Hylamide High-Efficiency Face Cleaner

Seeing as I have just spent far too much money on the Deciem Black Friday sale, I thought it was high time I reviewed something I have been using from their range before I receive my whole new bunch of goodies. Deciem was founded in 2013 in Canada and currently owns 10 brands spanning skincare, haircare, health supplements, makeup, and more. Their focus is to provide products of the highest quality whilst not being defined by price or distribution channels, which has definitely shaken up the norm in the beauty industry. Hylamide is a middle of the range brand from Deciem, falling in between NIOD and The Ordinary in terms of price, focusing on skincare and makeup enhancing products. The High-Efficiency Face Cleanser is the first product that I have tried from the Hylamide range.

The High-Efficiency Face Cleaner promises to cleanse the skin and remove makeup. It also promises to balance the skin, purify pores, and provide surface hydration.

I apply this cleanser to a dry face as a first cleanse to remove makeup. It is a liquid consistency that is very runny and much less viscous than comparable oil cleansers that I have used. It is clear and slightly oily with no discernible scent and feels very close to water on the skin. A five cent piece sized amount is more than sufficient and very easily dissolves all makeup (although I don't wear waterproof mascara so have not tested it on that). It does not leave the skin uncomfortable or dry, and although I always apply a moisturiser after cleansing this cleanser doesn't make me race to rehydrate my skin.

I have never used an oil cleanser that dissolves makeup so easily and quickly! Other balm and oil cleansers that I have used have been a bit thicker and required massage to remove makeup, whereas a quick swipe of this cleanser over the face seems to dissolve makeup instantly. I don't love the feel of this on my skin when I use it, possibly because it dissolves makeup so quickly that my face immediately feels dirty. For this reason, I use this cleanser exclusively to remove makeup and not as a second cleanse on bare skin. I always remove my cleansers with a flannel, however the beauty of this cleanser is that you can remove with water only so it would be great for travelling. I'm guessing someone who loves micellar water to remove makeup would probably enjoy this cleanser because it has a similar feel to a micellar water to me.

This is packaged in a plastic bottle with a screw top nozzle. I like the plastic packaging, mainly because I've knocked one too many cleansers off my bathroom counter with disastrous results. The screw top nozzle I can take or leave. Because this cleanser is so liquid, you have to transfer the product straight to your face otherwise you'll end up with it dripping down your arm, and so more often than not the lid is left open which is not ideal. Some sort of pump packaging would be easier.

The formula is water-, alcohol-, and silicone-free. The full ingredients list includes cetyl ethylhexanoate, peg-20 glyceryl triisostearate, bisabolol, bataua palm oil, Brazil nut oil, Inca nut oil, crambe seed oil, jojoba oil, tomato fruit extract, karanja seed oil, squalane, ethylhexyl stearate, tocopherol, phenoxyethanol, and chlorphenesin.

Price: $29.95 (Deciem website) [$0.25/mL]
Rate: efficacy, no fragrance, plastic packaging
Hate: screw top nozzle packaging, feel on skin
Verdict: I've enjoyed other oil and balm cleansers more than this so probably not a repurchase for me despite how effective it is

Almost Peggy Face Honey

Almost Peggy is the brainchild of two sisters from Melbourne, Lucy and Clare, and Face Honey is currently their only product. It is a natural exfoliating daily face wash aiming to solve many common skin problems by natural means and using their hero ingredient, honey (obviously!). I was fortunate to win a packet of the gooey stuff in an Instagram giveaway by Wellness by Kels and have been giving it a good test out since.

Face Honey promises to nourish and gently exfoliate the skin. It also promises to promote clear skin and balance oils.

Face Honey is a dark golden, slightly sticky paste packaged in one of those resealable envelope packets that are all the rage for body scrubs. Not going to lie, I hate the packaging. Fortunately, Face Honey's semi-solid state allows you to easily scoop out a chunk to apply to your face. It is recommended that you wet your face before applying so that it is easier to spread the product out (trust me, do not try to apply it to a dry face) so this means that some of the water ends up in the packaging and trying to reseal it with wet hands...nightmare. Actually, trying to reseal these envelopes full stop I struggle - anyone else? I think it would be slightly better in a jar because at least you wouldn't be reaching all the way in for some product and ending up with sticky hands and wrists too. Sadly, the product is way too thick to be packaged in pump-style packaging.


I have been using Face Honey as a second cleanse after removing makeup in the evenings and occasionally as a first cleanse first thing in the morning. It is much easier than I was expecting to spread the product over your face given the stickiness of the honey and the thickness of the formula. It has a slightly gritty texture from the bicarbonate soda included to help with exfoliation. I normally do not enjoy exfoliating scrubs as I prefer acid exfoliation, however I found this gentle enough on my skin to use a couple of times a week. My skin is very soft and smooth after use and the antibiotic properties of the honey have helped to clear up and heal some of my breakouts faster than normal.

To me, Face Honey smells exactly like honeycomb and I really enjoy opening this up just because of the smell alone! Given the first two ingredients are honey and organic bicarbonate soda, this makes a lot of sense. The rest of the ingredients include grapeseed oil, organic agar agar, and essential oils of sweet orange, cedarwood, lime, bergamot, frankincense, ylang ylang, and geranium. It is a really simple, natural formula that relies on the natural preservative effects of the honey but does need to be used up within four to six weeks of opening.


