Hello hello! Apologies for the sudden disappearance on the blog! I have been travelling (as you may have known from my Instagram posts) and am slowly returning back to normal life. Sometimes you need a holiday from your holiday as its so jammed packed and the schedule full of new and exciting places to explore. Anyway, I’ve returned home with a fresh mind, plenty of sleep and had a few days to just relax that now I am back into the blogging headspace again. I have realised this past month there seems to be a running theme of cleansers. I don’t know why or how this came about (maybe something to do with the fact that I adore using a good cleanser?) but I am bringing yet another cleanser review to the blog…I am a self confessed cleanser junkie after all.
Luxe Botanics is relatively new brand on the natural skincare scene. Rooted from three extraordinary core botanical ingredients — Marula Oil from Kenya, Camu Camu berry from Brazil, and Kigelia Africana from Malawi, the range harnesses the nutrients from these ingredients to help nourish, brighten and clarify skin. Founder of Luxe Botanics – Jene Roestorf has always had a ‘deep love of all things natural’ which lead her to study and work in the field of nano and biotechnology to give herself a good grounding on the workings of nature and to look at it through a scientific lens. With 12 years of training and working in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, taking her to all sorts of destinations in the world. Combining her studies and training Jene followed her passion with all things natural, combing and applying her scientific knowledge to find a more effective skincare solution.
I had the pleasure of briefly speaking with Jene and being able to sample the range last year before its official launch, with one of the brand’s Discovery Kits. I immediately fell in love with both of the cleansers in the line (and wrote about them briefly in an empties post here). When the opportunity arose for me to try the full size of these products, I was so excited as I had already enjoyed the samples so much. I do believe that the Luxe Botanics Marula Hydrating Pre-Cleaser and the Camu Brightening Cleanser are wonderful in their own right, but combined leave the skin beautifully soft and nourished, making it a fantastic cleansing duo.
***Please note that 1. Both items were gifted to me for my own honest opinion and that I accepted this sort of review because I had received the discovery kit beforehand and had really enjoyed the products and that 2. there is an affliate link (which I clearly state it is an affiliate link) at the end of this blog post. All opinions are my own honest opinions in this blog post and I have been as transparent as possible with links!
What Is It:
Both the Marula Hydrating Pre Cleanser and the Camu Brightening Cleanser are basically cleansers for the skin.
What Do They Do?
The Luxe Botanics Marula Hydrating Pre Cleanser is your typical first oil cleanse. Used to remove makeup and the day’s dirt and grime without stripping or irritating the skin. The Camu Brightening Cleanser works as a wonderful second or morning cleanse and is of a cream cleanser consistency.
Ingredients:
Marula Pre Hydrating Cleanser –
Capric/ Caprylic Triglycerides*†, Sclerocarya birrea (Marula) Kernel Oil, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Ribes nigrum (Blackcurrant) Seed Oil, Rosa canina (Rosehip) CO2 Extract, Citrus paradisi (Red Grapefruit) Essential Oil, Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Essential Oil, Citrus reticulata var. blanco (Tangerine) Essential Oil, Citrus aurantifolia (Lime) Essential Oil. Naturally occurring components of essential oils: Citral, citronellol, geraniol, limonene, linalool.
*Certified Organic †Plant/ Natural Origin
Camu Brightening Cleanser –
Purified Water (Aqua/ Eau), Myrciaria dubia (Camu Camu) Fruit Extract, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate†, Decyl Glucoside*†, Sucrose Cocoate*†, Glyceryl MonoStearate*†, Matricaria recutita (Chamomile) Flower Extract, Cucumis sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Camellia sinensis (Japanese Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Cocamide MIPA†, Juniperus virginiana (Cedar Wood) Essential Oil, Aniba rosaeodora (Rosewood) Essential Oil, Salvia officinalis (Sage) Essential Oil, Commiphora myrrha (Myrrh) Resin Extract (CO2), Cymbopogon martini (Palmarosa) Essential Oil, Cupressus sempervirens (Blue Cypress) Essential Oil, Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli) Essential Oil, Rosa centifolia (Rose absolute) Essential Oil, Matricaria recutita (German Chamomile) Essential Oil, Citrus aurantium var. amara (Neroli) Essential Oil. Naturally occurring components of essential oils: Citral, citronellol, eugenol, farnesol, geraniol, limonene, linalool.
*Certified Organic †Plant/ Natural Origin
My Thoughts:
What I love about the Luxe Botanics two cleanser offerings is that they work so well their its own but are absolutely wonderful together, complementing each other like wine and cheese or smashed avocado on toast. The Marula Hydrating Pre-Cleanser is a real treat to remove makeup without stripping or irritating the skin and the Camu Brightening Cleanser complements the Pre Cleanser so well as it works to clean the actual skin and give it a beautiful soft and fresh glow. Both cleansers work fantastic on their own or with other cleansers, with the Marula Pre Cleanser working as a fantastic first cleanse, prepping the skin for any additional cleanser. The Camu Brightening Cleanser works loike a real treat to start the day with its beautiful refreshing scent or as a creamy, nourishing second cleanse in the evening. However, despite this I find the best way to use these cleansers are actually together as they make quite the fine cleansing duo.
