When it comes to beauty products, I would describe myself as being on the adventurous side! I remember using the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil, it was my first oil cleanser. I was so surprised at how soft it made my skin feel and how great of a job it did in removing my make up. However I always hard a difficult time ‘washing’ the oil off and the fact that they used mineral oils really bothered me. I also tried out the Amorepacific Cleansing Oil which was beautifully packaged, but the fragrance was too strong for my taste.
I feel like with skincare, it’s always a delicate balance. I don’t think a cleansing oil is versatile enough to act as a sole cleanser, and I don’t think traditional cleansers (milks, gels, creams) can really remove makeup as effectively as cleansing oils while imparting the same degree of softness (since they tend to use lots of alcohols).
Recently, as part of my switch to cleanser products (and also keeping with my personal love of everything niche-luxury)- I decided to try out the Clarity cleansing oil/makeup remover from Vapour Organics. At $28 for 1 oz, the price is actually quite reasonable.
The formula is very clean- 95% organic/5% wildcraft EO:
Ingredients: Organic/Bio Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Oil, Organic/Bio Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Organic/Bio Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Organic/Bio Camellia Oleifera (Camellia) Seed Oil, Organic/Bio Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Commiphora Myrrha (Myrrh) Essential Oil, Eriocephalus Punctulatus (Cape Chamomile) Essential Oil, Organic/Bio Borage Officinalis, Organic/Bio Helichrysum Arenarium, Organic/Bio Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail)
The major base oils in here are: Sunflower, Castor Seed, and Jojoba, which are known to be soothing and moisturizing to skin. Castor Seed and Sunflower are a little ‘rich’ for my skin type but as this is just a cleanser and not something I’m leaving on my face, I wasn’t too concerned. You might notice the lack of preservatives in this oil and that is because the container dispenses product via an airless pump to keep airborne bacteria out.
2 Pumps of this stuff applies removes all traces of makeup when massaged into skin. I’ve used this to remove a face of: Sunday Riley Cashmere SPF 30, Sunday Riley Tinted Primer/Korres Primer, Koh Gen Do Foundation, Edward Bess Concealer, Shiseido Bronzer, Koh Gen Do Powder – not to mention eye products, etc. All layers are off in a minute.
Besides just removing makeup, it also nourishes skin and imparts a soft, dewy finish. The oil itself is thicker than what I am used to, but my skin handled it just fine. I think this is a must-have product for heavy makeup days for these reasons but not a daily cleanser especially if you’re just going out sans makeup. But for the ladies who want a very cleanly formulated product that will remove all their makeup, you will not be disappointed.