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Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall
Who has the clearest skin of all?
Within the last two years, my neutral skin has slowly become more and more oily, much to my chagrin. I have tried a plethora of different foundations, moisturizers, and cleansers, some with zero success. Others worked for a brief period of time, or only made a slight difference. I had been using SheaMoisture African Black Soap and never noticed much difference in my skin, so I decided that I would try a different brand. I chose Pacifica Sea Foam face wash, and Badger Argan Cleansing Oil; I use the Pacifica in the shower and the Badger before bed.
My skin is like clock work, it is typically very clear, except when I'm about to start my period. Then I get deep, under the skin blemishes on my forehead or chin. Sometimes they can be so deep they last for two or more weeks. And while I'm on my period, my forehead normally pumps out oil like it's going out of style. Which leads to a smattering of tiny white heads. It's like my own personal cycle tracker.
While my face is normally clear, unfortunately my back typically isn't. Although it is very similar to my face in the sense that I normally get one or two very deep blemishes that take forever to go away during my cycle. Thankfully now, during the winter, this isn't a problem. But come summer, I'm constantly looking for something that will help clear this up so I can wear tank tops or backless dresses!
The first time I used the Pacifica, I was very impressed. It has a very clean, fresh scent. It's not over powering, or headache inducing if your sensitive to fragrance, it has coconut water in it so it smells lightly of coconuts.
It's a nice thick, clear gel that lathers nicely. It felt very nice on my skin, and left my face feeling very refreshed and clean. I use a face washing brush in the shower, which also allows me to scrub my back with the Pacifica as well.
A little goes a long ways, so it lasts for quite a while. I've been using mine every time in the shower for a little over a month and still have quite a bit left. I'd say that all together one 5 oz tube will last me almost 3 months. Which for the $10 I paid for it, is not a bad deal at all!
Something that is cost effective and feels great on my face? I'll take it!
I was a little nervous and confused at the idea of washing my oily face, with an oil. But Badger's instructions on the box read:
"The idea behind cleansing oils is twofold: like dissolves like, and balance is the key to healthy, happy skin."
I figured, nothing else was working, so what was the worst the oil was going to do? Give me oily skin? Already had that!
The same time that I started using the Pacifica in the shower, I started using the oil to wash my make-up off at night. It was $15.99 for 2 oz which is a lot more than what I would normally pay for a face wash, but it was something completely different and I happen to really like the Badger company (mostly because their name is badger, which I enjoy immensely) so I went for it anyways.
I was still unsure of how this was going to work the first night, I had heavy make-up on, including a lot of liquid eyeliner. I couldn't understand how this was going to remove all of that, the instructions say to just rub the oil all over your face without getting your face wet. Didn't make any sense to me, but I did as instructed.
I had a wash cloth soaked in hot water, and laid it over my face and let it sit for a minute, again doing as directed. I've never had face wash that came with so many instructions!
After wiping my face off with the wet wash cloth I was very surprised to see that every speck of eye make-up had been removed, I had no black smudges, or dark under eyes; like you sometimes get when your mascara hasn't been washed off fully. And my skin felt amazing to boot!
I've been using these two products every day for almost 2 months now and am completely converted. I love them both, and am so happy with the results! As skeptical as I was with the oil, on oily skin, it works fantastically. I no longer have a super greasy face by the end of the day, prior to using the oil I was using blotting paper 3-4 times a day. Now I maybe use them once. Washing my face with oil has absolutely balanced out my skin.
On top of that, I have had two cycles while using these products, and neither time did I get the large, deep blemishes on my face or back! I can't believe that there is something that actually helps with that! My skin has been more clear in the last two months than it has been in over a year. I still get a few tiny white heads right when I'm about to start my period on my forehead, but it is a huge improvement. One that I will gladly take.
I also feel like my face has simply looked better since starting both of these products, a little bit more of an even tone overall, and brighter. Requiring less time in the morning to try and even out with foundation!
I have talked to two people with oily skin about the Badger oil, and they think I'm totally insane, but I swear it works! If you have oily skin, you should absolutely give this a try! Badger has an unscented, Damascus Rose, and Seabuckthorn scented face wash oil as well as the argan. I will definitely be trying them all.
I am extremely happy with both products, and while the Badger was a little more expensive than I originally thought I'd be ok with , it was absolutely worth it. Just like the Pacifica, a little goes a long ways, so the small 2 oz bottle will also last a little over two months. If you are looking for a new face wash, I highly recommend either!
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