On my last trip to the States in February, I acquired for myself a durty great bottle of Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (you'll find it in random chemists on the auld sod for about €15.) At the time, I was looking for a new rinse off morning cleanser and reckoned that this soap- and fragrance-free non-comedogenic number would fit the bill very nicely. It washed away easily to leave skin feeling cleansed and fresh but not tight or dry: poifect.
Then, a couple of weeks ago after a night out, I discovered that I'd run out of every make-up remover known to my bathroom. I hadn't got so much as a packet of cleansing wipes from last year's Electric Picnic hanging around the place. In desperation, I loaded up a cotton pad with Cetaphil and swiped it across my fully made-up face, thinking that at least I'd get rid of the top layer of slap.
In fact, it removed every last scrap of my make-up - including mascara - and I've been using it in place of my Eve Lom cleanser with a damp muslin cloth ever since. It's keeping my pores perfectly clean and keeping my skin on an even keel generally. I've had fewer break outs than usual while using it and it's definitely helping to keep pesky dry (and occasionally eczema-ish, wah) patches in check.
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This is a cleanser that divides opinion pretty fiercely - fans love that it can be used with or without water, does exactly what it says on the tin without irritating sensitive skin, while its detractors complain that it's too pricey for a boring product devoid of any bells and whistles. There's no getting away from the fact that the chunky plastic cream, lime and blue packaging is functional rather than fancy, but that doesn't bother me in the slightest and I much prefer the pump dispenser to Eve's open topped tub. I'm firmly in the "love it" camp!
