Review: e.l.f. Daily Face Cleanser

Purchased by Me | Affiliate Links

Before I begin this review, I want to mention that this cleanser is available on the e.l.f. site for $7 (free shipping right now when you purchase skincare), but it's available at Target, both in-store and online for $5 (same product, same size). I purchased my tube in-store at my local Target, but if you have a REDcard you get free shipping on all orders at Target (free shipping on orders $25+ without a REDcard), so that's a better option than the e.l.f. site if you can't find this locally.

Also, if you're reading this post on 3/29/16, e.l.f. is currently having a Moving Sale (they're moving warehouses), with some $3 items reduced to $1, and more. So if you buy a skincare item, you'll get free shipping on your Moving Sale items.

So I bought this cleanser a few weeks ago and I've been using it consistently since then. Today I'd like to share my thoughts with you.

Ingredients

Made in China

First of all, I like the color of the packaging in the e.l.f. skincare range. It's a pretty shade of blue, and I like that the tube is sleek and thin, which takes up less space on my countertop.

What I first noticed about this cleanser was the scent. The fragrance level is medium-to-strong, and it's a nice, fresh, clean fragrance. It sort of reminds me a bit of Dove Beauty Bars, but it's not an exact match for that scent; it's just in the same ballpark.

The texture of this cleanser is VERY silky. So much so, that it's a little challenging for me to get good traction when I'm first applying this product to my face. I find myself having to go back to the faucet for more water so that I can build up a nice lather. If my face isn't super wet when I apply this cleanser, the product seems to just glide across my skin without lathering or breaking down makeup, oil, etc. But once I get it going with a bit more water, I am able to work up a nice lather.

It was a bit difficult to get a good shot of the white, pearly finish to this cleanser. The formula looks thin in my pic above, but trust me when I say that it feels very silky during application.

After massaging this product onto my face, I can feel it start to break down my eye makeup and mascara (I don't use waterproof mascara, so I can't tell you how easily it might break down waterproof formulas). After a few minutes of working this product into my skin, I find that it rinses quite easily. I was afraid, due to the silky texture, that it might be challenging to rinse, but that's not the case. This cleanser rinses quite cleanly for me, with minimal effort.

I have oily skin, so please keep that in mind when I tell you that, after rinsing, my skin doesn't feel dry or tight, but it feels like it's right on the border of feeling a tiny bit tight. So I'm not sure if it might be drying on normal or dry skin. I haven't noticed any drying effects after a few weeks of use, and I also haven't noticed any breakouts or irritation due to this cleanser. What I HAVE noticed is that this cleanser is very effective at removing makeup, oil, and dirt from my skin. I have done the "toner test" after using this cleanser and my cotton pad comes up clean. There were a few instances where I did see trace amounts of foundation on my cotton pad after using this cleanser, but I think that was more due to me being lazy at the bathroom sink at night and not catching all the foundation near my hairline. All in all, I'm very pleased with how effective this cleanser is when it comes to removing makeup.

As for how my skin feels after rinsing, aside from not feeling dry or tight, I also like that this cleanser doesn't leave any type of film behind (I HATE cleansers that leave anything behind). My skin feels very clean and fresh after I use this product, with zero residue. If I had to pick a drugstore cleanser that I think is similar to this one, I'd say it's most similar to Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanser (aside from the super silky texture). But you get a huge 12 oz. bottle for around $8.50 with the Neutrogena, whereas the e.l.f. tube is 3.71 oz. for $5 at Target.

FINAL VERDICT: Is this my favorite cleanser of all time? No. Is it a nice cleanser that suits most of my needs? Yes. I can image that those who are sensitive to fragrance might not enjoy this one, and if you have dry skin I can also see that this might be a little bit drying. But for my oily skin, this works much better than I anticipated. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's super silky, so it doesn't provide enough traction when I first apply it. I need to add more water to my face in order to work up a good lather, and that's kind of a pain when I'm already exhausted at night and just want to cleanse my face as quickly as possible. I will certainly continue to use this product until I'm finished with the tube but due to the price and the amount you get, I'm not sure if I would repurchase unless there was a good deal at Target or on the e.l.f. site.

Have you tried this cleanser, or anything else from the e.l.f. skincare line? If so, I would love to hear about your experiences!

The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.