INDIE LEE Brightening & Rosehip Cleanser: Review

I first tried INDIE LEE when I got a CoQ-10 Toner in a Beautylish box. I’ve had these two cleansers on my wishlist for some time and finally decided to take the plunge. A few details about Indie Lee’s story:

After conquering a life-threatening brain tumor that pointed to environmental toxins as the culprit, Indie Lee awoke on April 22, 2009 with a new lease on life and the passion to create a chic and eco-friendly namesake collection. Comprised of the finest ingredients from around the world, the line is designed to enhance the face and body with gratifying green glamour. Indulge in the luxurious feel and beautiful benefits of Indie Lee products while protecting the Earth– and your body. Unleash your inner and outer beauty with Indie Lee, an eco-chic collection of skincare products that combine style and sustainability without sacrifice.

I know I normally don’t share brand bios however as a brain injury nurse I feel a little extra something for Indie Lee. I grabbed the Rosehip Cleanser & Brightening Cleanser.

The Brightening Cleanser is the lines most popular cleanser. It’s also my favorite as well. Details per INDIE LEE:

Our bestselling cleanser washes away impurities to leave skin soft, refreshed, and luminous. A blend of ingredients- including lycopene (from tomatoes) and hydrolyzed wheat protein – make it ideal for cleansing, hydrating, tightening, firming, and complexion control. 

Cheer up more than just your complexion: This antioxidant rich formula exudes a light strawberry aroma, which brightens the skin and the senses without overpowering.
Multi-tasking product: When applied to face and left to sit for 5-10 minutes (before rinsing), this complexion clearer acts as an exfoliating mask. 
Also removes your makeup in the same step: It gently removes makeup without stripping the skin of necessary nutrients. It’s also a great formula for cleaning makeup brushes!

Directions Apply a small amount of cleanser to wet face. Use with a wet cotton pad to remove eye makeup. Rinse completely with water. Follow with toner and moisturizer. For external use only.

This cleanser has a light gel texture and smells like strawberries. I love the scent it’s so addictive. The glass packaging is perfect with the pump. This cleanser has a light orange nude tint. This gel cleanser can foam slightly without water. Then add water and it lathers lightly. Don’t expect soap style lather. It’s got that slightly jelly cleanser type of feel. This is a hydrating cleanser and perfect for a morning cleanse, or the second part of a double cleanse. You could try it alone as a night cleanse but I don’t feel this would remove all your makeup. 

I’m completely addicted to this strawberry scent and I love how non-drying this cleanser feels. My skin feels so soft after using, I love the basic ingredients and it’s so perfect as a second cleanse which is my favorite use for it. This has become my favorite of the two cleansers and actually a hero product for me. The strawberry seed oil is slightly exfoliating. Lycopene is a great antioxidant. I have not tried it to remove eye makeup or clean brushes. I usually only use a micellar water for removing eye makeup. This is a simple light, non-drying gel cleanser with an amazing strawberry scent. I would highly recommend it if you like this type of cleanser.

Ingredients

Purified Water (Aqua), Decyl Glucoside (Veg. Oils & Sugar), Disodium Coco-Glucoside Citrate, Coco Glucoside (Coconut and Sunflower Oil), Glyceryl Oleate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein*, Xanthan Gum, Fragaria Chiloensis (Strawberry) Seed Oil, Lycopene (Tomato), 1,3 propanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate

*Note: contains gluten.

The Rosehip Cleanser is the gentle cleanser using rosehip oil. This cleanser literally has six ingredients. Amazing. Details per INDIE LEE:

Harnessing the power of vitamin-rich rosehip oil, this gentle yet indulgent cleanser and eye makeup remover soothes skin to help slow the signs of aging, preserve moisture, and treat appearance of redness and rosacea-prone skin.

Key Benefits

• Gentle enough for sensitive skin
• High in antioxidants and Vitamins A, E, and K
• Helps improve the appearance of wrinkles and moisturizes skin
• Offers a fresh and light rose scent 
• Gentle enough to clean makeup brushes (we recommend doing this weekly!)
• Can be used with a cleansing brush

Directions Apply a small amount of cleanser to wet face. Use with a wet cotton pad to remove eye makeup. Rinse completely with water. Follow with toner and moisturizer. For external use only. 

