My MA gave me samples of the Lightfully marine cleanser and moisturizer last week. I wanted to use them a bit before I commented, so here goes:
The cleanser is powerful. I mean, it takes everything off. I prefer cream cleanser at night and have been using Shiseido the past few months. This is definitely superior to the Shiseido in cleansing power. My skin looks like I just Clairsonic-ed it and more after just applying it, letting it sit for a few moments then just rinsing. Also leaves the skin very smooth and soft.
Now for the disadvantages, which aren't really disadvantages, depending on what you like. This is not a soft moisturizing type of cream. It's got more of a creamy clay feeling - I don't have the ingredients list, but there's got to be clay in here, along with the seaweed. Now, there used to be a Clarins seaweed purifying mask that was very close in style to this product and I religiously used it twice a week for many years, until it was sadly discontinued. However, twice a week was plenty for my dry and sensitive skin. I think unless you have oily skin and are prone to blocked pores, this cleanser might be a bit strong for daily use. Like I said, my skin is super clean and soft from it, and gets some decent pore tightening results too, but it can make my face feel a bit tight when I'm using it and right after I rinse it off. That, plus the fact that you really need water to rinse it off (can't just wipe off the excess like more moisturizing style creams), probably means you will want to use toner afterwards to balance your skin out. Again, not really a disadvantage, but I do like some of the really high tech stuff out there that lets you skip that step if you want.
All in all, this is definitely more advanced than some other seaweed cleansers from the past, since it really does soften the skin too, but for me, I think I'd prefer using it as a mask a couple times a week, rather than make it my daily nighttime cleanser. I would certainly prefer using this at night on days when I've got foundation on than the Shiseido - it's much better. It also edges out Clarins' cream cleanser/makeup remover in the removing department, but not in the level of comfort on the skin or the ability to wipe off excess, rather than rinsing. (I used Clarins exclusively for many many years and it's only been in the past couple of years I've been shopping around again, because the formula seems to have changed a bit).
Seaweed has always been one of my favorite skin care ingredients - it always makes me feel detoxed and refreshed in its own unique way, so it's nice to see a new wave of seaweed based products. If you have oily skin, you are going to go wild over this cleanser. If you have dry skin, you may still want it in your arsenal, if you don't mind having special products you don't use daily or enjoy having a night or two a week to give yourself a full facial treat.
More on the moisturizer in another post...
