Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm

This product does ok at getting light makeup off, I found it took off the majority of my foundation and base products but getting off the mascara took a couple goes. I love cliniques packaging very simple but beautiful, the formula for me personally just wasn't strong enough I like to use a cleansing balm and then go in with a gentle cleanser but with this balm I had to use it atleast twice and sometimes a third go just to remove mascara. I do like that the formula melts over the skin and then washes off with little residue left on the skin and it doesn't have a scent so it's very gentle great for sensitive skin. For the price of the product I really don't want to have to use it more than the one time and you don't get a huge amount of product. I think that there are better cleansing balms out there for the money especially ones that you only need to use the one time to take off all makeup including mascara. I recommend using almost any of the Korean skincare balms over this one unless money is not an issue than this one is ok but not the best. I really thought this would be one of the best cleansing balm products I have tried but unfortunately it just wasn't what I look for in a balm.

This truly does what it says it will, it takes off all of your makeup really well and emulsifies as you remove your makeup. However, mine began to smell really bad after about 3 months. I contacted Clinique and they replaced it free of charge which was really sweet! I haven't used my new container just yet as I'm using up another cleansing oil right now, I'll edit this review once I have :)

I really wanted to like this, I tried so hard. I’d read the reviews already posted on it.. and I prepared to be amazed! But sadly it was not to be.

It started off well, I mean no one can argue with Clinique packaging, all those glossy boxes that just scream luxury..sigh… and then..

This product comes in a pot, so that kind of got me offside to start off with. It’s a big pot to be fair (125ml) so I would imagine it will last a while, and frankly if you’re shelling out $68 slides for a cleanser you’d want it to! I’m just not a fan of the pot and especially in the Shower where I tend to use my cleansers. You’ve got to take the lid off, excavate the product, get the lid back on the product while you’ve got cleanser on the other hand, without it tipping off, and then put it somewhere…god! Just put it in a pump bottle will ya?

Anyhow when you take the lid off you see that the product although it’s called a cleansing “balm” actually looks like solidified oil. You dig down into it and then when you rub it on your face it melts and turns oil like and you’re off.

So that was ok, but ultimately the question needed to be did it do what it said it would? I'm happy to report, It certainly did – it claims to quickly dissolve tedious face and eye make up (check) and it left my face feeling wonderfully soft and not at all tight (check).

The thing is, the product is fragrance free. Now for many of you reading this that would be a bonus. For me a big fat negative. I don’t like my products to be overly fragranced, but to me I love that heady smell in the shower when you’re using a shampoo or cleanser that has a fragrance you love and the steam drives it up and your whole shower experience is enhanced. To me the product was a very functional and I just didn’t get what all the palaver was about.

At $68, it's really expensive I think for a functional cleanser, a product you wash off, that gives you no sensory experience. I even wondered if it was the price that put me off, and I concluded that if i'd loved it I wouldn't hesitate to pay the money, but even if this product was a more affordable $25 I still wouldn't buy it, I just didn't click with it.

In summary the experience for me was like dating a really rich, older guy, with a great job, and nice shoes that gives you everything you want and fawns over your every move. You really want to like him because he’s so nice and looks the total package but…. there’s just no spark there!