THANK GOD IT'S FAVOURITES: Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

This is a first for me in the Favourites feature (fffff) in that it’s a relatively new discovery, but I’m definitely, definitely going to be repurchasing in the future and I love it so much I just couldn’t relegate it to a Reviewsday post.

Balm cleansers – or sumptuous cleansing butters, if you’re the Body Shop - are having a little bit of a moment right now, as the colder months make themselves known and everyone’s looking for a little more skincare TLC, and I always like to jump on a beauty bandwagon, just to see where it goes. I’ve had my eye on the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm (£36 at Feel Unique) for weeks, but I thought I’d be a good, sensible girl and ease my way in with a slightly more budget-friendly option.

Enter Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter (£12).

It’s lovely. Just lovely. It smells gorgeous, a really calming, subtle scent that is especially lovely in the evenings. I don’t usually use it to full on remove all of my makeup – I use micellar water for that first and then just use this to cleanse – but I have used it to remove general face makeup and it works very well at melting it all away (I’d always advise using a specific eye makeup remover for that area though).

In the tin it’s a solid balm, which you can either scoop out or just rub with your fingers until it melts a bit – that’s what I do and I find it gives the perfect amount, as you only need a little tiny bit. It feels like something between a wax and a cream, quite thick, which might be a bit scary if you’ve got oily skin, but I promise you don’t need to worry – I’ve not had any problems with it clogging my pores or anything, not even in my T-zone where that can be an issue for me. I apply it to dry-ish skin, having removed my makeup and patted my face dry, and massage it in before either rinsing it off with water or using a damp muslin cloth if I’m after a bit of extra gentle exfoliation.

My skin’s been feeling a little temperamental for the past couple of weeks (it did not enjoy our holiday as much as I did) but since coming back home I’ve gone back to using this cleanser and it’s calmed right down. This product is so, so gentle and soothing, without compromising on efficacy the way some products do, and I am in love with it.

For me, skincare is about indulgence – this is my time in the day to stop stressing, pin my hair up on top of my head and spend some time looking after myself. That’s why it’s really important to me that products be pleasant to use – I want something that smells lovely, and feels lovely, and makes me feel lovely, as well as actually doing what it says on the tin. This cleanser ticks all those boxes, and although I’m still going to dabble around trying other balms just to see what’s on offer, I think this is going to be a long-term love for me.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of the Body Shop’s Camomile range, or if there’s a brilliant balm cleanser out there that you think I should try – it’ll have to get in line behind the Emma Hardie, though.