Review: CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm

I tried CeraVe again. This time, it’s the CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm. I haven’t used a cleansing balm in a while. It must’ve been months or years? I can’t remember. But here I am, trying out a CeraVe product. *dun dun dun* It’s kind of scary because I don’t have many good experiences with CeraVe.

CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm comes in a tiny little jar. It’s really small. It’s only 1.3 oz. (36 g). I was appalled at the cost of the product. Why did I buy it? Hmmm! Because I was looking for a cleansing balm that was less messy and compact. I needed a product for travel. I usually use EVOO, but I wanted something new. I guess, haha. The purpose of this product is to remove makeup. It states that it contains 3 essential ceramides. Let’s take a look at the ingredients in this product little further…

Ingredients:

Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polyethylene, Peg-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Aqua / Water / Eau, Ceramide Np, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Eop, Carbomer, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil / Jojoba Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 20, Benzoic Acid, Peg-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil.

I noticed that it has ethylhexyl palmitate as the first ingredient. It’s a highly comedogenic ingredient, but I’ve used a few products that contained this ingredient and didn’t experience any breakouts. Seems like a hit or miss. That was the only ingredient I was afraid of, but who knows what could happen.

My Experience

The cleansing balm doesn’t have fragrance, but it does have a scent. It smells like a bunch of chemicals mixed together, lol. It smells like an unscented product. That didn’t bother me at all. The product itself felt soft to touch. It melted in the palm of my hands. I waited for the cleansing balm to melt before applying it to my face. The directions of the cleansing balm states to massage gently onto dry skin in circular motions, rinse well, and pat dry. I prefer to melt the product in my hands first. That’s what I did.

The product felt soft, smooth, and didn’t tug at my skin. I loved it for that reason. It smooths over the skin and really does remove my makeup with little effort, especially my eye makeup (eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara). The first time using it, I enjoyed it. I love how gentle and effortless it is. My makeup just came right off. Even after rinsing, my skin felt clean. It didn’t feel like I had excess residue left behind from the product. I didn’t use the cleansing balm by itself. I used my facial cleanser afterward just in case. I was afraid of clogging my pores with the cleansing balm.

This is what CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm looks like:

After the first night of using CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm, I noticed my skin was a little drier with some red blotches on some parts of my face. I didn’t think much of it. I thought it was from stress, so I kept using it. On days 2-3 I noticed similar results to the first time using it. Still, I didn’t think much of it.

On the 4th night, I noticed a few pimples. Some on my forehead and chin. I was very worried after this. Could it be from the CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm? Could it?!! Hmmm! The next day (5th night), I used it again. This time I made sure to cleanse my face even more thoroughly after using the cleansing balm. I noticed more pimples and red blotches on my face. What is this crap? What is going on??!! I was so upset after this because my skin was fully clear. I stopped using it immediately. I love how it removes my makeup, but it gave me acne. What is it with CeraVe products that cause me to breakout so much?

Yes, CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm clogged my pores even when I used a follow-up cleanser. Sheesh, never again. I’m stuck with a whole jar (tiny jar, lol) of the cleansing balm. I guess I can use it on my body to remove sunscreen or whatever. This was one of the worst breakouts I’ve had in a long time. Even the sunscreens I’ve tried this summer didn’t break me out this badly. This was much worse. My skin looked read, blotchy, and with bumps of clogged pores that I can pick out. Yuck, this stuff is gross. I’m not trying any more CeraVe products on my face. They all seem to suck.

But, it did a great job at removing my eye makeup without tugging the delicate eye skin. I’ll finish the rest as an eye makeup remover. Just not as a face makeup remover. Will I purchase again? I’m not sure. If it works for my eyes, I might. We’ll see when I finish the whole jar.

My Review on Coxir Ultra Hyaluronic Acid Cleansing Oil + More Skin Care Products I Stopped Using!

I haven’t introduced this cleansing oil yet, but I finished using it yesterday. It’s called Coxir Ultra Hyaluronic Acid Cleansing Oil. I started using it after finishing Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil. Here’s more about Coxir Ultra Hyaluronic Acid Cleansing Oil!

