Cleansing off the day's makeup is an integral part of all effective beauty regimes, and when it's not done properly, it will absolutely mess your skin up. My old cleansing ritual involved a couple of pumps of Shu Uemura's anti-inflammatory Premium A/I Cleansing Beauty Oil, but after I'd drained that bottle a month back, I decided to try a different cleansing oil.
Big. Mistake.
Even with multiple rounds of cleansing, some residue would invariably cling to my skin - cue breakouts, redness, and most horrifying of all, fine lines. Wonect sent over a travel pack of maNara's Hot Cleansing Gel the day after I threw out the offending cleanser and bought myself Fancl's Mild Cleansing Oil, so I decided to finish out a week on the Fancl before cleansing exclusively with the maNara gel.
maNara is a brand by women, for women, which was founded in 2006 by a former advertising executive who couldn't find safe anti-aging products that really worked. She set out to do it herself, establishing a company that prides itself on helping its employees establish a healthy work-life balance. Their motto is "We make cosmetic products for women who want to be more beautiful", which is something I can totally get behind. They produce the best selling hot cleansing product in Japan, retaining the coveted top spot four consecutive years since 2013. Over 6.5 million bottles have been sold, and the latest formulation claims to not only remove makeup, but also deep cleanse the gunk out of your pores, and provide some additional skincare benefits.
How to use the maNara Hot Cleansing Gel:
Step 1: Squeeze out a dollop of the grapefruit-scented orange gel onto your (clean!) hand. They suggest you should use an amount that's approximately the same diameter as a grape, which in Singaporean parlance means the size of the old 50 cent coins.
Step 2: The gel is now the consistency of cooling wax. Warm it up between your palms to get it nice and runny to ensure it glides smoothly onto your face.
Step 3: In tight circles, thoroughly work the cleansing gel across your face, starting from your nose and working outwards. If you're into face massage, this is the part where you should get your routine in.
Note - Whatever you do, don't get it in your mouth or your eyes. The spreading warmth as the gel heats up when it contacts your skin is generally a very pleasant feeling, but if you get it too close to your eyes, it starts to feel very bizarre. maNara carries a cleansing jelly that's specially formulated for eye makeup for good reason.
Step 4: After basking in the warm glow, wet your hands and massage your face to emulsify the cleansing gel. Rinse it all off, then pat your skin dry with a clean towel. Follow up with the rest of your beauty routine - there's no need for a second round of cleansing.
Step 1: Squeeze out a dollop of the grapefruit-scented orange gel onto your (clean!) hand. They suggest you should use an amount that's approximately the same diameter as a grape, which in Singaporean parlance means the size of the old 50 cent coins.
Step 2: The gel is now the consistency of cooling wax. Warm it up between your palms to get it nice and runny to ensure it glides smoothly onto your face.
Step 3: In tight circles, thoroughly work the cleansing gel across your face, starting from your nose and working outwards. If you're into face massage, this is the part where you should get your routine in.
Note - Whatever you do, don't get it in your mouth or your eyes. The spreading warmth as the gel heats up when it contacts your skin is generally a very pleasant feeling, but if you get it too close to your eyes, it starts to feel very bizarre. maNara carries a cleansing jelly that's specially formulated for eye makeup for good reason.
Step 4: After basking in the warm glow, wet your hands and massage your face to emulsify the cleansing gel. Rinse it all off, then pat your skin dry with a clean towel. Follow up with the rest of your beauty routine - there's no need for a second round of cleansing.
The Hot Cleansing Gel is definitely an effective makeup remover, but mostly I was intrigued by how maNara plugs further skin-boosting beauty benefits as well. Apart from being free from mineral oils, synthetic dyes and colouring (The colour comes from carrots!), petroleum-based surfactants, ethanol, parabens, and ultra-violet absorbing preservatives (Whew, what a list!), it's ingredients list reads like a who's who of the beauty world. Containing things like honey, squalene, collagen and hyaluronic acid, daily use of this cleansing gel is meant to help boost your skin's moisture levels, not strip it away. While I'm skeptical about just how effective any 'serums' can be if you're just going to wash it away after a minute, my complexion definitely improved in the week that I used this cleansing gel.
The full-sized maNara Hot Cleansing Gel comes in a white and gold tube, and though it does seem a little pricey, the tube contains enough product for two months of daily cleansing, and the warming gel really does feel like a treat. If you want to get your hands on this cult product and try this Japanese cleansing trend for yourself, head on down to Wonect and use the coupon code ABIGAIL<3 to get 15% off. They provide free international shipping to most countries when you spend above a certain threshold, so beauty junkies - now's the time to treat yourself.
Happy cleansing!
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