Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser

It would be easy to say that I couldn't love this cleanser any more if it sang for Duran Duran or the Chili Peppers but let's play fair and give it the whole review as usual... :)

What is it?

'A powerful, invigorating detoxifying cleanser for oily or problematic skin.'

What's in it?

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Capric/Caprylic/Triglycerides, Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Propanediol, Glyceryl undecylenate, Aroma**, Sucrose Stearate, Decyl Glucoside, Oryza sativa (Rice) Extract*, Glyceryl Caprylate, Lactobacillus/Punica granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Papain, Curcuma Zedoaria Root Oil, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sucrose Palmitate, Zingiber Officinale Root Oil, Salix alba (Willow) Bark Extract*, Eugenia Caryophyllus Flower Oil, Sucrose Laurate, Abies PectinateLeaf Oil, Foeniculum Vulgare Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extracts, Kaolin, Bioflavanoids, Leuconostoc ferment filtrate, Montmorillonite, Mica, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Superoxide Dismutase, Soybean Peroxidase, Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Geraniol, Linalool, Limonene *Ingredients from Organic farming **Clinical grade essential oils blend 

Possibly acne/allergy/troubling for some ingredients?

Essential oils

What's not in it?
'Synthetics, artificial fragrances, fillers, GMO, gluten, parabens etc
The TH brand claims to be 100% natural

Tested on animals/sold in China?
No. Carries the Leaping Bunny logo.

Who is it for?
'Oily or problematic skin.' If ever there was proof positive that you can always read beyond the label - whilst this would undoubtedly be a brilliant cleanser for oily/problematic skins, it is also a fabulous product to use first thing in the morning or second cleanse in the evening for all skin types except maybe the extremely sensitive - in which case I would still suggest trying to patch test it/get a sample.

As the UK moves into Spring/Summer I imagine I will use this even more.

If you have acne/combo skin it's a no-brainer. As with all things though - testing/sampling is advisable to any compromised skin.

How do you use it?

Apply to dry skin - massage in, remove with flannel.

First or second/only cleanse?

As above - this is not a makeup remover for me. It would be no good for the eye area. Second cleanse or morning cleanse - if you are a gym-goer, either early moring or after work, you'll love the feel and effect of this.

What's good/not so good about it?

This is a soap-free cleanser that has good, proven clays such as kaolin and montmorillonite along with magnesium aluminum silicate (white clay) alongside fruit enzymes and sugars. Put altogether the mix is a glorious sensation on the skin. 

I love this cleanser. Being completely honest, if you follow me on Instagram you'll see from my daily posts that I literally use something from the Tata Harper range every single day. It's by far my favourite range of the moment. Kate Somerville needs to hurry back to the UK, I'm already sleeping with the enemy. :) 

If I had to stick with one range of cleansers for life, it would be any from the Tata Harper range. They are seriously that good.

The only problem with this range at the moment is the lack of distribution. Some retailers need to wake the hell up.

Similar products (similar, not the same)?

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip

REN ClearCalm Clay Cleanser

Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser

Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser is £45 for 125ml and available from CultBeauty.co.uk  
It is also sold at beingcontent.com.

In the US it's $58.00 and more widely available - Sephora.com

Beauty Myths No.12 - You have to use everything from the same brand

Ever since I started putting pictures of my daily routine on Instagram I have been asked these two questions: 'Do you use different products every DAY?' and 'Don't you have to use everything from one brand in order for them to really work?'

The answers are 'Yes'. And then 'No'.

Yes, I use different skincare every day. In the same way that I wear different clothes and eat different food. And I always have. Even when wildly restricted by budget, I would have at least two moisturisers and 2/3 cleansers on rotation. Your skin is different every day. So should your products be.

No, you don't have to use everything from the same brand. The only thing to be concerned about are clashing vitamin A products that you get on prescription, but in that case, your doctor would have advised you separately about what to use/not use when issuing the prescription. 

Over the counter products very rarely 'clash' because the %'s of active ingredients are low - they won't build up/interfere with each other.

What IS important is the order you use items and the formulas themselves. Your serum from XYZ won't know that your moisturiser is from ABC and stop working in protest. That's not how it works, no matter what sales hype you are given from the brands at counter. 

My products, as a rule, tend to have peptides, hyaluronic acid and vitamin a (at night) in them. Varying strengths, varying formulas, similar ingredients. There are thousands of products out there. Embrace them (again, obviously within your budget).

The next time someone tells you that you simply have to use their moisturiser on top of their serum, don't buy either of them. 

Or you could hold up this picture of Danny Devito below and say 'I DON'T THINK SO MATEY.'

Skincare consultation winner and this month's entry...

The winner of this month's Skype consultation is...

Derin Gur from Turkey

Congratulations. You have email!


For this month's entry, I am asking you to follow me on Pinterest to enter. No retweeting or jumping through hoops, just Pinterest. It's my current obsession and I am spending a lot of time on it this month so do please join me! (Next month will just be a normal entry)

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jo Malone Rock the Ages

It's hard to think of a fragrance house that churns out newness as much as Jo Malone. Whether permanent additions to the core range or Limited Editions, as in this case, they are certainly playing well to the consumer that wants more more more...