The texture of this cleanser is a light thin gel. It has a pink hue and smells faintly like roses. This has a real rose scent, none of that fake stuff. Same light gel texture as the Brightening Cleanser except this one is a touch thinner and foams a tad less. It is extremely gentle and is suitable for any skin type. I use it as a second cleanse as part of a double cleanse. This can be used alone as a morning cleanse as well. 

This won’t remove all your makeup. Especially if you wear long wear or waterproof. I know cleansers like this say they will (this one doesn’t but typically they do) but it’s really too gentle to really get in there as a first pass. I never would have thought of using this on makeup brushes. I’ll have to try it. This cleanser is gentle and won’t strip your skin at all. 

The six ingredients to this cleanser are water, fatty acids from olives, glycerin. Those three are hydrating. Rosehip oil is high in antioxidants, fatty acids and Vitamin C. Irish Moss is a type of red algae which is anti-aging. Loquat extract comes from a tropical flower and it has benefits similar to green tea.

Ingredients

Water, Sodium Olivate (Fatty Acid from Olive), Glycerin, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Chondrus Crispus, Eriobotrya Japonica Extract

Current Product Obsessions

Time for a product obsession post which is a bit overdue. It rained for over a week here and my days off just never had good timing with a sunny day. I finally caved and grabbed Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser. I don’t know why I waited forever to grab this it’s fabulous. It smells like strawberries. The texture is a light gel that lightly foams. It’s non-drying and won’t strip your skin. It’s perfect for a morning cleanse or second cleanse. More to come.

I loved the first Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 I reviewed here. I hated the vinegar smell so I recently grabbed a new version the Lotion P50 PIGM 400. I love this new version even more. It’s a bit less harsh on my skin and smells much less vinegar. The scent is so much more pleasing and minimal. This version just went to the top of the list and more to come.

During this hot summer I have really been rotating three foundations. Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Gel Touch Foundation is water light and cooling on the skin. It holds up well in the heat and humidity. Making it perfect for summer. Review here. Cle De Peau Beaute Radiance Stick Foundation is also water light and cooling on application. It holds up extremely well in the summer heat and humidity. Review here. When I want more coverage I use By Terry Or de Rose Teint Supreme. One if my favorite By Terry foundations powered with real rose gold. It’s a medium coverage matte foundation. The best part is the lighter than heavy coverage in a matte formula. It’s not very common, most matte’s are too heavy for my tastes. This one is perfect, sadly it’s discontinued.

I’ve been mostly using cream blushes this summer. They’re easy, quick and if you pick the right formula can last almost as long as powder. Cle De Peau Beaute Cream Blush in Perfect Peach #4 has been a staple of mine since I obtained it. The pigmented peachy pink nude is perfect for me and it lasts quite well. Review here. Kjaer Weis Cream Blush in Abundance has become a quick favorite. I was afraid of it’s pigmented cooler purple looking tone, but it turns into the best neutral nude mauve on my cheeks. It lasts all day long. The case is luxe and heavy weight. Only negative is the cost and it’s hard to get fingerprints off of it. More to come.

It took me forever to buy the Sisley-Paris Phyto 4 Ombres Dream. I have been using it non stop since I got it. I’m so glad I finally grabbed it. Review here. It has this lovely mother of pearl pink nude color palette. Very illuminating. I also waited forever to grab the Cle De Peau Beaute Eye Color Quad in 303 Baby Universe. I felt it was too mauve when I first checked it out. I caved and grabbed it. The silky buttery quad is amazing in texture. It is a mauve nude brown color toned palette. I used to love mauves then I gravitated away from it. Now I’m liking going back into that mauve brown color palette for eyeshadows.

