Suti Cleanse Balm

Suti Cleanse Balm is possibly the dreamiest thing you'll ever put on your face. I know I'm prone to hyperbole, but trust me - in this case it might actually be an understatement.

I know a lot people are a bit nervous of cleansing balms - they take a bit more time, and not so good ones can leave skin feeling slick or not very cleansed - and we're programmed to think that stripped, dry skin equals clean. But at their best, balms deep clean like nothing else, dissolving stubborn dirt, sebum and makeup, leaving skin healthy and radiant.

This Suti balm is the creme de la creme of cleansers, the perfect blend of completely organic and utterly luxurious. Naturally and subtly fragrant, with a soft, calendula-citrus note, it starts out a bit grainy from the solidified oils, but rubbed into dry skin it turns silky smooth and leaves skin deep cleaned and glowing, without stripping the natural oils or irritating the skin's natural moisture barrier. Suti explains its ingredients and their uses below:

Blended Apricot Kernel, Sunflower and Shea Butter to intensively nourish, protect and help slough dead skin cells; Avocado to soothe, nourish and revitalise skin, Olive Oil to help soothe and calm inflammation and Calendula to help heal and tighten up the pores....

I use this most nights before bed, or when I have a little extra time on my hands - I massage a tiny amount into dry skin, taking a good long time to work it in gently but thoroughly. The muslin cloth is comes with is a particularly nice one - large enough, and gentle, I use it with warm water, wrung out, to remove the balm. I make sure to always use this before bed when I've worn a heavy sunscreen or lots of makeup - it's the only thing that gets everything off without bothering my sensitive skin. It also seems to really plump up my skin from within - leaving it radiant and deeply clean - every one of my pores looks completely clear after one use, which is quite a feat. It's like a little spa facial in a jar. A very pretty little jar it is too - glass with a silver top, the sunny yellow contents visible inside.

Just like Suti's face oils, I can't help but feel pampered when I use this - I don't know if it's the aromatherapy of the oils or the ritual of the facial massage, but I always sleep well and really unwind when I finish the day with this little routine.

A little goes a very, very long way, which is good because at $49, it's quite an investment for a cleanser. When you work out how long it will last, it's really not that bad at all, especially for something of this standard - handmade, certified organic, it's some of the highest quality I've ever experienced in skincare, still small enough that the owners and creaters are 100% committed to creating a fabulous product every time. Suti products are available online in the UK at http://www.suti.co.uk/ and exclusively in the US at the lovely Shen Beauty boutique.

What's your current cleansing routine, and how is it working for you? Any favorite products?Tell me all about them below!

(Sample was kindly sent by Suti for consideration.)