A while ago, at the recommendation of a friend, I picked up a travel set of Eve Lom skincare. It was the first time I’d ever heard of the brand, and it was pricey. A little travel pack of trial sizes cost me a little over RM200 and it came from London, where the brand originates. Coincidentally, not long after, another friend gifted me with an Eve Lom Starter Kit. I never really thought to blog about them because they weren’t available locally here in Malaysia.
Ah, so why are you seeing me blog about it, you may wonder? Its because Eve Lom is appearing on our shores starting in August 2012 😀 I thought it would be a good time for me to talk a little about the products I’ve tried and to give you an overview of the products that I’ve tried, as I see it.
The bestselling item and the award winner in the Eve Lom skincare range is the Cleanser. In fact, Vogue once described it as “The best cleanser in the world” Lofty claims yes? We have here a multi-tasking cleanser that purports to remove makeup, cleanse, tone and exfoliate. It comes with a muslin cloth which is really the key to using this product.
I’ve actually been quite lucky in that both the Travel Kit and Starter Kit both contained generous samples of the cleanser so I’ve had ample opportunities to try this one. I will say however, that if you are the lazy wash-and-go sort, you won’t like this one at all. I like it but with a bit of a caveat.
What this Eve Lom iconic cleanser is, is essentially a cleansing balm type thing that comes in a jar. Ding! Ding! I can almost see everyone making a face at this point. Yeah, I feel the same way. Jar packaging for a cleanser isn’t the most hygienic way to go about it. Also, there’s no spatula included, which I personally feel should be. I would be less iffy about it, if a spatula was included instead of me having to dip my fingers into it. I use my own spatula though.
The balm itself is a smooth oil based balm but our weather gives it a slightly grainy texture. Once it touches your skin and is warmed up, it turns into almost an oil with a little bit of beads with a nice slip to allow you to massage on your skin. It pretty much acts as an all-in-one product so you use it on dry hands and face and massage it all over, and it helps melt your makeup pretty much as a cleansing oil will.
This next step is what differentiates this Eve Lom cleanser from a cleansing oil. You must use the muslin cloth included. You MUST. There are no two ways about it. I’ve tried with and without and trust me, you’ll HATE this if you don’t use the muslin cloth. I originally hated it so I speak from experience 😛
Wet the muslin cloth with warm water and then press it on your face. Do this 2-3 times before you use the cloth to wipe away the product. The warmth will melt the cleanser and allow you to easily remove your makeup and dirt while cleansing your skin. Then, rinse your face and as a final step, apply the muslin cloth, this time with cool/cold water on your face. They say its to open and close the pores but I don’t believe in that because pores aren’t doors. So, for me, this final step is mostly to freshen up your skin.
The result is clean, smooth and I almost feel, softer skin. I like the effect very much and it seems to work very well for me 🙂 The cloth doesn’t get very dirty if you’re wondering. The laying of the warm cloth helps melt away the product so after about 3 times you do feel that your skin is quite clean, and then you just wipe off. I rinse the cloth out after every use and machine wash it once a week.
Can you clean it off without using the muslin cloth? Yes you can. But why would you want to when the cloth comes packaged? I originally was too lazy to follow instructions so I’d clean it off by just rinsing. But it takes far too long and it never feels very clean. If you use the muslin cloth, you will find that it leaves your skin much cleaner and smoother, plus the cloth acts as an exfoliator too. It is surprisingly comfortable when I use the muslin cloth as opposed to without.
So how does the Eve Lom cleanser perform then?
- As a makeup remover : For face makeup I think it does a fair job removing things like powder, foundation etc. For the eye, it’ll remove eyeshadow, but not waterproof mascara. It takes too much work so I prefer to just remove it separately.
- As a cleanser : It keeps my skin clean and isn’t drying. In fact, my skin feels almost hydrated after washing which might be attributable to all the oils in it. Its comfortable.
- As a toner : I’m never sure what a toner does so I have no thoughts on this.
- As an exfoliator: There are little beads in this that do help with exfoliation. The use of the muslin cloth to wipe away the product too acts as an exfoliator. So, my skin does immediately feel smoother after use.