Price: $26.95 (Almost Peggy website) [$0.135/g]
Rate: ingredients, scent, efficacy, Australian-made and owned, cruelty free
Hate: packaging (really)
Verdict: I wouldn't repurchase this, despite enjoying it as a change from acid exfoliation, simply because the packaging is way too fussy, messy and irritating

Shea Terra Organics Argan Oil & Acacia Honey Facial Wash

The Argan Oil & Acacia Honey Facial Wash is made by the lovely people at Shea Terra Organics, who source their ingredients from Africa and promise cruelty-free products with certified organic and natural ingredients in 100% recyclable packaging. Their products have no artificial fragrance, SLS, or parabens. I have also tried a whipped shea butter from them, reviewed here.

This cleanser is something a little bit different to the usual cleansers. It can either be used as a typical cleanser and massaged into the face to be removed with water, or it can be used as a mask to be left on the face for 5 to 10 minutes. I have mostly used it as a second cleanse to allow the natural ingredients to penetrate my skin, rather than just using it to remove makeup, and I leave it on for a couple of minutes as I am brushing my teeth in the evening. The only thing to be careful of is that this can sting the eyes a bit, so be careful to avoid that area (another reason I would use it as a second cleanse)!

Original texture

This cleanser smells delightful, a rich, raw honey scent. It also looks like honey and was very liquid for the first couple of weeks of use. Once I was about halfway through the bottle, the product thickened up quite significantly and I found it much easier to use as it was not dripping off my face mid-use. I'm not sure if I needed to shake the bottle before use to mix the ingredients so that it was less liquid, or if it just started to thicken up as the weather became colder. You can tell I was a little confused about this one!

Thicker texture

Despite its changing properties, I actually quite enjoyed this cleanser. Once it became thicker, it was easy to leave this on for a couple of minutes whilst I was brushing my teeth and I was left with smooth, soft skin immediately after removal. There was no tightness in my skin and it did not feel dry either. However, removal was a bit of a process! When you leave it on for a little while and it sets, it forms a film on top of your skin which can not be removed with only water! So I found myself cleansing (again!) with a milk cleanser and a warm flannel to help remove the remnants. Yeesh! Otherwise you are left with a tacky film over your skin that is not the greatest feeling.

Ingredients are lovely, as you can imagine, comprising organic sunflower oil, acacia honey, organic argan oil, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic coconut cream oil, water, and salt. A beautiful mix of skin-loving ingredients. The cleanser comes housed in a gorgeous brown glass bottle with a pump, making it super easy to use. The glass bottle worries me slightly though, as I am so scared to drop it! But good to know that it can be recycled. Overall, a lovely and slightly luxurious multipurpose cleanser.

Shea Terra Organics also do a Rosehip Black Soap for deep cleansing and resurfacing, which is next on my list to try! (let's not mention the Moroccan Argan Oil or the Rosewater Spritz, eee!)

Price: $24.00 (Amorganica) [$0.17/mL]
Rate: ingredients, efficacy, multipurpose, pump packaging, organic, packaging, scent
Hate: texture, need to cleanse afterwards
Verdict: would repurchase purely for use as a mask rather than a cleanser

Skincare

I like to subscribe to the Caroline Hirons method of skincare. Admittedly, it makes my skincare routine a helluva lot longer than it was a year or two ago, but the results for my skin make it 100% worth it. I thought I would take some time to explain my morning and evening skincare routines, which are more or less based on Caroline's, so that my reviews make a lot more sense in what I am actually looking for in a product.

Typical morning line-up

Morning:

1. Cleanser! I like to use a creamy, milky cleanser in the mornings that is light but will still get rid of any built-up sweat and gunk from overnight.
2. Hydrating toner to start the hydration process for my skin.
3. Eye cream. I apply this before serum so that it actually absorbs into the eye area.
4. Serum. I don't like to use an oil-based serum in the morning if I am going to be wearing makeup during the day as I find it doesn't sit as well on my skin. If I am staying home and not wearing makeup...bring on the oil! My skin can use all the extra hydration it can get.
5. Moisturiser. Because my skin is almost always dehydrated, I like to use a thick, creamy (not quite night cream level) moisturiser that will last the whole day.
6. SPF. Every day. It's Australia, you just cannot get away with not using an SPF.

Typical evening routine

Evening:

1. Double cleanse. My New Year's resolution is to try to do this as soon as I get home from work instead of letting my makeup sit on my skin until I'm ready to go to bed. More time for my skincare to do its work! My double cleansing method involves an oil-based makeup remover to get rid of eye makeup and the top layer of foundation and then a cream or oil-based (non-foaming) cleanser to massage the rest of the makeup and grime off my skin. Remove with a warm flannel.
2. Exfoliating acid toner. I use a mild exfoliating toner on a cotton pad swiped all over my face to keep my skin fresh rather than a traditional, manual scrubby exfoliator. Once in the evening is enough - using it in the morning as well can cause problems in my skin. I find chemical/acid exfoliating works much better for my skin, but if I'm out of my acid toner I will use a manual exfoliator two to three times a week.
3. Hydrating toner, as for the morning routine.
4. Eye cream.
5. Serum. Here I will layer a few treatments if my skin needs it. Water-based serums first and oil-based serums last.
6. Night cream. A nourishing layer of night cream or facial oil depending on how my skin is going. And, done!

Chemical vs. manual exfoliation products

There you go. Yes, it's a good few layers of skincare morning and night but the change in my skin since I've adopted a good routine is incredible. It's all worth it - even the boy has seen a lot of improvement in his skin after adding a few extra steps to his skincare routine as well ;) Again, all credit to Caroline Hirons for the basis of these routines and skincare tips. She's a genius and has definitely revolutionised the way I take care of my skin.