I've been struggling with an increase of acne for almost a year and I've tried literally everything I could think of to no avail. I honestly always thought I had oily/combination skin because I break out around my t-zone but I have come to realize that the products I've been using dry my skin out. Drying out my skin has led it to be pretty unhappy in addition to certain cleansers not being thorough at removing makeup. Initially, I just used a water based cleanser and the occasional makeup remover if I wasn't tired but that wasn't doing me much favors. That's when I began to look into the double cleansing method everyone was raving about. I began using the cult-favorite Banila Co cleansing balms and some green tea foam cleansers from Skinfood and Neogen. I wasn't paticularly sold on either as my skin condition was the same albeit more squeaky clean from the double cleanse.

Then I came across a new cleansing balm that came on the scene by the brand Heimish and I was sold from it's claims. Unlike the Banila Co balm, the Heimish balm utilizes more natural ingredients and contains no mineral oil so I figured I'd take a leap. Some notable ingredients that caught my eye included the increasingly popular donkey milk and shea butter known for their moisturizing properties.  As an added bonus this balm is hypoallergenic and paraben free.

When I first began using this balm, I noticed it was more solid than the Banila Co balm but it melted with the warmth of my hands and face. Once the balm melted and dissolved my makeup, I was able to emulsify it into a milky consistency using water. This balm washes away with no sticky residue that some oil cleansers possess. Overall I think it's a wonderful balm and I prefer it because of the moisturizing properties as well as it's compact packaging. The only drawback being the scent is rather herbal but I don't particularly mind since it get's washed off. This balm is gentle but effective at removing even my waterproof makeup. I definitely give the Heimish All Clean Balm my stamp of approval.

Of course as in any double cleanse, I needed a water based cleanser for my second step. I decided to finally treat myself to the Su:m 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick as it has a mild pH and is travel friendly. Over the past year I've had some traveling woes when bringing my skincare routine along. It's never fun to open your bag to spilled cleanser, etc. This makes the Su:m 37 MCRS great for travel as it comes in a solid stick. It still lathers luxuriously and gently exfoliates using real rose petals embedded throughout the cleansing stick. I loved this cleanser instantly after my first use. It smells like roses and left my skin feeling clean but not stripped of moisture. Perfect for my dry skin needs. Now my skin has never felt better.

Quite frankly, this is the most happy I've been with my skin in over a year. I didn't think that it was possible but it is. I love washing my face with these cleansers and now I look forward to my skincare routine at the end of the day. If you're interested in where to get these, pinkseoul.com is has a great deal on a set of both the Heimish and Su:m 37 cleansers with a cute additional face washing headband to keep hair away. Pink Seoul uses great packaging when shipping and provides amazing samples. On my order I was lucky to receive a full-size complementary sample of the Cosrx Holy Moly Snail Mask as well as a few mini samples from the Face Shop (Disclaimer: not sponsored).

Overall, I have noticed a reduction in pore size and no breakouts using these products along with the addition of the Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream into my skincare routine. I'll go into more detail about this in an upcoming post. Make sure to share your favorite skincare routines/products in the comments! I'd love to hear about what works for you and any other of your skincare favorites.

Until next time, loves.

-Christine Celine Follow my blog with Bloglovin