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| http://www.italiansilveridea.it/ |
You'll be forgiven for not having heard of the Isi cleansing mitt before as it has until recently been confined within the Italian borders. I was contacted by the brands PR lady from Italy, asked if I'd like to try it out for consideration and told that I am the first blogger outside of Italy to have been sent the mitt!
I hadn't heard of it either before receiving that email. It could be compared to the 'Makeup Eraser' micro-fiber cleansing cloth that was doing the rounds on Youtube and Instagram last year, because despite the physical differences, they are both cloths that cleanse the face without the need for a separate cleansing product. Warm water is all that is needed. The Isi (Italian Silver Idea) is rather more sophisticated however as one side has silver fiber woven into the mitt; this not only delicately exfoliates, but the silver has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties which helps to kill any bacteria in the skin and prevent them making bacteria babies!!
The mitt is rather small, it fits snugly over my fingers, completely covering them, but also rather ergonomically designed.
I was a bit concerned at first that it would be just too teeny to clean all my makeup off, and not get laden down with residue. It wasn't particularly an issue though as I just ran the mitt under warm water to help free it up a bit from makeup and dirt. I have used this over a sink (I hate cleaning my face with water at the sink) and I have also used it in the shower, and I much prefer using this in the shower. Though for people who don't have a irrational hatred of the feeling of water running down their dry arms/neck, using this over the sink is absolutely fine as well.
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| The 'plain' micro fiber side. |
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| The silver fiber side. |
You use the 'plain' side first to remove makeup, including eye makeup and mascara, and once this is sufficiently cleansed, you flip the mitt around to the silver side and gently rub this over your clean face and neck for gentle exfoliation. The silver also does it's science-y thing battling against micro nasties on the skin.
You would imagine that since you're not using a separate cleanser, that vigorous rubbing would be required, but I was pleasantly surprised by how gently I could be with the mitt and still achieve the expected results.
I did a first impressions test run of this over on my SnapChat account a couple of weeks ago (Username; ShivLetzMakeup) and despite being a little skeptical initially, I couldn't deny that it worked great, was easy to use and didn't require ages of rubbing to cleanse the face. For the 'First Impressions' I also soaked a cotton pad with some micellar cleansing water (which is completely colourless) and ran this over my skin after using the Isi to check how well it had removed the makeup and cleansed the skin, and again I was impressed by how clean the cotton pad was after my little experiment.
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The mitt comes with a little plexiglass stand that is designed to store the mitt while not in use and to also aid in the drying of the mitt cleaning it.
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| You also get a little 'breathable' bag with your mitt that allows the Isi to dry 'even inside your beauty case' which could come in handy when travelling etc. |
To clean after use, the manufacturer advises allowing the Isi to soak in warm water along with baking soda and marseille soap... I had to look this soap up on google to see what the heck they were talking about. It's a french soap made with vegetable oils. What a very specific recommendation!
Anyhow, back on track, they then say to rinse it out accurately and wring it out before allowing it to dry on the little plexiglass stand.
You can also throw this into the washing machine at a 40degree wash (without using fabric softener or bleach).
According to the information booklet I received along with the mitt, you can expect this to last 6 months with daily use or until 'visibly' worn.
Since I had no clue what the soap above was or how to get my mitts (badadum) on it, I have just been using a mild baby shampoo or dove soap to clean my Isi. I do plan on picking up some baking soda though whenever I think of it again just to be good to the little fella (and my face presumably).
I think this would be dead handy for people who travel a lot or live out of hotels. This would be also fierce handy for those days when you've run out of your regular cleansing lotion and haven't had the time to restock. I have been using a toner after using this little guy just to ensure I am as squeaky clean as possible.
I'd say there are plenty of people out there who would be more than happy to forego cleansers altogether and use this reusable mitt as their primary form or makeup removal/cleansing. Though personally I am less likely to use something that I have to consistently wash after every use, so this has been getting love about twice a week from me since receiving it.
If ye are interested in finding out more about the Isi, follow this link to get to their website.
The mitt is available in white or black from the website for €29.90.