The full size large tub comes in the box packaged with the muslin cloth. The other 2 smaller tubs came from the starter kits
Oh I must mention one thing – the smell. There is a very strong spicy medicinal smell of cloves and spices. Personally, I like the smell. But then, I like herbal medicinal scents in general. However, if you dislike that sort of herbaceous medicinal scent, you will not like this one.
I will admit that due to the rather lengthy cleansing process, I don’t use this cleanser as often as I do my cleansing oils. It just takes too much time and is too much hassle to use daily. Sometimes, when I get back from work, all I want to do is remove my makeup, have my shower and fall into bed. I don’t have the time nor luxury to spend 10 minutes just cleansing my face with hot and cold water and then having to wash out the muslin cloth etc.
What I sometimes do is apply this on before my shower, massage it into my skin then step into my shower and finish off the routine. This way, its almost as if I’m using cleansing oils plus my shower is the only way I can get warm or hot water. My taps only give me cool water (which is the other reason I get tardy using this). When I have the time and do it this way, it feels like such a treat and my skin loves it!
However, I will admit that this makes a perfect travel partner, because you don’t have to carry a whole bunch of products, just one tub to take care of your cleansing needs. Hence my earlier statement that I do like this cleanser for what it is, but with a caveat, and that is it just takes too long. Eve Lom says they bring the spa into your home. Indeed! The only difference is that at a spa or facial, someone else is doing all the cleansing while I snooze 😛
In a nutshell
The iconic Eve Lom cleanser is a cleansing balm that turns to an oil texture on contact with skin. It performs a multi-tasking function of removing makeup, cleanses, tones and exfoliates skin. I find that it removes most makeup quite well, except for waterproof eyeliner and mascara. You still need a separate remover for that. You also do not need to double cleanse as your face is pretty clean once you clean off the product, and it isn’t drying at all. There is a strong herbal and medicinal smell that not everyone will like. I experience no breakouts and although I do like it as a multi-purpose cleaner (and I do take it with me when I travel) I don’t use it very often as it takes far too long. But if you don’t mind the time taken, its a fairly decent product.
Pros: Multipurpose product, Useful when travelling, Not drying, Removes most makeup easily
Cons: Smell may not appeal to everyone, Ingredients may not appeal to everyone, It takes a while to complete the cleansing process, You must use the muslin cloth provided (or any cloth towel etc)
Who will like this: Anyone who wants a multipurpose cleansing product, Anyone who doesn’t mind the time taken to properly use this product
Here is the ingredient list (and I can already see some people making a face again). I’m not fussed about the ingredients since I don’t break out from them and it does work well to help my skin stay balanced, clean and soft. But if you have skin that is allergic to anything, then its of course, not a good idea to try it.
You don’t need very much each time so it can last a while. However, I do notice that the scent changes after a while. I’ve had my small sized pots for a while so I do notice the difference. It doesn’t smell bad, but it does smell different – a little more antiseptic and sharper. It feels the same going on my skin though, and my skin feels super clean and soft, so there’s that.
Is it the world’s best cleanser as Vogue claims? To me, not by a long shot but it is pretty good for what it does and claims to do.
Have you tried the Eve Lom cleanser before? Or have you tried anything else in the Eve Lom range of products? If anyone’s interested, I’ll tell you about some of the other products I’ve tried that came in the kits I have, just to give you an idea of what its like 🙂
Paris B
Eve Lom Cleanser Price: RM295/100ml Availability: From August 2012 at Parkson Pavilion, KLCC and 1 Utama
Jyoan says
Sounds good! I was convinced until the ingredients list appeared. =P I have a feeling Philosophy Purity Cleanser will still be better, though they are not the same type.
Paris B says
Lol, yes I can Maine the ingredient list will put off many 😉 I haven’t tried many Philosophy skincare products, only the Microdelivery peel thing many years back 🙂
rudi says
An old friend of mine is an ardent supporter of Eve Lom – even paid a bomb to have a facial by EL herself.
So, courtesy of her, I have tried the EL cleanser before; well, for me it’s far from the best cleanser in the world but then I didnt have and thus didnt use the muslin. And you did mention that is the magic touch that’s needed so perhaps i’ve judged it wrongly.