This cleansing oil is supposed to remove dirt, blackheads, and sebum. It’s a moisturizing formula that contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate and moisturize the skin. It leaves the skin feeling refreshed and supple after every cleanse. It also contains camellia oil, rosehip oil, canola oil, and aloe vera extract. Other ingredients in this cleansing oil includes tea tree, acerola, blueberry, grape, and sweet cherry.

So I’m not really big on cleansing oils. I feel like I’ve said this so many times, lol. Honestly, I really can’t see the difference in my skin using a cleansing oil and not using one. I’ve been using oil (just pure oil) to cleanse my face as a makeup remover for so many years. I find that using oils, such organic coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil works the same without the high price tag. I still have a large container of organic coconut oil that I use to cook with and for beauty purposes. A huge tub of organic coconut oil just lasts forever compared to a bottle of pre-mixed oil. So that’s why I’m not too wild about pre-mixed cleansing oils. Since I still have them, I’m just going to use them for now.

Here are my thoughts on Coxir Ultra Hyaluronic Acid Cleansing Oil…

This cleansing oil feels like any other cleansing oil. It feels a little thick and oily (duh, lol). It moves over the facial skin just fine. It feels soft and smooth on the skin. I didn’t have any issues with it tugging at my skin. I didn’t use this cleansing oil alone. I used it as a makeup remover only. So I used this cleansing oil first then followed up with my everyday face wash. It helped to breakdown my makeup before washing my face. I think it did a better job at removing my eye makeup including my stubborn waterproof eye makeup compared to other cleansing oils I have used. This cleansing oil gets a thumbs up for that! Even though the product says that it’ll help remove dirt, blackheads, and sebum, I wouldn’t trust that. Once I rinsed the oil off of my face, my skin didn’t feel clean. Just oily. A good facial cleanser is recommended after using the cleansing oil. That’s what I did as mentioned. I didn’t get any breakouts because of that. It didn’t help with blackheads like it claims to do. I experienced some blackheads when I was using it (not from the cleansing oil). I’m just saying that the cleansing oil didn’t do anything for blackheads. It’s not going to remove them. My overall experience with this cleansing oil wasn’t too bad. I mean, it helped remove my makeup very well due to the thickness of the oil. I remember using iUNIK Calendula Complete Cleansing Oil, and this product was terrible at removing my eye makeup. So it all comes down to, am I going to purchase Coxir Ultra Hyaluronic Acid Cleansing Oil again? Probably not. I don’t need it that’s all.

Now on to other thoughts…

Here are some more products I stopped using! Yeah, I’ve been eliminating products from left to right. Have a much more minimal routine since I don’t have time to apply this many skin care products daily anymore. It just became way too much for my lifestyle. If you missed out on my previous posts on products I gave up on, here they are!

Skin Care Products I Stopped Using

Continued: Skin Care Products I Stopped Using

***

I stopped using 2 moisturizing products from my moisturizing skin care products list. They are Hada Labo Gokujyun Premium Lotion and Cos De BAHA MA Peptide Facial Toner…

Hada Labo Gokujyun Premium Lotion:

I really liked this hyaluronic acid toner (gel moisturizing product). It does give my oily skin the moisture that it needs, but I think it’s way too much moisture for me. More than I actually thought. I started noticing a greasy and more oily complexion while using it. I mean, I love the combination of hyaluronic acids in this product but perhaps this product is too heavy for the warm, hot, humid weather where I’m at. My skin just feels way too damp. I noticed a few breakouts out of nowhere while using it. I feel like my skin retaliated against the excess moisture, so I decided to stop using it for now. Maybe I’ll bring it back in the winter if my skin gets dry. I actually feels nice to not use it. I’m trying to accelerate my routine. haha. It’s a good product, but it’s not so much for me right now.

