When it comes to balm cleansers I will hold my hand up and say that I would regard myself as having now tried a few. From the somewhat gritty, sticky, luxurious and indeed delightful I think I have in my time discovered what I do and don’t like from a balm cleanser. Despite the weather now warming up I do not feel a need to move away from this type of cleanse as I know so many people are often tempted to do. They are often depicted as being quite heavy for this time of year however for me personally I think they are fantastic for all year round; they simply do the job and they do it well.
For a little while now I have being meaning to write a dedicated review for the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm* which was kindly sent to me back in January. If we skip back briefly to my Skincare Overhaul post back in March you will find that I briefly touched on this product back then, however I really wanted to come back to it today in order to provide a more in-depth post because I truly feel as though this product deserves a little bit more attention.
The Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm* first and foremost is one of the more expensive (for me anyway) on the market at a retail price of £39.50 for 100ml. In the past I have tried balms that have only ever been cheaper so this to date, as far as I can recall is the most expensive so far. Like most balms I have tried this comes in a jar, which generally speaking isn’t something I like when it comes to my skincare products as I find this type of product to be less hygienic. Despite this when it comes to balm cleansers I do tend to favour this packaging more because it makes the product so much easier to access and to use. Putting it quite simply you are not left squeezing a tube within the inch of its life to get the product out, I have been there before and it is no fun at all.
In regards to the texture of the product it is without a doubt the smoothest balm I have yet to try. It is so incredibly smooth on the skin and simply glides across effortlessly; it is a lovely texture to work with and does not drag across the skin at all. A little seems to go a long way with this which of course helps to soften the blow of the price somewhat. In regards to using it on my eyes I have found that whilst it does a relatively good job at removing standard mascara it does in fact struggle with eye liner so I do tend to use something separate for my eye make up when I use this. Having said that when I do use this product it is more likely that I will be using it as a second cleanse as opposed to that initial pre-cleanse as it is just too nice to use as that first cleanse. I feel as though the first cleanse removes the bulk of the make up before the actual cleansing process takes place with a second cleanse therefore I like to save my nicer, more luxurious products for the latter.
There is a scent to this balm cleanser which I find to be really quite nice, it isn’t overpowering but there is certainly a noticeable fragrance when I am using it. I am categorically useless at picking up scents however I definitely can pick out lavender there which I think coincides with the somewhat relaxing, calming sensation I have when I smell this. In terms of ingredients Elemis do not use any mineral oils, parabens or SLS within this product which is always an added bonus, although oddly enough there is no collagen within this product as the name may suggest.
Upon using this I notice that my skin feels instantly hydrated, smooth and youthful looking, especially after a long day of wearing make up at work. Whilst it is not a miracle worker at removing eye make up I do think it makes up for that in terms of how it makes my skin feel and indeed look. In the time in which I have being using this I have not experienced any irritation what so ever on my skin in general, although when used around the eyes I have noticed it to be a little stingy if I get it a bit too close.
Overall this is a product that I have been really very happy with, it is a great second cleanse with an added element of luxury. I still have quite a lot of this left so I don’t have to make a decision just yet as to whether I will pick it up once my current version runs out. I am in fact very torn because being a beauty blogger I am naturally very curious as to the other products that are out there on the market, having said that I certainly will not be forgetting just how good this has been.
Are you a fan of Elemis? This is my second experience with the brand by which after such a positive experience I’m really quite keen to dive in further to see what else they have to offer.
