contained hyaluronic acid). This product is to be used like a toner. This is my first product ever used that contained hyaluronic acid. I’m glad that it came with the ingredient list printed in English! I was a little concerned to start trying this product since it contained butylene glycol and alcohol as two of the main ingredients (listed first!). In addition, this product contains parabens so for those of you who are very “anti-paraben”, this product is definitely not for you.

There is significant controversy regarding butylene gylcol, which is a primary ingredient in most cosmetics since it is a preservative that can keep products from spoiling. While it ranks low on the comedogenic scale, some have claimed that it can be irritating to the skin – which can worsen acne. I’ve already talked several times about how alcohol can be very drying and thus damaging to the skin. My skin has personally never reacted well to any products that contain high amounts of alcohol so believe me when I say that I was extremely hesitant to try this skin conditioner.

Naris Up Skin Conditioner

I soak a square cotton pad liberally with the skin conditioner. It comes in a plastic container with a twist cap that is quite durable. I’ve traveled with it several times and there has never been any problems. I sweep the conditioner across my entire face and neck immediately after cleansing to lock in the moisture.

There is no scent to the skin conditioner. But there was once when I rushed to the gym after only applying the Naris Up skin conditioner (no moisturizer or anything after) and I found that the sweat coming off my face had a weird smell to it. I know sweat generally is supposed to smell but it was a distinct smell that really stood out to me. This might sound conceited but I usually don’t find that I “smell” after a work out. At least, not in a way where I notice it on myself. I don’t know what this was about either.

My skin really eats up this skin conditioner. I’m not sure how big of a role it had in my acne but since I started using it, my acne has improved. But beware that I also use clindamycin, Tazorac 0.1%, 10% benzoyl peroxide and tea tree oil to control my acne. I have also been increasing the amount of fiber in my diet, etc. to balance my body. I feel that the condition of my skin has improved since using this product; it feels a lot softer to the touch. I can feel my skin drinking up this product!

On occasion, if I have time in the night or mornings, I will use this conditioner as an emergency mask. To use it like a mask, I thoroughly soak four cotton squares and place them on my forehead, cheeks and chin for about 30 minutes. Don’t be stingy with the conditioner because there is a ton of product in the tube. I generally soak it to the point where it is almost dripping. This conditioner mask is perfect to use to save your skin after an allnighter, a night out or simply when your skin is feeling very dry. You can feel the results almost immediately - your skin will appear more plump and feel more moist and soft.

I’m still a bit wary of the alcohol content in this skin conditioner but it doesn’t seem to have exacerbated or caused any flare up in my acne. In fact, this skin conditioner has done a pretty good job in soothing my skin. You can’t use this skin conditioner to replace a moisturizer though – it isn’t that moisturizing. Most likely due to the alcohol, my skin does feel a bit dry afterwards if I don’t follow up with my moisturizer. I find that it preps my skin for any moisturizing spray and moisturizer that I apply afterwards. I’ve taken off 0.5 pts simply because of the alcohol factor but overall, it hasn’t irritated my skin at all.

I’ve already ordered a second bottle because I’m currently pretty happy with how its been treating my skin.

Rating: 4.5/5

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Makeup colors and acne

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Athena

Here’s a quick video about makeup colors and acne.

Makeup colors and acne

I’ll try to put up makeup reviews soon ;)

- Athena

Posted in Acne | Leave a comment

Random

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Shelly

Hello everyone, or possibly no one,  since I never know who actually still bothers to check on this sporadic blog,

Just synced this with my smartphone so I can instantly blog if I had to. :-)

Just wanted to say that I just wasted 80$ purchasing a ton of new skincare products from Sasa.  Excited to show everyone what I purchased when the package arrives in two weeks or so!!

Posted from WordPress for Android

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Hyaluronic Acid (HA)

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Shelly

I’ve taken a liking to hyaluronic acid recently and almost all of the products in my current regimen contain hyaluronic acid. I decided to dedicate a separate post to explain hyaluronic acid to minimize cluttering of my reviews of certain items that may contain this ingredient.

