Lancome Baume Eclat Cleanser

You may know that I have been a fan of Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish for ages.  I also love a balm cleanser and I am powerless to resist anything that Caroline Hirons suggests - I have ditched my muslin cloths and stocked up on flannels for example!   

For me using a cloth and water, irrespective of the type of cloth, has made the most almighty changes to the clarity and tone of my skin.  For years I was convinced that my skin was "affected" by water so I used tissue of cleansers.  Very luckily I also wore very little make up or my skin would have been in a shocking state.  I suffered from red, blotchy skin that was very dry and reactive.  I genuinely think using a cloth and a proper, wash off (non-foaming, god forbid) cleanser has eradicated pretty much all the redness and my skin is way less reactive.  I love the feel of a balm cleanser they are so comforting to use and generally smell divine.  In the past I had used the Botanics balm cleanser which I liked although more knowledgeable bloggers didn't, I suspect that now I know a little more about balm cleansers I wouldn't either if I was to try it again.  I also tried the Champneys cleansing balm, twice.  Lord knows why.  The first time I bought it I loved the smell but loathed the texture, it was really gritty and scrubby and not at all what I wanted from a daily use cleanser.  Quite why I bought it again is beyond me, I think I wanted to try a balm cleanser again but still don't have the necessary spends to go for broke and buy the much raved about Emma Hardie balm cleanser, one day when I have £40 and absolutely nothing else on my wish list I just might!  This time it was gritty and horribly oily, I ended up using it as a bit of a body scrub.  I was aware that neither cleanser really emulsified which is apparently what you are seeking ideally in a cleanser.  Initially it should be an oil on your face to draw out oils and loosen your make up and then, with the addition of water, it should turn into a milk that can be easily wiped off with a flannel leaving no greasy, waxy residue, apparently.  I am only repeating what I have read from very much more knowledgeable people here!

As I was flying to Cornwall I decided that I'd have a bit of a google for a Balm cleanser and see if I could find one that I could purchase in Duty Free.  After a good old search the one that seemed to tick all my boxes - easily available, not stupidly expensive and more importantly actually sited in its details the transition from oil to milk - was Lancome Baume Eclat.  You can imagine how disappointed I was that they didn't have it in Duty Free!  Luckily it was on the Lancome counter in Boots later in the week so I nabbed one.

The cleanser comes in a tube with a flip top so no tricky messing with lids, or un-hygenic dunking of mucky fingers to contend with.  When you squeeze it from the tube its a very pretty pearlised gel.  I have found that you need about a pea sized amount for a normal face full of slap, unless you have a super huge face!  

Because I wear make up like a clown! (note Sleek mattes - post to follow!)

You apply it with dry hands to your dry face and massage it in, very quickly it turns to oil and quite literally dissolves  your make up.

I do use this on my eyes but a word of caution, this stuff stings like a bitch.  For ages. So used with caution on the eye area!!  Whilst I am massaging in the cleanser, which smells lovely btw, I am running the hot tap with my flannel sat in the sink.  

Once my make up has smeared all over my face I dampen my hands and massage again to turn the oil into milk, this bit gets drippy! 

Then I wring out my now nice and hot flannel, open it out fully and slap it onto my face.  I kid you not, this feels like heaven and you can feel the day slipping away.  I have a good rub around with the flannel, rinse, wring and repeat.  Sometimes for ages it feels that good!  When I have finished cleansing my face looks bloody amazing.  Really clear, even toned, un-blotchy happy skin.  

It then gets my night routine, which reminds me the Avene Ystheal that I reviewed here has now all gone.  I have used it every evening and my skin has completely loved it, couple of pumps of this smoothed in and allowed to soak in and then a smidge of Dr Nick Lowe The Secrets Out night cream, which I am still crazy about, also about to run out and again also about to be replaced - I am on my second bottle of the serum and the day cream is due to be replaced very soon too, loving this whole range too for mature skin that needs some proper help. Those of you that follow me on twitter may have seen panic stricken tweets about my hideously spotty face.   I was really concerned it was the cleanser causing the problems. Turns out it was a combination of time of the month and a nasty reaction to some medication that I have been taking long term.  Phew!  Would have been so upset if I couldn't use this as I love how it works.


This costs £20 and I bought mine from Boots and I would recommend it happily!

Champneys Super Rich Cleansing Balm

One of my treats when I used to shop in Sainsbury's, before the recession, was to pick up a Champneys shower gel or hand cream to sneak in along with the family shop!  Once I started shopping in Asda I missed my Champneys treats and so was delighted to spot the range now being stocked in Boots.

