L'Occitane Almond Apple Cleansing Oil vs Dermalogica precleanse

A while ago I wrote a post comparing Chanel and YSL cleansing oils, and at the time came down firmly on the side of Chanel, claiming that this was my HG cleansing oil and I would never stray. However, we all know I'm fickle and hopelessly unfaithful when it comes to skincare, and since then I've dabbled with a couple more - L'Occitane Almond Apple Cleansing Oil and Dermalogica precleanse.

This came about because I was looking for something cheaper than the Chanel oil , and L'Occitane fit the bill. Since I've become a one-salary household, I don't have the disposable income I've thrown around in the past, so it's all about  - to borrow a favourite word of Faux Fuschia's - THRIFT - for me at the moment. The Chanel oil retails for about $55AUD on Strawberrynet; I picked up the L'Occitane for $30AUD-ish. I'd read some reviews on Makeup Alley, and some people had complained that it irritated their eyes. Others said they had no problem at all in that regard. I don't have sensitive eyes, so I figured it probably wouldn't be an issue for me. 

 

The best I can say about this oil is that it smells lovely. It's a nice apple scent - not too strong, just fresh. Beyond that, it's all downhill. It stung my eyes badly - more than any product I can remember, actually. Not only that, but it was rubbish at getting all of my makeup off. When I did the cream cleanse that follows the oil cleanse, there was a ton of makeup coming off that hadn't been picked up the first time. On me, this stuff was next to useless. I'm currently using it to clean my foundation brushes (and it's not even great at that), and to clean foundation off the back of my hand after I've put my face on in the mornings. 

Dermalogica precleanse, on the other hand, is a revelation. I've never really used any Dermalogica products other than the occasional one-off sample here and there. It's just not a brand that has ever interested me. However, when I was at the hairdresser a few weeks ago they gave me the hard sell on Dermalogica, and after I foolishly mentioned that I like oil cleansing, I ended up $65AUD poorer and carrying this out in my hot little hand (actually, it was a fancy little bag). The scent is kind of orange-y. All Dermalogica smells kind of orange-y to me - I don't know if that is deliberate or not. You only need a wee bit, and it cleans BEAUTIFULLY. It doesn't sting my eyes and it gets all the gunk off. I love it, and I'm quite addicted to it at the moment. 

I can't really pick which I like better out of the Dermalogica and the Chanel - I think they're both equally excellent. So I'd go on price and buy whichever is cheaper. Usually, that would be the Dermalogica - even on Strawberrynet there's about a $10AUD difference.

NOTE: In the interest of balance, I should add that my makeup BFF J tried the preCleanse and didn't like it at all. She said it irritated her eyes and didn't clean off all of her eye makeup. She does have sensitive eyes though, so that's something to consider if you have the same affliction. It's probably worth getting a sample and testing it before lashing out for a full bottle, because it's not cheap.