Emma Hardie Moringa Lift and Sculpt Cleansing Balm review

This stuff is definitely having its moment! I can't watch a YouTube Favourites video or read a beauty blog without this stuff getting a mention. And, if you can't beat them, join them!

This stuff is Caroline Hirons go to cleanser. Cleansing balms are a bit of a weird experience if you haven't tried one before though. It feels very counter intuitive as an combination oily skinned girl to be smearing oil onto my face to clean it, but it does clean really effectively without stripping my skin. I only use this at night, in the morning I use the Ren ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser or Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Gel.

(Please note I added this picture after writing the post and have now been using the balm for about 4 months now!)

The balm melts into quite a thick oil if you use it straight on your face without any water. I like to take a little amount, (about the size of my little fingernail) and work it into my face, then wipe away with a hot flannel. I keep rinsing my clean and fresh flannel with hot running water and wiping until no more make up comes off. Your cleanser should remove all of your make up. This one does as I generally don't wear that much other than a tinted moisturiser, some concealer and some bronzer. I also have the Exfoliating Rosehip Seeds which came as part of the Professional Cleansing System and these are good for a manual exfoliation. It leaves skin glowing and fresh. I do this every few weeks because to be honest I prefer acids to exfoliate with as they help my unclog pores much better. I don't plan on buying them again, they are ok but I'm not a huge fan of them, I don't find myself reaching for them very often. I don't really have an opinion on the dual sided muslim cloth. Yes it's nice and the microfibre side would probably be lovely for people with really sensitive skin but I like my good old flannels.

I double cleanse every day in the evening as I wear tinted moisturiser and an SPF so the first cleanse removes my makeup and the second one cleanses the skin. If I was wearing foundation all over my face or a particularly heavy coverage product or maybe one with a high SPF, I would use Bioderma Crealine H20 to remove the majority of my make up before I cleansed. This is just because I wouldn't want to get foundation all over my flannel. Then I wait until my face is dry before starting with the Emma Hardie, as I always apply it to a dry face. This balm melts away make up, grease and grime without leaving an oily residue or leave you feeling tight skinned. And it smells AMAZING. I think it smells mainly of orange and neroli - a scent I adore. It smells like a herbal orangey Savlon. I also love the smell of Savlon, it reminds me of my Nan and Grandad as it was their fix-it-all cream for literally anything. You know on My Big Fat Greek Wedding where Tula's Dad Gus uses Windex on everything? That's my N&G with Savlon. I also love the smell of rough, fabric plaster dressing. My childhood summed up in two smells. Grandad also used to heat the plaster up on the gas hob with a blob of Savlon on the non sticky part, because it made it stick better. Just brilliant. Anyway, I like the smell. It is sweet and lovely, I really enjoy using it. 

I can see the tub is going to last me a while yet, I've had it about 3 months and have made a bit of a dent in it, but I will definitely be buying it again it when I do finish it. I barely touch any of my other cleansers now that I have this as it's just so lovely to use. I might try and use up my other balm cleansers in between as it would be a shame to waste them but this is definitely my favourite of the three! I bought mine from BeautyBay for around £28 as part of the Professional Cleansing System. It isn't listed on the website any more as I guess it's out of stock but it will be back up soon I should imagine so keep your eye on it. Failing that it's available at SpaceNK here for the RRP £42.

EDIT 10/06/2013. I have started to use my Clinique Take the Day Off balm as my first cleanse and the Emma Hardie as my second as I am loving using this stuff and don't want to run out of it as quickly. I'm rationing it out haha!