My relationship with Shu Uemura cleansing oil that is.

Don’t you just hate it when a cult product that’s considered HG by so many other women just doesn’t live up to your expectations? You feel cheated somehow. There was so much hype surrounding the Shu Uemura cleansing oil and so many bloggers swore by it that I felt sure it would be the best thing to happen to my skin.

I was so wrong.

The first tried the original cleansing oil when I was pregnant. My skin went a little mental in the first trimester. It became very sensitive and started reacting to products that I’d been using for ages without any issues. I desperately needed something gentle that would cleanse effectively without tugging or irritating my skin. Facial washes seemed to be stripping and drying out my face so an oil seemed like the perfect solution.

Now, this baby sure does a good job of removing make-up and I love how easy it is to use. I would simply massage a small amount all over my face and neck and then remove with a damp muslin cloth. When the oil comes into contact with water it emulsifies slightly and removes every trace of dirt and grime. I also appreciated the fact that it literally melted my mascara away without the need to pull or tug at the delicate skin around my eyes. I did find the smell a little unpleasant… not chemically as such but it certainly didn’t smell natural or fresh which is what I usually prefer.

After a few weeks of using the oil I experienced some of the worst acne of my life. Although it was obvious that all my make-up was being removed I hated the way my skin felt after I used the oil. Initially it seemed as if I had a slight film of oil over my skin. Eventually this sensation would disappear and my face would be left feeling slightly dry or taught.

Anyway, I broke out, mainly along my chin and jawline, in tons and tons of little whiteheads. If there was a patch of my lower face that didn’t have a pimple on it then there was some kind of sore under-the-skin bump instead. It was horrendous and it left me feeling very depressed. I stopped using the oil, had an ill fated fling with Dermalogica and then eventually switched to the Neals Yard Palmarosa facial wash which became my staple cleanser during pregnancy. My skin cleared up (probably because my hormones settled down as I went into the 2nd trimester) and I slowly forgot about my brush with Shu skincare.

Then at Christmas I received a sample of the cleansing oil as part of a gift. When I finished a bottle of cleanser recently I decided to crack open the dinky bottle and give it another whirl. It seemed entirely possible that all the problems I experienced last time were simply an unavoidable symptom of pregnancy and I needed to be sure I wasn’t missing out on my HG cleanser.

Unfortunately, my skin started to break out in exactly the same way, in exactly the same area.

A quick glance at the bottle reveals that the cleanser’s main component is mineral oil (which forces me to question how they justify the hefty price tag… mineral oil is a dirt cheap ingredient) and as far as I’m concerned this is where my issues with this product originate. It just doesn’t suit my skin. I think I just need gentle skincare with minimal synthetic ingredients. There are exceptions to this rule but on the whole I need to stick to this approach.

Don’t feel down hearted though ladies. There are plenty of people out there who would say otherwise about Shu Uemura cleansing oil, and you could easily be one of them.

I on the other hand will have to continue searching for the knight in shining armour of the cleansing world. Tell me ladies, have you found your cleansing hero yet?

Loveaudrey xxx