Product Rave: Garnier Nourishing Cleasing Oil [review]

Cleansing Oils are my favourite way to remove makeup. It is one of the only things that removes waterproof mascara flawlessly without tugging at my eyes. I also love that I can use my hands instead of a cotton pad; it's cheaper, better for the environment and more gentle on the eye area. I wrote a blog post last summer outlining my obsession with cleansing oils that you can read here.

Cleansing oils have been a big deal within the beauty community for the last few years. High end brands have been popping up with new and improved cleansing oils a lot over the last year. But this is the first time that I have seen cleansing oils popping up in drugstores. The #1 downfall of cleansing oils is that their price tag can be a little hefty. If you're looking to try the Shu Umera cleansing oils, they can run up to $99.00. That seems a little steep for me. Both L'Oreal and Garnier released their own cleansing oils in stores this spring. The Garnier one was the first one I stumbled upon, so I had to buy it.

My personal favourite cleansing oil is the Mac Cleanse-Off Oil. I have tried many cleansing oils and it remains the best consistency and the easiest way to remove every trace of makeup without irritating my eyes. It does make my vision cloudy sometimes, but that only lasts for a minute or so. The Garnier Nourishing Cleansing Oil for Dry Skin is looking to be a close runner up to the Mac Cleanse-Off Oil, and only at a third of the price. Sounds pretty fantastic, right?! The Mac Cleanse-Off Oil will run you $36.00 and the Garnier only costs $12.99 (Canadian pricing).

The packaging is pretty similar to most cleansing oils. It is a standard tube with a pump on it. The Garnier packaging is not the best. I keep all of my skincare in a drawer where most products need to lay down. After a few hours in the drawer, a lot of the oil leaked out and I now store it standing up. I still find that some of the oil leaks a little but not enough that it wastes too much product. I also find the pump is a little hard to control. The first time that I pump it out each night I find that it can be sporadic. It is hard to explain but it squirts out and sprays a little. It doesn't flow out as easily as it does on the second pump.

Here I tried to take a picture of the consistency, which is hard to capture. I find this oil is a slightly thinner consistency than the Mac oil. This doesn't really affect how the product works. I still only need 1-2 pumps of product to remove everything from my face. The best part is that it removes waterproof mascara just as well as the Mac oil. The Garnier product is heavily fragranced. It smells divine, like most Garnier products, but is something to consider if you don't like fragrance in your skincare.

As with any cleansing oil you apply this to dry skin with dry hands. You rub it into the skin, including over your mascara. When you have thoroughly spread this on your face you wet your hands and rub it the water onto your face to let the product emulsify. Then you rinse it off. The Garnier oil does leave a little bit more residue on your face than the Mac one does. It only takes a couple extra rinses and it is easily gone. It is not as bad as some cleansing oils that I have used that feel like your face is still covered in oil (I'm looking at you Nude Perfect Cleansing Oil for Face & Eyes).

Overall, this is a fantastic cleansing oil especially for the price point. If you have always wanted to try cleansing oils but were put off by the price, this baby is for you. Or, if you're like me and are always looking for your favourite products at a cheaper price, this is also for you.