March 18, 2010

Spa Facial At Home: Biore Steam Activated Cleanser Review

Want a Spa Facial at home on the cheap? Try out the new Biore Steam Activated Cleanser!

Happy Days!

Jump!

Ok, let’s face it, I was skeptical about this from the start. It contains menthol, know what else contains menthol? The L’Oreal 360 Cleanser….and we all know what a nightmare that was for me.

The good news?

Biore Steam Activated Cleanser rocks the menthol! I’m going say I likey but one thing I’d change, tell you about that in a sec.

What is it?

Biore Steam Activated Cleanser works with the steam in your shower for a deep clean. Hop in your hot shower, let your pores open up, and proceed to clean up good with a little of this. This is a mint infused cleanser that contains “SteamActiv” beads to pentrate deep into your skin and cleanse away dirt, oil, and makeup…mind you I don’t hop in my shower with a face full of makeup but dirt and oil? I’m on board.

What’s the low down?

It’s a gem. I actually really like it. I dunno if it’s the in shower experience or what but I didn’t notice tight, dry skin after use. My skin felt extra soft, super cool (as in tingly cool thanks to the mint) and refreshed, plus my makeup was kinda happy going on after use.

The formula is a thick gel which a fresh scent, I was kinda hopeful it would smell minty, but it simply smells fresh and typically like most Biore products. One thing I do suggest is don’t apply directly to your face. Pump into your hands and work up a lather there prior to applying to your face as I find that it doesn’t lather up as nicely when applied directly to your skin.

What I’d change about it?

I’d totally dig if they slapped a scrubby on with this a la the L’Oreal 360 Cleansers. I ended up using my scrublet that I kept from one of the 360’s I tossed in the garbage and it works a treat but I’d love if Biore included one with this.

Sensitive skin types might wanna be aware prior to use as the menthol does cause a burst of coolness and tingling on the skin so just keep that in mind prior to use. I think the main reason it works so well is it doesn’t contain salicylic acid which was the culprit for drying my skin out like the Sahara desert when I originally tried the 360’s.

Overall, I very NICE addition to the Biore family and well worth a little hauling particularly if you like an in shower cleansing experience. As for me, I kinda dug the overall experience and felt like it really created a good working canvas for my makeup, kinda weird to hear that about facial cleanser, but it’s true!

Nice one! Muse Approved for purchase!

Available now from Drugstore.com or your local drugstore for around $7.99 or less!

Tried it?

Do share your mini review!

Disclosure: The following item was provided to Musings of a Muse by a PR firm for review purposes. For further information please see my FTC Guidelines or my Disclosure/Disclaimer posts.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Phyrra

    I think salicylic acid is one of the things that my sensitive skin freaks out over. This sounds nice, and like it wouldn’t cause me to break out.

    • the Muse

      hey dd! yea same here and I don’t even have sensitive skin!!!!!! 😀 I like how this preps me up so well for makeup! seems to make my skin squeaky clean!

  • Bonnie

    hmmm…sounds like a good buy for a cleanser! i always have trouble finding a good cleanser that doesn’t dry my skin AND deep cleans! I’ll have to try this one. thanks, muse!

    • the Muse

      hey bonnie!

      I dunno if it’s b/c I use it in the shower or what but it seems to not make me tight/dry. I also follow up with moisturizer almost as soon as I’m out of the shower so that helps but honestly don’t feel tight after use. I like how it preps so well for makeup 😀 you’re welcome dear! If you try gimme the good word. curious minds what everyone thinks!

  • Kristina

    Ugh! I was liking this until you said “cool” and “mint”. Why do they always do that? I hate it, especially in the winter. That’s the only reason I still have a bottle of Clean & Clear Soft Facial in my shower. I’d love it weren’t for the cooling effect.

  • aquahartz

    hello muse,
    i love mint too!!
    oh ya, i’m from Malaysia, now living in Australia & this brand is everywhere in M’sia. very much loved by youngsters & those on a budget.
    kinda excited u r reviewing this brand here on ur webbie. (is it okay if i tag ur website to my blog so that my frens & family can read ur web as well?)
    cheers muse, love this blog.

    • the Muse

      hello aqua! Yay glad to hear it’s so easily available in m’sia 😀 good news! I like Biore quite a bit myself particularly the kao end of the brand within Asia!

      Aw sure thank you so much new readers are always appreciated!

      Big hugs!

  • Tango

    Ugh, Biore has done me wrong so many times, but I always come crawling back! All the way back to the pore strips, it always seems like their products work great for everybody but me. Maybe this is a turn-around though? It sounds like they reformulated their ‘ice wash’ to make this new cleanser. I hope so, because I really like that they’ve introduced for women who are just about ready for anti-aging skincare, but not yet ready to plunk down $20-$40 for heavy-duty creams and lotions.

    • the Muse

      hey tango! really? Biore is one of the few skin care brands I like at the drugstore. I never tried the ice wash? that sounds interesting. Yes, they 25-35 range was quite nice 😀 particularly because of the SPF in the moisturizer and such!

  • Hillarie

    If it smells like the regular Biore products, I can’t use it. That scent gives me a migraine 🙁

    I wish it didn’t… I keep hearing about how amazing their cleansers are.

  • Ceriene

    I love Biore! Their products are so affordable, yet they really work so well, without making me break out or my skin dry out like the sahara.

    Looking forward to picking this up. Thanks for the review, Muse!

    • the Muse

      my pleasure ceriene 😀 I like the line too, it’s prob one of the only skin care lines I trust found in a us drugstore 😀

  • yuki

    ah…sound sooo nice!! One thing I like abt US is, the skincare there is cheap and nice!! Plus, it works too! I used Biore’s deep cleansing scrub before and it’s nice =) Even my dad is using biore… hehe…

    nice review~

    • the Muse

      thanks yuki glad you enjoyed the review hun 😀 And are loving on Biore!

  • Lyndsay

    honestly i have very sensitive skin and this doesnt bother me at all ! but i do moisturize after this becuase it kinda dries my skin a bit but honestly not that bad ! only just a little .

  • Sarah

    I know this is an old review but check your CVS’s for this….it’s on clearance…at least at my store. =)

  • christiana

    oh i use this same thing. but i don’t use it everyday n whats supppose to be the change? i mean whats it suppose to do? is it ok if i use it twice a day (not in the shower)?

  • Sharon

    This is my holy grail facial cleanser. They discontinued it at every single store in my area except for ONE SPECIFIC CVS and I was so upset and hoarded it like mad whenever I could… until I discovered that Target is selling it online now, just not in stores. But I love it so much– I have an oily t-zone and dry cheeks, and this works perfectly on both areas.