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Product: Neutrogena Visibly Even Foaming Cleanser
Use: As a face cleanser and makeup remover
Price: $ 7.00 for a 5.1 fl oz tube
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+

Why I bought it
I used to be a drugstore skin product snob, but within the past year I’ve re-discovered Neutrogena products. Their skin care line is affordable and almost everything I’ve tried from their various product lines work for me. I have sensitive, acne-prone skin that is beginning to show the first signs of aging. So I made a trip to Target and bought a couple products to target (ha ha ha) the recent changes in my skin.

One thing I’ve noticed is now I have freckles (hyperpigmentation) and my skin is not as glowy, which is why I picked up this tube of Neutrogena Visibly Even Foaming Cleanser.

What it’s supposed to do
Neutrogena Visibly Even Foaming Cleanser is an exfoliating cleanser that contains “Essential Soy” (which the company says in a natural skin brightener), gentle exfoliators and Vitamin C. This combination is supposed to removes dead skin cells, dirt, and oil; evens out skin tone; and helps improve radiance.

What I liked
One of the best features of this cleanser is the texture. A dime sized amount builds into a very dense and cushiony foam that feels good on your skin. Visibly Even Foaming Cleanser has a light sprinkle of exfoliating beads, which I suppose is just enough for every day gentle exfoliating. Other exfoliating cleansers I’ve tried – like ProActiv’s Cleanser and Beyond Belief’s ABH Pore Refining Exfoliating Scrub — have more exfoliating beads than Visibly Even, so if you’re looking for an intense exfoliator then this product might not be for you.

What I like most about Visibly Even Foaming Cleanser is that it doesn’t dry out my skin after I use it. Some cleansers, like Clean & Clear Sensitive Skin, leave my face feeling tight, but Visibly Even leaves it feeling comfortable yet still clean. The smell is the second thing I love about this product. Smell is a big thing for me, and this smells light and refreshing and I love using it on my face first thing in the morning because the smell instantly wakes me up. When I use it at night I’ve found that although this cleanser also takes off most of my makeup I still have to use a separate eye makeup remover.

What I didn’t like
Despite all of these plusses, I can’t give this product an A because I don’t know if my skin is significantly more “visibly even.” I suppose I could’ve been more scientific about it and taken comparison pictures over the period of 30 days … but damn, I barely have time to smudge my eyeliner, let alone turn this into a science experiment! I’ve noticed that my skin is a little glowier, but that could be because I’ve been using this cleanser in conjunction with a few other new products.

The final word
I think my expectations also may have been unrealistically high in terms of how my skin would change. However, this is a great cleanser for the price and a solid performer. I’d highly recommend this to anyone on a skincare budget who wants light exfoliation as well as a thorough gentle cleansing.

My new favorite thing to do lately is watch music videos on youtube, especially ones from Janet Jackson which I haven’t seen in years. In my youth I watched countless Janet Jackson vids, which I’d play over and over to learn the choreography. So it was kind of a coincidence that during last night’s hip hop class we actually did the butterfly, lololololozzzz, which I haven’t done that since 1994! I learned the butterfly from my fab friend Jen, and from watching the end of Janet Jackson’s “You Want This.” Enjoy this trip down memory lane, and just for fun, sneak in some butterflyin’ today!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen