I ♥ Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil

A few weeks ago, Tatcha sent me a few lovely items to try. I'm quite pleased to be able to try the line, and immediately started using the Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil. 

Those of you who have been reading the blog lately probably know that my skin has been quite dehydrated, and even has the occasional dry patch. I suspected that my current cleansing options were too harsh to use everyday, morning and night, so this cleansing oil was a very welcome change. 

This pretty travel size tube of the cleansing oil is so perfect for me right now. Massage the oil onto dry skin, then rinse off, and I love how my skin isn't dry or stripped at all. While I don't have much experience with cleansing oils, I think this one is lovely. My face feels clean, but also like I've retained moisture. It is not too oily, and very lightly scented. I haven't tried it with full on makeup removal, but this works fine for any residual product that is left on my skin. 

I am definitely a fan of this, and I am so thrilled to have the chance to try it. I can't wait to try more of the line! Have you tried this product? What cleansing oils would you recommend? I'd love to know!  

This product was provided for review. This post contains affiliate links.  

Hydrate Your Skin with Lush Ultrabland Cleanser!

I recently had the opportunity to experience a Lush Emotional Brilliance reading, and I ended up with quite a number of swatches all over my hands. Lush Ultrabland was smoothed all over, and I was immediately sold. Luckily, the kind manager there decided to give me a pot of this creamy goodness!

This cleanser is definitely rich and moisturizing, and that is probably my favorite thing about it. My skin has been going through cycles of dehydration this year, and this really helps make my skin feel normal again. One downside of this creaminess is the bit of residue it leaves on the skin. It seems to be unavoidable, and I like to think of it as a bit of moisturizer to get me started. (LOL) However, I do find that if you don't use a ton of product and rinse well, then the leftover bits are minimal, but if you are one who likes a squeaky clean feel, then I would skip this. 

Ultrabland is also a really nice way to remove makeup. It is creamy, and I find that it removes makeup better than my limited experience with Nude Perfect Cleansing Oil. (I also managed to scare my fiance by rubbing this all over my mouth with bright lipstick, and then smearing it everywhere... haha!) I don't know how it performs on waterproof eye makeup, as I just prefer to use my Koh Gen Do Cleansing Water on my eyes.  

All in all, I am really glad I tried this. I really want to try other cream cleansers now, so I'm not sure that I'll purchase this one just yet. I suspect it is a winner though, so I'll let you know if I'm buying a pot once I get to the bottom! :)

Have you tried Lush Ultrabland Cleanser? Do you have a favorite cream cleanser that I must try? I'd love to know! 

 Lush Ultrabland was provided for review and retails for $16.95-$29.95. 

Worth the Splurge: Shiseido Facial Cottons

I've never been one to buy pricey facial cottons. Actually, I can confidently say that in all my makeup wearing days, I never have been particularly good about makeup removal. Sleeping in a smokey eye was a bit of a common occurrence for a while there. (Cringe) 

This year, I really tried to focus on makeup removal and a consistent nightly cleansing routine. I was really unhappy with my cotton pads from Ulta, as they were actually scratchy and eye makeup removal was a bit unpleasant! 

So, I finally decided I needed some decent cotton pads, and while I thought I was crazy for considering cotton pads that cost $9.50, I needed something that actually felt good and not irritating on my skin. My friend Gummy loves the Shiseido Facial Cottons, so I took the plunge and purchased these during the Sephora VIB sale in April. 

The pads themselves are pretty large, and also very soft. Sometimes, I peel them apart in an effort to save them. You can safely peel them into two, maybe three pieces, but really, they are so luxurious unpeeled that it makes makeup removal a pleasant experience. Just what I needed! 

I'm glad I bought these, and I'm definitely sticking with them. I may just have to wait for a sale, so I don't feel quite as crazy for spending $10 on 165 cotton pads, but hey, there are worse/less important things I could spend $10 on, right? 

What do you use to remove your makeup? Have you experienced scratchy cotton pads like I did? I'd love to know! :)

Lush Full of Grace Has Saved Me From Dry Patches!

A few months back, Lush sent me their Full of Grace serum bar, and I was quite pumped to try it. The weather in Chicago was very cold and dry, and I was experiencing dry patches for the first time in ages. My skin just felt all over the place to me, so this seemed to be right time to give this a go.

So you may be wondering - how do you actually use this serum bar?? I know I was. Lush recommends rubbing the bar between your palms so that it melts into your hands. For those of you who have used the massage bars before, it is pretty much the same idea. I tend to dab this onto different parts of my face and rub it in from there!

This bar has a very light herbal scent, so that is good. Any stronger, and I probably would not be able to handle it! Some of you may have noticed that it was on one of my monthly favorites lists, and it is definitely a winner in my book.

When I first tried this, it seriously cleared up about 90% of my dry patches in about 2 days. To me, that is EPIC. When I arrived in California last week, I started to see the return of my dry patches because of the dry climate here, and thankfully, Lush Full of Grace fixed them right up. 

Have you tried Lush Full of Grace? 

INGREDIENTS: Murumuru Butter (Astrocaryum murumuru), Calamine Powder, Cupuacu Butter (Theobroma Grandiflorum), Fresh Rose Infusion (Rosa centifolia), Organic Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Perfume, Fresh Portobello Mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus), Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria Chamomilla), Rose Oil (Rosa centifolia), Tagetes Oil (Tagetes minuta), *Eugenol, *Geraniol, *Benzyl Benzoate, *Citronellol, *Farnesol, *Limonene, *Linalool 

This product was provided for review. Lush Full of Grace retails for $14.95.