As I've mentioned a few times on the blog, cleansing balms and oils are my favourite way to remove my makeup and cleanse my face! I couldn't live without them! I've experimented with a few cleansing balms in the past, namely from The Body Shop and Lush (Ultrabland is an HG!). I have two new additions to the collection though; Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm* and Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm, both of which I've been wanting to try for ages! Since these are the two I have on rotation, I decided to put them head to head in a comparison post - I mean they basically have identical packaging too!
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| L-R: Clinique Take the Day Off, Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm |
Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm*
I mentioned this in my last favourites post so you guys know I love this one :P I have been using it a little bit longer than the Clinique which I only opened a...month-ish ago now? As you can probably tell from the "swatch" (can I call that a swatch??), this has a very oily consistency. It feels super rich and luxurious, basically like an extremely thick, dense oil, rather than a balm - if that makes sense? It also melts very easily and the day it arrived it had turned to liquid after sitting in my post box for a while! I should mention this does have a scent, I wouldn't say it's strong but, y'know, it's a bit potent. I don't think I can fully explain it, but it definitely has a eucalyptus/menthol...edge? To the degree that you can almost feel that cooling sensation when you rub it on your face and around your eyes. K, that sounds bad - it doesn't like burn or sting my eyes or anything, but the cooling sensation isn't the most comfortable? Something to note. It does, however, contain a bunch of luxurious oils like starflower, elderberry and optimega oils that will supposedly give a glowing complexion!
Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm
Compared to Elemis, this definitely has a different texture. It's more of a solid balm that melts into almost a silicone/dry oil. To that degree, I feel it's not as luxurious on the skin as it's not as creamy/oily, but perhaps people who don't like oily textures will prefer this. Also, I feel that it doesn't go as far as Elemis which I feel spreads easier. Like all Clinique products, this has no added fragrance so it should be perfect for sensitive skin. Nothing from the ingredients stands out to me, the only oil is safflower seed oil. It seems to me this is purely for cleansing, rather than having any overt skincare benefits? Looking back at my review of The Body Shop Sumptuous Cleansing Butter, they really are very similar. Both having that drier oil texture. Having now tried both, I can pretty much say they're dupes, if not very good alternatives of each other!
To compare the two, I would say the Clinique is your basic, no frills cleansing balm, where Elemis is a little more "extra", offering a more luxurious, spa like experience with more "fancy" ingredients. Performance wise, they're pretty much the same. Both will get the job done. They remove makeup excellently in one use. They both perform well on the eye makeup front, with waterproof mascara requiring extra care and attention, but eventually they do remove it! I would say that the Clinique washes clean off, leaving the skin feeling clean - not strictly "dry" but not moisturised either. Elemis washes off easily as well - it doesn't leave a residue, but it does leave the skin feeling noticeably more moisturised.
There's no definitive "winner" here as it really depends on your skintype! If you're sensitive or oily, I'd say Clinique, if you're dry, I'd say Elemis - but really both would work for everyone. I like both a lot, but probably prefer Elemis just because a little goes a long way, and I prefer the oily feeling that leaves me feeling more moisturised! Also, it comes down to the price! Clinique is $55 for 3.8oz, while Elemis is $89 for 3.7oz. Both are excellent balm cleansers though, and I recommend them wholly!
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