I have been following Caroline Hirons for a good year and a half now. When it comes down to skincare tips and advice, her blog is my go to place. Caroline and a few other influencers have teamed up with Pixi to create a bunch of fabulous collaborations which you can find over here on their “what’s new” section. As soon as I heard that Caroline was bringing out a double cleanser I was shook and so frickin’ excited to say the least.

What is double cleansing?

I found out about double cleansing through Caroline’s blog and it’s something that I have been using in my skincare routine a lot more often. I use cleansers anyways as I don’t like the feel of makeup wipes, they seem to be harsh and rough on my sensitive skin and it just doesn’t work out well for me. You start off with your first cleanser, preferably something oil based to help remove the bulk of your makeup and to help get rid of any sweat and dirt. Oil based cleansers are becoming very popular recently and they’re also generally safe and gentle to use around your eyes. After rinsing that away, you move onto the second step which is cleansing your face again but with a cream cleanser to actually cleanse your skin. Caroline recommends to massage a cream cleanser into your skin for a good few minutes and I believe she has a post on how to massage your face properly.

“If you’ve spent time putting it on, then take time taking it off”

-         Caroline Hirons

       My initial thoughts about this product was ‘what a flipping great idea’ I’m surprised that no one thought of doing a double cleanser in one tub before?! Genius. The packaging is absolutely beautiful. The plastic tub feels sturdy yet not too heavy and the design is simple yet tells you exactly what the product is all about from the first glance. Inside the tub contains two separate compartments: one for the oil cleanser and then one for the cream cleanser. Both sides contain 50ml of product each. I immediately noticed how this product doesn’t have any scent to it, which is perfect for me as I suffer with sensitive skin. Too much fragrance can actually break me out more and my skin can become very irritated. The product claims to be suitable for ALL skin types which is great!

The solid cleansing oil instantly melted into my fingers from the warmth of my hands, making it easier to apply to my skin. I massaged this into my dry, makeup caked face and simply watched the magic happen as it dissolved and melted all of my makeup away within seconds. I’m talking the stubborn mascara, the matte liquid lipstick and those layers of foundation, cream contour and powder – literally the whole ‘shebang’. I mean, I looked ridiculous afterwards with all this melted makeup on my face but after rinsing it away with a cloth and some warm water, my skin felt tremendously soft. Moving onto the cleansing cream side of things, this was definitely my favourite part mainly because I prefer using creams rather than oil cleansers. Whilst massaging this cream into my skin, it felt very luxurious and silky smooth. I like to massage it into my skin for a good few minutes so that the product has enough time to sink into my skin before rinsing away.

I can honestly say that my skin has never felt so soft and clean in its entire 20 years of life. The cream didn’t leave any leftover residue on my skin and I felt like I didn’t need to moisturise afterwards because my skin already felt super hydrated. I believe having a good skincare regime helps massively with how your makeup applies and looks on the skin, I would 100% recommend everyone to try out double cleansing at least once in their lifetime and see how it works out. I am certainly never going to stop it.

This product retails for £24 online at Cult Beauty or in stores at Marks and Spencer.

Have you tried out this product yet?

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My Current Go-To Makeup Removers

Back in the day I was a disgusting little human and never took my makeup off before bed. I would apply makeup before school, sleep with it on and apply more over the top the next morning. I know, I’m cringing at the thought of it too. Nowadays I cannot go a day without taking my makeup off at the end of the day (except for those nights where I go out clubbing and completely forget to oops). I switch and change when it comes to makeup removers, there’s so many different ones out there on the markets now, and I just love trying a bunch out. I have rounded up a few of my go-to makeup removers that I’ve been reaching for more often recently.

GARNIER SKIN ACTIVE MICELLER CLEANSING WATER

I have never been a great fan of makeup wipes and I tend to stick to the micellar waters/oil based cleansers as I feel they are much gentler for my sensitive skin. Garnier have a massive selection of Micellar Waters available in Boots and Superdrug, I can say that I have tried every single one from the collection and I love them all. I mainly go for the oil infused micellar water however if I’m honest, it wasn’t in my local shops so I just picked this one up instead. It works just as well as the others and it leaves your skin feeling hydrated and free from any makeup residue.

SIMPLE KIND TO SKIN HYDRATING CLEANSING OIL

For someone who has normal to dry skin, I like to use products that will help to hydrate my dry patches. Oil based cleansers have been one of my favourites to use on those days where my skin needs a bit of a ‘pick me up’. Before trying this cleanser, I was very skeptical about it as I thought it was just going to leave me looking like a huge greasy mess but I was wrong. Once you rinse this off, your skin is left feeling soft, smooth and hydrated without any greasy residue left. It breaks down and dissolves your makeup nicely and it’s gentle to use on and around your eye area.

CLINIQUE TAKE THE DAY OFF CLEANSING MILK

Clinique have always been one of my favourite high end skincare brands. I tend to get a fair few of allergic reactions when trying out some new products however this has never happened with a Clinique product. This product is a gentle, milky cleanser which can be used with or without water to dissolve makeup. I would say that I don’t like using this for removing eye makeup as such because it doesn’t seem to get rid of that stubborn mascara very well. For face makeup though? Works like a dream. Massaging this over dry skin gives and rinsing off with warm water gives the best results.

GARNIER MICELLAR CLEANSING GEL WASH

Can you tell I love Garnier skincare? This was a recent purchase of mine and when I say recent, I mean I bought it 2 days ago however I feel like it needs to have its own little mention as I adore this product. It’s basically the exact same as the original micellar water but in a gel wash form and I actually think it works a lot better when it comes down to removing makeup. I have been using this for the past two days since I bought it, and so far it hasn’t broke me out which is always a good sign. I cannot explain how easy and quick it is to take my makeup off with this. It dissolved my makeup within seconds and rinsed off easily with warm water. The one thing I would say is that it stung my eyes a tad but I think that was purely down to the fact I used way too much. I felt like there was no need to moisturise afterwards either as it left me with the perfect amount of hydration for my skin.

What are your favourite makeup removers?

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