Top to Bottom–Cle de Peau Cream Blush 4, Kjaer Weis Abundance, Cle de Peau Ochre Radiant Stick Foundation, Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Gel Touch Foundation 30, By Terry Or De Rose Teint Supreme 1 Romantic Blonde:

Top to Bottom–Cle de Peau Baby Universe 303, Sisley Phyto Ombres 4 Dream:

Moisturizing Face Masks Comparison: Glam Glow, ilike, Rodial, Sisley, Antipodes and More

Now that winter is almost here, we can all start thinking about moisture rich masks. I have tried quite a few. These are some of my favorites.

L to R in order as above: GLAMGLOW THIRSTYMUD, ilike Hyaluronic Time Erase Gel Mask, Tata Harper Moisturizing Mask, Renee Rouleau Bio Calm Repair Masque, Indie Lee Healing Mask, Rodial Dragon’s Blood Hyaluronic Mask, Michael Todd Avocado and Mango Mask

These are all tissue off masks, meaning you can tissue them off versus rinsing off. Some even claim you can leave them on overnight for extreme moisture. I have some I use more than others. I will point out my favorites as I go through each.

GLAMGLOW THIRSTMUD Mask has these active ingredients: Dewdration™: A blend of actives containing hyaluronic acid and citric acid for deep hydration; boosts and locks in moisture for a dewy, youthful look. Hydrapack™: A blend of actives containing botanimoist, moisturizing sugars and acids from apples, oat beta glucan to soothe and calm the skin, and hydraclay to trap and retain moisture in the skin. GreenEnergy™: A blend of actives containing raw honey and ginger root for radiance and detoxifying; coconut provides immediate skin conditioning. Teaoxi Olive Leaf: Delivers naturally moisturizing linoleic acid. This mask has a honey like color and creamy texture. It’s nice and not too much, it doesn’t break me out. I haven’t used it a whole lot yet but I like the creamy texture.

ilike Organics Hyaluronic Time Erase Mask is a gel mask. It has no major scent and has a basic gel texture. This is perfect to calm after a exfoliating treatment. Horsetail, Yucca, Marshmallow, Ginkgo, Algae, Hyaluronic Acid, Bioflavonoids, Vitamins A, B, C And E, Polyphenols and Phytoestrogens as the main ingredients. It’s similar to any hyaluronic mask I’ve tried. I like it better than a straight up gel mask, but it does have less moisture than a cream texture moisture mask.

I got a sample of the new Tata Harper Moisturizing Mask. Check it out here. This is the most oily of the bunch, I tissued it off but felt like I had to wash after. I didn’t break out the next morning, but I had washed after. This would be the most moisturizing of the bunch. It doesn’t have a strong scent like lots of Tata’s stuff does, but it is stronger than a lot of the others I have. I’m on the fence with whether or not I would buy this, it will have to be tested a few more times, and I’ll have to leave it on overnight without washing once to see as well.

Renee Rouleau Bio Calm Repair Masque has a gel texture which is good for calming after peels and other treatments. The main ingredients are: oat kernel extract, bisabolol, chamomile flower oil. This I got as a gift with purchase, at this point I would not buy it as I like the Rodial and ilike better.This is a basic calming gel mask.

Indee Lee Healing Mask is a gel hyaluronic type mask as well. It’s an off colored gel with no major scent. It comes in a pump and has a great set of ingredients: seaweed, aloe, hyaluronic acid, copper ferment, squalane, arnica, red tea, chamomile, sage, cucumber, rose hip oil. It is however disappointing for me. It dries out on my face and becomes uncomfortable as it dries and cracks. It’s not moisturizing. I decided to try this in the shower, this keeps it moist and allows me to use it up comfortably without the drying and cracking. This also burns around my nose some after applying. I would not re buy this. Shame because the ingredient list is great, it needs something in it to keep it moist.

Rodial Dragon’s Blood Hyaluronic Mask is a clear gel with no major scent. It’s moisturizing on, it’s thicker than the ilike mask but similar. Great for a quick add of moisture without being too much. Besides the hyaluronic acid and Dragon’s Blood extract the ingredient list doesn’t have many other extra wow factors in it. I would ultimately pick the ilike over this and not re buy this one.

