little white truths

As you may know, Darphin has been one of the brands I explored this year - and this cleansing balm was the last thing I opened and tried.

While I've really liked or even loved the other Darphin products I've used this year, unfortunately this balm doesn't float my boat and I don't recommend it. More on why below.

Worth noting now is that I've only had this open for around six weeks and I'm already somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 of the way through it, which tells me that the product will only last me around two months' daily use (and I only use it once per day).

Considering that the tub retails for almost $60 AUD, that's not good value and it's reason alone not to buy it again, although I do have other reasons why I wouldn't repurchase it.

Funnily enough, though, the product has 4.7 stars out of 5 on Mecca's website so it's obviously well-loved by others! Perhaps it just doesn't gel with my skin.

Darphin claims/product details:

• An alternative way to cleanse face with water through a unique, sensory experience
• A lavishly rich cleansing balm that transforms into a light milky emulsion with water to sweep away traces of makeup and impurities, while nourishing skin to relieve tightness and help restore natural radiance
• Ideal for dry skin
• To use: warm a small amount in the palm of your hands; cup your hands over the face and deeply inhale product's aromas; apply on dry face and neck; massage gently using upward, circular motions; rinse off completely with lukewarm water
• RRP $58 AUD for 40ml

The product comes in a heavy glass jar with a screw-top lid. I know that many people don't like glass packaging but I quite like it, and this one feels weighty and expensive. No complaints about the packaging.

There's what it looks like below:

Verdict

I'm surprised that this has such great reviews because it's one of the worst cleansing balms I've tried and I really don't think it's worth the money.

It's an orange-coloured balm with a weird, over-processed and almost plastic-like texture. If you remember my review of Rafra's Balm Orange Facial Cleanser (see here), I said there was something a little fake about the texture. This one's the same, and I don't like it. 

The scent is indeed woody and I don't mind it, although it's not my favourite fragrance because there's something heavy about it. It's not a refreshing, 'wake me up' kind of scent, which matters to me at least a bit because, like all cleansing balms, I use this one in the morning. It's the kind of scent that could almost send you to sleep.

As you may know, I have dry skin and I like to whack on a cleansing balm as soon as I get out of bed, then I leave it there for twenty minutes or so while I get the kids organised, before going back and removing it.

I don't like this for the morning spot, I must say. It doesn't melt into the skin like other balms do, so it doesn't target dryness as well as I would like. What it does instead is leave a coating on the skin, and I also feel that it doesn't spread or melt that well - which is likely why I'm burning through my tub. I need to apply a lot to cover my whole face, so that's something to keep in mind.

The thing I like least about it, though, is that it's something of a bugger to remove. I add water and yes it emulsifies a little, but not well enough. Some of it turns into a milk and removes itself, while the rest of it stays stuck to my face. For this reason I don't think it cleans that well, and I can confirm that it's not the best at makeup removal either because I've tried it for that purpose a few times and it just doesn't do a good job of lifting the gunk from my face.

I always need warm water and a wash-cloth to remove this product, and even then I can still feel it on my face so I need to use my second cleanser to remove the remains of this one. Sure I double-cleanse anyway, but I want my second cleanser to be a 'skin cleanser' only, so it annoys me that my second cleanser instead has to work at removing this product.

Overall I don't hate this cleanser but I don't think it's effective, and I also don't like the odd texture or the fact that it's a nightmare to remove. On top of this, I'm burning through my tub so it's not good value and I certainly wouldn't buy it again.

Not for me.