Product Reviews: Facial Cleansers and Stuff to Fix Things

by Suzann Kale

Avalon Organics Facial Cleansing Gel in "Lavender". At heart I'm a soap-and-water girl, so I was thrilled to find Avalon Organics' cleanser, because, while it's not soap (they use fruit-based cleansers), it acts like soap. I love it. It lathers up hugely, gets all my makeup off, including most of my eye makeup, and rinses easily. Excellent for sensitive skin. Smells sooo nice.

Almay oil-free eye makeup remover liquid. This takes the eye makeup off that the facial cleanser (any cleanser, really) leaves behind. I dip a cotton swab into it, and gently run it around my eyes. I like to rinse off with water afterwards, just to get a really clean face. Some eye makeup removers say they're non-oily, but they leave an oily residue anyway. Almay is truly non-oily.

Clinique naturally gentle eye makeup remover is also gentle and works well. It's a cream, but it doesn't clog up my eyes. Again, I use a drop of it on a cotton swab, and then rinse with water. Sometimes it gets off traces that the Almay leaves behind.

Luxiva Daily Moisture Milky Cleanser by Merle Norman. Gentle and silky. If you're a cleanser person as opposed to a soap-and-water person, you might like the Luxiva. I tried it on my face and neck, and also my eyes, and liked it. It doesn't lather, and I just need lather because I like lather, but that's my stuff. I have issues.

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Miracol Creamy Formula Revitalizing Cream by Merle Norman. I've been using this stuff on and off since high school. You're only supposed to apply it a few times a week, but when I'm on a Miracol tear, I use it every day - mainly on my oily T-zone. It's a mask. It dries and cleans big pores. If I use it just when it looks like some nasty blemish is imminent, I can usually by-pass the blemish. For hard-core oily skin people, you can also get Miracol Booster Revitalizing Lotion Concentrate to add to the Miracol before application.

Jason Beta-Gold Re-Hydrating Freshener is an effective, yet gentle astringent containing extract of ginger, chamomile and marigold. Jason makes different kinds of astringents for different complexions, so if you have oily skin, you might want to try one of their other astringents. But for dry or sensitive skin, this is just perfect.

Humphreys Witch Hazel Astringent is a gentle classic. Gosh, I think it's been around forever. I really love it because it gets rid of the T-zone oil but doesn't dry out the rest of my face. The only problem is, it smells like, well, witch hazel.

Luxiva Daily Moisture Toner. Here I am again with the Merle Norman. I like it. This particular astringent smells delightful and packs a gentle punch.

The Clinique Clarifying Lotions are excellent - and you can get the one that exactly matches your complexion, be it oily, dry, sensitive, or combination. Gets dirt out that soap and/or cleansers leave behind, and gets rid of any cleanser residue.

L'Occitane Brightening Cleansing Foam. I love mousse-y textures, and this one is silky and fun to use. Smells citrusy and fresh. I'm not sure what they mean by "brightening," so until I figure that out I'm using it sparingly. But it sure does get dirt out of large pores!

Desert Essence Blemish Touch Stick . I've burned through 3 bottles of this stuff already, and I need to go get more. It's great if you suspect a blemish attack and you can put this liquid on before the attack. You might find the blemishes are demolished before they ever show. It's strong enough for the woman who gets occasional hot spots, but not strong enough for someone with a bigger situation like acne. I also like it because amazingly, it doesn't dry my skin out. Unfortunately, it comes in a tiny jar (.33 fluid ounces/10ml) and that's just not enough to last any length of time. Perhaps I use too much, I just wish they'd market a big bottle of it.