Origins Never a Dull Moment Face Cleanser

Origins
Never a Dull Moment Skin-brightening face cleanser
Boots £18

Origins "Never a Dull Moment" face wash is a skin-brightening face cleanser with fruit extracts. I bought this when I was on a bit of a mission to overhaul my skin care routine and I was thoroughly fed up with my skin and its bad behaviour. My skin was freaking out and was somehow managing to have all the following properties simultaneously: dry, oily, blotchy, tight, itchy, lumpy, spotty, dull, flaky, shiny... the list goes on. Hideous.

Anyway, I was initially dubious about this wash as it is foaming, which is usually a no-no for acne-prone skin. However, Origins mentioned those magic words which always manage to lure me in, namely:  "skin brightening" and "fruit acids". Any product with those terms is usually geared towards sluggish complexions much in need some exfoliating action. Right up my alley.

I have large collection of cleansers with my most popular choices in the past being a gel to milk cleanser for the shower in the morning (I don't have hot showers due to low blood pressure so the temp is fine for my face, if you do have hot showers - beware of washing your face in the hot water!), and a balm cleanser in the evening removed with a flannel. I avoid shea butter and mineral oil like the plague. If I do use an oily balm, I make sure to double cleanse with something to remove the balm residue, or to ensure the balm has friendly ingredients (almond oil, rosehip oil etc don't break me out).

This Origins cleanser has been in the shower with me most mornings and I've been really appreciating how clean and fresh my skin feels. The little boost from the fruit acids contributes to the other peeling products I use and has significantly cut down on those pimply surface spots that are usually a result of clogged up skin. The smell isn't anything to write home about, but I don't use products for their smell. I have a few Origins products (reviews coming up) and they often have quite... odd smells. Sort of like plants. Hmm.

I've included the full ingredients list as presented on the packaging as I like to know exactly what's in my products and it's often a nightmare trying to find a full list. Origins aren't quite an organic brand however they use lots of lovely essential oils and natural extracts. These can be a problem for some sensitive skins, but my reactive skin seems fine with this, in fact it is very soothing. Some might not like the fact it has butylene glycol in it. I personally don't go out of my way to avoid it, but there is talk that it can dry the skin.

So in conclusion: great product; not cheap but reasonable for results; easy to use in the shower; foaming but not drying; great gentle exfoliating action for clogged skin; basically, an all-round winner!

Ingredients: water\aqua\eau; citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) flower water - cocamidopropyl hydroxylsultaine - coco-betaine - decylglucoside - sodium cocoyl sarcosinate - sodium isostearoyl lactylate - methyl gluceth-20 - peg-7 glyceryl cocoate - sodium chloride - barosma betulina (buchu) leaf oil*, citrus paradisi (grapefruit) peel oil*, eucalyptus globulus (eucalyptus) leaf oil*, abies sibirica (pine) oil*, prunus amygdalus amara (bitter almond) kernal oil*, limonene - disodium cocoyl glutamate - mangifera indica (mango) fruit extract - carica papaya (papaya) fruit extract - yucca schidigera (yucca) extract - quillaja saponaria wood extract - aloe barbadensis (aloe) leaf juice - polyquaternium-6 - bis-peg-18 methyl ether dimethyl silane - sodium cocoyl glutamate - butylene glycol - polysorbate 20 - monosodium citrate - citric acid - phenoxylethanol - methylchloroisothiazolinone - methylisothiazolinone.    *essential oil