Regular readers will know that I have mature dry skin that tends to be sensitive.  I have been using Avene cleanser for quite a while but was really fancying something that utilised a muslin cloth - I actually want the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish but as am on a spending ban an online purchase is out of the question so I have to wait to splash my secret stash next time I am in Leeds or Manchester!  I decided to have a look in Boots to see what I could find and whilst I was tempted by the No 7 hot cloth cleanser I wanted to wait to try the Liz Earle version first.  I have used the Botanics balm cleanser and really liked it so the idea of a Champneys cleansing balm really appealed, especially one that was billed as "super rich".

They say:

This super rich cleansing balm with avocado, jojoba and natural floral oils lift away every trace of make-up and impurities to renew your skin deeply cleansing, toning and exfoliating in one indulgent treatment.

How to Use

Champneys therapists recommend...

...using weekly as part of your evening routine.

Warm the balm in your hands until it feels smooth, inhale the therapeutic aromas and massage in your face and neck using small circular movements.

Soak the muslin cloth in warm water, squeeze out any excess and hold over your face and neck for a few seconds before lightly polishing off.

Rinse with cold water.

I loved the idea of "theraputic aromas" I'm Taurean, we like our stuff to smell good!  And I also liked the inclusion of oils, my dry skin mops them up.

The balm comes in a nice heavy weight plastic jar (so its not so heavy you cant take it on holiday!) and has a muslin cloth packaged with it.  It has a very oily, slightly gritty feel to it.  I suspect that it might only be useful for oily skins working on that oil attracts oil basis and then only used infrequently - if you have dry skin you should try this.  I know they say use once a week, I have been using this every evening and most mornings for the last 3 weeks and have seen no ill effect, in fact my skin is looking pretty fab, apart from the appalling damage I did when I got sun burnt on holiday, more of that later.

I use a small amount of the balm and every other evening massage is straight onto my dry skin, the gritty texture lasts until you add warm water and the oil starts to emulsfy so every other night used dry to exfoliate and then the other nights melted with some hot water for a smoother clean.  I give my face a good old massage with this and then clean it off with the muslin, dunked in warm water and wrung out.  If I have lagged myself in slap I might do a second cleanse.  I particularly like that you can rub this right into your lash line to remove mascara and eyel liner without trashing your eyes and then use the cloth to really make sure all the eye make up is gone.

After using this I am now spritzing with Avene Eau Thermal Water spray (£6.50 from Boots or online here) and then whilst my face is still damp with the spray massaging in a couple of drops of facial oil.  I have used all of my Sanctuary Therapists Secret Facial oil (£17.50 from Boots, online here) and really really need to buy another asap.  Putting the oil on top of the water seems to help trap the moisture into my skin and also helps my skin to absorb the oil. 

The balm is £13 in Boots and you can buy it online here.

Huds Haul

Great afternoon in Huddersfield with Em. Boots didn't know what had hit them!

It doesn't look like this anymore. Just dropped it and smashed it to fck. Gutted - down to pan in middle.

Picked up Revlon matte shadow in Riviera blue (front) and a satin shadow in Peacock Lustre (back).  No sign of the ColorBurst lipstick in Soft Nude and Rosy Nude looked too pink toned for my licking. Settled on Matte lipstick in Mink.  Revlon was 3 for 2 which was fab.

Revlon Matte Mink.  GOSH Cappuccino

Re-stocked with my fave Avene products; Extremely Gentle Cleanser and Rich Anti-Redness cream and added a Soothing Hydrating Serum which I had really been wanting to try, again 3 for 2 on skin care, result.

I also had to pick up a Botanics cleansing Balm as raved by Welsh Beauty Blogger.  We seem to have pretty similar skin so I am hoping that I can use this without freaking out my skin, even if its just a once a week treat and I use the Avene on a day to day basis.  This smells lovely and I cant wait to try it with my Botanics facial cleansing brush. 

And of course the compulsory purchase of a Clinique Super Fine liner in soft brown seeing as those brows keeping on pulling in the compliments, the lady on the check out in Boots asked what I used.

This lot got me a Boots £5 voucher that went straight back into their tills with my purchase of the Ltd edition gel eyeliner in Blue, am dying to have a play with this.

Em hauled too so we decided to use her £5 voucher to buy Aunty Ness the No 7 Skin Illuminator she had been fancying.

From there we hurtled like a herd of turtles round to Superdrug where I picked up a GOSH lipstick in Cappuccino, which basically looks like it might be my perfect nude or the "fresh from the grave" lippy I have been dying for!

Arty pic of No 7 Ltd edition blue eye liner!

Swatches, reviews and eotd's etc to follow!