Cos De BAHA MA Peptide Facial Toner:

I decided to remove Cos De BAHA MA Peptide Toner from my moisturizing routine. I like the ingredients in this product and the fact that it does hydrate my skin. It makes my skin appear moisturized and smooth. It’s just that I don’t really need it. I started to feel like it’s an extra step in my moisturizing my skin. It’s just another product that isn’t necessary. So I don’t think I’m purchasing it again when I’m done with it. It’s time to say goodbye to this facial toner. 👋🏻

There goes 2 more products being dropped from my moisturizing routine. I like what I’m doing right now, but I may stop using more products if I don’t see any results from them. Stay tuned for more updates!

Review: Burt’s Bees Cleansing Oil Balm

I absolutely love cleansing balms. I had a chance to try Burt’s Bees Cleansing Oil Balm. If you LOVE cleansing balms, don’t forget to go check out my latest review on this cleansing balm right here. I’ll drop the link right here. Enjoy! 😃

My Experience with Banila Co Clean it Zero 3-in-1 Cleansing Balm!

Now on to Burt’s Bees Cleansing Oil Balm!

This cleansing balm transforms from a solid balm to a silky oil to gently remove impurities without stripping moisture from the skin. It includes antioxidant-rich green tea to fight against harmful effects of pollution and free radicals. It leaves the skin healthy, soft, and glowy. Removes makeup, dirt, oil without over-drying the skin. Rinses away easily. It’s paraben-free, phthalates-free, SLS-free, and petroleum-free. No animal testing. Responsible sourcing and recyclable.

Now here are my results and experience with Burt’s Bees Cleansing Oil Balm! 🙂

My experience

This cleansing balm comes in a 3 oz. jar. It’s tiny. When opening the jar, I noticed that the cleansing balm is the same coloring as the packaging. It’s a light pale greenish hue (see photo below to see the color of the cleansing balm product). It’s not a fragrance-free product. It has an herbal scent to it. The balm is soft to touch. Yes, it comes in solid form and melts into an oil. Well, it should fully melt into an oil. It didn’t fully melt into an oil for me, lol. There were still little chunks of the product in my palm even though I tried to rub the product a little more and add some heat to it for it to melt. It took a little more effort to melt the product. *sigh* That’s a negative.

The cleansing balm does feel oily as I expected it to be. I mean, it’s called a cleansing OIL balm. Says so right on the packaging. When applied to the skin, it feels soft and gentle on the skin. I actually do like the oiliness of the product. It helps to glide the product across the face much easier. It also helps to glide the product in the most delicate areas of the face, such as the eye area. It felt moisturizing on the skin too. But did it help to remove my makeup? It removed my foundation, eyeliner, eyeshadow, and other makeup, but I had trouble removing my mascara with this cleansing balm. I even left it on for a bit longer to give it a chance to break down the makeup/mascara. Nope, it didn’t work. My mascara was still sitting on my lashes just staring back at me.

So I was disappointed in the fact that it did a poor job at removing my mascara. Perhaps this cleansing balm isn’t for me. Removing my mascara was one of the most important parts of being a good makeup remover. So, I’m not very happy with the overall results. On top of that, I thought this cleansing balm felt a little too waxy. It does contain wax in the ingredients after all. Looking at the ingredients, it contains helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed wax. I tried rinsing the cleansing balm off, and my skin looked waxy afterwards. I don’t recommend using this cleansing balm as a face wash. Make sure to follow-up with an actual facial cleanser to remove any residue left behind on the skin. In saying that, it doesn’t rinse away easily or clean. Also, this cleansing balm isn’t gentle around the eyes but it is on other parts of the skin. My eyes burned. If you have sensitive eyes (or not), be careful using it around the eyes.

This is what the cleansing balm looks like. Mine had bubbles in it (fresh and new) that I couldn’t resist poking at. They left holes behind, lol. I was expecting more of a softer appearance to the balm. It looks more hard and waxy.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Feels soft and gentle on the facial skin (not the eyes)
• Moisturizing on the skin
• No animal testing

❌ Cons

• Contains fragrance (herbal smell)
• Feels waxy
• Doesn’t melt easily
• Burns the eyes. Not for sensitive eyes.
• Didn’t remove all of my eye makeup (mascara)

Conclusion

I wasn’t a huge fan of Burt’s Bees Cleansing Oil Balm after my experience with it. The product feels way too waxy, doesn’t melt easily, and didn’t remove all of my makeup off properly. I’ve tried other cleansing balms, and I find Burt’s Bees to be below average. It’s not a cleansing balm I would purchase again. I thought it would be better, but I’m just not into it anymore. haha. I’ve moved on to better makeup removers/cleansing balms.