OTOH, I do love the RMK cleansing balm (gorgeous lovely rose smell and no muslin required – same concept as EL ie balm that melts on skin and washes off with water as an emulsion) but only in temperate countries where the air is drier. In tropical countries, i find it a tad oily.
EL vs RMK cleansing balm? it’s RMK with the delicious Damascus Rose oil in it for me.
Paris B says
Wow your friend had a facial by Eve Lom herself? Must be quite something! 🙂 I must say the muslin cloth or maybe any cloth is almost a must when using the cleanser. Otherwise it’s awful and impossible to remove cleanly. The heating with the warm/hot cloth melts the product and I think also helps the skin of the face be cleaner and smoother. You got me intrigued by the RMK balm, Rudi. I’m going to try that!
Sunny says
As I was telling you on Twitter, I think the ingredient list is disappointing for something that’s in this price range! I don’t mind spending some time cleaning my face properly, but I would tend to invest in a cleanser that has more natural ingredients! It’s probably just a superstition though!
Paris B says
Haha whatever makes us happy, Sunny! I personally don’t know enough about what goes into products that work, and I’ve had some bad run ins with natural/organic products too which might explain the way I feel about them 😉
Helz Nguyen says
I heard about this cleanser in many occasions before.. so I’m a bit temp to try it out but it’s the price that is making me second guessing. From other reviews I read this isn’t all that special as a cleanser, and I think for the texture :/ it maybe more suitable for dry or sensitive skin. But I do like using the muslin cloth idea, sounds very gentle, yet effective cleansing for the skin 🙂 something I might purchase in the near future
Paris B says
I’ve actually heard of many people who swear by the muslin or wash cloth face washing technique. Some of them don’t even use a product! They just wash their face and use a microfiber cloth or Muslim cloth to wipe their skin. I think that’ll work if we didn’t use makeup or sunscreen but I wouldn’t recommend it 😛 still, itu can quite easily find muslin cloth or microfiber cloths cheap, so you can try it. I think part of the secret lies in the use of the warm/hot water. It makes our skin feel cleaner,
Sze Ling says
Ahhhhh! THE Eve Lom cleanser!
But but but….that’s just too much work. 🙁 I’d pass. Lazy bum.
Paris B says
Remember, no ugly women only lazy ones! Lol 😉 I couldnt resist 😉
Sze Ling says
LOL. I know! And I always tell people that. 😛
Caren says
Hi Paris, am a long-time reader of your blog but this my first time leaving a comment.
I became a fan of the cleanse & polish regiment earlier this year, though I’ve never tried Eve Lom myself. I use Liz Earle which I absolutely love. I used to suffer from oily & dehydrated skin with dry, uneven patches. But ever since I started using Liz Earle, my skin has greatly improved. Granted, I’ve also started going for facials but I believe the Liz Earle cleanser helps maintain the smoothness & glow of my skin. I use it at night, it removes all my makeup and doesn’t irritate my eyes so it’s great to remove eye makeup too. Although, I can’t say for sure if this works for heavy eye makeup as I usually wear fairly light/neutral colours with mascara, no eyeliner.
Sure hope Liz Earle will make it to our shores in the near future so that I don’t have to rely on ebay all the time, which is where I’ve been getting my supply. It’s a lot cheaper than Eve Lom too, a 200ml tube (with muslin cloth) costs GBP 25.50, which is about RM126. And the ingredients look more skin-friendly as well: http://uk.lizearle.com/cleanse-tone-moisturise/cleanse-and-polish-hot-cloth-cleanser.html?ingredients
I admit the routine can be a bit time consuming, especially on lazy days. But so far I’ve been rather consistent. Guess it’s the product’s result on my skin that keeps me motivated 😀
Paris B says
Hi there Caren! 🙂 you and another reader now have me oh so curious about Liz Earle! I’d come across the brand for a while but never thought to give it a go, because it’s so hard to get it here. I’m going to hunt it down and give it a go, thanks to your feedback 🙂 thanks!
Caren says
Hey Paris!
You’re most welcome! 🙂 Yea, if I remember correctly, even in the UK itself, Liz Earle products are not widely available. They do ship internationally if you order from their website but the shipping cost itself is quite a bomb, which is a real bummer. Your best bet would be ebay, or if you know people in the UK who can help purchase the products for you.
If you do manage to try out the cleanser one day, do let me know what you think.