Micheal Todd Avocado and Mango Mask is a cream texture mask with a fruit scent. This is one of the only Michael Todd items I like, the rest of their stuff has too strong of a scent for me. The main ingredients are: aloe, sunflower oil, mango and shea butter, olive and jojoba oil, seabuckthorn oil and mango fruit pulp. This is a good mask, but compared to the Antipodes and others I have I wouldn’t re buy this one. There’s nothing wrong with it, I just like a few others better.

L to R in order as above: MyChelle Hydrating Cactus Mask, Sisley Eye Contour Mask, Sisley Hydra-Flash Mask, Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask, Sisley Express Flower Gel Mask, Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask

MyChelle Hydrating Cactus Mask has a blue tint and a creamy texture with a pleasant fruit smell. This has blue agave extract, jojoba seed oil, cactus flower extract, prickly pear, sodium hyaluronate, olives, aloe, copper tripeptide and more. I like it, there’s nothing wrong with it. I’m not sure about re buying it just because I like the Glam Glow, ilike and Antipodes better. I also don’t reach for it as much as the others. This is a 1 oz tube and is fairly pricey for the size.

Sisley Eye Contour Mask is a gel cream like product for the eye area. I love this one, I use it with even non hydrating masks to keep my eye area moist during treatments. It wipes off. It is expensive, but it lasts a long time as you don’t need much for doing the eye area. Active ingredients are: arnica, chestnut tree, gingko biloba, vegetable glycerin, vitamins E and B5, chlorella, malachite, linden, alpha-bisabolol, rose water. I would re purchase this as I have dry eyes and while doing exfoliating treatments it’s nice to not have my eyes itch and dry out. I could try to substitute the ilike or Rodial masks that are similar in texture for this, but the Sisley is just a touch more emollient. 

Sisley Hydra-Flash Formule Intensive is a thicker creamy white mask. This is considered an intensive moisture and hydration mask. It’s nice for that purpose. The active ingredients are sesame, rice, serine, D-Panthenol, vitamin E, jioh, ginkgo biloba, red vine, essential oils of rosewood and marjoram. This is ridiculously expensive for what it is, and I only bought this because I bought a small sample tube off of ebay. I would never re buy it for the retail cost. There are other Sisley masks and other brands that have better options. It’s not bad, it’s just not worth the price.

Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask is a nice mask. This has a gel cream texture, it’s hydrating. Active ingredients: black rose extract, alkekengi calyx extract, padina pavonica extract, vitamin E acetate, red vine, chlorella, essential oil of geranium, rose and magnolia, great mullein extract, shea butter, pro-vitamin B5, vegetable glycerin, phytosqualane. I have nothing bad to say about it other than how expensive it is. That being said, I did get a set of mini tubes off of ebay for much cheaper which made this an easier buy. This provides moisture plus some plumping. I like it, it’s one of the better Sisley masks, I will re buy it in the cheaper small tube form vs full size if I can.

Sisley Express Flower Gel Mask is for hydrating, toning and firming. This is a gel cream texture, more gel like than the Black Rose, similar to the Eye Mask. Active ingredients: lily, iris, sesame, rose. This is OK. It’s not bad, but for the price it’s not worth it to me. I did get it cheaper in the mini tubes so it was worth trying. I would not re buy for the cost as there are better choices out there.

Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask is the last I have to talk about. I got it off of the Naturisimo website that ships from the UK. This has easily become one of my favorite moisture masks. It is made in New Zealand. This is a creamy textured mask. I’ve talked about manuka honey in the past, it’s good for breakouts. This one is moisturizing and adds that antibacterial effect from the honey. The main ingredients are manuka honey, avocado oil, vitamin E, vanilla oil, mandarin oil, coumarin, carrot oil, Pohutuakawa flower extract and grapefruit seed extract. It’s a 75mL tube, and is moderately priced. I have started using this as a moisturizing mask and honey mask vs just honey. I would most definitely re purchase this again.

I have also tried the Omorovicza Gold Hydralifting Mask, which is not pictured. It feels nice on, it’s a thick cream, however every morning after I use it I break out somewhere, so I have not purchased this mask past the multiple samples I have tried. My favorites overall: Glam Glow, ilike, Sisley Eye and Black Rose, Antipodes.