As someone who spends a lot more time that other people my age looking after, or thinking about looking after my skin, it makes sense that my first post be about some skincare that I currently love. My favorite product to use right now is the Andalou Naturals Meyer Lemon + C Creamy Cleanser. The name is kind of a mouthful, but it actually smells delicious so I *would* eat it. The first ingredient is aloe juice, so I mean, it’s probably edible? One Friday recently I was working from home (remember, I said I had an office job in downtown Chicago? Well, I do have some perks.), and decided that I need a break. I took myself to Whole Foods, where I found this gem. It was almost as if I was being rewarded for NOT working, right? I was looking for something reminiscent of Tata Harper – think good ingredients, plant-based, healthy. But I wasn’t looking to spend that much green. #imamillenial #helpmeImpoor. In true scrutinizing millennial fashion, I’m a label reader * gasp * and this cleanser’s first ingredient is ALOE (Barbadensis Leaf Juice). Pro-tip, this is a huge deal when it comes to a $13 cleanser, and a huge contrast to water, the highest concentration ingredient many cleansers (and products in general) contain. Below is the full list of the ingredients, in order of concentration, many of which catch my eye:

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Purified Water (Aqua), Sodium Olefin Sulfonate, Sorbitol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Vegetable Glycerin, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Stearic Acid, Panthenol, Manuka Honey, Citrus Medica Limonum (Meyer Lemon) Fruit Juice*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Fruit Oil*, Fruit Stem Cells (Malus Domestica, Solar Vitis) and BioActive Berry Complex*, Allantoin, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract*†, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract*†, Tocopherol, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Vanilla Isolates, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil*, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil*

I was looking for a cleanser specifically with Vitamin C, as it has brightening abilities for the skin. So I stood there in Whole Foods pretending I didn’t have a job and read through the ingredients. I mentally added Vitamin C, Manuka Honey, and Fruit Juice to the pro side of the product. Also, I used to have an expensive face oil that I loved with sea buckthorn as the main ingredient, so I concluded that this product was bound to be a hit. *Adds to basket and saunters to the wine aisle*

Now for the real test – taking the product for…a test drive? Anyway, this was to be a second cleanser for me (shout out to @Caroline Hirons), meaning, I first cleansed my face with something to take off the dirt and sweat of the grueling day – you know, the one where I stopped working to go shopping for face wash? Anyway, I patted my face dry from part one of my fairly rigid regime, and was ready. I pumped the Meyer Lemon + C cleanser in my hand and started massaging it into my clean, but dry skin. Wow. Yes. The scent was like a juicy orange, and I was into it. The cleanser had a great liquid-y lotion consistency and did NOT foam (FOAM IS BAD!). I loved the way it allowed me to really work it into my face before I removed it with a hot washcloth. It felt nice, and any excess rinsed off easily. I felt refreshed, hydrated, and clean. After finishing my skincare regime, I moved on to something equally important – opening the wine.

Originally I wrote this article in November 2017, and waited until now to get to posting it. I’ve been using this cleanser as my morning cleanser and second night cleanse in rotation for the last year and a half! I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it.