Are you TRULY satisfied with your cleanser

*Note this is a repost from my old website

Hello and welcome back all you lovely people! I have a question for you, are you satisfied with your cleanser? Cleansing is the most basic step (and arguably the most important step) in skincare, yet finding the right cleanser can be difficult and overwhelming. It is a common problem that a lot of us (me included) have or are currently struggling with. A cleanser should be reliable, almost like a reset button at the start and end of each day. If your cleanser is not the right one for you, the base of your skincare is ruined.

For some reason logic tries to tell us that if we have an oily face (or combo/t-zone oil) that we should use a super strong, drying cleanser. Some of us (God forbid) don’t even put lotion on after using these intense, stripping cleansers, thinking that not adding any moisture will combat the excess oil. Well I am here to confess something: that was once me *que gasp sounds*. Yes, even I, a beauty/skincare fanatic, have tried to combat oil by making my face drier than the pavement on a 200 degree day in Palm Springs. I’m talking about unreasonably dry, drier and flakier than a cinnamon croissant that was made without liquids (is that possible? Not sure, but I did something similar to my face). Sometimes I couldn’t even talk properly because of how tight and, again, DRY my face was. Tight, uncomfortable skin = no oil right? WRONG, ABSOLUTELY WRONG YOU DONUT. The skin will actually create MORE oil to try and compensate for the damage you have done to your skin, leading to a vicious cycle of drying your skin but more oil forming. Fear not, I have recovered from that self destruction mentality (thank goodness) and am here to guide you to finding the perfect cleanser for your skin type.

STOP! Hey, it’s Olivia here again to remind you that every skin type is special and unique, just like the person wearing it. I try my best to show different products that would work for specific types so you can make an educated guess as to which one is best for you. Unfortunately I am not a skincare fairy, (yet) and can not magically poof up the best formula for your skin type. But I am a maniac that has tried every product I could get my hands on, so I give you all the info I have. Okay, now back to your regular scheduled post.

As mentioned before, finding the right routine (a post coming on this topic shortly) and cleanser is CRUCIAL to having that soft, plump, dewy, glass-like skin of all our dreams. My dry, combination, confused, angry, and of course, oily skinned people all need moisture. Finding a cleanser that was both thorough yet moisturizing has been an absolute game changer and helps keep my skin looking smooth and supple even after eating way too many bowls of chocolate fudge brownie ice cream.

Why do I need moisture, you may ask. Well first off, thanks for taking an interest in skincare (I know it can be overwhelming, but you’re doing great sweetie), and secondly, yes, everyone needs moisture. My dry skinned people need moisture for obvious reasons. Genetically you might have dry skin so you need to give your skin a little help by adding extra moisture. My oily skinned people need moisture just as much as the dry skinned people. When you genetically have oily skin, it needs to be balanced with other oils or moisture to help keep the over production of oil in check. Stripping it of oil will only make it produce more oil.

The two products I have rounded up for today’s post have both of which have been thoroughly used and loved by me: a combo (dry u-zone, oily t-zone person) skinned gal. Both are no nonsense cleansers that have captured my heart for their effective formulas and simplicity. The first one is Properly Clean, the cleanser I used religiously for 3 years, created by my absolute favorite beauty person and icon, the incredible Zoë Foster Blake. The second is the Matcha Hemp Hydrating by Krave, the cleanser I have been using day and night for the past year, made by a fellow Korean and beauty lover, Liah Yoo, and is known for being ULTRA GENTLE, NON STRIPPING, AND SUPER AFFORDABLE (what more could you ask for). *More pictures below

Starting with Go-To Skincare, the brand I blame for sucking 11 year old Olivia deep, DEEP into the beauty world. This is Properly Clean, a cleanser that does exactly what the name suggests. It’s a natural foaming cleanser that never strips the skin. It’s summed up beautifully on their website, “Ensures your skin is thoroughly clean but never dry or unbalanced, while the all-natural silky soft mousse leaves your face smooth, hydrated and happy. Soft enough for mature skin. Gentle enough for sensitive skin or breakout-y skin. Nourishing enough for dry skin. Balanced enough for oily skin.” With Willow Bark Extract, as well as other incredible ingredients, this cleanser is a breakout destroyer. I started using this cleanser years ago when I had some very stubborn pimples that loved me so much that nothing I was doing was making them leave. That is, until I tried this cleanser. This magic in a bottle was what kept my skin fresh and smooth every dang day AND (if that wasn’t enough) was the cleanser I used when I started being bombarded with questions and compliments on my glowing, blemish free skin. I wasn’t doing anything, I owe it all to the Properly Clean as well as Go-To’s face oil which is my HOLY GRAIL PRODUCT OF ALL PRODUCTS buuuuuuut deserves a whole separate post (coming very soon). This darling is dressed in an adorable peach bottle and has a lovely ginger, mandarin, lime scent that is SO addictive.

$24.00 USD at us.gotoskincare.com

Next is Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser by Krave. On the website it’s described as “an antioxidant-rich jelly cleanser that’s as satisfying to use as it is effective. The bouncy gel formula creates a silky lather on the skin that lifts away impurities and irritants accumulated during the day. The best part? No dry, tight after-feeling like conventional cleansers.” It’s a gel formula that becomes a rich lather with some water. It truly does what it says it’ll do. It cleans, but never feels tight or dry. It’s chock full of antioxidants, made with lots of matcha and hemp seed oil. It’s made with coconut-based surfactants, which cleans deeply but gently. Now you might be wondering, what in the world, why are there antioxidants in this cleanser and why does it do? Well, to put it simply, antioxidants protect your skin from free-radicals, sun damage, and helps your skin repair itself. Basically it is magic and you definitely should be putting it on your skin. This cleanser has kept my face clean and blemish free, and at only $16.00 USD, there's really nothing more I could ask for.

$16.00 USD at kravebeauty.com

If your base is bad, it really doesn’t matter what you put on top of it. If your base is good, you really don’t need to put much on top of it. That is the simple truth of skincare. If you have a good base, reliable products, and the right routine for your skin, there is a 100% success rate in having that glass skin of your dreams. But it all truly starts with the base.

If you read this far, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you have any questions, comments, or want personal advice on finding a cleanser for your skin please don’t hesitate to reach out and either email me at oliveandkore@gmail.com or dm me on instagram, @oliveandkore. Don’t forget to subscribe to be notified when I post a new blog every Thursday and leave a comment down below! I've had a lot of fun, thanks for reading! :)

This post is NOT sponsored, I just enjoy sharing my favorite products with everyone!