Overall rating: 4/5
Basically, I'm a really lazy person. I hate that I have to remove my makeup before bed especially if I have to rub my face over and over again with a wipe.
My standard makeup includes a winged eyeliner. Because I bike around the city and sweat, plus I'm not the kind of girl who remembers not to rub my eyes when I have makeup on, I have to use very long-lasting eyeliners. I love doing my eye makeup, when I do wear eyeshadow, I love me some glitter. So it's actually really hard for me to cleanse it thoroughly.
I used to use the pretty famous BIODERMA Sensibio H2O Micellar Cleansing Water. You need to use a cotton wipe with this and I couldn't really reach the insides of my lashes. My mom would often comment that I had eyeliner residue when I woke up in the morning. I also wear a white eye mask when I sleep, and the insides would get stained with eyeliner and eyeshadow. Even though BIODERMA Cleansing Water is marketed as a makeup remover for sensitive skin, I get dry, red patches around my eyes from it which were itchy and painful. I had to apply allergy ointment with steroids. I'm not sure if it was the Cleansing Water itself, because the makeup wasn't sufficiently removed, or irritation caused by cotton wipes repeatedly rubbing against my skin.
I am going to make an honest disclaimer, the first time I was made aware of DUO The Cleansing Balm Clear was because I was doing a paid promotion for them on Instagram. But that was over a year ago and this review is in no way affiliated with them. At the time, I just thought that it was convenient and it cleansed pretty well. However, after using it for a year, I really do recommend it. Even after finished using the sponsored product, I continued to repurchase this item.
DUO The Cleansing Balm Clear–cleansing strength
In short: 5/5, strips heavy makeup.
Demitri Martin once said “The thing about glitter is: if you get it on you, be prepared to have it on you forever. Because glitter doesn't go away. Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies.” I felt that. If I put on glitter eyeshadow for one day, I can find it everywhere I go, on everything I touch, and even on Ares for a whole week.
This cleansing balm claims that it is 5 in 1, taking care of makeup removal, cleansing, exfoliation, massage, and skincare all at once. I was skeptical at first because in my experience, makeup removal products that claim they also cover skincare does not cleanse well. Prior to this, I had only tried cleansing water or oil, I had never tried a cleansing balm, so I wasn't sure how to use it either.
I take 2 chunks of penny-sized balm and put them under my eyes then slowly massage it across my eyes and face using my finger tips. Once I applied it, the stubborn glitter eyeshadow and eyeliner start melting off. Previously, if I would use cleansing water or oil, I had to wipe it off at least 3-4 times. I go to bed wearing my white sleeping mask as usual and there is no residue on it. I am also no longer spreading glitter everywhere for days on end.
DUO The Cleansing Balm Clear–mildness
In short: 5/5, good for sensitive skin and people with eyelash extensions or microblade eyebrows.
Though this cleanses very well, it is pretty mild. They claim that it can be safely used on eyelash extensions and microblade eyebrows without compromising the results.
I don't have my lashes or brows done, but when I used cotton wipes with cleansing water or oil, I always had to rub my lashes to get rid of eyeliner and some of my lashes would fall out. Sometimes I'd even accidentally rub my eyeballs. With a cleansing balm, the makeup slowly melts off on its own, I just have to lightly massage it, kind of like washing my face so I'm not pulling out any hair or stretching my skin loose.
Also, there's the aforementioned issue of dry patches around my eyes. When I use other cleansing water or oil, the patches would sting and hurt upon contact, but I experienced no discomfort with this one. After using it for a week, the dry patches actually went way. I'm not sure if this was because of the formula itself or because of the application method and cleansing strength. It could be because I'm no longer irritating my skin by rubbing it with cotton wipes and my makeup is also properly removed, it makes sense that my skin would improve because of that.
I did stop using this cleansing balm a few times. When I first finished the sponsored item, I did not purchase it on my own, but the dry patches reoccurred. This happened two or three times in between when I tried to switch to other products, so I guess this is the most suitable product for my sensitive skin,
DUO The Cleansing Balm Clear–exfoliation
In short: 4/5, gently removes dead skin.
I did not really feel it at first. After all, I'm still used to having visible shreds of dead skin be removed when I exfoliate. However, I later on noticed that it does wonders in exfoliating my lips. Since it is mild, it isn't painful like lip sugar scrubs. Sometimes when I get new tiny acne marks, I would gently massage it with The Cleansing Balm and it would go away in a few days. Most exfoliaters can quickly remove the uneven layer on top but leave me with raw skin and redness. This cleansing balm does not do that. Because it's more mild, it and can be used daily but I do not think that it can completely replace doing a stronger exfoliation once in a while.
DUO The Cleansing Balm Clear–skincare
In short: 4/5, great improvement in my skin.
Though it cleanses well, it does not leave your skin dry. As I've mentioned, the dry, red patches completely disappeared and if I ever switch to any other makeup remover, they come back. However, I think that's mainly because it is very mild and cleanses very thoroughly. Which is why I gave a 4 out of 5.
DUO The Cleansing Balm Clear–texture
In short: 5/5, smooth and light.
Out of all the makeup removing methods I have tried, the most thorough and effective one was actually coconut oil. It’s a similar concept to cleansing balms, it melts away the makeup. But coconut oil is greasier and I had to wash my face several times afterwards, otherwise having the mixture of coconut oil and makeup remain on my face is just like not removing my makeup at all. Coconut oil also clogs pores.
This cleansing balm has a similar texture to solid coconut oil. It’s smooth, creamy, and feels very nice against my skin. But unlike coconut oil, it’s not oily and feels freshening instead.
DUO The Cleansing Balm Clear–price
In short: 2/5, pricey.
I think it’s on the expensive side because it’s a pretty small box. You need to use a chunk of it to cleanse, meaning that you use quite a lot each time. At first, I would only use it when I wore heavy make up, but the aforementioned dry patches kept coming back. Since I only wear eye makeup and concealer on my dark circles without foundation, I just use a little bit and focus on the areas around my eyes and brows. Afterwards, I would wash my face again. This could help save the product.
Even though it is pricey, I think it is worth it considering how my skin reacted. I also recommend it to the people around me a lot.
DUO The Cleansing Balm Clear–Product Information
Product name: DUO The Cleansing Balm Clear
Price: 20g– NTD$299; 90g- NTD$810
Physical stores: POYA, Watsons, Cosmed, and other beauty care chain stores.
Other variations: DUO has about 4 variations of cleansing balms. There's another one available at POYA that's just called DUO The Cleansing Balm, which focuses on moisturizing. The logo on the packaging is hot pink instead of yellow. I tried it once, but I don't think it cleanses as well as DUO The Cleansing Balm Clear. You could make your own decision based on how heavy and/or long-lasting your makeup is.
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Cherie Aria🧜🏻♀️ 艾雪莉
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