A few weeks ago I shared my Winter Skincare Routine and I mentioned that I had just run out of my cream cleanser, the MV Skincare Gentle Cream Cleanser (which is absolutely fabulous). As soon as the cleanser was finished, I moved to another cleanser by balance Me called the Cleanse And Smooth Face Balm, which I had ordered from lookfantastic.com, a lovely online shop that offers free worldwide shipping.
Although it is called balm, the texture of this cleanser is more like a thick exfoliating cleanser, with a slightly “tacky” feel to it. It contains some fine oatmeal parts that are meant to gently exfoliate. I have often experienced some separation in the balm, with the oily part of the balm separating from the thicker part and dripping out of the tube as I flipped the top to open it. I do not particularly enjoy the texture, but it is something that I am willing to get over for the sake of a good cleanse. However, I have had a hard time removing this cleanser from my skin, as it seems that the oatmeal parts never get off my skin completely, even after steaming, wiping, and rinsing. I feel like there is always a residue left on my skin. With that being said, my main problem with this product is that I experienced a sudden breakout while using it. Not sure if because it is too rich for my skin type, or because of the exfoliating oatmeal parts, or simply because it contains shea butter. To confirm my suspicion that it was the cleanser that broke me out, my skin started to clear out as soon as I quit using it.
Ingredients:
Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, Colloidal oatmeal, Cera alba (unrefined beeswax), Mangifera indica (mango) seed butter, Butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter***, Theobroma cacao (cocoa) butter, Polyglyceryl-4 caprate, Oleic/Linoleic/Linolenic polyglycerides, Hydroxystearic/Linolenic/Oleic polyglycerides, Rubus chamaemorus (cloudberry) seed extract, Cocos nucifera (virgin coconut) oil***, Aleurites moluccana (kukui) oil, Rosa canina (rosehip) fruit oil, Camellia oleifera (camellia) oil, Citrus reticulata (mandarin red)*, Litsea cubeba (litsea may chang)*, Citrus aurantium amara (petitgrain)*, Anthemis nobilis (Roman chamomile)*, Cananga odorata (ylang ylang)*, Coriandrum sativum (coriander)*, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract, Limonene**, Linalool**, Citral *natural pure essential oil **naturally occurring in essential oils ***certified organic ingredient
However, I also want you to know that I have not read a single complaint about this product from other bloggers nor other reviewers on the web. Most people have raved about it and say that they cannot go without it. Therefore I have had to sadly accept that my skin is somehow sensitive to a great product with a great price tag. Sigh.
I hoped I could replace one of my more expensive cleansers with this one, which I paid only about $ 28, but since it did not work for me I have ordered the May Lindstrom Honey Mud, and I am very excited about it. In the meanwhile, if you want to try the balance Me Cleanse And Smooth Face Balm for yourself, it is available for purchase at lookfantastic.com.
What is your favorite cleanser? Have you tried any really effective, inexpensive cleansers?
