Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium

A couple of Glossy Box's ago I received a single-use sachet of Shu Uemera's Cleansing Oil Premium A/o. Having read rather a lot about this product on various blogs, websites & in numerous magazines I was eager to try it, but thought it would be better saved for an occasion other than every day.  

 

Last night, I had the house to myself and thought I'd spend it wisely by catching up on all the beauty treatments that get missed in the day-to-day; a mini-facial, a fully body exfoliation, & a proper manicure/pedicure (read: Girly Night In), and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try the acclaimed cleansing oil. 

How it claims to work its magic is this - the oil breaks down the waxes & oils found in make-up (including waterproof mascara and lipstick), then adding water to emulsify breaks down dirt and grime that get clogged in your pores over the course of the day. It's gentle enought to use every day (it was invented are seeing this is how 50's Hollywood actresses removed their heavy set make-up, sometimes up to four times a day), but strong enough to remove every last trace of make-up whilst keeping your moisture levels balanced.

As a complete devotee to the school of Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, I was sceptical that anything could impress me more, and that anything could remove as much make-up and grime - especially without a cloth to rub it away with. I was, I have to say, pleasantly surprised - every last trace of foundation, eyebrow powder, concealer - everything - was gone (it passed the toner-on-a-cotton-wool-pad test), and my skin was smooth and soft without lacking any of it's moisture, as it often can after cleansing. (I must point out here that I always use a separate eye make-up remover first, so can't comment on its power to remove those.)

 
The only negative - I did balk somewhat at the £56.50 price tag, (on closer inspection I realised this was for the largest size; a 150ml bottle is available for £28 at Space.NK, but it's still pretty pricey) so can't see myself ditching the comfort of a steaming flannel & my favoured Cleanse & Polish (£12.75, 100ml at John Lewis) any time soon.