Review: Balms Away Eye Makeup Break-Up by theBalm

Hello!

Have you been searching for the perfect heavy-duty make-up remover? Do you also want this make-up remover to be gentle on your skin? If so, theBalm's Balms Away Eye Makeup Break-Up is perfect for you!

theBalm's Balms Away Eye Makeup Break-Up
Stock photo from: http://www.thebalm.com/balms-away.html

What's the spiel?

"Fortified with Vitamins A, C, & E and a blend of plant-derived Sterols and Lipids, this Eye Makeup Break-Up is a solid eye makeup remover, gentle enough for the most sensitive skin. Vitamins and Lipids work to hydrate and restore elasticity around the delicate eye area while keeping it smooth. BONUS: Balms Away is travel friendly and spill proof, so no mess and no airport security hassle."

Does it live up to the hype?


I have to admit, I'm not just using this on my eyes. I'm using it for my whole face! I use some heavy duty make-up because I want my look to remain as perfect as it can throughout the whole (pretty long) day. Even using a waterproof make-up remover, I usually still need several cotton pads worth of work to remove my makeup and it can feel like all I'm doing is moving panda-eyes black streaks from my eye area to other parts of my face. Then I double-cleanse my face, tone and apply any treatments and moisturiser. It's a thorough routine and it can take a while with stubborn make-up.

The instructions on how to apply this from theBalm's website are spot on:
"Apply a dollop onto closed eyelid. Keep eye closed and move product in a circular motion allowing your makeup to break-up (1 minute). Wipe away with a soft tissue and see amazing results."

So what do I think of the Balms Away make-up remover?

Pros:

• This takes care of it all, it really works. I only use a little bit and I massage it in and wipe off with a cotton pad. It gets even the most stubborn waterproof mascara and eyeliner off (really off, not just smudged to another part of my face) and it cuts through primer+foundation+concealer+setting powder in no time.
• It is moisturising. I can't attest to any magical changes to my eye area as a result of using it in terms of skin care, but it gets the make-up off without stripping skin of its natural barrier.
• If you didn't have a routine like I do, you could conceivably leave this on your skin once you wipe your makeup off. It leaves skin soft, if a little sticky.
• The packaging is cute and it's practical- it's a tin pot with a lid that stays on (so no worries about it coming off and making a mess of your bag).
• A little goes a long way, so this should last a while.

Cons:

• This is a solid make-up remover, and it works on the like-mixes-with-like principle to get rid of your make-up by mixing with it and the natural oils on your skin's surface and allowing it to be swiped off. Inherent in that is that it's sticky (not quite greasy, but it definitely leaves a oily residue on skin and hands), so I feel I need to double-cleanse after using it just to get all of it off my skin.
• It's great for travel, but being a solid substance in a pot you really have to be mindful of always using it with freshly cleaned hands and not double-dipping in order to keep it clean.

The price is USD20/AUD 20.50 (on strawberrynet; I tried finding the David Jones official price online but couldn't find it) for 63.8 grams of product. I got mine on a 50% off deal theBalm had, so it was even cheaper for me. At full price, this is expensive. But if you have sensitive skin, or like me, use a lot of heavy-duty make-up, this is the perfect make-up remover.


Final verdict: A-
Great make-up remover which gets rid of even the most stubborn waterproof make-up. Only down sides are price and having to be extra mindful of keeping the product clean.




Have you tried Balms Away? What's your holy grail make-up remover?

xo
Anna