Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser | Wonderful You Review

My skincare history is just like my personality – a drama queen, completely over the top. Before I even touched Clinique my routine was extremely basic – it just involved Cleansing, toning and moisturising with the brand Simple. When I got older and my skin broke out I moved over to Clinique, and when I discovered that wasn't at all appropriate I moved over to NUDE. For a long while their combination of cleansing and moisturising with a facial serum every few days worked wonders for my skin, the breakouts were minimal and my complexion as a whole was much clearer and even. If you’ve been reading for a while you’ll probably have seen the post I wrote about it here. Now don’t get me wrong, I still swear by NUDE for my skin type, it really is an incredible brand and the serum and moisturiser are something I swear by. Unfortunately, my skin seems to have fought back and decided it doesn’t want me to use the cleanser anymore. My spots were coming back fast, fierce and painful – at first I thought it might be stress (this was just around Christmas time, and I had a lot going on prior to Australia), so I waited until I was away in the sun and when that didn’t even slightly help with clearing it up I started to panic. I was going to be in Australia for a month, and my skin looked horrific – not only that but when you have a tan none of your foundation matches, so I couldn't even cover up!

In Australia we were staying with Daniel’s family and for a few years his younger cousin had suffered with acne. He was now on medication as nothing had worked well for him – but luckily his Aunty had kept over some facial washes that he had used prior to his new prescription. I was willing to try anything (remember, I am a drama queen) so I jumped at the chance when she mentioned it!

Cetaphil is a soap free gentle foam cleanser – aimed at oily skin (although they do cater for all skin types), this particular one is aimed at problematic oily skin. If you find you have overly oily skin it’s more than likely down to your body producing too much sebum (this is released through your sebaceous glands, and is used to keep the skin supple). Although no face washes will completely get rid of this (I’m pretty sure it’s a hormonal thing that can only be combated by medication) – Cetaphil promises to reduce the amount of sebum your skin produces by up to 60% after using for over two weeks, twice a day (I was already converted by this point). Being soap-free it is also less harsh on your face, it doesn't leave the face feeling too tight and the skin is still lovely and soft – no dry patches.

It’s the first facial wash that has worked effectively enough for me to take my make up off with it. One pump lathers softly and removes make up, excess dirt and cleanses the entire face. It's a clear gel like solution (doesn't photography particularly well) and bubbles up extremely gently - not at all frothy or soapy. I use it again in the morning, but only need half a pump as I make it a rule NEVER to sleep in my make up! Being a 500ml bottle, it’s going to last me yonks. I used it every day for 3 weeks in Australia and it hasn’t even made a dent. Being an Australian brand, it’s not as readily available in the UK. However I know you can get it from both Boots and Amazon. It cost me $15 when I was over there, and my little sister spent just over £15 on it through Amazon a few weeks ago. So it’s not breaking the bank by any means.

My skin for the entirety of the holiday up until now, has been incredibly good. I will have the occasional spot but nothing compared to the massive breakout I had at Christmas. For example, today I am wearing just concealer under my eyes and over a few blemishes. No foundation. I know – say whaaaaat?! I just feel more comfortable with my skin and letting it breathe every now and then. Don’t get me wrong I’m still using my foundation every day usually; I was just giving you an insight into how much better it’s made me feel.

I’ve come to the conclusion that perhaps my skin will always be this way. I’ll find a skincare product that works really well for my skin for up to say a year, and then my skin will become accustomed to it and reject it. However I do know that I can’t just use any product I fancy without doing some serious research first – my skin flares up at anything that is too heavy, highly scented or overly moisturising. Which is why I know that when I do find something that works for me for a while – it’s something worth shouting about.

I hope you found this post helpful – apologies if it’s a bit rambly! But I wanted to explain it properly for you :) 

I'm starting to believe that less is definitely more when it comes to skincare. So I'll probably be writing about my 'Day & Night' routine soon - is that something you would like to see?

My New Skincare Saviour | NUDE

My first ever blog post was about my skincare routine. I absolutely swore by Clinique’s Anti-Blemish range and totally believed that they were curing my problematic skin. For the most part I think they probably were, but lessons have been learned and Clinique is no more.

If you read my first post, you will know that during my teenage years my skin was pretty well behaved. (I’ll apologise now, this post may be slightly repetitive in places, but I want to explain it properly for newer readers!). I would only really experience spots when it was time of the month, and to be honest it wasn’t anything drastic, perhaps two spots on my forehead or something. Definitely manageable and I’m pretty sure I was the envy of a lot of the girls who were going through awful issues of acne and scarring. Like anything in life, you don’t think it will happen to you – until it does.

When I hit 20, my skin decided to have a mind of it’s own. I’d gone from being able to use any product I fancied to having to be really selective with ingredients and being a lover of beauty, I was pretty bummed. I invested in (a hell of a lot of) Liz Earle products and my skin absolutely hated it, and that’s where Clinique stepped in. Yes, it was fantastic for clearing up blemishes, reducing redness and eliminating the pounding pain that throbs through spots (yum), but as soon as it cleared up one load – perhaps 15-2o spots at a time, another batch would pop up twice as sore and 122034953x as large. Believing in my product I convinced myself that it was my hormones/lifestyle causing the breakouts and that Clinique couldn’t possibly be at fault. I mean, they were clearing up my skin so well and it had restored a little bit of hope that things might get better!