My Experience with Banila Co Clean it Zero 3-in-1 Cleansing Balm!

I finally finished a whole jar of Banila Co Clean it Zero 3-in-1 Cleansing Balm! It took me a little over a year. I didn’t use it regularly since I have other cleansing oils that I’m trying to finish up. So this cleansing balm, what about it???

This is a 3-in-1 cleansing balm (as it states on the packaging). The purpose of this cleansing balm is to quickly melt away stubborn face and eye makeup. To completely cleanse the skin in one simple step. It’s a hypoallergenic cleanser that was developed to remove waterproof makeup and impurities while leaving the skin fresh and hydrated. Transforms from sherbet-like texture to smooth oil when applied to the skin. Zero Balance Technology deeply cleanses and gently exfoliates without stripping the skin. Free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, polyethylene, mineral oil, alcohol, and artificial coloring.

Whoa! Sounds good! 😀

I remember picking up this cleansing balm over a year ago. Wow, it’s been such a long time! So, I didn’t use this cleansing balm every day. I would use it whenever I felt like it. All of a sudden, recently, I started using it again and ended up finishing the whole jar. By the way, the jar is 6.09 fl. oz. (180 mL) — as it states on the product box. It’s a decently-sized jar. The jar feels bulky, in my opinion. The first thing I noticed when I opened the lid was that the amount of product doesn’t resemble the size of the jar. Just an observation, lol. Now on to the my experience with the cleansing balm!

My experience with the cleansing balm…

I have the cleansing balm in Original. It’s the pink one. The product feels soft, silky, smooth, and lightweight to touch. It feels super silky and elegant. The product melts into my palm easily and smooths over my facial skin softly and gently without leaving chunks behind. It feels like it’s nourishing my skin. It’s very creamy yet feels oily at the same time. Has a light sweet scent to it. I was never bothered by the smell of the product. So the texture and the consistency of this cleansing balm is amazing compared to the other cleansing balms I have used. I like it a lot more compared to my cleansing oils. It has this soft, light, fluffy feel to it that makes it very different compared to a cleansing oil. But did it work just as well compared to a cleansing oil? Or was it better??

The cleansing balm was very effective at removing my face makeup and eye makeup. It’s one of the cleansing balms that actually can remove my waterproof eye makeup, especially my stubborn mascara that sticks to my eyelashes like glue. When applied to my eye area, it just melts the eye makeup off. That’s pretty cool! Like, I have been searching for a cleansing product that actually removes ALL of my makeup and this one works! There’s no tugging, pulling at the delicate facial skin or eye area (good!!). Just let the cleansing balm and the warmth of my fingertips do the job. I love it! My experience with this cleansing balm from the beginning to end has been awesome. It simply just works!

Now let’s look at the ingredients!

The first ingredient in this cleansing balm is ethyhexyl palmitate. This ingredient is known to be comedogenic. From my own personal experience, it is pore clogging. I always avoid skin care products (that go on my face) if it has this ingredient in it. But, since this is a cleansing balm, it doesn’t sit on my skin for too long. It gets washed off after it melts my makeup off. I don’t use it as a facial cleanser. I only use it as a makeup/sunscreen remover. Other ingredients in this cleansing balm includes synthetic wax, vitamin e, fragrance (if you’re sensitive to fragrance, the smell of the product isn’t overwhelming). Some extracts, such as Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract (herb) and acerola fruit extract. None of the ingredients bothered my skin. I didn’t have any skin flare-ups while using it. It worked on my skin.

This is what the cleansing balm looks like. This was the beginning of using the cleansing balm. Now it’s empty. 😭 The pale pink translucent shade of the jar looks really pretty. 😍 The product is a milky white to really pale baby pink color.

Note: The product came with a small plastic spatula to scoop out the cleansing balm (not pictured).

