Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm

MeruMaya is a brand I have read a lot about and not tried until I selected it as one of my choices in my January You Beauty Discovery Box.  Since then, I have pretty much used it every day, if not every other day, that is how much I love it.  Cleansing Balms are something new to me, I know a lot of people rave about Emma Hardie and it is on my wishlist, but it has to be seriously amazing to replace this product.

The tube I have is 30ml, so it has lasted over a month which is quite impressive and I still have just under half a tube left to use before it runs out.  The claims are at "The Melting Cleansing Balm claims to efficaciously removes all traces of make up and grime and leaves the skin feeling velvety soft".  I am delighted this balm comes in a tube too, makes it much easier to use.

Merumaya recommends that you massage the balm on to dry skin and you really only need a small blob because as sayings go, a little goes a long way. In the tube, the balm looks every bit like you would expect a balm to look, it is thicker than your average Micellar water and thinner in texture than a face mask.  Once you begin to massage the balm onto your face, it immediately begins to melt and as you massage it in, you can see your mascara, foundation and other products on your face simply melt along with dirt and grime from your day.  After massaging, you add water and for a another minute or two, further massage your face and you will notice that the balm now becomes like a cleansing milk, it is at this point that I grab a clean Muslin cloth to wipe my face clean.  Afterwards my skin feels absolutely amazing, soft and smooth to the touch, clean and incredibly moisturised, all in what is effectively less than 5 minutes of my time. 

I absolutely love the scent of this balm which adds to the number of reasons why I love it already. It has three main active ingredients which are:

• RevitElix™ is Echium oil providing Omega 3, 6 & 9 to reduce lines and wrinkles, improve elasticity and participate in barrier repair. It helps rebuild the hydro lipid film as the skins surface and is also anti-irritant.
• Sucragel™ which contains Sweet Almond Oil and acts as a ‘wash on’ moisturiser and leaves a velvety finish while thoroughly cleansing
• Mangosteen Fruit Extract which is rich in vitamins and polyphenols providing anti-oxidant protection

All of those ingredients, plus a few others come together to leave your skin feeling soft, clean, hydrated and as though it can breathe. As you can see, not only is this a great budget friendly cleansing balm that doesn't strip the skin, it feels luxurious and works so effectively at what it is meant to do, what more could you want? I would happily try everything else in the range.

If you are looking for a new Cleansing Balm and haven't yet tried this one, I cannot recommend Merumaya enough, it is a complete bargain at £15.50 for 100ml. 

Look Fantastic Beauty Box - February Edition

I have been getting the Look Fantastic box for the last few months and it has all been detailed on my blog if you would like to see previous boxes. For just £15 a month you get such great quality products that for me, this is one of the best subscription boxes that there is out there. The January Box last month was amazing, there was nothing I disliked or wouldn't use, so for me February had a lot to live up to! 

This is what I found in my box:

The first product nestled inside the February is a 25ml bottle of the Moroccanoil Treatment which is worth £13.45.  I am a huge fan of these products because it is great at eliminating any frizz and detangling any knots especially when you are on holiday.  Whenever I go away, I always ensure I have a bottle of this in my bag because it is just amazing and you only need to use such a small amount. This oil also helps to provide long-term conditioning and added shine.

Next up is this cute little 10ml sample tube of the Dr. PawPaw Multipurpose Soothing Balm worth around £2.50. The balm is a multipurpose balm which means it can be used on your lips, hair and skin and it is made in the UK from a variety of natural ingredients including Pawpaw, Olive Oil and Aloe Vera Oil which, blended together, create a multi-purpose formula for you to carry around at all times thanks to the handy little tube.

The next product is a 50ml bottle of Korres Citrus Little Body Milk which has a value of around £2.50. I am a huge fan of Korres products but have never tried a moisturising body milk, so I am really delighted to see this in my box.  This Body Milk is enriched with vitamins, trace elements and essential skin energy boosting agents along with a combination of almond oil, active aloe, b5 and shea butter for long-lasting hydration. This citrus scent smells quite fresh and because the milk is such a lightweight consistency it absorbs really quickly leaving behind soft moistursed skin.

The next product is this tiny 17g Erno Laszlo Sea Mud Deep Cleansing Bar which has a value of around £5.50. It is described as being 'Iconic' it is a cleansing bar that removes impurities and exfoliates the skin for soft, smooth skin. The soap is 97% natural and contains therapeutic dead sea mud to dramatically improve the overall quality of your skin.  It has three different roles - exfoliates to remove dead skin cells for more radiant skin, it stimulates to improve circulation and motivate natural skin regeneration and finally it cleanses to makeup and grime without stripping the skin of natural oils. I love the sound of this soap and wish the sample was much bigger so I could give it a really good try.  That said, I am going away for a long weekend in a few weeks and will take it with me to try.

My next item is a 20ml bottle of MONU Illuminating Primer which is worth £11. This Primer has an SPF of 15 and has a paraben free formula that acts as a base for makeup. It is said to smooth the skin and reduce the appearance of blemishes to create a lasting radiant glow.  I have used tis product before and was sat on the fence as to whether or not I liked it, the consistency is really nice though to me it is more of a moisturiser than a primer because it is so hydrating, so I am more than willing to try it again to see if my opinion changes.

The last product in the box is a full sized Bellapiere Cosmetics Lip Liner in shade Cinnamon worth £16. Sadly this isn't a shade I would use as it is too dark and too brown for me which is a shame because when I swatched it on my hand, it simply glided onto my skin with no effort and is so smooth.  Bellapierre lip liner pencils provide a finished look for a beautiful pout. Available in 4 shades (Natural, Nude, Cinnamon and Truly Red) they are made from 100% pure mineral pigments, all natural botanical waxes such as jojoba, safflower, and vitamin E creating waterproof wear so you never have to worry about re-applying after eating or drinking.

So that was the February Box.  I don't think it is as good as the January Bo which I absolutely loved, but I do think this box was full of great products that I am going to really enjoy using. I love that these boxes include a nice range of products from well known and high end brands and that the sizes are really generous on the whole, especially when it only costs £15!  If you like the look of this box you can purchase your own here.