I was never entirely enamoured of balm/oils to removed my eye makeup because I felt they left residue which resulted in a film over my eyes for a little while after and y’know.. I want to be able to see. For this reason I stay away from bio-phase/oil makeup removers and complain that my mascara doesn’t come off easily.. first world problems, huh? I was enjoying using the remains of my Botanics Balm but when it ran out I wanted something different and this is just awesome, I thought I’d miss the balmy texture once I was used to it but this I really don’t – okay maybe a little but as oils go I really like this one. On contact with water it emulsifies and looks milky, it reminds me a lot of the shower oil by the same brand, it transforms from an oil to something soapy and gets me really clean without feeling dry – perfect. I am totally converted to using a flannel to remove my cleanser too, there’s something so refreshing about a hot flannel – whoever convinced us all that muslin cloths were so amazing had obviously never used a flannel. Funny thing is whenever I wanted my skin really clean (after a face mask for example) I always used a towel or stole one of the kids wash mitts so I really should have known!!
This only disappointment for me with this cleansing oil was that it didn’t have the signature Sanctuary fragrance. It’s okay it’s just not ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!! – that would be the icing on the cake. It removes (almost) all of my eye makeup leaving no residue and you only really need one pump per use so the way I’m going I think it will last me some time. I’ve been using this as my first cleanse and Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean as my second while I’m in the tub and I’m really happy with the way my skin is behaving (hormonal breakouts aside). For those wondering I follow up with an exfoliating toner such as Pixi Glow Tonic or the All Bright one from Botanics –which is basically the same thing but it has alcohol which may not be for everyone. It’s a fraction of the price though so if you don’t mind the alcohol I’d recommend you give it a go. Lastly I use a brightening oil on the pigmentation around my eyes, a balancing oil on the restof my face and a light moisturiser.. that’s my night.
As always if any of you have any fantastic recommendations for me I’m all ears, I love trying new things! I may try the Champneys balm cleanser next and think I’ll stick with the Botanics toner once the Pixi runs out, oh and I’ve heard very good things about the Kiehls Dark Spot Solution for my discolouration so much as it pains me to spend £36 I am very tempted to give that a go as I’m sure my dark marks are getting worse.. I digress, if you’re looking for an oil cleanser this is a nice one!