Review : Neal's Yard Wild Rose Beauty Balm

I recently went to Neal’s Yard to check out their selection of face oils and was very kindly given some samples of their multi-tasking Wild Rose Beauty Balm to try. (Hence the stock photo) Apparently, it can be used as a moisturising balm, an exfoliant, a mask or as a cleanser. I’m not a fan of “multipurpose” products but the combination of cleansing balm + roses had me sold.

Ingredients:

Rosa canina (Wild rose) seed oil, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) seed oil, Cera alba (Beeswax), Butyrospermum parkii (Shea butter), Cannabis sativa (Hemp) seed oil, Borago officinalis (Starflower) seed oil, Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium) flower oil, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) leaf oil, Boswellia carterii (Frankincense) oil, Cymbopogon martini (Palmarosa) herb oil, Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli) leaf oil, Ascorbyl palmitate, Tocopherol, Citral, Citronellol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.

Rosa Canina = gives you Rose Hip oil which is high in anti-oxidants

Jojoba Seed Oil = repairs the skin’s barrier

Shea Butter = high in anti-oxidants

Hemp Seed Oil = moisturising, won’t get you high

Starflower Seed Oil = moisturising, contains fatty acids

There are a number of fragrant plant extracts after that: Geramium, Rosemary, Frankincense, Palmarosa and Patchouli - which people with sensitive skin, or people who really care about their skin might want to avoid.

As a Nourishing Balm

I’m trying to cut out products with beeswax and shea butter and unfortunately this contains both >.< In the name of experimentation I decided to leave a thin layer on overnight, massaging it into my skin. I didn’t wake up with a face full of spots as feared but I wouldn’t dare use it more frequently! It’s supposed to be suitable for all skintypes, but isn’t something I’d use if I had oily skin (which I don’t) because it's so thick and would feel too greasy. For normal or dry skin, it’s ok and left my skin feeling soft and plump. It’s a nice alternative to the much pricier Decleor balms - and has the benefit of being 99% organic if you appreciate that sort of thing :)

*btw, it goes without saying that this isn’t something you’d use in the daytime, unless you’re aiming to look slicked up like Kim Kardashian’s a$$.

As a Cleanser

I’m reluctant to call this a ‘multi-tasker’ after trying it as a cleanser. It’s quite heavy on the beeswax content and SUCH a pain to remove. My skin didn’t rinse clean of make-up, but with the sheer volume of water needed to remove the balm I’m pretty sure it came off eventually. I've since learnt that you’re supposed to do the first cleanse and then go in with the balm. Oopsie. Still, I don't think this Balm is suited as a cleanser - it's not gentle enough with all that facecloth action. I'd much rather use the Frankincense cleanser from Balm Balm (reviewed here) which is much cheaper and easier to rinse. 

As a Mask / Exfoliant

To use the balm as a mask, leave it on for ten minutes and then rinse off. I didn’t try this because it’s like telling you to wash off your moisturiser. The ‘exfoliant’ function is a bit of a misnomer because that’s just you using a flannel trying your damnedest to rinse it off.

Price

A jar costs £37/50g. The most similar products that I've used are Decleor night balms, which in the equivalent size would cost upwards of £100 (!!!!) Bear in mind however that the Wild Rose Beauty Balm has a three month shelf life - which is a nuisance because it’d easily last you more than a year! I don't think it would sprout mould in all that time, but it's something to bear in mind if you're strict about use-by dates.

As a cleanser it’s quite pricey compared to other brands. For example, Emma Hardie's Moringa Balm is cheaper by a £ but is twice the size. (Though 1ml is not the same as 1g.)

I can't think of other multi-use products to compare, but I reckon you could make a cleanser out of Trilogy's Everything Balm (12.50/45ml). That contains Sweet Almond, Rose Hip and Jojoba Oil among others. (As well as my arch-nemesis: olive oil.)

The Verdict

Like a stock of plasters and cotton buds, this is something I’d like to have handy when my skin is feeling dry and needs some TLC. But I feel like it'd just be a waste of money with that short shelf life!

