little white truths

I received this cleanser in my Maslow & Co USA The West Coast edit (unboxed here). 

It's one of those products that I was certain I'd love because it's a cleansing oil and I'm all for those, but unfortunately it doesn't float my boat and I've used so many fantastic oil cleansers this year that it had some big shoes to fill, which it hasn't done.

It's not that it's a bad product, it's just that I don't like it much and I personally think that plenty of better options exist - including ones that cost less and are easier to come by in Australia.

Marula claims/product details:

As mentioned above, I don't think this is a bad product - I just don't think it's that great and I've used so many cleansing oils that I prefer, so I wouldn't buy this or recommend it because I think better options exist. 

For example, the Martina Organics Cleansing Oil (reviewed here, from the NZ Maslow & Co box) and also Josie Maran's offering (reviewed here) are both products I'm using right now and I much prefer those; and you can also pick up some great budget products from the chemist (I've heard Palmer's Cleansing Oil is fantastic, although I haven't yet tried it myself) so I don't think you need to spend heaps to find a cleansing oil that works. 

This is a light, medium-thick oil that smells of citrus and I don't mind the scent but I recommend keeping the product away from your mouth because it has a very bitter taste. It spreads ok when applied, but I find that I need to use more of this per application than I do other products because this tends to 'stick' to my face where other oils don't and spread more thinly.

Now this is meant to foam when you add water, but if it does foam, it only does a tiny bit (so don't expect huge suds), and most of the time it doesn't foam up on my skin. I also find it quite difficult to remove, unlike other oils, so you may prefer to use it in the shower or remove it with a warm, damp face cloth. Even if I use another cleanser after this one to help remove it, I find that it really sticks to my skin and not many products will lift it - something to be aware of.

I've tried this in the evenings to see if it will remove makeup, and it does remove the easy stuff but won't budge my eye makeup. I also don't feel it's the best oil for makeup removal because, as mentioned, the stuff really adheres to my dry skin so the mess on my face is almost as hard to remove as it was before I used this.

My preferred use for this is either as an in-shower product in the evenings (because then it's easier to remove), or as a first cleanse in the morning if I wake up with super dry skin. If my skin is dry, I don't want to use one of my heavier cleansers so I whack this on, wait a few minutes to let the oil hydrate, then add water and massage it before going in with another cleanser to help me remove this one.

As for product claims, I don't think this meets any of them - particularly the one saying it doesn't leave a residue behind, because it certainly does on me. But it could be that it just doesn't agree with my skin: I'm honestly surprised that I don't like it and I'm keen to hear what others think.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend this but do let me know if you've had a better experience with it than I have.