I was super lucky to win this on a instagram comp. I was screaming with excitement as my love for trilogy is HUGE. No mega huge! Then I got another in the BRBB
So this box arrived (surprised at the size and love the decoration) inside is the balm in a screw top jar that looks like it is made of glass. It's a plastic. There is also a tiny wee face cloth.
The product is hard like coconut oil. You scrap 1/2 a teaspoon into your hand, rub the hands together to turn it to a liquid and rub onto your face. I turn on the hot tap now to let the oil soak into the makeup. Run the cloth under the water and try to remove. I expected a rub rub, makeup be gone! Well nope! It was rub rub rub rub reapply rub rub rub and reach for another makeup remover! Now makeup be gone!
So now I have used the face cloth I throw it into the wash as I'm a 1 use wash girl.
My face feels ok. Not dried out. Now I have to wait for my washing to be done to get the cloth back again.
I try using it again with full makeup again. Again same results and I'm not happy or singing or excited. In fact I wanna bin it! Again I try but this time with bb cream on only and a normal face cloth. Well hello. Now I'm happy. It came off easier. I try again with full makeup but with a normal cloth again and it comes off alot easier.
So perseverance is key! If I was trilogy I would ditch the cloth, save a dollar to pass onto the customers. It is highly priced for not a huge wow kind of a product.
It is fine on my sensitive skin. Doesn't react and is gentle. I really like that. I also like using it then followed up with a nice bedtime moisturiser.
I almost don't want to write this review because it feels ungrateful... but I genuinely can't warm to this product :(
The Trilogy Make-Up Be Gone Cleansing Balm was the item I was probably the most excited about in the September BRBB - and the one I had been dying to buy and try.
It comes with a neutral coloured facecloth for wiping away the oil post application, which is unremarkable - it promptly became obvious that I could interchange it with any of my face cloths for the same result.
The product comes in a brown plastic screw top jar with a white and red label, in keeping with the theme of most of the brands packaging. It's a classy enough product in terms of aesthetic appeal - though I will add that the concept of a cleansing product you need to dip your fingers into isn't my fave.
The balm is really quite solid - think coconut oil - in it's consistency and so you need to actively scrape out an amount to use. You then melt it in your hands and apply it to your face once it has liquified - making it hard to put the lid back on the jar until after you're done!
The reasons I don't really like this product (and it's totally a personal thing, I'm not for a second trying to imply it's not worth a go, simply that it doesn't suit me) come in with application. I find that compared to liquid oil cleansers this is very heavy, and sits on my skin feeling a bit gluggy no matter how little I use. I find that it doesn't remove my eye makeup well, and I need to go in after with micellar water etc... I *do* wear some pretty intense blacks on my eyes sometimes but this struggles even with my lighter gel liners etc.
It doesn't rinse away as cleanly as the liquid oil cleansers, and when I wipe it away it leaves a film - I find that it definitely needs to be followed with another cleanser, which - when there are products which handle both tasks - seems like a flaw in a comparatively expensive product.
Post application my skin retains a slightly oily feel - not excessive, but it doesn't feel 100% clean, which is disappointing.
The positives are the blend of ingredients = rosehip, mango, coconut, sunflower, olive.... clearly Trilogy have gone out of their way to source and combine the current list of natural 'in-products', which shows an attention to current research and trends, as well as a market awareness that I love seeing from brands. Trilogy are kiwi too, which is always great, and they're natural. The product is a generous size, so if you love it then the steep pricetag becomes more affordable worked out on a cost-per use basis. Also, it smells divine!
Conclusion: this product and my skin (which tends towards oily at times and is much less acne prone lately but broke out like mad using this) don't agree, but that doesn't mean it's not worth trying as there are so many positives.
Tips: See if someone will siphon you off a sample of theirs before you commit to buying. Mum is going to try mine before opening hers and I totally recommend this as opening and using mine was an expensive mistake, unfortunately.