Philosophy Purity Made Simple (9.5/10)

Summary
Cons

• Removing make up
• Preventing breakouts

Pros

• Affordable
• light scent
• Does not over dry

In-Depth Review

I've got oily skin through and through but during the winter my cheeks and jaw line tend to get dry patches, and then oily throughout the day - very frustrating. One way I help adapt to the weather is changing my facial cleanser from a gel to a cream. This summer I've been using The Body Shop's Tea Tree Cleansing Facial Wash which is has a gel consistency. Philosophy's Purity cleanser was a gift I received a year or year and a half ago. I use the cleanser during the cold months and it's perfect for keeping the dry patches hydrated. 

I have the 16 oz. size and I've still got half of the product remaining. The cleanser is scented very lightly with a hint of lemon and some herb. It doesn't bother me and I suspect that those sensitive to smells won't have an issue with this cleanser. The consistency is creamy but thin and you require very little to wash your entire face and neck. As a cleanser it's near perfect. My face feels fresh without any residue, similar to how it feels when I use my Cetaphil cleanser, but more moisturized. That's not to say I don't need to moisturize after cleansing but only the trouble spots I have that are extra dry. The only issue I have for this product is removing make up. I don't wear waterproof anything so I can't comment on the effectiveness of this cleanser for those products but for non-waterproof make up, I feel that I need to wash my face twice to really get that clean feeling. This is because of the thin consistency of the product. I feel that if it were thicker, it would be able to "grab" the product more easily because just using more product doesn't help. This is only a small inconvenience and I rarely use this cleanser to remove make up anyway so as an everyday facial cleanser, it's great.

Since I've been switching around toners, and especially since i've run out of Ole Henricksen's Sheer Transformation, I've noticed the texture of my skin being quite rough. I'm interested in purchasing their exfoliating wash to suit my needs better. But I whole heartedly recommend this cleanser to anyone who has sensitive or dry skin. It won't target specific problems (acnes, discolouration, surface texture, etc.) but it will soothe and cleanse your skin.

St. Ives Blemish & Blackhead Control Apricot Scrub (6.5/10)

Summary

Cons

• Does not reduce blackheads or blemishes
• Strong scent
• Exfoliating beads are large

Pros

• Does not strip skin of moisture
• Inexpensive
• Gentle enough for every day use

In-depth Review

I’ve been using the St. Ives Apricot Scrub for just under a year. It’s served me well but now well enough for me to repurchase. As a cleanser this scrub is great for every day use; the formula is not too harsh that it strips away all the oils leaving your skin taut feeling. The exfoliating beads are quite large and I found them harsh when I first used it but I learned to use a gentler hand with this product. The scrub is effective at minimizing skin that is peeling but do not expect it do much else – I didn’t find a reduction in blackheads, pore sizes, or blemishes. If you couldn’t already guess, the scent of the scrub is apricot. While there is no lingering scent after use it is a little on the strong side and can be irritating for those who mind. I’ve bought 3 tubes in total (only on sale, which is quite frequent at drug stores) and have used one and a half tubes over the course of 10 months. One tube contains quite a lot of product and for their price (~4 CAD) they are an excellent value. Overall the scrub is a good general cleanser but for people who require specialized care (acne, anti-aging, etc.) this product won’t serve you well. I’ll be using up my second bottle (I’ve given 1 bottle to my sister) and will be on the lookout for other exfoliators.

Note: If you are interested in purchasing this scrub from Shoppers Drugmart, I’d advise you to first visit the St. Ives website and get yourself familiar with the label of the product that you are interested in because St. Ives has tons of scrubs and very similar lables/colors for each. In addition, they are constantly renewing their labels (Basically all their labels say “New Look”) and last I checked their website stock images haven’t been updated. Good luck!

Acne Solutions Clear Skin System Starter Kit (2/10)

Summary

Cons

• Drying
• Caused breakouts

Pros

• Reduces blackheads
• Affordable

In-depth Review

The starter kit from Clinique was perfect for me to try out their skincare line designed for acne prone skin. This kit is affordable and comes with 3 travel-sized products: cleansing foam, clarifying lotion, and clearing moisturizer. If I remember correctly, the lotion and moisturizer contain benzoyl peroxide while the cleanser contains salicylic acid.

My skin is combination oily in the cooler months and oily during the warmer ones. I bought and used the products in this kit during the winter. I had pretty bad acne at the time (combination of stress, not enough sleep, and hormones) however the use of this kit made my face much worse. My breakouts were more frequent and intense and my skin had become very dry. I tried using these products less frequently such as using the lotion every other day and the moisturizer only during the day however no combination of these products ultimately worked to better my skin.

I went so far as to try these products individually to see if there was a specific one that was reacting badly with my skin. Through my efforts, I found that the cleanser would occasionally break me out but it was the lotion that was causing the majority of my problems. The moisturizer didn’t do very much and it especially didn’t moisturize very well. I would very often have to apply another moisturizer on my face or would combine MAC fix+ with the lotion to avoid dry patches.

The entire kit lasted me 3 months and I was breaking out the entire time (I really wanted these products to work for my skin). I can’t remember why but I bought a full sized bottle of the cleansing foam again and used that for a couple of months. On it’s own, I didn’t break out nearly as much however it still wasn’t a better cleanser than the one I had been previously using (Aveeno Skin Clarifying Cleanser). I stopped using it a month after and it’s been untouched ever since.

As bad as my experience with Clinique’s Acne Solutions Starter Kit has been, these products (I can’t remember which one) did clean out my pores well and reduced my blackheads significantly. So in exchange for daily breakouts my pores were a little cleaner. Also, the cleanser did do a decent job of keeping my oil controlled throughout the day as I did mention that the acne line is very drying.

I will definitely not be repurchasing this kit or any product from Clinique’s acne line in the foreseeable future. Remember that the rating that I give this kit is based on how the products worked for my skin and not how they perform in general. Of course there are favourable reviews out there on these products or I wouldn’t have bought them in the first place. Hopefully, by providing some details on my skin, that will help you determine whether or not this kit is worth trying out.