Cleanser | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Bioelements Moisture Positive Cleanser

Every time I try something from Bioelements I am left impressed. My recent experience with the Bioelements Moisture Positive Cleanser was no different.

This is a rich and milky cleanser that leaves the skin feeling moisturized instead of dried out from soap. The Bioelements cleanser has no scent, removes makeup and dirt quite well, and rinses clean. I really love the feel of this one and I might add it to my winter dry skin routine. I do still love my DHC Olive Oil Cleanser, which is my daily cleanser when I have dry skin, but the milky/creamy feel of the Bioelements cleanser is pretty darn hard to beat!

I also have previously reviewed Bioelements Pumice Peel, which continues to impress me and has become my favorite daily use scrub.

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Neutrogena Illuminating Microderm Cleaning Pads and Pond’s Exfoliating Clean Sweep Toweletts

I had high hopes for Neutrogena Illuminating Microderm Cleansing Pads, but merely found them to be OK.

These cleansing pads are little round cases that you hold by slipping your fingers inside. One side is textured for exfoliating and the other is a plain cleansing pad. The pad also contains a bit of soapy cleanser. I really didn't find the exfoliating side to be very effective. It felt a bit like it was scrubbing, but not much. I admit though that I like a pretty strong scrub. Regardless I can exfoliate much better than the neutogena microderm pads by using a scrub or simply with a rough washcloth (which is a great trick for cheap exfoliation). The cleansing side was too small for makeup removal and I found the whole thing to be a bit too soapy for my tastes. There wasn't a ton of soap, but with such a small pad, I had to use quite a bit of water and a separate washcloth to wipe it all off.

Ponds Exfoliating Clean Sweep Cleansing Towelettes

I much prefer the Pond's Exfoliating Clean Sweep, Cucumber Cleansing Towelettes. The Pond's Towellettes are large enough to provide decent makeup removal. I also like that while they contain some cleanser, it isn't too much. I would much rather add my own than have too much to begin with. The exfoliating side of the Pond's towelettes is rough enough that you can feel it scrubbing, yet also pretty gentle. So between these two products, Pond's definitely wins!

Review of Lumene Skin Care Products

Lumene Day cream

Over the past week I tried a number of Lumene skin care products with great enjoyment. I also tried a foundation, which I will rave about in its own separate post (update, that review is here: Lumene Foundation). Lumene skin care products originate in Finland and are available in the United States at some CVS stores, Target, and at ULTA Beauty and Drugstore.com. They also sell some of their products in small trial sizes, so if you have a store near you that carries the brand, it is worth checking there in person for trial sizes and various local sales.

First up are the Lumene Sensitive Touch Cleansing Wipes. These worked quite well at removing dirt, oil, and makeup, including eye makeup. The wipes contain oat milk, which helps keep the cleanser from drying the skin. I liked the cleansing pads and will likely purchase more. I had been using Garnier Nutritioniste Cleansing Wipes (link is to previous review), but those tend to be a bit dry. I like the Lumene better because they are not too soapy, yet have a bit more moisture than the Garnier wipes. They also come is great travel size packs.

I also really liked a pair of products from the Lumene Time Freeze line. Lumene puts age ranges on their lines, with age 40 plus listed for the time freeze line. Although it might be good for the company's marketing, I don't find the age ranges particularly useful or necessary, because in many cases the products may be very appropriate for people outside of the provided age range. The day and night creams that I tried from the Lumene Time Freeze line are perfect examples. These products would be useful for anyone with somewhat dry skin and/or fine lines or wrinkles.

Lumene Premium Beauty Rejuvenating Day Cream is a medium weight moisturizer that provides a decent amount of moisture combined with SPF protection. I liked it just as well as a number of other good day creams, yet it is a bit cheaper than some of the equivalent higher end products.

What really shined for me though was Lumene Premium Beauty Rejuvenating Night Cream. I found this creme to be particularly pleasant to use and a great value as well. The cream is fairly thick and provides enough moisture for dry skin without being too heavy for skin that is only a bit on the dry side. It absorbs quickly and provides moisture for the entire night. So, it does a pretty bang up job for its price. At around $29 for a decent size jar, this is a good value general use night cream.

Lumene Vitamin C Serum

Another product I tried and liked was the Lumene Vitamin C+ Line. The Vitamin C day cream contains multiple forms of vitamin C and felt great when I put it on. It also smells quite nice with its light citrus scent. I could feel the tingle that comes with the use of vitamin C, so it must have a decent concentration. It also absorbed well and my skin was looking quite good after a week of use (although I do use other products). With a decent price at around $15-20, this is another good value product. I also loved the Lumene energy cocktail serum from the line. So if you are looking for an affordable vitamin C cream or other vitamin c products, this line one is worth a look.

Another of my favorite of the products overall was the Lumene Premium Beauty Rejuvenating Lip Care Lotion. This product has an interesting mix of ingredients. From the description:

"The products’ precious natural sea buckthorn oil contains omega fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins that strengthen and renew skin. The Tri-peptides™–compound helps restore the skin’s elasticity and youthful glow. A-and E-vitamines stimulates cellular renovation."

Adding peptides to a lip product greatly interested me since there is a decent amount of ancedotal evidence about the anti-aging, particularly anti-wrinkle, benefits of various types and combinations of peptides. However, whether the combination in this product comes from one of the better documented combinations is unknown (Update: I found that Lumene uses two documented combinations, see my comment). The lip care lotion is a light treatment balm/lotion. It has a nice moisturizing quality and it keeps the lips moist for some time. It has quickly become my favorite lip product for use at night when I want long lasting moisture, but don't need SPF added. The treatment elements of the product also make it very attractive for night use. It has bit of a taste that is not unpleasant, but not pleasant either. But I would like to see it either entirely devoid of flavor or with something a bit more pleasing. Aside form that, I highly recommend this product.

Overall, I was impressed with everything I tried from Lumene. The company makes numerous products aimed at a wide range of skin types and treatment needs, so I really just got to scratch the surface. If you have a store nearby that carries them, stop in and take a look!

Below are shopping boxes for a few of my favorite Lumene items. I couldn't find them all online, so do check stores for them!