Even though I liked this cleansing balm, I think it’s going to be a while until I pick up another jar. I have soooo many cleansing oils that I have to finish up first, lol. Also, I find that extra virgin olive oil, organic hemp seed oil, and even extra virgin coconut oil does a mighty fine job at removing my face makeup and eye makeup wonderfully. They’re all less expensive compared to Banila Co Clean it Zero 3-in-1 Cleansing Balm and works the same. That’s something to keep in mind (for my skin, hehe).

Review: Physician’s Formula The Perfect Matcha 3-in-1 Melting Cleansing Balm

I’ve been waiting to do a review on the The Perfect Matcha Melting Cleansing Balm by Physician’s Formula! I usually use organic coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil to remove makeup. I decided to try something new. A balm sounds luxurious and lovely. If you missed out, I introduced it right here. This is the first product out of the bunch I’m reviewing! Look forward to the others soon! Here’s more about the Melting Cleansing Balm below!

About Physician’s Formula The Perfect Matcha 3-in-1 Melting Cleansing Balm

• Hypoallergenic
• Paraben-free
• Gluten free
• Dermatologist tested
• Non-comedogenic
• Clinically tested
• Safe for sensitive eyes
• Safe for contact lens wearers
• Ophthalmologist tested
• Vegan
• Cruelty free

Directions:

1. With the included spatula, scoop a small amount and apply to face.
2. Massage into the skin with gentle upward and outward circular motions.
3. For eyes, apply to closed eyes in a downward and outward sweeping motion.
4. Rinse off with water or wipe off with a warm, damp washcloth.

Ingredients:

CETYL ETHYLHEXANOATE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, SORBETH-30 TETRAOLEATE, PEG-5 GLYCERYL TRIISOSTEARATE, PEG-10 ISOSTEARATE, POLYETHYLENE, FRAGRANCE/PARFUM, CAMELLIA SINENSIS LEAF POWDER*, PHYLLOSTACHYS EDULIS SHOOT WATER**, NELUMBO NUCIFERA FLOWER EXTRACT***, CITRUS NOBILIS (MANDARIN ORANGE) PEEL OIL, WATER/EAU, PHENOXYETHANOL, SORBITAN SESQUIOLEATE, POLYGLYCERYL-10 OLEATE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, LACTIC ACID, SODIUM BENZOATE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, POTASSIUM SORBATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, HEXYLENE GLYCOL, MALTODEXTRIN, YELLOW 5 (CI 19140), BLUE 1 (CI 42090). *MATCHA, **BAMBOO, ***LOTUS

My Review:

This is what I think about this cleansing balm. When I removed the top lid, there was a spatula. The directions did state to use the included spatula. That is what I did.

I thought the product looked interesting. I love matcha in my skin care products. It removes toxins and fights free radicals. Awesome for acne-prone skin because it reduces sebum production.

Here’s the product melting in my hands. Make sure to use the heat between your palms to melt the product then gently apply it to your facial skin.

The cleansing balm feels really nice. It’s soft, balmy like the name. It removes makeup, such as liquid foundation, primer, powder foundation, lip color, eyeliner. The only makeup I had a tad harder time removing with this cleansing balm was my mascara. It took more time for the product to break down the contents of the mascara. I needed to use more product than suggested. A ‘small amount’ tugged at my skin. Tugging the skin is terrible for the skin. I don’t want wrinkles in the near future. After all of my makeup has been melted off, I used a face wipe to remove the makeup gunk.

I like this cleansing balm, it feels elegant on the skin compared to using just oil. The only downside is the price. I believe it’s around 8-13 dollars depending where the product was purchased. The size of the product is only 1.4 oz! So I’m thinking about trying other cleansing balms instead of purchasing this one again after I’m done. I chose Physician’s Formula because I like matcha, it’s vegan, and it is cruelty-free. If you’re wondering why it’s called 3-in-1, it’s because the product melts away makeup, deeply cleans away impurities, and leaves the skin hydrated. It sure does!

Have you tried Physician’s Formula The Perfect Matcha 3-in-1 Melting Cleansing Balm? What did you think about it? Share your experience!

Love, Jen