Skincare Arsenal Update – June 2016

I needed to take my own advice and get back to basics. My skincare routine became too complicated and had too many moving parts. I was vacillating between Cetaphil Gentle, philosophy Purity, Noxzema Triple Clean, and random cleanser samples I had received from Sephora and Ulta (because that’s what you do when you’re a beauty blogger who reviews things). I was inconsistently using this toner, that moisturizer. Exfoliant roulette. Masque roulette. You get it. I was all over the place.

All that combined with a stressful eight months and my skin just wasn’t my biggest fan. It was making me crazy, and it was preventing me from having as much fun with my makeup. So I revamped my skincare arsenal and process to get back to consistency, and I’ll just need to go longer between trying new skin products for science. Tomorrow, I turn 25 – and I’m doing so with skin that is behaving.

Makeup Removal & Cleansing

Skincare Arsenal Update - Cleansing

Micellar Water – I am really impressed by how well the Garnier one I reviewed is treating me. As I don’t use waterproof mascara or go hardcore, full-face every day, I’m delighted with the way this stuff has been (oh-so-gently!) treating my skin. A lot of people have eschewed their other face products in favor of this minimalist product; I can see why. I’ve picked up the one by Simple (I liked their Micellar wipes, after all) to try, but I’m not remotely unhappy with the Garnier one. I still have Kirkland Makeup Wipes; they’re effective, inexpensive, and convenient – but I’m growing tired of the fragrance. They’re still a good product and a great value, but I am scaling back my usage in favor of micellar products. Personally, I’m also not in love with something so disposable for everyday use.

Cetaphil Gentle – Tried and true. Just as good without water as with. Plays nicely with both my Clarisonic and my Luna Mini.

philosophy Purity – For when I need a deeper clean. This is about as ‘hardcore’ of a clean as I want, these days. Also plays nicely with both aforementioned tools.

Keep reading for more on my Skincare Arsenal Update…

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Simple Micellar Wipes

Simple Micellar WipesSimple Micellar Wipes

I haven’t forsaken the Kirkland Makeup Wipes I’ve been buying from Costco, but I’ve seen some positive chatter about the new Simple Micellar Wipes ($6 for 25). Since I enjoyed the previous Simple Makeup Wipes I had, I decided to take advantage of a coupon, Target Cartwheel offer, and an iBotta rebate and try them for science.

I like them – and I like them better than the original ones I had tried from Simple!

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Kirkland Signature Makeup Wipes

Kirkland Signature makeup wipesKirkland Signature makeup wipes

A few months ago I shared that I bought a gigantic pack of Kirkland Signature makeup wipes. I’m a good way into the pack by now and feel like I’ve used them enough to speak to them.

First, the packaging. The thickness of the Kirkland Signature makeup wipes’ packaging isn’t quite as substantial as some other wipe brands, but that doesn’t bother me – it still retains moisture in the wipes. It is slightly more convenient to open and close the full sized packs (as compared to the Ponds and Simple wipes I used previously) because it has a hard plastic lid.

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Worth it? Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

I’ve never shared a proper review, but I have mentioned my holy grail makeup wipes countless times – they’re the Pond’s Original Wet Cleansing Towelettes if you haven’t been around long. I love them – one gets the job done, they’re effective even on stubborn eye makeup, and they don’t leave a gross film like some wipes do.


Pond's Original Fresh Facial Wipes

One thing that I would change, though, is the scent. Although my skin isn’t sensitive, I don’t want scented skincare. The Ponds wipes’ fragrance isn’t offensive, but it is a little potent at first, and it lingers. On top of my own preference for scent-free facial products, I tend to use these to remove makeup and clean my face before bed and the smell, unfortunately can be an irritant to my fragrance-sensitive husband (and to me if I’m having a migraine).

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

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