What is hyaluronic acid? Hyaluronic acid is a natural component of the human body and is a chief component of the extracellular matrix. It can also be known as hyaluronan or hyaluronate. Hyaluronic acid mainly contributes to cell proliferation and migration in the body.

In the skin, it is mainly involved in tissue repair. You can most commonly find hyaluronic acid listed as “sodium hyaluronate” or something similar in cosmetic products. Hyaluronic acid is FDA approved to help fill wrinkles because it helps to add volume underneath the skin. More importantly, it is thought that hyaluronic acid can promote keratinocyte proliferation (increases turnover for your uppermost layer of skin) and increase the presence of retinoic acid that can impact the hydration of your skin.

Hyaluronic acid can bind with water, which is what helps add volume and hydration to your skin. Hyaluronic acid can bind up to 1000 times its weight in water so the presence of hyaluronic acid in your cosmetics can greatly increase its moisture-retaining properties. It can also promote the healing of wounds, burns and skin ulcers – which is the main reason I’m introducing this ingredient on this blog. What does acne do? Damage the skin tissue. What can acne leave behind? Scarring. And what does hyaluronic acid do? Promote tissue repair and heal scarring.

I’ve recently moved to a place where it snows (I’m originally from California, where it doesn’t snow) so I’ve been very concerned about the moisture level of my skin. Especially since a lot of my acne treatments and products that I use tend to dry out my skin. The fact that hyaluronic acid can help heal and prevent acne scarring is also a plus. Acne itself can be very drying for your skin. Hydration is key to balancing the condition of your skin – your skin cells need moisture in order to function healthily. Since using products that contain hyaluronic acid, I have noticed that my skin has become more supple and less oily Your skin can sometimes overproduce oil to compensate if it is too dry. So for those of you who believe that you have oily skin, try hydrating it instead of using products to strip it of its natural oils. Even my pitted scars seem less visible, as if my skin has “plumped” up.

Reviews for products that I try and use will be up shortly. I am almost always adding and switching out products though, so just search around in the ‘moisturizers‘ and ‘toners‘ categories for reviews of products that contain hyaluronic acid.

Warning: Even though this ingredient is known as the “fountain of youth” – do know that there are speculations that too much hyaluronic acid can do more damage than good for your skin. Hyaluronic acid can break down into products that can promote the inflammatory response and possibly tumor cell proliferation. Excessive exposure to the sun can increase the degradation of hyaluronic acid. When you get sunburned, your skin cells stop producing as much hyaluronic acid and increases its rate of degradation in the body. I would be careful to wear sunblock to protect your skin when you are using products with hyaluronic acid to minimize breakdown.

Sources: Wikipedia, Hyaluronic Acid

Posted in Acne, Treatments | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

L’Oreal HiColor Blonde HiLights

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Shelly

Product: L’Oreal Technique Excellence HiColor Blonde HiLights
Price: ~USD 7.00 @ Sally’s Beauty Supply (~USD 6.00 w/ Sally’s Beauty Club Card)
Review:

L'Oreal Technique Excellence HiColor Blonde HighLights

I went out and purchased this when I decided I wanted more prominent blonde highlights in my hair. I wanted to put in some large chunks of blonde peek-a-boo highlights in my bottom layers. Although I had liked the subtle strands of blonde that I had initially put in with the Palty hair dye, I just wanted a little bit more. This review will be pretty short, since there isn’t much to say about whether a hair dye worked or not.

