Hello beautiful people!
So a while back I picked up this hot cloth cleanser, partly because I was curious if it would be as effective as the superdrug own brand one (reviewed here) and mainly because I needed a proper cleanser - I had gotten into the habit of just using micellar water which is almost the same as using a makeup wipe one and certainly not the best thing for your skin (but better than nothing I suppose..D:) The beautiful Amelia from liana-beauty.com had also recommended this during her skincare work shop at the smoky-not-smudgy event and I’d made a note of it on my phone, so when I saw it on sale a few weeks later I was pretty chuffed to pick it up!
It is currently £6.49 (usually around £9) but I also picked this up when it was on special offer so keep an eye out! The Botanics range from boots is centred around ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ products. Now I’m not massively fussed over natural cosmetics and skincare, but do know that where possible if it works well for me I’d rather use the less chemical filled stuff and go gentler on my skin. I was also very excited to try a balm as they seem to have become all the rage within the beauty world (the Clique take the day off balm is loved by thousands!). However as high-end products tend to be ridiculously priced, with some balms costing you around the £40 mark it’s fantastic to see high-street brands making GOOD yet affordable versions!
Reading the back of the box and seeing the wonderful ingredients such as ‘shea butter; and ‘jojoba oil’ you’d expect to be left with skin feeling soft and smooth. I have normal/dry skin anyway but during these colder months, I start to get dry patches on my cheeks and around my eyes and it’s really not pleasant in the slightest. So anything oil based or richer in formula is welcomed with open arms. I’ll get down to my experience in due course but first of all I must warn you that this does have quite a distinct herbal smell. When I first used it I was a little taken aback, for some reason expecting it to be fragrance free, but it’s not a BAD smell as such, just a distinctive one. Some people find it relaxing, other (like myself) could do without it, but from my experience with this so far the pros outweigh the smell!
The cloth included isn’t brilliant, and for anyone with even slightly sensitive skin I’d advise against using it. I find muslin cloths in general to be quite abrasive for the skin, and considering the amount we put it through already, using a less than gentle cloth to cleanse probably doesn’t do it much favours.
Now on to my experience, as it is a balm it comes in a solid form. I was also slightly taken aback by the colour, which you will see in the photo below looks somewhat daunting! However it is all about the organic so I just went with it! You take a little of the balm out and I liked to ever so slightly warm it up between my fingers, before applying onto my skin. Now 7/10 times I will have removed my makeup already using the L'Oreal micellar water, however this works fine over makeup too if you cannot be bothered to double cleanse. As you massage it into your skin, you’ll feel the balm melt and start working its organic goodness all over the face. It’s actually a really relaxing feeling! I have gotten over the scent and started looking forwards to this aspect of my evening when I get to give myself a little pampering!
edit, the lighting in this photo is HORRENDOUS so the colour looks 10X worse!
Once my face has been covered in the melted balm, I take a flannel, soak it in hot water and gently pat/compress into my skin. Rather than washing this straight off, using the flannel will ensure that all makeup, oil and dirty is removed from the skin and it (again) feels very nice! It also clears the pores, something I don’t have too big odd an issue with just yet, but noticed! Then I squeeze the flannel out and run it under slightly cooler water, and gently wipe my whole face with it which just ensures the remains of the balm is gone. My skin feels so much happier when I use this, the richer formula and without a doubt the natural ingredients are a lot kinder, help to combat dryness. It also thoroughly cleans the skin, taking away all traces of makeup without the use of several face washes, tones and goodness knows what else! I’ve not been sticking to one cleanser recently, but when I used this alone for a whole week, my face felt softer, smoother and like I mentioned before the massaging and home pamper feeling was brilliant for preparing for bed and a good nights rest!
Once my face has been covered in the melted balm, I take a flannel, soak it in hot water and gently pat/compress into my skin. Rather than washing this straight off, using the flannel will ensure that all makeup, oil and dirty is removed from the skin and it (again) feels very nice! It also clears the pores, something I don’t have too big odd an issue with just yet, but noticed! Then I squeeze the flannel out and run it under slightly cooler water, and gently wipe my whole face with it which just ensures the remains of the balm is gone. My skin feels so much happier when I use this, the richer formula and without a doubt the natural ingredients are a lot kinder, help to combat dryness. It also thoroughly cleans the skin, taking away all traces of makeup without the use of several face washes, tones and goodness knows what else! I’ve not been sticking to one cleanser recently, but when I used this alone for a whole week, my face felt softer, smoother and like I mentioned before the massaging and home pamper feeling was brilliant for preparing for bed and a good nights rest!
Here is the balm slightly melted. This isn’t really a morning cleanser, but for me it ticks all MY boxes for a great evening one. It removes makeup, and goodness knows what else our skin comes into contact with so thoroughly, WITHOUT drying the skin that I couldn’t ask for much else. I love the feeling of the balm on my skin, and also the feeling of buffing it out and having a squeaky clean soft face afterwards! If you are looking to try a decent hot cloth balm, but don’t want to splash out, I’d strongly recommend checking this out ^_^
Final Verdict:
Product rating: 8.5
Pros: Is a fantastic cleanser, Organic and full of skin loving ingredients, feels wonderful massaged on the skin, leaves the skin clean and NOT dry, great for winter.
Cons: The smell and the colour aren't the most appealing.
Repurchase? I do really enjoy using this and love how the ingredients are so skin friendly, so yes :)
