little white truths

As you may know, this year I've set out to use more products from Trilogy - and I've finally managed to introduce some of the items I had in stock over the last three months because I made some gaps in my collection and needed to fill them.

This cream cleanser is one of them, and I must have been using it for at least two months now so it's high time I reviewed it. Long story short, I do like it but I'm not sure I would buy it again because I still prefer oil and balm cleansers over cream ones as a general rule. More on that below.

Trilogy claims/product details:

• Apparently Trilogy receives more complimentary emails and letters about this cleanser than any of their other products
• Cleanses skin and removes makeup
• Contains over 1/2 a bottle of organic rosehip oil plus other nutritious goodies such as evening primrose oil, jojoba, almond and carrot oil
• These nourishing ingredients ensure that the Trilogy Cream Cleanser softens and cares for skin, and leaves it looking and feeling smoother, softer and beautifully refreshed
• Formulated without harsh sulfates, it's the perfect preparation for your skin, morning and night
• RRP $18.95 AUD for 100ml or $38.95 AUD for 200ml, but do shop around

Verdict

I think this is a really nice product and I can see why so many people like it, it's just that I'm rather hard to please when it comes to cream cleansers because I generally prefer balms and oils - but in any event, this isn't my favourite cream cleanser that I've found so I wouldn't buy it again.

It's a white, creamy product that's a little oily in texture and I definitely smell the rosehip oil. I can also tell from the texture that it does contain a decent chunk of oil in the formula, so it may not suit those with oily skin who don't like heavier creams.

I mostly use this in the morning spot, so I whack it on and then leave it for 20 minutes while I'm getting the kids organised, before going back and finishing the cleansing process later. While it does work ok for that purpose, it doesn't work very well as a hydrating mask because it sits on top of the skin, rather than nourishing it, so it's probably better that I use it in the evening and opt for something else in the morning.

I've also tried it in the evening as my first cleanse for makeup removal, and I'm pleased to report that it's a reasonably effective makeup remover and most of the gunk will come off my face very easily when I apply this. It won't work on stubborn eye makeup like mascara and eyeliner, but few things do for me so it doesn't lose points there. 

Do note, though, that it works a lot better when you use a damp cloth as part of the cleansing process - so if you don't normally do that then you may find that this product doesn't work quite so well at removing the grime for your face and it may not be the right cleanser for you.

The final thing to mention is that while this leaves my skin feeling soft, clean and hydrated after use, it does leave a very slight hydrating residue behind, and I've seen some reviewers say that this is a problem for them - although those people generally have oily skin so that's probably why the added hydration doesn't suit them. For my dry skin, I appreciate the nourishment that's left in my skin after use and I don't find the residue to be too heavy or greasy (quite the reverse: it's very slight) so it suits me personally but I wanted to comment on it anyway.

Overall I think this is a nice cleanser that generally meets its claims and while I do like it, I still prefer my balm and oil cleansers so I wouldn't buy it again. Also, at the moment my favourite budget cream cleanser is Sukin's offering (reviewed here) for the simple reason that it works better for me in the morning spot, although this Trilogy one is more effective at makeup removal so I would go for the latter if you want something for the evening.

The other good thing of course is that both the Sukin and Trilogy products are reasonably priced and you can often find them heavily discounted so they won't break the bank. Huzzah!

Worth trying.