Pretty Athletic Cool Down Cleanser review

Pretty Athletic is an active skincare brand that boasts some truly epic products, one of which being their Cool Down Cleanser, which I have developed quite a liking for.

I mean, have you ever come across a product that you love so crazy, madly, deeply that you feel the need to tell every stranger on the street and scream it from the rooftops. Yep. This cleanser.

I’m sure you’re thinking, why this cleanser? Well allow me to retell my epic love story with the Cool Down Cleanser. I came across this product in the goodie bag at the Indie Beauty Expo in London last year and thought the concept was pretty cool. Pretty Athletic was the brain child of a fabulous lady called Leyla who wanted to create post-workout skincare for women on the go. As a gym bunny myself, I loved the sound of a cooling cleanser, especially as I am someone who really works up a sweat and gets very hot and red.

This cleanser, quite obviously by the name, is aimed to calm and cool the skin after exercise, but it also rehydrates and removes sweat and impurities that have built up during your workout. It combines botanical ingredients such as aloe vera, cucumber, chamomile and green tea with actives like hyaluronic acid and prebiotics to reduce oiliness, prevent exercise related breakouts, intensely hydrate and support your skin flora! Your skin goes through quite a lot when you exercise and this little powerhouse makes sure that doing your thing doesn’t have an impact on your skin.

It is a lovely, thick, gel cleanser that feels so nourishing and hydrating. I should mention that it is not thick in that it feels heavy on the skin or would clog your pores, but when you pump it out, it is quite solid and doesn’t run straight off your hand. As it is so thick, it feels amazing when you massage this into the skin (the brand recommends massaging in for roughly 30 seconds). I’m not sure what I was expecting when I first used this, but I really didn’t expect such a pleasant cooling sensation! It is in no way overwhelming or tingly on the skin, but it’s almost as if you have splashed your face with cool water. It instantly cools the skin down and you can feel the moisture and goodness returning to your skin as your massage. It does have a scent, but it’s subtle and to me it doesn’t smell artificial, so I don’t think it would cause an issue to anyone that has a fragrance sensitivity. It is also totally safe to use on your eyes and doesn’t sting them at all, even when you open them. One thing I’ve found with this which is a massive bonus, is that my skin is always much smoother after I use it. I don’t tend to leave this on for a massive amount of time, usually around 20-30 seconds, and my skin feels noticeably softer. 

This is hands down the best second cleanse I’ve ever used! Don’t worry though, you don’t have to be a gym bunny to love this! This is extra nice to use when my skin is hot or red after the gym and you definitely feel the benefit of it, but it’s just as amazing after a long day at work/a short day at work/the best day of your life/any day of your life. Basically what I’m getting at is that this is an absolute banger and you need to try it.

I have actually started to have nightmares about running out of this cleanser. I am not even joking. I had two empties in the same day and that night I had a nightmare that I ran out of this unexpectedly. If you follow my Instagram, you’ll know that I have a massive thing for texture. I’ve had dreams about this texture too. THAT’S HOW DREAMY IT IS!

To top it all off, this is the only second cleanser that I have ever repurchased. I usually see second cleansers as a bit meh, a bit replaceable, but I can’t be without this one. As soon as I run out, I place an order straight away!

Try it. I guarantee you won’t regret it. Okay, I can’t guarantee it, but I’m pretty sure you will fall madly in love and never want to look at another gel cleanser again. If you go on the Pretty Athletic website and sign up to their newsletter, they often send out discount codes and their shipping is super quick!

*This review is not sponsored I just love it that much. I have received free products from Pretty Athletic in the past, but this was not one of them.*

Xo

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Pampered skin routine

After a long hard day of smashing life, every so often I like to come home and really go to town on my skincare routine as a treat. This usually happens over the weekend and is one of my favourite ways to unwind and prep my skin for the week ahead.

Here is my step-by-step routine for perfectly pampered skin:

Cleanse

If I have makeup on then I’ll double cleanse, otherwise I’ll just use my second cleanser. For a more luxurious first cleanse I love using the Beauty Pie Plantastic Apricot Cleansing Balm. It’s a super rich texture that feels beautiful when massaging into the skin to break down your makeup. It feels super smooth and washes off really easily.

To carry on the facial massage, I love using the Pretty Athletic Cool Down Cleanser. It is a gel cleanser that cools down the skin and feels amazing. You’re supposed to massage it in for 30 seconds before rinsing off. Because of the soft gel consistency and the cooling sensation, it feels so luxurious and leaves my skin completely clean and my mind relaxed.

Exfoliation

I always see exfoliation as a treat to myself. My favourite at the moment is the Fresh Sugar Face Polish. Made with brown sugar and strawberry seeds, it’s strong enough to exfoliate away any dead skin cells but gentle enough to not feel like the exfoliants are ripping into your skin. As it’s made of sugar, the grainy particles will eventually exfoliate away into the skin, leaving you with baby smooth skin. There’s something super relaxing about not only massaging the face but feeling the grains dissipate away to nothing…

Mask

My favourite mask to use is hands down the Sjo Skin Happy Honey Mask. This brand is all over Instagram and is a firm favourite of influencers because it is the ultimate multi-tasker mask. I use this mask mostly to calm my skin and to make it smoother. I usually keep this on for an hour at least (if I can) and my skin emerges smooth as anything and feeling really rejuvenated. If I’m feeling really boujee then sometimes I will double mask and use something like the Farmacy Honey Potion Mask before the Happy Honey Mask (Clearly there’s something about honey that I like!)

Essence

This might not be an essential product for everyone, but it’s become a step in my evening routine that I don’t like to go without. Essences prepare the skin for the next products you apply to your skin and helps them absorb more easily. I find that it is just a good base to have that makes my skin feel more hydrated and makes it easier to spread other product out across my skin. I use the Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence.

Serum

If I’m treating myself, I will always use my Kiehls Re-Texturising Hydro Plumping Serum. This is very gel like in consistency and makes my skin feel unbelievably smooth and as though I’ve had a big glass of water.

Moisturiser

This one is a bit of a tricky step. If I weren’t to apply an oil after the moisturiser, I would hands down use Dr Jart Ceramidin Cream because it is the most beautiful, thick moisturiser. I love thick moisturisers because I have fairly dry skin and I don’t find that the thinner moisturisers give me any long lasting moisture. The only problem with this one is that it pills sooooooo badly. One I have been enjoying recently before I apply the oils is the new Dermalogica Intense Moisture Balance. It’s quite a thin moisturiser, but still is thick enough to really back a moisturising punch and more importantly doesn’t pill when I put oils on top of it.

Oils

Because I’m extra, I really like to apply two oils. The first is The Ordinary Rosehip Oil and the second is Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate. I ran out of the rosehip oil recently and noticed that my skin was not as soft as before, so quickly repurchased it. I probably saw the biggest change in the texture and feel of my skin with the Kiehls oil, so I’ve never turned away from this product. It makes me feel so relaxed to massage this oil over my face (it’s a very smooth oil, the rosehip oil is a little thicker and sits a little heavier on the skin) and I like to hold my hands over my nose for a few seconds and breathe the lavender scent it. Lavender aids with sleep so this is always my last step before turning in for the night.

To add to the pampering mood, I love to burn candles. My favourites are super budget friendly – they’re from Home Bargains and cost just £2.99 for a massive one! They do various different scents, but my favourite hands down is the Gingerbread one. It makes me feel all cosy and ready to relax.

I hope you found my pampering routine useful. Let me know how you wind down and treat yourself!

Xo

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