Tuesday 12 January 2016

Review: RE:CIPE Rose Petal Cleansing Oil

Are you a TL;DR sort? Well I've got you covered! Click here for TL;DR Summary

Now we've bumped the millennials to the end of the post I welcome the grown ups to come on in, make yourself comfy, pour a cup of tea/wine/Stoli and let us talk cleansers.

There's nothing more daunting than trying a new cleanser for the first time so I decided in my infinite wisdom to try not one but TWO new cleansers in my regimen because, fuck it. They are both from the popular Korean brand RE:CIPE, the infamous Slowganic cleanser famed for its unique marshmallow like texture (review to follow) and the Rose Petal Cleansing Oil with beautiful rose petals suspended in the bottle.

I haven't had a great deal of luck finding a Korean cleanser that is delicate enough for my super sensitive combination skin but having read so much about these two cleansers and seeing them on offer from Tester Korea I felt like throwing caution to the wind. My current cleanser is Emma Hardie moringa balm which is hands down my favourite cleanser of all time bar none holy grail etc etc and I use it as both my first step cleanser to remove sunscreen and makeup and then a second time (with fresh water of course because I'm not a bloody barbarian) where I spend a few minutes rubbing the balm into my bare skin like a mini facial before removing with warm but not hot water. Now, if it wasn't for the £35 price tag and the fact that I'm currently inbetween jobs I would most probably stick with the EH Moringa Balm and never deviate but until I'm back in work I need to find something more economically justifiable. So in comes the RE:CIPE Rose Petal Cleansing Oil!


My cleanser wishlist in order of importance:

1. It must remove ALL of my makeup, even the mascara and eyeliner
2. It must NOT destroy my eyes in doing so
3. It must NOT leave my face feeling like I just tossed vinegar all over it
4. The smell must NOT be obnoxious

So let's stop fannying about with the entrée and get right into the plat principal!

RE:CIPE Rose Petal Cleansing Oil
   
Product Description (from Tester Korea)
Deep cleansing : Removes dead skin cells and dirts for clearer and healthier skin foundation.
Moist finish : Aroma oil helps to supply moisture to your skin while cleansing and leave your skin supple without tightness after cleansing.
Quality rose aroma essential oil : Rose petals will helps to refresh and revitalize rough and sagging skin.
6 Free Prescription : None Mineral Oil. None Alcohol, None Artificial Coloring, None Animal Oil, None Benzophenone, None Paraben for sensitive skin.

Perfect Cleansing Oil to mildly remove thick make-up!
One doesn't need to use separate eye remover to remove eye make-up.

Ingredients
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Cetyl Octanoate, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Caprylic, Rosa Canina Flower, Fragrance, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Vitamin E, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Seed Extract, Beta-Carotene, Water, Butylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Seedcake Extract

I am far from an expert on ingredients but I was fairly certain none of the ingredients would cause a reaction and seeing the rose elements so high in the list left me confident it was living up to the name. There's nothing worse than buying a product only to realise it's mostly mineral oil - I'm looking at you Eve Lom cleansing balm. If you have skin that reacts to certain ingredients I highly recommend using the CosDNA site where you can see what ingredients are irritants or acne triggers and try to get a handle on exactly what it is your skin reacts to then set about avoiding it in future. I always check CosDNA before buying new skincare - it's pretty much invaluable for sensitive skin!

Packaging
I'm not the sort to buy a product because the packaging takes my fancy but even I have to admit the cartoonish sketch style design on the RE:CIPE outer packaging is super cute and evokes a sort of youthful playfulness without coming across childish which is something that Korean product designers do extremely well. At first I didn't think I'd be that impressed by the rose petals suspended in the oil but I've caught myself several times turning the oil upside down like a snow globe just to see the petals float around. You're right, I really should get out more. My only gripe with the packaging is the pump which has two states: not flinging oil at you and totally flinging all of the oil at you. It's one of the most annoying pumps I've ever used because if you need more than one whole pump but less than two you're screwed. It pumps with such vigor that if you don't cup your hand around the nozzle (arf arf) it will end up all over the sink/your clothes/the dog.

Texture & Smell
The oil is pretty thin and spreads really nicely across the skin, I tend to use two to three pumps on a makeup day and one pump on a bare skin day. It smells of natural rose to me which is a relief because I'm not a huge fan of synthetic fragrances, the smell is quite strong but doesn't linger on the skin once it has been fully washed off. There is no oily residue after rinsing and toweling off my face which is something I really enjoy about the emulsifying type of cleansing oils/balms. If it's your first time using an oil that emulsifies enjoy the crazy voodoo magic that occurs when you add water and it turns to milk.

Performance
I tested this cleanser on several different brands of BB cream (Missha Perfect Cover, Etude House Precious Mineral and Mizon Snail Repair), a couple of different foundations (YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat and NARS All Day Luminous Weightless) and my Lime Crime Velvetines and it removed everything without the need for rubbing or scrubbing. To be fair I don't use any waterproof or stubborn to remove makeup so I can't vouch for how well it removes the toughest of the tough but for the casual makeup wearer like myself it performs really well. I didn't experience any dry patches from using this cleanser daily for over a week which is a first for a Korean cleanser. Woop!

Conclusion
I am so pleased I finally got around to buying this cleanser as it had been on my wishlist for quite a while. It performed way better than I thought it would in terms of removing makeup and I actively enjoy using it everyday. The only negative is the overly aggressive pump which tbh I can live with for all the plus points. Who knew I could be so easily impressed by floating rose petals?!

Where To Buy
I got mine for $14 in a sale event from Tester Korea 
It currently retails for $17 at Memebox (NB they only deliver to the US)
Retails for $17 at InsiderBeauty
TL;DR
Did it remove my makeup? Yes
Did my eyes survive unscathed? Yes
Does it smell good? Yes, if you like roses
Is it worth the RRP of $20? Yes
Will I finish the bottle? Yes
Will I replace it once it runs out? Probably

I hereby stamp RE:CIPE Rose Petal Cleansing Oil Kitty Approved!

Thanks so much for reading, love you byeeee xoxo

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