The Luxe Botanics Marula Hydrating Pre-Cleanser is a beautiful rich oil based cleanser that isn’t too thick and not too thin in its consistency. Due to this, I find that this oil cleanser is so easy and wonderful to work into the complexion to not only give the face a comforting massage but also to remove any stubborn makeup without any irritation. Sometimes with some oil or balm cleansers that I have used in the past, they can start to irritate the eye area once the product has been ‘worked’ into the skin to remove any mascara or eyeliner. I don’t have this issue with the Marula Hydrating Pre-Cleanser at all, even if it does contain some essential oils such as Grapefruit, Lavender or Tangerine essential oil. I find that with the Hydrating Pre-Cleanser I don’t really need to try too hard to remove my eyeliner (please do keep in mind I do not wear alot of eye makeup) or the rest of my SPF or makeup. This oil cleanser has enough slip and is of a beautiful consistency that makes removing the day’s face and grime so very gently and effortlessly. What I love most about this cleanser though is that in the colder months or if the skin is feeling a little sensitive this cleanser works a charm to keep the skin nourished and soft.
In terms of emulsifying, the Marula Pre-Cleanser does not emulsify, as it is a true oil cleanser that uses Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides and Marula Oil as its base. Whilst this does throughly remove any makeup or grime from the face it is suggested to clean the skin with a damp muslin cloth or flannel before doing a second cleanse to get rid of the excess oil from the cleanser. I still love using this (I don’t mind cleansers that do not emulsify) as I find that this works incredibly well to remove makeup without causing any irritation and the light scent of this makes it a real pleasure to use.
The second cleanser in the Luxe Botanics range is the Camu Brightening Cleanser. As mentioned earlier this is of a creamy consistency and plays a role as the typical cream cleanser. It has a lovely lightweight feel to it and the scent of this is refreshing being a light and fresh floral citrus scent. It is a beautiful way to wake up in the morning (it reminds me a little of Tata Harper’s Purifying Cleanser but not as strong in scent) as the smell of this is lovely but not overpowering. I find that when using the Camu Brightening Cleanser, the texture and consistency begins to warm up and become almost oil like and once the cleanser has been rinsed off, it reveals a calm, nourished and healthy looking complexion.
I found that the cream to oil consistency of the Camu Brightening Cleanser makes this Luxe Botanics cleanser quite nourishing and hydrating at the same time. I actually find that it leaves my skin softer and plumper than most of my other cream cleansers. If washed off properly with warm water, this cleanser does not leave a film on the skin. However I still prefer to use a cloth with the Brightening Cleanser, especially if used with the Hydrating Pre Cleanser to ensure that there is no residue left. I also do find the cleanser to be quite calming for my skin if its feeling a little irritated or sensitive and that it definitely does help reduce any redness that I may have. The nourishing, richer texture of the cream cleanser also helps to calm, soothe and nourish any irritations the skin may have.
One of the biggest selling points of the Camu Brightening Cleanser is the fact that it contains Camu Camu Fruit Extract. For those that do not know, Camu Camu is a fruit that is native to the South America. It is said to contain high levels of Vitamin C and antioxidants which are of course beneficial to the human body (and skin!). Whilst I have no doubt that the Camu Camu has high levels of Vitamin C and antioxidants, I personally don’t know how well these benefits are in a cleanser which we essentially wash off. I think that the Camu Camu would definitely show more results in an oil or serum (which you leave on) than in a cleanser. So if you are expecting brighter more radiant skin from just using this cleanser, please do reconsider. The cleanser on its own won’t work the magic you wish it to!
As mentioned earlier, both work very well on their own or in conjunction with other cleansers from different brands. I actually like using these two Luxe Botanics products together as I find that they complement each other so well. The Marula Hydrating Pre-Cleanser does a fantastic job of gently removing makeup from the skin, giving clean fresh canvas for the Camu Brightening Cleanser to really give the skin a more thorough deeper cleanse revealing an overall clearer, hydrated, more nourished and radiant complexion. Both do not dry the skin out, instead they enhance the skin with softness and suppleness. I personally find it pretty rare to find a natural skincare company that do both a first and second cleanse and that do it well. For me Luxe Botanics hits the mark with their formulation and results of softer, cleaner skin, providing the perfect base for the rest of a skincare routine.
In terms of price point, I find that both cleanser are quite reasonably priced in the realm of natural/organic skincare. Both retail for USD$55 each for a 120ml bottle. The packaging on this is great as it comes in a aluminium canister with a pump. The fact it is is so slim line makes it fantastic to take travelling and you would only need the two cleansers as they cover all bases of cleansing!
Repurchase YAY or NAY:
I do enjoy using both of these cleansers together and would consider repurchasing these again once I have run out. If I had to pick one that I would definitely repurchase in a heartbeat, it would most definitely be the Camu Brightening Cleanser as I just love how soft, refreshed and nourished my skin feels after using it. The scent I also enjoy both day or night as its softness makes it pleasant and in no way over powering and it works well both at morning or night. I do enjoy using the Marula Hydrating Pre-Cleanser but I also have a few other cleansing oils and cleansing balms that I own that I do need to get through. The Camu Brightening Cleanser for me is much more unique, as I don’t see many cream cleansers in the realm of natural/green beauty.
Both the Marula Hydrating Pre Cleanser and the Camu Brightening Cleanser can be purchased directly from the Luxe Botanics website for USD$55 and ship internationally.
So I have (my first!) affiliate link here if you wish to purchase anything for the Luxe Botanics website (and help support me with the costs of running this blog) and if you use the code OPxLB15 you can get 15% off your entire order from Luxe Botanics. If you dot now wish to use the affiliate link, click here or copy and paste www.luxebotanics.com
Have you ever used anything from the Luxe Botantics range? What do you think about brands doing a first cleanse and a second cleanse product? Can’t wait to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
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