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| Balm Cleansers - looks yuck, works like a dream! |
Balm cleansers (read more here!) are not only a thing of beauty, but also one of the greatest discoveries of my life (well, that and the snooze button my alarm). I have very dry skin that will kick up a fuss if something doesn't agree with it, so (being the skincare geek that I am) I went on the hunt for a cleanser that would not only take off every scrap of makeup off my face, but also give it a deep clean and leave it looking in tip top condition...
Read more from today's guest post contributor, the lovely @montyc!
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| Eve Lom Cleanser |
My searches over the years finally led me to a particular balm cleanser; a thick, luxurious substance of loveliness that begins to work its magic as soon as you start to massage into your skin. When you then take a wet cloth (I use muslin cloths) to wash the balm off, it becomes creamy and all of the dirt is lifted away. When I say balm cleansers take off all makeup, I really do mean all of it. And that includes waterproof eye makeup. This particular cleanser, then, was the product for me, the King of Balm Cleansers; the award winning Eve Lom Cleanser.
I can see why Ms. Lom's awards shelf is heaving. This is a very good product with a particular fragrance which I personally like (although it is a very particular smell and not to everyone's taste). A little of this product goes a long way and the muslin cloths (that you use to remove the product) come with it, which is a good thing, considering that the 200ml tub will set you back in-or-around €120. That same tub will last you around eight to ten months (slightly longer if you are very sparing with it).
But then I am reminded of the main reason why I haven't repurchased - it stung the eyes out of my head. Initially, I had thought that the problem with my stinging eyes lay with my overly enthusiastic rubbing of my eye lids to remove my eye makeup, so I toned it down to gentle strokes. No joy. Next I thought that it might be that I was using too much of the product, so I cut back on that but alas, every night, I stumbled out of the bathroom looking like a red-eyed insomniac. Disappointingly (but much to the relief of my poor eyes), I eventually went back to using a separate eye makeup remover.
Once I finished the Eve Lom (I was determined to finish it), the search for an alternative began. I wanted to find a product that did everything the Eve Lom could do, except leaving out the bit where it stung my eyes. And if it happened to be cheaper, even better.
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| Emma Hardie Cleanser |
Enter Emma Hardie Moringa Balm Cleanser. Had I found the Great Pretender to the Throne? Would it deliver all of the good stuff the Eve Lom could do so well? In a word - absolutely. It's a joy to use (the only difference with this balm is that you wet it slightly before you massage it onto your skin). My eyes no longer fear my makeup removal ritual. And the fact that it's considerably cheaper than the Eve Lom offering sweetened the deal even further (about €38 for a 100ml pot).
This cleanser can be bought as part of a set that comes with a little pot of rose hip exfoliating seeds. A small amount of these seeds can be mixed into the cleanser to turn it into an exfoliator. Unless your face is akin to the hide of a rhino, then I would steer clear of this little pot of seeds and just go for the cleanser on it's own, and use a gentler exfoliator - for reference, I use Oskia's micro exfoliating balm (yes, another balm!) and that too has won its place in my affections.
Emma Hardie - my face and wallet salute you. Long may you reign in my bathroom cabinet.
Eve Lom can be purchased from Harvey Nichols in Dublin. Emma Hardie can be purchased from Arnotts in Dublin.
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Many thanks to MontyC for providing this comparison post!