Wash Me Amadeus Week: The Piece de Resistance

Drumroll... the final wash of Wash Me Amadeus Week: Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash ($25).

I love this mild, exfoliating facial cleanser - it does the job when I want some exfoliation.. but don't want to break out the big guns. Best of all, it's gentle enough to use daily. However, this is not a product that removes makeup. The directions actually advise you to keep it away from the eye area, so make sure to remove makeup pre-wash. The wash's formula is sulfate-free (I loathe a sulfate) and formulated with topical antioxidants to help condition the skin and retain its moisture level. I used it last night and found my skin was buffed to a radiant shine without irritation. It's perfect for use before applying a facial self-tanner.

Hope you all had a great weekend! Mine was relaxing and shop-tastic. I spent the weekend at my country home, A.K.A. my parents' house outide of Philadelphia. I did very well at both Target (LURVE the Jovovich-Hawk line!) and at my secret obsession, TJ Maxx in Philly's Main Line. At the latter, I scored:
Marc Jacobs shades for $30 (!)
A gorge red raincoat
A spring-weight Vertigo black trench
A gold Via Spiga belt
A Diane Von Furstenburg white wrap dress for $70 (!)

I also finally used two Tiffany gift cards that have been burning a hole in my wallet for two YEARS. If you live in the Philadelphia metro area, I HIGHLY urge you to seek out Kim at the King of Prussia Mall's Tiffany & Co. store. She's a DOLL, but N.B. - she only works on weekends. It's her side gig. I wound up purchasing a polishing mitt, a gorge necklace and a pair of earrings that I love the hell out of.

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Wash Me Amadeus Week: Cheap Creamy Cleansers

I'll bet you thought that was it for Wash Me Amadeus Week! You couldn't be more wrong. In fact, there are three more recs in store. Two of which, we'll cover right now.

Garnier Nutrist Nutri-Pure Detoxifying Cream Cleanser
Garnier is unique for their ability to create oil-free moisturizers, serums, and washes that moisturize alarmingly well. So well in fact, I often forget to use them because they feel so oil-FULL. For $6, this cream cleanser (the consistency is most akin to Noxzema) gently removes oil, dirt, makeup and detoxifies by using ingredients developed exclusively by Garnier. My skin feels pure and healthy post wash.

Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser

I feel like a broken record, but this one ALSO removes dirt, oil and makeup. That is a must though. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it. Especially because some cleansers don't remove makeup or are too harsh to use in the eye area. This one makes the cut because of its refreshing cool tingle. Again, a minty-on-my face product. Deep Action Cream Cleanser is gentle enough for every day use and is oil-free. A super steal at $6.
What will the final wash be? Stay tuned, you'll find out mañana.

Photo credits: walgreens.com, cleanandclear.com
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Wash Me Amadeus Week: La Mer The Cleansing Gel

This gem of a face wash is the perfect marriage of two of my fave things: La Mer and tourmalines.

Ideal for normal to oily skins, this mix of magnetized tourmaline and La Mer's exclusive Deconstructed Waters™ removes makeup, dirt, oil and debris with minimal rubbing. Oil-free non-detergrent formula combats extra sebum while keeping your moisture barrier intact. Unfortch, tourmalines tend to come with a hefty price tag. This one is $65. Worth the splurge, however, for the fresh green spring-like scent. Get some here.

Photo credit: cremedelamer.com

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Wash Me Amadeus Week: Send Flaky Skin the way of Eliot Spitzer

Dolls, when I had the Death Flu, my skin became extremely dry. My nose was the Sahara. It wasn't delightful, to say the least. On the whole though, I have normal-to-oily/combo skin (I think the fact that my skin has acted as every type of skin on the planet makes me a good candidate for a face wash tester, n'est-ce pas?).

Luckily I had something on hand that was PERFECT. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser is just moisturizing enough to balance my complexion, but its gentle formula won't overdo it in the moisture department. The fact that it's designed for all skin types says it all. This mild cleanser is formulated with a sugar-derived glycoside foaming agent to thoroughly cleanse skin and remove makeup, without disrupting skin's natural oils. A quick Chem 101 lesson: glycosides are certain molecules in which a sugar part is bound to some other part. It also contains Apricot Kernel Oil, Vitamin E, and Avocado Oil and is PH-balanced. $17.50 on kiehls.com.


Photo credit: kiehls.com

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Wash Me Amadeus Week: Two Gentle-Like-a-Baby-Bunny Washes

Sometimes your skin wants tough love; sometimes it wants to be coddled. Here are my two gentle faves. Perfect if you have sensitive or even sunburnt skin.


Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash

A long-time Fabulista fave. My freshman year college roommate was deeply into Purpose and I natch followed suit. Even the packaging is minimalist. This one is perfect for dudes and no frills gals. It's gentle enough to remove eye makeup in a simple sweep. Its soap-free, oil-free formula is nondrying, and nonirritating. I'm also quite into the creamy lather. You simply massage onto wet skin, rinse off, and pat your face dry. At $6, it's a steal.

