Skincare Shortcuts: Facial Cleansing Cloths
Hi Amalah-
I love your column! In fact, I found it when I was searching for information about Philosophy, my favorite skincare line. I generally have a very good routine – Purity Made Simple, Philosophy Help me, moisturizer, etc. But, sometimes I feel lazy, and it’s too much trouble to clip back my bangs and do the whole routine (so simple, yet so hard!).
So my question is if there is a good facial cleansing cloth that you can recommend for when I don’t want to go through the shebang but also don’t want to sleep in my makeup. And not one of those cloths that you have to get wet and rinse off, which totally defeats the purpose. If only Philosophy made a Purity cloth- I’d be all over that! And maybe they do, but I haven’t seen anything like that on Sephora. So that’s why I have turned to you, my beauty guru! I have pretty good skin and would probably consider it normal, if that helps you at all.
Thanks,
S
Ah, the endless search for a good skincare shortcut. No, Philosophy doesn’t make an all-in-one pre-moistened Purity cloth, although I think you’ve just conceived of their next big blockbuster product, if anyone from the line is reading. (Update! here’s the Philosophy Purity Facial Cleansing Cloth! It’s available since we wrote this post originally.)Â Â (Which I doubt, because hellooooooooooo, I’ve been proselytizing about Philosophy for YEARS and you know how many free samples I’ve gotten from them? None. No free samples.) They do make a mini-wipe version of their Microdelivery Peel for those of us who are too lazy to keep up with a weekly deep treatment (me! me! meeeeee!), but I’ve never tried them, and I doubt they are really what you’re looking for, which is more of a gentle make-up remover/cleanser sort of thing.
Which in that case, no need to stalk the hallowed but high-priced aisles of Sephora.
Cleansing cloths you can find in the drugstore aisle
These all fit the bill for the occasional slacking on your skincare regimen.
1. Pond’s Moisture Clean
2.Olay Daily Facials
3.Dove Facial Cleansing Cloths
4.Aveeno Positively Radiant
5.Biore
My two favorite daily cleansing cloths
I’m partial to the Dove and Olay offerings, since they are available in fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic versions– but really, you could probably just go with whatever brand already has your loyalty. Most are alcohol-free, safe for eye makeup, etc. Just watch out for fragrance and anything that claims to fight oil — that will be a very drying cloth, believe it or not. These things can pack quite a punch for something that seems like a skincare copout.
Are they appropriate for permanently kicking your regular face wash to the curb? Eh, probably not. I’ve used them and I don’t care what the packaging says — these do not cleanse your face as deeply as a lathering wash and a washcloth. Hot and cold water are good for opening and closing your pores. And while the sensitive skin versions can be preferable for someone with REALLY dry skin (for whom water is too harsh, but for whom Cetaphil doesn’t remove enough make-up), they can be very drying if you don’t read the fine print. And duh, these do not replace your moisturizer or night cream.
But! I like them. I like being lazy sometimes too. A lot of days I don’t even wear makeup, and thus breaking out the Purity wash and everything seems excessive, but I do want a little freshening up before I go to bed. They’re great for travel. They’re better than using a baby wipe (shut up, don’t you judge me). And my goodness, they are inexpensive. Hooraaaay inexpensive!
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