Review : Decleor Aromessence Mandarine Smoothing Night Balm

As promised many moons ago, here are the ingredients in Decleor's Aromessence Mandarine Smoothing Night Balm (£33.50/15ml). (No fancy botanical names in Latin. Sorry) 

Ingredients

Sunflower Seed Oil - contains Vitamin E. Helps repair the skin and reduce inflammation 

Cera Alba (Beeswax) - thickening agent. Emollient properties

Wheat Germ Oil - emollient

Evening Primrose Oil - anti-inflammatory properties

Coconut Oil - high in fatty acids and acts as an emollient

Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract - high in amino acids which helps repair skin

Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) - hydrating

Theobroma Grandiflorum Fruit Extract (Cupuacu Butter) - Contains oleic acid (a fatty acid) which is moisturising and plant polyphenols which act as anti-oxidants. [Says Lush]

Carnauba Wax - thickening agent

Limonene - fragrant. Found in citrus oils

Orange Peel Oil - detoxifies and helps improve skin tone

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil - used to stabilise products

Rice Bran Wax - occlusive moisturiser (I think?). Forms a barrier over the skin - like mineral oil hm...

Mandarin Orange Peel Oil - Decleor have apparently proven that the anti-oxidant powers of mandarin essential oil helps maintain skins’ youthfulness (in vitro tests)

Grapefruit Extract - anti-oxidant. Can be irritating in large amounts

Linalool - fragrance ingredient

Bergamot Fruit Oil - citrus oil (photo-toxic)

Michelia Alba Leaf Oil - fragrance ingredient

Tocopherol - Vitamin E 

Gardenia Tahitensis Flower - smells nice, not sure what it does in skincare

Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil - astringent properties

Soybean Oil - helps improve skin tone and is a source of anti-oxidants

Citral - fragrance ingredient

Bitter Orange Flower Oil - may help control oil production

Geraniol, Farnesol, Citronellol - fragrance ingredients

The night balm and the Aromessence Mandarine serum have a number of common ingredients (in orange), like sunflower seed oil and evening primrose oil which are both top five and of course the star ingredient, mandarin essential oil.

It's times like this that I think keeping this log is useful (to me, if not to anyone else lol) because I also noticed that a few of the ingredients are in the cleanser and serum from REN - products which mon visage did not like. Limonene, linalool and tocopherol are at the bottom of the lists so are hardly worth a bother. The balm and Omega 3 serum both contain wheat germ oil and the balm and the clay cleanser both contain sunflower seed oil in the top five ingredients, so I thought one of those could be the cause. I checked my Iris night balm from Decleor and found it has sunflower seed oil and wheat germ oil - yet didn’t give me any problems. In other words: I still have no idea whats wrong with my skin.

Anyhoo as usual I’m going totally off-topic and rambling on about ingredients when a one line review would suffice: I do not like. I tried the new Aroma Lisse products at the beginning of April but stopped after a few days because my skin broke out. At the end of April I thought I’d give this balm another go and in a matter of days, little spotties reappeared…

For that reason I wouldn’t recommend this product. If anything, I’d recommend the Iris night balm (£34.50/15ml) instead. The main ingredients in it are jojoba oil, hazel seed oil, beeswax, sunflower seed oil, shea butter and wheat germ oil so there is some similarity in the formula. (If you wanted the benefits of evening primrose etc. you could buy it as a separate product.) Both ranges are designed to regenerate and hydrate the skin, fight free radical damage and reduce the appearance of wrinkles - but have different target markets. (I wonder if 25-30 year olds were put off using a product recommended for "mature" skin (Jesus Wept I'm not that old/have I aged terribly etc.) and hence the new Mandarine range was born.) I’ve had a better experience with the Iris balm and it’s also free of the potentially irritating citrus extracts.

All Decleor balms are quite waxy, which I don’t mind and find to be quite nice for a little facial massage. My Mom, on the other hand, finds them weird and gross, having used only creams for the last 30 years. It’s definitely worth getting a sample if you’re interested in the Mandarine balm to try out the texture (and in case you have a reaction). The products are pricey but at least Decleor are generous with their samples!

Finally, old customers will be pleased to hear that the packaging of the night balms been re-vamped. The lid on my Iris balm didn’t close properly and was always wonky :/ Very annoying, given how much this little thing cost so in the end I transferred it into another pot. Thankfully, the new jars don’t have this problem :)