I decided to place two 1-inch chunks behind my ears. The hair in this area of my head is basically still natural black (since I had run out of dye before). I left in the dye for about 40 minutes and the results are below:

L'Oreal Technique Excellence HiColor Blonde HighLights

I know that the biggest fear of people with black hair dying their hair blonde is whether it’ll turn orange or brassy. I know nothing about hair dyes, so I can’t comment on this much. I don’t even really know what it means for hair to “turn brassy”. Based on what you see above, is my hair brassy? I know the image above might make my hair look a little on the orange side (or am I just color-stupid? Maybe I need to go back to preschool.) but its because I had the yellow-shaded bathroom light on. In real life, it looks more of a light brown. I’m pretty pleased with the shade that it turned – even though it isn’t necessarily “blonde”. So for those who want legitimately blonde hair, you might need to consult a professional.

The dye didn’t really damage my hair all that much. I’m definitely re-purchasing this dye when my current highlights grow out. I know I’m giving this product a pretty high review but I’m personally pleased with the results. For those of you who actually know a thing or two about dyes, you might not think the same so feel free to add on your own experiences in the comments section.

Rating: 4.5/5

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Palty Hair Dye Review

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Shelly

Product: Palty Hair Dye in Raspberry Macaroon and Bleach Natural Brown
Price: ~USD 17 on ebay.com for both (~USD 8.00 each)
Review:

Palty Hair Dye

I decided that I wanted to give dying my hair a try this year and received these two boxes of hair dye from a friend. Palty hair dyes are pretty well known in Japan, so I was hoping that the dye would work better for my black hair. I’ve never dyed my hair before so I was generally aiming for something subtle. Plan: Dye my entire head with the Palty Raspberry Macaroon and do some peek-a-boo streaks using the Palty Bleach Natural Brown.

Palty Raspberry MacaroonPalty Bleach Natural Brown

As you can see from the swatches above, Raspberry Macaroon should turn my hair a brownish-red color while the Bleach Natural Blonde should turn it a light brown shade. Since my hair is jet black, I wasn’t really anticipating this box dye to really affect my hair that much. Below you can see the results to how my hair turned out:

Palty Before & After

I first used the Palty Raspberry Macaroon and waited a day or so before using the Palty Bleach Natural Brown on my hair. Both box dyes contain: camellia oil, silicon, and botanical protein. The camellia oil is in a small square package (the “conditioner”) and is to be used after coloring your hair. It helps to keep hair shiny and to moisturize your hair. Silicon helps smooth down your hair cuticles. Although I’m not sure what “botanical protein” specifically is but it is supposed to help minimize damage.

For me, the Raspberry Macaroon dye turned my hair more brown than red. If you are looking for something more red, I don’t think this dye is for you. It’s more of a brown with a subtle red tint.

I started the dying process at the front/top of my head, so you can most prominently see the color there. I have extremely thick hair, so I actually ran out of dye about halfway through so the bottom half of my hair is actually barely colored at all. I don’t blame the box dye for this though – it’s more of an issue that my hair is a lot thicker than I anticipated. Also, since the process took so long the dye was left in a lot longer at the front of my hair compared to the rest of it. I think I “left” the dye in for about 20 minutes but the dye at the front of my head (by the forehead/hairline) probably was in for way longer. I wasn’t exactly timing it though, so this was a mistake on my part. I think if I were to do this again, I would need 2-3 boxes of dye to cover my entire head.

My hair is thick, layered and the longest layers fall about 2 inches below my shoulders. If you also have fairly thick, medium length hair, I would suggest you get more than one box of dye to ensure you can cover your entire head of hair.

As for the Bleach Natural Brown dye, my hair probably turned the shade in the top left corner of the swatch above despite leaving it in for about 45 minutes. My hair is thick and course, so it takes a while longer for the color to hold. Most “blonde” dyes never work for black hair. I wasn’t looking for anything crazy blonde though, so it actually worked out the best for me. I focused a lot of the streaks on the bottom half of my hair (since it wasn’t dyed red before) just to balance out the fact that half my hair wasn’t really dyed.

