Better than Cleansing? Taking the FaceOff Challenge

Hi, everyone! When it comes to skin care, this gal takes her cleansing seriously. Since I wear a fair amount of makeup daily and also have breakout-prone skin, I generally find it essential to double cleanse each night- first using a cleansing oil/balm to remove makeup and then a second cleanser to properly clean my skin. So when I was contacted by a brand offering a face cloth that promised to remove makeup gently and effectively without any sort of cleansing agent, I was ultra skeptical. There's no way it will remove all my makeup, I thought. It'll probably be so rough it'll wreck my sensitive skin, I hypothesized. Yet, I was also intrigued. Although I love a good cleansing ritual in the evening, there was something promising about the idea of finding a quick method of removing makeup, gentler than cleansing wipes, that could take care of my skin on those ultra lazy nights. So I decided to but the FaceOff** cloth to the test! 

The FaceOff** came packaged in a cute pink and white cardboard box and touts itself as the "amazing cloth that removes face and eye makeup using only warm water". 

The back of the packaging features several claims and promises, including that the cloth is natural and reusable, will remove all forms of makeup and impurities, is safe, effective, and free from chemicals and detergents, and that it will reduce the harshness, cost, and complexity of your evening skin care routine. It explains that the cloth is able to do so via the weave of ultra-thin fibres designed to gently clean and exfoliate the skin. It claims to be suitable for all skin types, including those with the most sensitive of skin (even babies!).

The FaceOff** is a decent size as face cloths go. As you can see below, it is notably larger than my hand:

As  for directions, the packaging simply instructs you to wet the cloth and gently wipe of the entire face and eye area. 

So  how did it perform!? Let's look at some action shots to find out!

Here I am with the fresh new cloth, followed by a close-up of my skin at the end of the day. As you can see, there is some oil breakthrough and fading of my makeup, but generally the day's makeup is largely intact. The day of the experiment, I was wearing an amount of makeup typical for me- foundation, concealer, powder, blush, bronzer, highlighter, brow powder, eye shadow, liner, and mascara. 

Full face of makeup, pre-FaceOff

And here I am with half of my makeup removed. As you can see, the cloth worked well enough that you can clearly notice the difference between my made-up side and my freshly cleansed size. There was definitely proof on the towel that much makeup had been removed as well! 

FaceOff cloth used on left side (your right) of my face

I then proceeded to use the other side of the cloth to clean the right side of my face. Again, the cloth showed evidence of removing both face and eye makeup. 

And here is a closeup of my skin, freshly wiped with the FaceOff**. As you can see, it looks quite clean, with the exception of some remnants of mascara around my lash line. You'll also notice that my skin does not look red or irritated- quite calm and even, in fact! 

Post- FaceOff cloth

So, my skin looked clean, but was it actually clean? I put this to the test by soaking a cotton pad in micellar water and then sweeping the pad across my skin to test for residue. Looking at the pad afterwards, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised! You'll see that some hints of foundation and mascara came off with the micellar water, but very small amounts. No evidence that tons of makeup was left behind! 

So the final verdict? I'm quite impressed! First off, the cloth really did feel extremely gentle and soft on my sensitive skin. Typical face cloths and even the muslin cloths included with some skin care brands generally feel like cheese graters on my sensitive complexion. But not this one! It didn't seem to irritate my skin one bit. On top of that, it really removed makeup quite well! I wear a fair amount of makeup, so that fact that this cloth and water alone removed about 90% of my makeup without harshness was truly a pleasant surprise. Plus, the FaceOff is less chemical-laden and better for the environment that most face wipes on the market! The only downsides in my view are that I had to apply a bit more pressure around the eyes, an area where I generally try to be ultra careful. Also, the lifespan of this cloth is improved when hand washed versus cleaned in the washer, something that I just might be too lazy to do on a regular basis. Not necessarily a fault of the cloth, though! 

Overall, I won't be ditching my regular cleansing routine anytime soon, as it's a pampering time I much enjoy, but I'll definitely keep the FaceOff** handy on nights when I know I'll want to keep my skin care routine ultra quick and simple (perhaps after my upcoming bachelorette party?)!

If I've tempted you, you can find the FaceOff** here!

What do you use to remove your makeup/cleanse your skin in the evening?

Thanks for stopping by! Have an amazing week :)

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**This product was sent to me as a PR sample for consideration and review. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% authentic and my own!