I enjoyed trying this cleansing balm and exfoliant duo by Colleen Rothschild. The balm is nourishing, good for normal to dry skin.
It’s the type that comes with a muslin cloth for wiping off. Not all balms come do. A muslin cloth cleanser is meant to be wiped off. You wet the muslin cloth with warm water and place it over your face for a minute or two. Then you wipe off the cleanser. The Eve Lom and Omorovicza cleansing balms work this way.
This balm leaves a slight film if you just rinse off without wiping. That residue is actually nice if your skin is dry and craving oil. It traps moisture and soothes skin, leaving skin feel moisturized.
If you don’t want that, the muslin cloth will remove it. Personally, I am not into muslin cloths. I do not like hanging wet cloths out to dry (am OCD about hygiene). It also needs to cleaned after each use since it gets soiled. Cleaning a cloth is more cumbersome than a sponge. Also, manipulating a cloth is a bit clumsy to me.
But I am a big fan of facial sponges! The round sponge here is a professional spa sponge that’s gentle enough for the face. Not the same as a kitchen sponge. Don’t use a kitchen sponge! (unless you’re a man with some beard). It’s too rough.
You can skip the wiping step if you’re going straight to exfoliation afterward, which I did. The exfoliant is an AHA/enzyme complex with tiny microspheres, which makes it feel almost like a crystal polish. It was gentle though, and my skin felt clean and soft afterward.
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