Cleanser reviews

We reached out to the best British brands and compared them to one big name brand. We were only willing to include an eco cleanser if the quality matched this big name brand. So below is our review of the beauty cleansers we tried and how we decided to include UpCircle and Atlas and Ortus as our cleanser beauty brands. 

What did Claire the beauty testing expert think? - @featuresjournal

Wild Sage Oil Cleansing Method for Combination / Oily Skin - £20

• Smelling strongly of the rose geranium oil it contains, this oil is a great option if you're looking for an all-in-one cleanser that will remove every last bit of makeup, including waterproof mascara and longwearing foundation. It doesn't sting the eyes and leaves skin gently coated in a layer of moisturising oil.

White Rabbit Eucalyptus & Lavender Cleansing Balm - £27

• If you've got sensitive skin, it's probably best to avoid this one as it contains eucalyptus oil which could irritate skins that have a tendency to react. It's a balm with quite a gritty texture so you may need to work it in your hands for a bit before applying it to your face. But once on it does an alright job.

UpCircle Cleansing Face Balm - £19

• With a strong citrussy scent, this smooth textured balm smells zesty and refreshing and melts easily into the skin. The apricot stone powder it contains is ground so finely that you don't feel it on the skin — it's nothing like those apricot scrubs of old — and the balm does an effective job of removing makeup, leaving skin cleansed, soft and moisturised.

Atlas & Ortus Dead Sea Mud Cleanser - £8

• With a vaguely masculine scent, reminiscent of traditional barber's soap, this bar cleanser efficiently and effectively cleans skin — although probably best used as a second cleanse after removing makeup. With seed oils and shea butter, it cleans the skin without leaving it dry and tight, and is a great travel option as it can be packed in hand luggage, unlike liquid cleansers which have to go into your liquids bag.

This review is compared to the review that our lovely beauty supporter did while we were trying to work out which brand to include in our boxes as a bonus product. With that in mind we went for the wonderful UpCircle cleaning face balm and an occassional use of the Atlas & Ortus dead sea mud cleanser

What did Vas our beauty friend think?

UpCircle (4*/5*)

• I absolutely adored the face mask and I feel these two products complement each other as a duo.The facial cleanser however has quite a specific smell and the product itself is quite heavy for an everyday cleanser. It does leave skin considerably brighter and  hydrated, however as it is quite thick it is quite tough to wash off. I would say this probably isn’t for sensitive skin/would be a good cleanser for a few times a week rather than daily.

Wild Sage & Co (4*/5*)

• For a girl who has combination skin and with the rise of “The ordinary” I’ve started using oils on my face for a month now and have adored them so I was very excited about this product. You have to be careful with how much product you use as it comes out quickly but the smell is very calming. Sits on the skin surprisingly lightly and left my skin feeling hydrated and soft to touch. Worked really well with my other oils and moisturiser. Loved this one!

Burts Bees (3*/5*) 

• A well known brand, this cleanser has a quite strong orange smell which can be quite overpowering. The product itself however is light and easy to apply. A good standard cleanser, but wasn’t anything particularly special.

White Rabbit (3*/5*)

• This one had by far the best smell, eucalyptus & lavender are both so calming and great scents in general for the skin! However I found the balm itself quite hard to apply and not hugely lightweight, but did leave my skin feeling very soft once removed!

Atlas & Ortus Clay Bar (4*/5*)

• With the rise of Australian Pink Clay in the beauty world I was really excited to try this one! Initially quite hard to figure out how to apply, but once on my face it lathered really nicely and I was able to massage this really nicely into my face. This one definitely left my face feeling the brightest and cleanest! An ideal cleanser to use before the application of night time oils and serums

So as we can see, Vas did a stellar job of working out which brand was best and this was shown to the case by the help of the lovely Claire. Any questions or thoughts please email me - lysander@leosbox.co.uk