Cleansing Balm

Cleansing balm is definitely my life saver. After switching from my foamy facial cleanser into cleansing balm, my skin condition gets better. Really, cleansing my face feels more relaxing and enjoyable than before - and I just can't wait to do my ritual with the magic cleansing balm every night (I prefer to use cleansing balm only at night).

Today, there are many cosmetic brands offering cleansing balm in their product range. I live in the Netherlands and it is quite difficult to get some of the "it" cleansing balm such as Clinique "Take The Day of Cleansing Balm" (the longest name ever). Below I will tell you some cleansing balms I have used and what I feel about them.

1. Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm. Definitely a yay! Why? Because you have no idea how incredibly smooth and clean your skin after using it (after using it for a month, my acnes are gone for real). The price is pain in the ass though, but I have no regret because this balm is really a life changing. This is also my very first try on cleansing balm. After every beauty bloggers raved about this, I wondered about this balm, is it really that good? After giving it a shot, I thanked myself for making a good decision; even though it means instant noodles becoming my best friend for the next few months. When washing your face with this cleansing balm, you will feel like you are somewhere at SPA because the scent of this cleansing balm is so relaxing, just like an aromatherapy. Every day, I always wait for the end of the day, the moment when I use this cleansing balm.

2. Ren No.1 Purity Cleansing Balm. Ren is one of my favourite brands because they always offer skin-friendly ingredients and I have never been disappointed with their product, including their cleansing balm. Ren claims that this product will have two major effects on your skin. First, calms, soothes, and purifies; and second, protects the skin's defence barrier against everyday environmental stress caused by free radical and pollution. For point number one, I agree. The second point, well I don't exactly know if it really protects my skin or not, but I'm happy with the calm-soothe-purify effect. It is good enough for me, because this cleansing balm works wonder for my skin. The problem is if you are not a rose-fragrant fan like me, it is a little bit regrettable. Thankfully, the scent is not too strong - so I can still handle it. This cleansing balm did a great job like the one from Emma Hardie above. It is relatively better in terms of price, though, since it is more affordable (especially when Asos offers discounts for beauty section *wink). The downside is you won't feel like you are in a spa but as long as my skin is clean and happy, I'm okay with no spa feeling, so a yay!

3. The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter. If you're looking for an affordable cleansing balm which does a good job, then this cleansing balm is a yay for you. The difference from the two cleansing balms that I previously mentioned is this cleansing balm is richer than emma hardie and ren in terms of texture. When it melts on your skin, it gives a more oily feeling than the other two. This cleansing balm contains camomile and of course it gives a camomile like scent - but I found the smell is not as relaxing as camomile tea. I think this balm gives a quite strange smell; luckily the scent is very light. If you're concerned about price, then this cleansing balm is a good match for you.

4. Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser. I love Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask so much, but their cleansing balm is a big NAY! Why? It contains silica, why antipodes? why? the more I use it, the more I hate it. I'm very disappointed when I try this balm because it feels like your face is covered with wax. Even after I rinse it with water and muslin clothes, I need to use another cleanser to get rid of the wax feeling and it just makes my cleanse routine more complicated. I don't think this cleansing balm did a good job. After three days of using this cleansing balm, my face started to have acnes so I stopped it.

How I rock the cleansing balm. If I use make up, I first use Bioderma and followed by cleansing balm, and massage it into my skin and take the damp muslin clothes and rinse it.