Skincare is all about balance.
Finding a cleanser that removes every last trace of grime without stripping your skin bare of the moisturizing natural oils it badly needs.
Or moisturizers that prevent flakiness without inviting a bunch of pimples to party on your face. Ugh.
Add combo skin to the mix and there’s enough to drive you crazy. I should know. I’ve had combo skin for most of my life. *sighs*
Lately, I’ve been playing with two new (for me) skincare products that are keeping my combo skin very happy. You know, soft but not greasy. Dewy but not shiny.
I’m talking about Elemental Herbology Cleanse Facial and Perfect Balance:
Elemental Herbology Harmonising Cleanse Facial Cleansing Oil
Elemental Erbology Harmonising Cleanse looks like a bottle of liquid gold, doesn’t it?
The juice inside is as good as gold. It’s a mixture of natural oils, including sweet almond and sunflower, that remove every last trace of makeup without drying out your skin.
Oils work thanks to the “like attracts like” principle. Sweet almond oil & co attach to the oils in your makeup and sunscreen and the excess sebum on your skin and take them all off and away.
They do this super quickly. You don’t need to use goodness knows how many pumps and cotton pads to get everything off (yes, Nivea cleansers, I’m looking at you). This melts everything in a minute, so I can get on with the rest of my skincare routine.
The best part? Oils are moisturizing. They leave your skin clean, but not tight or dry.
This oil is very easy to use, too. You massage it all over your skin, then add a bit of water to turn it into a milky cleanser and, finally, rinse it all off. Bye bye, makeup!
The consistency is oily but lightweight, so even oily skin may be able to use it. But I wouldn’t recommend it to sensitive skin.
Grapefruit oil makes the cleanser smell amazing, but it spells trouble for sensitive skin. I know it sucks, but sensitive skin can’t tolerate fragrance – natural or not. 🙁
Related: What’s The Oil Cleansing Method?
Don’t know how to layer skincare products and what you can use with what? Download the “How To Combines Actives Like A Pro” cheatsheet to find out:
Elemental Herbology Perfect Balance Balancing Facial Moisturizer
You know how it’s impossible to find a good moisturizer for combination skin? A lightweight lotion won’t keep your dry cheeks happy and a rich cream turns your oily areas into a pimple playground!
Elemental Herbology Perfect Balance strikes the right… well, balance. Its texture is lightweight, so it sinks immediately into the skin, yet it’s infused with shea butter and squalane, two guys that do the moisturizing job oh so well.
In case you’re wondering, nope, shea butter didn’t cause any problems on my oilier t-zone. On the contrary, it keeps my entire face soft and smooth for the entire day.
Even though the weather is still cold here in London, this is all I need during the day (I prefer to use an oil at night but you could use this too).
Plus, the cream’s sprinkled with a few antioxidants – including vitamins A and E and green tea – that destroy the free radicals that cause premature aging.
If there’s one thing I’d change is the fragrance. It’s very herbal, which won’t appeal to everyone. I can smell a few whiffs of lavender, which could be problematic for sensitive skin types (what can I say, if it smells – good or bad – sensitive skin won’t like it).
Instead, I’m not too bothered about the alcohol. There are just a few drops here – not enough to dry out your skin or cause any serious problems.
To recap: love the oil, dig the moisturizer (especially for combo skin), could do without the scents.
Price & Availability
Harmonising Cleanse, £29.00; Perfect Balance, £44.00 at Feel Unique and Wolf & Badger
Elemental Herbology Harmonising Cleanse Ingredients
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil*, C12-13 Pareth-3, Dicaprylyl Carbonate*, Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil*, Laureth-4, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil*, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Butyl Avocadate*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Limonene*, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil*, Tocopherol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Camellia Sinensis Leaf*, Citronellol*, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil*, Geraniol*, Linalool*, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Propyl Gallate. *Ingredients derived from 100% natural source.
Elemental Herbology Perfect Balance Ingredients
Aqua*, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Glycerin*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Squalane*, Phenoxyethanol, Oryzanol*, Capryloyl Glycine*, Cetearyl Alcohol*, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract*, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate*, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Extract*, Polysorbate 60, Linalool*, Potassium Sorbate, Tocopherol*, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil*, Ethylhexylglycerin, Theobroma Cacao Extract*, Retinyl Palmitate, Malpighia Punicifolia (Acerola) Fruit Extract*, Disodium EDTA, Cetearyl Glucoside*, Alcohol Denat, Alcohol, Pearl Powder*, Maris Sal*, Lecithin*, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract*, Chlorella Vulgaris/Lupinus Albus Protein Ferment*, Malic Acid, Zinc Gluconate*, Magnesium Aspartate*, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract*, Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Limonene*, Geraniol*, Pectin*, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum*, Copper Gluconate*, Sorbic Acid, Benzophenone-4. *Ingredients derived from 100% natural source.