Rock the Ages focuses on key periods of British history including Tudor, Victorian, Georgian, Edwardian and Modern Britain.

Rose & Amber - the Tudor fragrance, is the standout for me. Yes, I'm nothing if not predictable. 

It's warm, heavy and sexy yet not overbearing. The only sadness is that it won't be around forever. All the more reason to go check them out while you can.

The Rock the Ages Collection is £42.00 for 30ml from www.jomalone.co.uk and as I mentioned, strictly limited. Bah humbug. Or more appropriately, off with their heads.

Cheat Sheet - Double Cleansing

Over the last few months I have been asked a lot about double cleansing. I think it peaked this month because I am quoted in the March edition of American Elle magazine discussing this very topic.

It's out now if you fancy picking up a copy...

Anyway, I figured a few clearer details wouldn't hurt so without further ado...

Cleansing is by far the most important step of your routine. I don't care what anyone says, if you are consistently 'cleansing' (aka moving the dirt around your face) with wipes and then applying a really expensive serum/moisturiser on top, you are wasting your money. And your time. 

'Double Cleansing' is something that you may be doing already, this is just what I call it. 

Essentially, if you are using more than one product to remove your makeup in the evenings, you are already double cleansing.

For example, if you remove your eye makeup with a micellar water or eye makeup remover before you cleanse, that is your first cleanse. You follow with a proper cleanser to remove everything else. That was your second cleanse. Note: a micellar water is not your second cleanse. Stop that nonsense.

Let's be clear on this one first - there is no double cleansing in the mornings. Wake up, cleanse, you're good to go. You have no makeup or SPF to remove. Crack on.

Types of cleansers:

Mornings

Non-foaming gels 

Milks

Lotions

Balm cleansers

Oils

Clay-based cleansers

Basically anything except:

Wipes

Micellar water

The morning cleanse is dependent on how your skin feels when you wake up and what you are doing with the rest of your day. For example, if I have a long day ahead of wearing makeup I will probably use an oil to cleanse. My skin feels soft and holds moisture for longer afterwards which has a knock-on effect on the rest of my routine and stops my makeup going patchy by the afternoon.

If I'm home-based for the day I'll use something slightly more 'active', follow with a strong acid toner and use some treatment serums and heavier moisturisers. 

If you know you are going to be based at home for the day and not wearing makeup treat your skin as if it's a spa day. Cleanse, exfoliate, treat, repeat.  (repeat the treat, not the entire routine!) :)

This is why my skin looks great if I've had a few consecutive days working from home and looks merely 'ok' (by my standards - and I am my own harshest critic) if I've had appointments in town every day of the week. And don't get me started on travelling... that's a whole other cheat sheet. *makes note*

Wipes and micellar water are not suitable for mornings because you use them in an emergency or when removing makeup, and you won't be wearing makeup to bed will you? WILL YOU? 

Evenings

There is a fallacy doing the rounds that double cleansing means using oil followed by foam. No. 

Do what you need to do to remove what you've done to your face. You know your face/routine better than any beauty counter. Or me.

Wearing a ton of eye makeup? Remove it first. 

Slathered in SPF? Take care of that first. 

Both? Go in with grease. When in doubt, go in with grease.

First cleanse:

Eye makeup removers

Micellar waters

Greasy balms - not necessarily expensive ones, just ones that do a great job of removing makeup - such as Clinique TTDO and The Body Shop Camomile Butter

Cleansing creams - preferably thicker ones - a perfect example would be Clarins Extra Comfort Cleansing Cream - the one they discontinued - how rude.

Oils - oils are great for removing makeup, but you don't have to pick a really expensive one for the first cleanse.  

Second cleanse:

This is where you use your most expensive cleansing product. This one is your skin cleanser more than your makeup remover. Its job is to make sure your skin is clean, balanced and comfortable and ready for everything else that you are applying afterwards. It's time to use your good stuff.

You can obviously use one cleanser for both cleanses if you have budget concerns. Just buy the best that you can afford when you can afford it. We've all been there. Well, I certainly have. 

If you are using one product, apply a small amount for the first cleanse mainly to loosen eye makeup and cheek areas (where we tend to apply the most SPF). Remove with a flannel and go in again with another round. 

The second cleanse is the massage stage, not the first.

The best products for second cleanses are:

Cleansing balms - good ones. Gorgeous, plant-based, greasy ones. Greasy in the best way.

Cleansing milks 

Cleansing gels - non-foaming

Cleansing creams

Cleansing clays 

Cleansing oils - oils and balms are easily my favourite choice for skin cleansing. They are brilliant for ensuring that everything is off and don't disturb the acid mantle in an aggressive manner. 

That is really all there is to it. The important part is to remember to do it every single day without fail.

As with all other cheat sheets, I'll keep this updated with anything obvious that I've forgotten - and I'll try and answer any specific product Q's below - again it's easier if it's a Yes or No question. :)