Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm

Beauty blogging has become so much about following the herd. Accept it or not, but this is true and you all know it. And as much as I force myself not to be the sheep and fall in the trap, I just cannot. And recently, I got caught in the trap and bought the very popular Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm. Everyone is talking about this plus, all of them like it.
I have been using only oils to cleanse or remove makeup, since ages and I never had to use anything else. I do have other cleansers to use when I am in a hurry (read lazy), but nothing as expensive as this is. I didn't need it at all! I have been trying to stay away from any temptations I have had to purchase this. But I just couldn't resist myself when this was on sale at feelunique recently.
And I received it in a mail few days back - the look and feel of it is so great. Golden huge tub will look beautiful on any vanity. But this isvery expensive as a cleanser. I am not saying that I am disappointed that I bought this nor that it is not worth it – nothing like that. Why would others love it if it were for that?
But Emma Hardie, oh! I love this balm. Why do I love it so much. This screams of luxury but I think I will be good with just this one. But like anything else that seems too good to be true, this has one big disadvantage – PACKAGING! If only it was just a tinsy winsy bit user-friendly - during summers.
Indian summers get the worse of it - using this in hot weather is a big pain, it goes watery liquid – all the oils melt up and it leaks every time I open the tub. Trust me I have been very careful but for the life of me I just cannot keep it inside the rim, every single time – a drop or two has to fall out.
The tub is too big to carry or travel with, so I have to keep transferring it to a small pot every time. Ah! But this is a luxury balm. If you want something nice and pretty in your vanity. This definitely does not deserve to be kept in your bathroom shelf. I do recommend it, but at the same time I would suggest you try other cheaper alternatives – DIY! Make a concoction of Shea butter, coconut oil and cocoa butter. Mix and melt them together in a saucepan and your very own cleansing balm is ready.
I don’t use it how it says on the pack. I rub a few drops in my hands and apply it on dry face. Massaging it for a few mins. And wiping it off with a damp cotton cloth or a face flannel. Then follow with my cleanser, rinsing with water. It works very well in taking off all my makeup. Goes on and comes off smooth. It doesn't irritate my eyes. (this is a good thing compared to oils, because with oils I see everything blurry for a few mins.) It does feel clean and fresh even if I don’t rinse it off with water and only wipe it off properly.
As for any long term benefits – cannot say, as I have used it twice or thrice and I don’t feel that this could be more beneficial than the oils I use i.e. almond, avocado, jojoba and olive to name a few. Oils are always good. However, neither oils nor this balm has broken me out. More on my oil cleansing method in my future posts.
The smell is DIVINE. It does smell of the lovely moringa, orange and jasmine. It doesn't irritate my sensitive dry skin. You can consider this, if you don’t like the smell of oils on your face. BUT how can anything beat the smell of coconut oil.
Overall, I have very dry sensitive skin/acne prone – my skin loves it. No negative side effects. I don’t know how this will work on oily skinned types. But I strongly feel that if you don’t like putting oils on your face, you cannot like this either. Plus, in hot weather like India, this be irritating to oily skinned ladies. Other than that, the packaging is something that bothers me during summers and it is very expensive even though it’s going to last for a long time. I don’t like spending so much on a cleanser – something close to which I can DIY at home anyway.
I bought this after discount for GBP 28.90, free shipping worldwide from feelunique. This actually retails at GBP 34 for 100 ml.
Repurchase: No. I love it, but it is expensive and the packaging bothers me. I will go back to my oil cleansing when this pack is finished. If you live in a cold country, you don't have to worry about the packaging at all.
Rating: 4/5
Here’s an ingredients list from their website:
Moringa seed extract, Wild Sea Fennel and Vitamin E: Balance, purify and help to minimize the appearance of open pores.
Orange, Neroli and Mandarin extracts: Rejuvenate and revitalize the skin.
Jasmine, Cedarwood and Rose: Help to recondition dull, dry, dehydrated and mature skins.

INGREDIENTS: Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-8 Beeswax, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Sorbitan Stearate, Palmitic/Stearic Triglycerides, Limonene, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Silica, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Oil, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Aqua (Water), Lecithin, Linalool, Butylene Glycol, Octyldodecyl PCA, Menthyl PCA, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower Oil, Geraniol, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract, Farnesol, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Disodium Phosphate, Citral, Citric Acid, Citronellol.