cleanser – Le Beauty Journal

The most gentle cleanser I’ve ever tried

Ok, so I’m assuming you’ve read the title of this article. Now, this product is not new in the beauty game, and I’ve heard plenty of people talking about how amazing it is. But wow, it seriously is.

I’ve told you all about my new favorite balm cleanser the other day, today I want to share with you the second step of my double cleansing routine. I’ve been looking for something extremely gentle, though the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser is great for my sensitive skin, the gel-like texture made my skin feel a little bit tight, especially with the crazy weather we’ve had over the past couple of weeks.

REN is a brand I’ve loved for quite some time. They were possibly the first brand I got really into when I first discovered my passion for beauty. It was hard to get hold of at the time but I remember telling all my friends about this super cool and not too expensive brand that you could trust because of how transparent it was, and still is ! Furthermore, I really appreciate the fact that it’s a clean skincare brand. Meaning, no sulfates, mineral oils or petroleum, no synthetic colors or fragrances. Which to me is the equivalent of “No Bullshit”. I’m all for that !

So when looking out for a new cleanser, I thought I’d give the Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Milk a try.

It is lush. The scent which I could not really describe (I’d say fresh and calming) is out of this world. The texture is a dense milk, almost like a cream, and one pump is enough for my entire face. I massage it on dry face, and really take my time. Then I use a hot cloth, and remove it gently. My face feels clean yet protected which is not a sensation I see that often after cleansing because of how sensitive my skin is.

I LOVE it. It’s 22€, and is aimed at, quoting REN here, “Sensitive and/or delicate skin. Skin affected by pollution (city life, smoke).” I mean, it has my name on it. And potentially yours !

Double Cleansing : The Balmy Discovery

As I told you before, I used to clean my face with a Dove soap many moons ago. Then I discovered beauty blogs (Caroline Hirons more specifically who’s a trained professional, and whom opinion I trust immensely) and realized it’d be nice to actually cleanse my face with a product designed for that purpose. Later on, I read online that some people would recommend to double cleanse and I was a bit sceptical. Though now, when I think about it, it sure makes so much sense to double cleanse ! You remove makeup, and then you clean your face. Quite logical right ?

At first I thought it might be a bit too much for my skin, and in France nobody I knew or read was talking about double cleansing at the time (around 4-5 years ago). Being quite low key I just was not sure it would be necessary for my skin. Yet it completely changed the texture and the quality of my skin. Et voilà, I would not ever not double cleanse (is that a correct sentence ? Pardon my English) !

2 steps is all it takes and the first one is a new discovery

Years went by, I tried my fair amount of cleansers, and today I thought I’d share my latest discovery with you. I have just found the perfect first step cleansing balm : if like me, you have sensitive, combination and dehydrated skin, this could be perfect !

The cleansing balm is by the french company, Oh My Cream. I’d say it’s the equivalent of Space NK but in France. They have a very cool website, with great brands like RMS, Joelle Ciocco, Kjaeir Weiss, Oskia, Susanne Kaufmann,, Tata Harper, Paï, Antipodes, etc. They started in 2013 online, and have now opened a few stores all over the country. The most exciting part is that they have recently launched their own range, with gorgeous packaging, affordable prices, lovely ingredients and a very simple yet effective routine. They have released four cleansers, two oils and an exfoliating powder amongst with travel sized minis of the range. They do recommend double cleanse, which I find very interesting, because it means it’s probably something more and more people do which makes me really happy !

I got the balm, because I love how it does not go everywhere, and it travels really well. It partly contains coconut and jojoba oils, oat and salicylic acid and OMC recommends it for sensitive, prone to imperfections skins. It smells a lot like sweet oats (I’m not the best at describing smells, am I ?), which at first I did not like at all but it’s fair to say I really enjoy it now, so I guess I just needed to get used to it. It’s not too strong either, so it helped.

Its thick, gorgeous consistency removes all makeup, and leaves the skin soft and clean. I think it is going to last me a long time, you truly don’t need to use a lot which I appreciate and it’s so efficient and gentle, I simply don’t see myself use something else at the moment.

Next time, I’ll tell you all about my favorite cleanser used in the second step of this double cleansing routine. Basically, I always try to find a routine that involves an oily based product for the first step, and a milk or cream cleanser for the second step, so stay tuned for the next review !

You can get the Oh My Cream Cleansing Balm here by the way, it costs 29 euros for 150ml.

What do you guys use to cleanse your face ? Do you double cleanse ?

Glossier : My Top Picks from the Cult Brand

I’m sure you’ve heard about Glossier at some point in the past few months. The brand appeared one day on Instagram, and as you may know, I’d been reading Into The Gloss for many years – it is the website, Glossier’s CEO, Emily Weiss, created way before she launched the skincare and makeup brand. When I first came across this website, it was a real slap in the face, like I told you here. Needless to say, Glossier was a brand I could not wait to try. And for once, I was more excited about the makeup. I’m also trying to streamline my skincare routine so, I choose to focus on makeup.

Unfortunately, they don’t ship to France yet. So when the “oh so famous Colette store” was still open, I got a few products when in Paris. I loved all the stuff I got, though I could not get much because the majority of the products were pretty much sold out. So, feeling a bit frustrated, I thought “Wait a minute, it’s now launched in the UK, that could work !” I’m lucky enough to have lovely Londoners friends who then received my Glossier order and gave it to me on NYE when I went there to spend the holidays.

