Today’s advent calendar post is going to be a short one as it’s a duplicate from last year so I think I’ll be doing a second post later. Today’s a bit busy though as I’m going away for the weekend so I’m hoping to get all scheduled posts ready, it always feels a bit odd opening advent things early when I do this though!
The Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm is one that I got last year in the Marks and Spencer’s beauty advent calendar so I’m going to link to that post here so you can see my original first impressions. It’s a cleansing balm that you apply and then wipe off with a damp cloth. I’ve not tried many cleansing balms but they don’t really agree with my skin when I have so I’ll do a mini review if you want to read more on what I remember about this one. This is a 15ml jar but the standard 100ml jar costs £39 and comes with a cleansing cloth. It’s not exactly cheap but given how long this mini jar lasted last year I’d say it’s good value for money.
The jar itself for these I like, it’s small and I’ve actually kept last year’s as the lid stays on well and it’s a great size for travel for face moisturisers. The product itself is a balm, it’s a lot like Lush’s Ultrabland if you’ve tried that, with a bit of a gritty texture to it which I’m not that keen on. The scent is fairly strong, it smells of orange blossom flowers to me, and reminds me more of a perfume than a skin care product.
As far as using it this product is nice to use, it spreads on evenly and a little goes a long way. It’s easy to remove with hot water and a wash cloth of some kind, I just used a normal flannel, and you don’t need to scrub to remove it all. I think if you have drier skin, or at least less acne prone skin, this may be a good one to try if it’s in your budget. As far as balm cleansers go, of the three I’ve tried anyway, this has the least greasy feeling afterwards and I didn’t have the overly moisturised plump skin feeling I’ve had with others that makes my skin greasy even after using it for over a month.
That is the main problem for me and, to be honest, it may be due to my awkward skin type. My skin is dry, sensitive and acne prone and a lot of moisturising products cause breakouts, both large and small spots. This balm caused quite a few of the deeper painful spots for me so I’d say it’s not one for acne prone skin. In the past I’ve stayed away from balm cleansers as I was worried about that but was convinced by some blogs I’ve read who’ve said that oil and balm cleansers actually helped their skin. I don’t think I’ll be giving any more a go given how much these others have failed.
Breakouts aside it did leave my skin feeling nice and fresh and I definitely didn’t need a moisturiser afterwards. My skin felt soft and smooth and not overly greasy so it’s a good balm cleanser to em, just not for my skin, which is a pity as I liked the feel of my skin afterwards. This will be passed on to someone else who might get on with it more.
Oh that’s too bad the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm caused breakouts. If oils and balms aren’t right for your skin type, don’t force the issue.
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I wish they worked for me, there are so many out there that people swear by but I think I’ve just got to accept it. It’ll find a good home somewhere else though 😊
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