Review: Neutrogena Transparent Facial Bar

I originally bought this for the boyfriend in a failed attempt to get him to wash his face.  Since I was out of face wash and still had this sitting around, I decided to give it a try.

See? Its clear!

Initial Thoughts: I was wary as it is a bar of soap and I had no faith it would be good for my skin.  It doesn't lather at all, which also made me skeptical.  I used it to take off my makeup and was amazed when I looked in the mirror and every bit of makeup was gone! It is a bit more drying than most face washes I used, but if I put on a light moisturizer on after it is perfect. 

Overall Thoughts: I am quite impressed! I have been using this for about three weeks now.  I did get some breakouts, but they were mild and cleared up really quickly.  After the initial flare up, my skin has settled down.  I do sometimes break out when I use new face washes, but this seems to also be helping my skin bring up icky stuff and then clearing it out. (if that makes ANY sense) I really like this, I love how affordable it is (about $3 for the bar) and how I don't have to worry about it leaking in my gym bag.  I can totally see why this facial bar has been around for so long and has such a strong following.  They also have an acne bar I am dying to try, but with the rate I am going through this bar, that will be in like 6 months. =P

Review: Neutrogena Visibly Bright Daily Facial Cleanser

Today we will take a look at Neutrogena Visibly Bright Daily Facial Cleanser.  I was excited to try this one as I have had good experiences with Neutrogena over the years. I can't remember where I got this cute little sample from, but it was enough to last me about two weeks with washing my face twice a day. 

The back. Note "avoiding contact with the delicate eye area" more on that later. 

How it looks: 

First Impression: I was surprised that this cleanser has a pearl sheen to it when it comes out of the tube.  And the smell is WONDERFUL! Slightly citrusy and sweet, I adored it! It removed my make up, even my stubborn eye liner and mascara.  My skin felt smooth and not tight.  

Overall Thoughts: About a week into using this cleanser I noticed the outside corners of my eyes were getting really dry and the skin was red and irritated.  It actually hurt a bit.  That is when I looked at the cleanser and noticed the warning to avoid the eye area.  This worried me, I didn't think this was a harsh cleanser, so never would have thought to find this disclaimer.  I like to use my face wash to clean my entire face, eye area included.  The rest of my skin was clean and soft, did not notice if it was brighter, but there was no irritation other than the eye area. I have to say, I will not be going out and purchasing this as a full size product due to the irritation in my eye area. Yes, the cleanser did come with a warning, but it worries me enough not to want to purchase.  This makes me sad as other than that, this was a great cleanser and the scent was divine.