I bought my own deep conditioner, leave-in treatment and spray to use after dying my hair. I also used the packet of conditioner that came with the box dye. Overall, I didn’t feel like this dye particularly damaged my hair any more than it normally is. I have pretty dry hair naturally so I didn’t see much a difference. I never get split ends and I haven’t noticed any split ends so hopefully it’ll stay that way!

I am actually pretty pleased with how the colors turned out. I’d probably give Palty hair dyes another try in the future, but we’ll see. I’m interested in testing out some of the other Asian brand hair dyes as well!

Rating: 4/5

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Lancome Crème Radiance Cleanser

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Shelly

Product: Lancome Crème Radiance
Price: ~USD 25 @ Macy’s Lancome counter
Review:

Lancome Crème Radiance Cleanser

This cleanser has been the first new cleanser that I have tried in over two years – I’ve been using the Clinique Liquid Facial Soap since 2009. My mother had actually offered to purchase this new Lancome cleanser for me, simply because she likes Lancome better than Clinique. I use about a pea-sized amount for my entire face in the morning and night after using a cleansing oil to remove BB cream, foundation or sunscreen.

It comes in a pretty standard squeeze tube and contains 125 ml of product that lasts forever. I have been using this cleanser since August 2011 and I still have about 1/5th of the tube left. Compared to any other cleanser that I have used, which usually only lasts me a little over one month, this cleanser has lasted for ages.

Lancome Crème Radiance Cleanser

It comes out as a white cream that you can lather up by adding a little bit of water. This cream-to-foam cleanser doesn’t produce a lot of foam but the foam it does create is very thick and rich. It is something that I really like because the higher quality the foam, the gentler you are being on your skin. I think compared to Clinique’s Liquid Foam cleanser, the quality of the foam is a lot better.

I’m not a “foam expert” but I know that most foaming cleansers (even the Lancome foaming cleanser I used before) produces foam that is very “airy”. As in the size of the foam may be very light but it is full of air. I would classify this “airy foam” as slightly cheaper since it doesn’t do much to minimize the amount of “rubbing” or contact that your hands have with your skin when you are massaging it in. With this Lancome cream cleanser, the foam is very thick and dense. Why is dense foam better for your skin? It minimizes the friction and rubbing that your hands have on your skin during the cleansing process. This means less irritation and less damage to your skin.

I was skeptical of this cleanser at first because this is the first cleanser I’ve used that is made for normal/combination skin – instead of oily. However, I think I have finally realized that my previous cleansers have been a little too harsh on my skin. Since I began using a cleanser that is for normal/combination skin and contains glycerin (more moisturizing), I have noticed that my skin has become less oily. This cleanser is quite hydrating and does a good job with cleansing.

Ingredients: Glycerin, Aqua/Water/Eau, mysteric acid, stearic acid, potassium hydroxide, palmitic acid, glyceryl sterate se, lauric acid, coco-glucoside, glycol distearate, parfum/fragrance, p-anisic acid, tocopherol, PEG-14M, nelumbo nucifera flower extract, limonene, benzyl salicylate, lina-lool, benzyl alcohol, propylene glycol, disodium edta, rosa gallica extract/rosa gallica flower extract, butylphenyl methylpropional, cryptomeria japonica bud extract, d34786/2

I can’t say anything about how well it removes make-up as a stand alone product though, since I will always use a cleansing oil before. I don’t take the risk of leaving any type of residue on my skin – not even for a review, sorry.

I would say that it may have a light fragrance but it isn’t something I notice anymore. This cleanser didn’t break me out at all. My skin feels very clean after using this cleanser. I’m not sure if this is me but my skin feels squeaky clean, literally. I feel as if my skin is squeaking when I run my hands across it as I’m finishing rinsing – but it doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight or dry. I love it. It lets me know for sure that I have splashed all of the cleanser off my face.

Even though the price is pretty steep for a cleanser, I think I would re-purchase this cleanser if my other samples from my recent miniature haul don’t work out.

Rating: 5/5

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