Welcome to one of my skincare guilty pleasures: the Aromatic Cleansing Balm with Rosewood from Darphin. This little glass jar offers the silkiest, most delectable of balmy cleansers – I’ve been trying for months to consider something comparable, in terms of texture, but to no avail. It feels a bit like set honey but without the stickiness. It’s slightly more robust than your standard balm consistency and stands up well on damp skin, giving you a good chance to massage it in instead of immediately skipping to the “milky rinse-off” stage.
But it’s not the feel of this balm that keeps me coming back for more: it’s the smell. Do you have a collection of beauty products that make you are feeling disproportionately happy? I do. I have my skincare items that are purely functional – my exfoliants and my non-nonsense serums and my SPFs – after which I have my little beauty treasures, those that I really look forward to using after a long, hard day. Obviously, these products are also functional and efficient – I don’t often waste time with fragrant frippery that’s all scent and no substance! – but they have a special place in my heart due to their ability to instantly change my mood.
Off the top my head, some mood-changers from my little collection: Aurelia’s Dry Body Oil, Aromatherapy Associates bath oils, Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist and (again from Darphin) the 8-Flower Nectar Oil Cream. All of these, without fail, can perk me up at the start of a hectic day or assist me to to wind down at the end of a stressful one. They calm my mind with their therapeutic oil blends, they lift my spirits, they turn a quick and perfunctory skincare routine into something more lavish and indulgent.
Which makes it sound as though I use these things infrequently: I don’t. I’m past that whole “saving things for best” thing, now; use it or lose it. Gone are the days of dusting off boxes to find a pair of unworn shoes nestled inside – lingerie from 2004 using the tags still on, saved for a special occasion, the teeny bottle of truffle oil bought in Milan six years back, waiting for that sophisticated dinner party that is probably never going to happen…
These beauty treasures are used on a surprisingly regular basis. At least a couple of times a week – more for the Queen of Hungary Mist, which gets spritzed over my face at strategic points throughout the day, serving as a sort of luxurious wake-up call when my levels of energy are flagging and my face is beginning to wilt.
I would use the Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm daily, basically could get away with it, but it's – as I mentioned before – a guilty pleasure. It’s lb32, which doesn’t sound too guilty so far, but when you consider the size of the jar and the volume of the contents – 40ml – it appears prudent to use the balm like a treatment rather than as part of a daily routine.
And it really does feel – and smell – just like a treatment. This isn’t a massage-in-and-take-straight-off cleanser, this (in the risk of sounding like an M&S advert) is really a massage-in, lie-back, breathe-in-the-aroma-and-bask-for-a-while cleanser. I just can’t convey to you how much I love using it. The ylang ylang oil is instantly uplifting, the rosewood is sweet and woody and calming. (I’m aware that on paper the two should really cancel each other out, but I find the blend very balancing.)
Cleansers with Added Benefits…
So yes, I use the cleanser as more of the facial treatment than a makeup remover – if I’ve had a heavy day on the cosmetics front then I’ll usually make use of a balm that I don’t mind digging into with both hands! With the Darphin one I massage in, leave on for a few minutes and then press off utilizing a warm flannel. And if I’m feeling as if I need a total assault around the senses then I’ll follow using the Darphin 8 Flower Nectar Oil Cream, just as mood-lifting and a gorgeous overnight moisturiser if you’re looking for something buttery.
Usually I race through my cleansers – I truly enjoy testing them and am always impatient to begin on something new and exciting – but Darphin’s Aromatic Balm is a that I don’t want to finish. I’ve been rationing my portions, as they say, and I’ll most definitely be buying a new jar once I’ve finished every precious last little bit of this one.
You can find Darphin’s Aromatic Cleansing Balm here* – it’s lb32.
Some alternatives:
If non-scented, powerful makeup-removing is more your bag then I points you in the direction of Caroline Hirons’ Double Cleanse for Pixi (here*), which has a balm along with a cream cleanser in one handy pot. Pictured above. If budget is an issue then you can’t go far wrong with the Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter from Your body Shop, lb10 here*. If you like the idea of a cleanser weight loss of a treatment than a rinse-off product then check out the MV Organic Skincare Cleansing Tonic, here*.