Then, the ever wonderful Zoe of Zoe New Love sent me a rather hefty (but much appreciated) email about my skincare and how she thought I could improve it. Basically, what it boils down to is that Clinique works a bit like paint stripper. Yes, it’s wonderful at ripping all the baddies off your face and appearing to keep your skin clear but really, it’s taking all the goodies out of your skin too. I always said how it controlled my oil fantastically, when what it was really doing was removing all the natural oil, which you actually need to keep your skin looking and feeling healthy. Hence the breakouts – when your skin is de-hydrated it will lock all the oil in and produce it in excess, causing a breakout. So, a big fat lovely THANK YOU to Zoe for helping me out and throwing some suggestions my way!

That's where my new skincare comes in. NUDE...

 First step is cleansing, I've been using their Perfect Cleansing Oil (RRP £28 100ml) and for me, perfect is the 'perfect' word to describe it. First impressions, I thought no way ho-say am I using an oil based product on my oily skin, but it turns out it's exactly what my skin was craving. Was my skin naturally oily? Or was it just craving the right balance of skincare to keep it at bay? I use one pump in the morning and two at night - simply because I like to take my makeup off with it (really impressed with how amazingly delicate this is around the eye area - no stinging at all), and that means using an extra pump helps. Once I've rubbed it in, I wet my hands and continue to massage - this causes the oil to turn into a milky consistency and then I just wash off with warm water. It leaves my skin feeling refreshed, silky smooth but for me most importantly - oil free and not dried up. Because this is a natural brand, there's pretty much no fragrance to this cleanser, something my skin loves and after one use it had helped to clear my spots tremendously.

Second is their Radiant Daily Moisturiser. (RRP £42 40ml) This is reasonably light in consistency, which means a little goes a long way (something I always look for in a moisturiser). Again fragrance free, this moisturiser makes me feel refreshed and sinks in beautifully - there's no waiting around to put your makeup on, it dries almost instantly and it really feels like your skin is drinking it up. Like the cleanser, it soaks up the oil but doesn't leave my skin feeling dehydrated, quite the opposite really. In conjunction with the cleanser my skin has never felt so amazing. And honestly, I'm not just saying that. 

Lastly - the ProGenius Treatment Oil. (RRP £58 30ml N.B. my picture is the tester size bottle) Good GOD, seriously I cannot praise this baby enough. I use this every other evening (instead of my moisturiser). Like the cleanser, I was dubious to say the least in using pure oil on my face, but how wrong I was. And please, if you've used treatment oils before and reacted badly to it, don't let that put you off. I used the Liz Earle facial oil and my skin went banana's, but these treatments are so amazing for your skin and it's just a case of finding the one that fits you. There's so many yummy oils in this bottle, I won't list them all but here a my personal faves: Sunflower, Apricot, Sweet Almond, JoJoba, Rosemary and Soy Bean to name a few! I apply two drops to my fingertips after cleansing and warm through my fingers before dabbing all over my face. There is a very subtle hint of Jasmine to this oil, but when I say subtle I mean it, perfect for a night time treatment. (it also says you can use it under foundation, but I don't fancy that). I personally love the glass pipette and bottle, it's got quite a bold price tag, and if the treatment itself wasn't enough for you, I think the packaging ensures you're satisfied 100%. I haven't had to use a spot treatment since I've used this oil - that's how good it is. If I've experienced a breakout a few drops of this every other night has cleared them up whilst I'm sleeping. Literally, I am so happy. That probably sounds pathetic, but if you've struggled with your skin then you'll understand where I'm coming from.

In fairness - I have no basis to compare how these products work singularly as I've only used them in conjunction with one another - but if you're a bit put off by the price, and want to try it, then go for their starter kit - you get one of each (smaller sizes) for £38 and the cleanser and moisturiser lasted me about a month, the oils still going strong with probably another month or so left. So it's definitely fantastic value for money.

I think even if you don't have problematic skin, this brand could work for any skin type. Their main focus is anti-ageing. Nude use n-probiotic, which causes the skin to produce its own anti-ageing ingredients, including collagen, hyaluronic acid and antioxidants; omegas 3, 6, 7 & 9 that help to defend against ageing and protect whole skin cells so not only is your skin being cared for, it's also helping you naturally face the first signs of ageing. And at 23, I'm not one to be scared by anti-ageing products. Personally, I don't see the benefit in waiting until your skin has aged to try and rectify it - surely the title anti-ageing says it all? Fight it whilst you can, and use it as a preventative, not a cure. The packaging is gorgeously subtle, but not only that, it's recyclable. And lastly, Nude are 100% natural and don't test on animals. To be honest, I don't think they could be any more perfect.

I am now at the stage, where if I had to I would happily leave the house without my foundation on. A few months ago I would have laughed out loud at that statement, but I honestly feel this brand has turned my life around. I have my confidence back and know that I'm protecting my skin too. No more baddies and hopefully no wrinkles either ;) If that's not results I don't know what is.

What do you think? Is Nude a brand you've tried before?