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 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!
Tips: If you wear falsies, get a little oil on your finger, dab into the roots of your lashes to loosen up the glue, remove them, THEN go in with your full pump of oil and massage the eye makeup off as normal.