Cleansing Staple: Clarins Extra-Comfort Cleansing Cream

Good news: I'm back! The family has gone back home and I'm free to take up my blogging duties again! Having them here has allowed me to gain a bit of a much-needed perspective against my make-up loving habits but I'm also happy to get back to my normal life and more spacious and quiet home. Expect a lot more posts to come!

I'm sure you've heard me taking before about The Beauty Mouth's weekly skincare clinics; she's an amazing resource if you've got problematic skin. Caroline convinced me to step away from harsh foaming cleansers and look for a cleansing balm to incorporate into my skincare routine; however, it seems that the US market doesn't have a large part of the options she was suggesting on her blog. Which is why, as soon as I've heard her talking about the Clarins Extra-Comfort Cleansing Cream for Dry or Sensitized Skin ($40 for 200 ml), I jumped onboard and ordered this gigantic tub of the stuff.

The packaging is a simple white plastic jar with a screw-on lid and a stopper inside; it also came with a clear plastic spatula. Compared to a normal moisturizer tub, this is at least twice as big, so not very handy to take along on any trips - you could always decant though. Inside, there's a thick cream that reminds me a lot of peach yogurt but with a scent evoking an old-school moisturizer like Nivea.

Clarins suggest to scoop out a small amount, warm it up in your palms, press evenly into the skin and then lift your hands off of your face, creating something like a suction to lift off the impurities. I also tried simply massaging it into the skin and both methods seem equally effective. I then remove the remnants with a warm damp flannel cloth as per Caroline's suggestion, and I find that I like the flannels much better than the muslin cloths, which feel thinner, more abrasive and loose heat a lot more quickly than the flannels do. I just ordered a pack of 15 flannel baby wipes on Amazon - so that even with changing them after every use, they still last for over 2 weeks.

My face does feel very soft, supple and moisturized after I use the Clarins Cleansing Cream and there are absolutely no traces of dirt or make-up left on my skin; although I do use a separate eye make-up remover since the Clarins cream tends to 'cloud' my vision a bit. The whole experience feels very luxurious and pampering, like being in a spa. That being said, I only reach for the Clarins Cleansing Cream in the evenings; I find that I have no time or patience for the whole routine in the mornings so I use a soap-free face wash then.

 Overall, I think that my skin really benefits from a thorough cleansing routine in the evenings, especially given that I wear both make-up and sunscreen practically every day, which may tend to clog your pores a bit more. I would prefer if the Clarins Extra-Comfort Cleansing Cream wasn't quite as heavily scented and removed eye make-up a bit better, but other than that, the product performs very well. I'll still be on the lookout for an even better balm cleanser but for the time being, I enjoy using the Clarins cream.

Have you tried cleansing with a balm before? What is your favorite evening face cleanser?