I had seen Glossier products all over the internet for years when I first got my hands on some items. In Colette, I got really… starstruck when I first got to see them IRL. Ha, the power of good storytelling !

Anyway, you might wanna hear about the products now, am I right ?

So, here are all the products I’ve tested and love. Disclaimer, I haven’t tested the entire range. Also, there are only two products I did not get along with. The first one is the priming moisturizer which is not featured in the pictures for that reason. It made my skin react and go a bit red. As soon as my skin does anything like this, I stop using the product immediately… You now know how sensitive it is, so I don’t use this moisturizer anymore. The other one is the balm dot com, which I like, but that’s it, whereas the other products mentioned I love !

As I told you before, I don’t buy lip balm anymore. Still, I bought this one, ha ! I mean, the coconut scent is insanely nice, even if I usually hate coconut scented stuff. The balm dot come is alright, but I feel like it hydrates my lips for the time it’s on them, but after a few hours, they feel a bit drier that they were before I applied it. It’s actually something I tend to notice whenever I use anything else that my trusty balm.

Digression is my specialty. Now, the products ! Let’s keep it quick and useful.

Stretch Concealer

Probably the best concealer I’ve ever tried. It is stretchy, and works with the skin not against it, you know what I mean ? This concealer is hydrating and dewy. It does not have much coverage but I don’t mind that as it’s buildable. I’d love it if Glossier came up with a foundation version of this !

Boy Brow

Wasn’t much into it at first, now love it. What I do is brush against the hair, and then brush the right way. Doing this makes the brows have texture, color, and hold. It’s natural enough, but does make the brows look fuller in the nicest possible way. I use the shade brown, and would love to try the clear one ! Also, when it gets dry, it gets better.

Cloud Paints

I’m obsessed with blusher and these certainly don’t disappoint. I had lost my favorite at the time of taking the pictures : it’s the shade Puff. A gorgeous true pink. I also enjoy using Beam which is more of a coral-y shade, that I often mix with Puff. I’m not that into the shade Dusk because I love a pink blusher, but it’s lovely to add a bit of warmth to the face, and I’m pretty sure you could lightly contour with it. Also, good on eyelids !

Haloscope in Quartz

It’s the first time ever I’m actually using a highlighter almost everyday. The texture is very creamy, but not greasy, and the Quartz version is simply the perfect champagne yet subtle color to add some light. I put it on the bridge of my nose, on the high points of the cheeks, and under the brows. Oh and also, on the cupid’s bow. Yeah, pretty much everywhere !

The Generation G Lipsticks

The texture of these is something I had never seen before. It’s matte and sheer which sounds weird but it’s the perfect combination to make your lips look full, defined yet a bit out of focus, sort of blurred in the best enhancing way. I have all the shades except for Like. The ones I love the most are Jam a hot pink, Crush a deep berry shade and Zip, on which I’ve wrote an entire article, a true poppy red.

Milky Jelly Cleanser

I won’t go on about this one as I’ve dedicated an post to it. It’s gentle, effective, smells of roses and feels luxurious even if the price point is quite affordable. I have already use two bottles, and have one left… I dread the day it’ll be empty !

There you have it, my full point of view on Glossier ! Have you tried any of Glossier’s products ? Do you think I’m missing out on some products ?

First Glossier experience

I’ve been reading Into The Gloss for years, and really that’s how I discovered my love for beauty. If you haven’t heard about ITG, head over there now, it’s packed with beauty interviews of artists, actresses, designers…

Before that, I was intrigued by beauty but thought it was shallow and not something to be interested in. Which is sad really. Discovering Into The Gloss was sort of like a slap in the face, a new inspiring world, a new definition of my femininity. Then of course Glossier came along, a skincare and makeup brand ITG’s creator, Emily Weiss, founded.

Finally a brand that would talk to me.

So a few weeks ago, while in Paris, I went to Colette (which is now closed) to get a few products.

It immediately brought me back to my childhood though I can’t seem to remember why exactly.

To be totally transparent here, I was not expecting to love this cleanser so much. The texture did not seem appealing and though most bloggers I follow raved about it, I was, for once, more excited about the makeup.

First. The. Smell.

Gorgeous roses. Fresh, comforting, soft smell. It immediately brought me back to my childhood though I can’t seem to remember why exactly. It made me nostalgic, and it instantly felt soothing on my (quite irritated and sensitive at the moment) skin. The texture is interesting, a bit gloopy but it melts down on the face, so nothing bad here. On the contrary, it’s refreshing and soothing.

It’s not stripping the skin at all, leaves a feeling of hydration and is exactly what I want for a morning cleanse. I actually got a second (and a third) bottle thanks to my lovely english friends who brought my Glossier UK order back to me when they visited a few weeks ago. I does work if you wear makeup, but I like to use an oil/balm based cleanser to remove makeup. I love how fresh it is, that’s why I use it in the morning, but, you do you right ?!

It’s gentle indeed, but really does the job. I would actually say, wait for it… that it directly goes into my Top 3 cleansers. Statement right ? I stand by it. And can’t wait for Glossier to launch in France.