Wei East China Herbal Cleanser
Another soap-free, oil-free cleanser. But this one ($18) uses Chinese herbs with natural vitamins to brighten and balance skin tone. This very zen cleanser removes makeup simply and easily. I was rocking the Oscar-looking packaged Guerlain Le 2 Mascara yesterday, which looks fantastic on if you're into length and volume simultaneously (which I most certainly am). Do try it on out. But Le 2, while fab, is le 2 times as hard to remove for some reason. Wei East took care of it. But my fave part about this wash? China Herbal Foaming Cleanser is based on the personal formula of Ming Dynasty Princess Zhoujun, a beauty renowned for her glowing complexion. I mean, the Ming was my fave dynasty.

Photo credits: drugstore.com and weieast.com


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Wash Me Amadeus Week: Drugstore Darling

As far as face washes go, Neutrogena is my number one choice for drugstore darling. Their Deep Clean Foaming Scrub will set you back a mere $7. I love the refreshing minty-on-my-face tingly cool lather. And, while it mildly exfoliates, it's not the kind of exfoliation that feels like it's interfering with the cleansing process. I even use this one to remove makeup as well. The tiny microbeads gently exfoliate skin while sweeping away dead skin cells. I like that it lathers despite having microbeads; a rarity in exfoliating face washes. The mentholated gel cleans down to pores leaving my skin feeling fresh, clean and energized. Best of all? It doesn't dry my skin out at all. Between this gem and their Oil-Free Acne Wash, a Fabulista staple of 10 years, I heart Neutrogena more than Mandy Moore did in 1999.

Missing you like candy. Love always,
Mandy

Photo credit: walgreens.com

Wash Me Amadeus Week: Dermalogica Medibac Clearing Skin Wash

Oh hey, guys! Welcome to Wash Me Amadeus Week! Re: Dermalogica: I LURVE this stuff. If you're having mild-medium adult acne probs, this could save you a trip to the dermatologist. Dermalogica's Clearing Skin Wash is a non-irritating, naturally-foaming cleanser that provides around-the-clock control of breakouts and excess surface oils. It contains Salicylic Acid to slough off dead skin cells to clear clogged pores, helping to prevent future breakouts. Soothing, naturally-antiseptic extracts of Balm Mint, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Burdock and Camphor calm congested skin. Contains no artificial fragrance or color.

It's not quite so cheap at $47 for 16.9 oz, but you get your money's worth. Here's why. First, you need only use a pea-sized amount each time you wash. Be sure to keep it out of your eye area. In fact, I normally just scrub my eye makeup off with my face wash, but this one expressly recommends you refrain from doing that. So when I Dermalogica, I use a separate eye makeup remover. Lately, I'm loving Lancome Bi-Facil, $26. It's non-irritating for contact lens wearers and gently removes even waterproof mascara, no easy feat.

Anywho, Dermalogica is pretty economical as I find you only need to use it for a week here and there. Once my skin calms down (and it's been WAY less oily all around - this makes a GREAT summer skin wash), I return to using something designed for more balanced skin. More on those choices later. I'll use my regular wash for another 3-4 weeks or until my skin starts freaking out again and then will break out my interim prod, Dermalogica again. Also, as my friend Leah pointed out, it IS a bit drying. Make sure you have a good oil-free moisturizer on hand to combat dryness. But dryness, while annoying, is a small price to pay for clear skin. In conjunction with the Zeno, you can kiss zits buh-bye. Have you tried Dermalogica? What do you think? Hope you had a fab weekend, dolls! Mine was great, thank you. I went to two birthday parties, caught up with my old roommate Erin, and got a fantastic treatment and rinse/gloss at the Hiro Haraguchi Salon. More on that later.



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Photo credit: dermalogica.com

Wash Me Amadeus Week: Face Wash Review Archive

Hi dolls!

Wash Me Amadeus/Face Wash Week officially kicks off tomorrow. But in the meantime, check out these face washes I've recommended previously on BBJ.

Clinique Acne Solutions

Phisoderm Clear Confidence and Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash

Artistry Essentials Balancing Cleanser

Enjoy the last beats of the weekend!

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Thanks, dolls! Stay tuned for Wash me Amadeus: Face Wash Week! It's starting Sunday or Monday.

Face Wash Week Winner!

Divastar96 is the winner of the Origins Organics Foaming Face Wash contest! Divastar, I like your style. Your suggestions were the best. Email me your address and I'll send your face wash to you!

For the record, here are Divastar's suggestions:
Sade - "Smooth Operator" - A great one, but we already did that for shaving paraphernalia!
Rod Stewert - "Forever Young"
Sarah McLachlan - "Steaming"
Phil Collins - "(Against All Odds)Take a Look at Me Now"

I think, however, that they're not 100% representative of face wash, so I've decided to call it, Wash Me Amadeus Week. You know, like "Rock me Amadeus" by Falco? If you don't know of what I speak, check this:

I know. I'm not jazzed about it either. It turns out, there REALLY is no readily recognizable 80s song title in keeping the face wash theme. I even considered using a line (not the title) from Pat Benatar's "We Belong": "Try to wash the palette clean." But that line is buried DEEP within the song and even I, a Pat Benatar enthusiast, would not have recognized it right off. Stay tuned for my recs for the best face washes! Wash Me Amadeus Week will take place in the next 2-3 weeks.