Finally I have found another product to rave about!
You might have seen this new cleansing oil from Trilogy all over Facebook and Instagram since a few months ago. I received this from Beautyheaven's Natural Beauty Month members' event (which was in August), but I wanted to use it for at least 6 weeks to form a fair and genuine opinion on it. Here it is - and it is GREAT!
Double cleansing regime
If I have been wearing makeup or sunscreen, double cleansing in the evening would be essential. The first step is using a cleansing oil. Cleansing oils are very effective in dissolving oil-based and waterproof makeup. I always use a cleansing oil on dry face, massage it to dissolve all my makeup, then rinse the oil off. The second step is using a regular cleanser (I have normal to combination skin and my choice is a gel cleanser).
Here's a link to a blog post I wrote on double cleansing for my makeup team.
My skin is more balanced, and less oily since I adopted the double cleansing regime more than 10 years ago, and I haven't looked back. Before discovering the Trilogy cleansing oil, my favourite was Dermalogica's Precleanse.
Ingredients
If you are into "natural"-based skincare products, this cleansing oil is almost as "natural" as you can get. Apart from two emulsifying agents and "parfum" (which I suspect is derived from essential oils anyway), the product contains only plant oils and plant extracts. The base is sweet almond oil which is very nourishing for the skin.
My experience
Makeup removal
I have been using 2 pumps for removing sunscreen and 3 pumps for removing makeup. (By the way, the pump works really well - there is no leak, no drip and no oily footprint left under the bottle.) I massage the oil onto dry skin and it removes absolutely all traces of makeup, including waterproof and tubing/tubular mascaras. The product description says it will "melt away even the most long-wearing makeup-up, including eye-makeup", and then the fine print says "avoid contact with eyes". Uh... not sure exactly how to achieve that, but the oil does not really sting my eyes until I try to "emulsify" it.
Emulsification
To "emulsify" an oil means to add water to turn the oil into a milky solution (and hence the name "transformation" oil because it is supposed to "transform" from an oil to a milk). However, the reality is that this oil does not emulsify very well at all. I tried different ratios of water : oil and it just does not emulsify. The good news is though, it rinses off completely clean even without emulsifying it. I skip this step now because I find it unnecessary.
Results
I was impressed after the first use and I have not changed my mind after 2 months. If you have used Trilogy's cleansing balm, I can assure you that the oil is nothing like the balm because it is far superior. The balm is all sticky and yuck, but the oil rinses off effortlessly. It is more effective in removing makeup, and it leaves my skin feeling fresh and balanced even before using my regular cleanser. It looks like I am going to replace my Dermalogica cleansing oil with this Trilogy one (and this is coming from a die hard Dermalogica fan), because this is just as good but less expensive!
Pros
Removes all traces of waterproof makeup including eye makeup
Easy to rinse off
Leaves skin clean; no oily residue
Easy to use pump with no leak and no drip
Plant-based and mineral-oil free (an advantage if you are not a fan of mineral oil)
Cons
The 110 ml size is smaller than similar products in the market
Avoid rubbing this into the eyes (it stings)
Full ingredient list
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Polyglyceryl-2 Sequioleate, Coco-Caprylate, Polyglyceryl-2 caprylate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate (vitamin E), Parfum, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool
About me
Makeup artist and hair stylist based in Sydney. Founder of the well-known award-winning bridal specialist team Faces Makeup & Hair. Beauty junkie with an obsession for skincare.