Clarins Total Cleansing Oil Review

I wear a full face of makeup daily, foundation/waterproof mascara etc, so I need something heavy duty to remove my cakeface. Until now I've used makeup wipes and then a cleanser to remove everything properly. I wondered whether makeup wipes might be a little rough on the skin long term, but never could find an oil cleanser that worked for me.

Cue this BR trial! I had no idea Clarins had an oil cleanser, so definitely wouldn't have stumbled across this on my own. But it is (thankfully!) exactly what I have been looking for. My absolute favourite part about this product is that it seriously leaves no residue behind on your skin, your skin feels (and is) super clean, without feeling stripped of moisture (I have dry skin) AND I don't have to double cleanse when I use it!

The bottle suggests using 2-3 pumps to cleanse your face, if you don't wear makeup you could probably get away with 1 pump, but I have to use the full 3 - one for my eyes, one for my cheeks and one for my giant five-head. Once massaged in to dry skin, it breaks down makeup/dirt/oils in seconds, then just massage water in and rinse it off!

I'm going to have to repurchase it when this bottle runs out because I'm yet to find an oil cleanser I love this much. Judging by my use (which is easy to tell as the bottle is clear), it should last me about 2+ months. So if you don't wear makeup daily, therefore use less pumps, it should last even longer! The price tag every 2 months is a bit daunting, but as long as I stock up when they have a GWP deal, I think I can live with it!

I was lucky enough to be chosen to trial this for Save or Splurge. This cleansing oil comes in the classic Clarins packaging - a white box with red lettering and an accompanying leaflet in every language imaginable (but with very little information!) The bottle itself is clear plastic, with red writing, which is impossible for my visually impaired self to read at night. It has a pump top with a detachable clip - this is great as it prevents any accidental pumps.

The oil itself is golden in colour with a medium consistency. It smells of natural oils with a faint spicy undertone (I find it so hard to describe scents!) The instructions say to use 2-3 pumps. I only needed 2 pumps to cleanse off a full face of makeup. I feel extra pumps would be messy as 2 pumps was all that my hand could cup. It removed all of my makeup up with one cleanse. Even eye makeup seemed to magically disappear as I continued to rub it in. I am currently using waterproof mascara so I had to rub my eyes a few times but everything else was long gone. The cleanser was then easily removed with a hot flannel, which is my preferred cleansing method. There was no residue of cleanser or makeup when I toned with a cotton pad afterwards. However, it did make my eyes sting for a good five minutes. They then watered and felt uncomfortable for about an hour afterwards. My eyelids felt irritated the next morning.

The next time I removed my makeup I just rinsed the cleanser off with water. When you add water to the cleanser, it turns to a milky consistency. This rinsed clean away to leave my skin feeling soft and clean with no oil residue at all. My eyes didn't sting like when I used a flannel but they still felt irratated for the rest of the night and the following morning. I wouldn't call my skin sensitive but I have been prone to eczema on my eyelids in the past so I just don't think this product is for me. It is pleasant enough when I'm using it but the irritation to my eyes afterward is not worth. If you haven't experienced any irritation to your eyes when using cleanser before, you'll probably be fine.

I will continue to use this product when I'm not wearing makeup. When I didn't have eye makeup on and didn't have to rub my eyes to remove it, they didn't become irritated. And that is what I really like about this product, it's versatility. It can be used as a makeup remover and a morning cleanser. This would be great for travelling as you could take this as your only cleanser. I just won't be putting it anywhere my eyes.

I was very lucky to be selected for the save or splurge! Very excited and not quite knowing what to expect I eagerly awaited my BR package to turn up.

I loved the way this product was packaged. The trade mark white and red clarins boxes that to me scream luxury. I'm a sucker for packaging and was automatically drawn to the clarins oil as soon as I saw it. The bottle is fairly tall and slender as well as see through so you can see the yellow product inside. The only con with the packaging is the red writing on the clear bottle background making it very hard to read anything written on it. However, this was minor and I generally understood what was in the product as well as how to use it.

To me the scent was exactly what I was expecting, its the classic clarins scent that I'm used to. It's almost like a herbal smell. I'm terrible at describing scents. It is somewhat an acquired taste in smell. Not everyone is going to love it and I am somewhat on the fence. I don't mind it but think it could be slightly better.

The product itself is a lot more watery than what I expected. It's easy to lose product if your pumping it onto a flat hand. I just expected it to be a thicker consistency. Once dispersed it's as easy as rubbing it between your fingers and then onto the skin (I used circular motions all over my face to really work the product in). What I did love was the fact it went from a clear oil in your hands to a milky white colour on the skin which is somewhat satisfying seeing it change colour as your makeup is coming off your skin.

I found it removed foundation and lippies without hesitation. They came off so easily! Even my Heavily set in place double wear. It just came off like it was nothing. However I found it struggled with eyeliner and mascara. I would have to go in quite a few times to remove all the product off the eye area (excluding eyeshadow, this also came off very easily) so eventually gave up and used a different product for just my mascara and eyeliner. Maybe I just wasn't working it in enough, the eye area is so delicate though!

Overall, I really did LOVE this product. Clarins to me is such a trusted brand and having tried a lot of products from them before I knew the high quality I was expecting. A side from the fact the hand full of times I have used this and experimented with it I think it is quite a good product and if I can sort out the mascara/eyeliner removal issue I think this product could be worth every cent! It is a great product and so easy to use.

I wasn't part of the spend or splurge but this hands down is my favourite Clarins cleanser. It takes off all make up quickly and easily without heaps of scrubbing required. Which is great considering majority of the time I have double wear on and we know how stubborn that can be to remove!

The product itself has an interesting smell but lathers well. I found this great at the end of the day to do a final clean before bed. I haven't tried any other oil cleansers but I know this one I will repurchase this product. I have a lot of Clarins products and have used them a lot in the past, although the price is always a bit more expensive I believe this product is worth it.

This is my holy grail cleanser. Every time I use a cheaper foam or gel cleanser, it irritates my face making it red and blotchy while continuing to cause breakouts. Clarins Total Cleansing Oil is completely different the oil formula is so soft on my face, doesn't dry it out and prevents blemishes from appearing. After a few washes with this cleanser, it helps any previous acne reduce in size or disappear. Oil cleanser is definitely the way to go if you have slightly dry and sensitive skin. I recommend using on a dry face with dry hands to get the most out of using the product, otherwise, it lathers and I feel it doesn't apply as nicely. You only need about two pumps to wash your face with and the bottle normally lasts me 4 months, which is with one use per day.

This comes in a nice plastic bottle with a pump yay makes it easy to use, the oil itself is a nice shade of yellow with a fruity hearbal fragrance, quite nice. Soon as this oil hits the water it becomes a watery white, I do a couple of pumps of this oil onto dry hands then do a circular motion over my dry face you can feel your skin getting a bit of grab ability I then I add a little water and then this oil does its work This light weight milky oil cleanser just seems to strip away the day’s makeup dirt and sweat. I don’t do my eye area but my neck and face get a good wipe over I rinse my skin is striped from makeup and dirt but still feels moisturised and clean. I did panic with thinking my skin would drink the oil before I added the water as I have dry skin, but it doesn’t. I’ve found this does a good job of leaving my skin clean and soft. I feel it’s a good buy especially as Clarins do have really good gwp and that’s always a bonus.