Have a good week ahead! 🙂
Jessie says
I don’t know why but grainy-looking textures really gross me out. Lol! Am I the only one?!
Paris B says
It doesn’t look terribly appetizing that’s for sure 😉
Wojis says
This sort of reminds me of the original oil cleansing method, where you use a oily mixture (to fit your skins needs) to cleans your face twice a day, and use a hot cloth to remove it al and close pores. But the oil cleansing method is way cheaper and way easier. Is it the same?
Greets,
Wojis
ps. very beautiful pictures makes the product very appealing
Paris B says
The principle is similar to the oil cleansing method. I tried it a few years ago with olive oil that clogged my pores. I think it’s because the oil cleansing method works best with the use of a hot cloth to melt the oil and make sure it cleans off well. I can’t get hot water from my tap and my shower water isn’t hot enough, I believe, which might be why it didn’t work for me. But it is most certainly cheap and from what I’ve read, very effective!
Wojis says
What I’ve read and liked very much is that you can heat your cloth in the microwave to make it really hot. Could work for people that don’t have hot water at hand.
Wojis says
Hmmmmm just realized I could test this, Eve Lom is available in Holland and I can whip up a batch of oil (for the oil cleansing method) in a jiffy, just need to choose a cloth (recommended by fans of the oil cleansing method is a micro fiber cleaning bowl) and presto start using it. Any other guinea pigs willing to try?
Paris B. I shall test this soon and keep you posted 🙂
Wojis says
It shall take me a while as the 100 ml cleanser is Euro 75,- and the cloth is Euro 20,- but I googled it and it is the same as baby’s muslin diapers, so that is a Euro 19,- saving. Anyway Paris, I’ll let you know if/when I start.
Paris B says
That would be a fun experiment! Do keep us informed 😉 I don’t know if you have a Japanese home store like a Daiso where you are, but you can get good quality microfiber cloths there for cheap 😉
Lucy says
This sounds nice but It doesn’t really appeal to me. I love my Liz Earle and I’ve had a sample size if the Emma Hardy cleansing balm which is up the same street. That one I personally love and it smells really good as well. Very expensive though!
New Follower 🙂
dd
Paris B says
I’ve heard a lot about the Liz Earle one and now I’m very curious. Will have to look for a site selling Liz Earle that ships internationally 🙂
Mira says
They say its to open and close the pores but I don’t believe in that because pores aren’t doors. —-> seriously, this is funny. I’m LMAO at the moment. ^^
I haven’t heard of the brand before. And it is very expensive for a cleanser. And I don’t like the fact that it comes in a tube, totally unhygienic. And… *whispers* I’m too lazy to spend 10mins just to cleanse my face. >.<
Paris B says
Haha no ugly women, Mira, just lazy ones! 😉 hehe… couldn’t resist 😉 I took this and used it straight for a few evenings. I don’t know if its helped but I swear my skin feels better. I only wish I had access to hot water (and time) all the time 😛
lyn says
Good grief, it sounds like too much work! I don’t spend much time cleansing, usually it’s an oil / cream cleanser followed by a foaming one. Takes less than 2 minutes. And I don’t have a muslin cloth to wash up after.
Paris B says
Haha yeah it does take quite a bit of work and the hot water throws me for a loop. Otherwise it does do an excellent job and I quite like it for when I travel because I think the muslin cloth keeps my skin cleaner and breakout free 🙂
chris says
I always want to try this pricy cleanser but sadly it is not available in malaysia, and most of the online wed which has this product does not ship to malaysia(i have to say malaysia custom is very very strict, most of the skincare product are not allowed to ship in by personal)
Glad to know now this is available in parkson, thank you for the info
Tracy says
I’ve always wondered about this so thanks! It’s sounds like too much work for me haha! I’ll stick to the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil. 🙂
Serena says
I have never liked Shu’s cleansing oil (really I have given it a few tries over the years with the last try just recently) so I have to say I really loved this product for its all in one function. Agree it will be hard for people who don’t have hot water on tap at the sink but I suggest you just grab boiled hot water from the kitchen kettle and mix it with cold water to achieve the right temperature. Best all in one in that it really does remove all traces of makeup and the massage routine recommended for twice a week really helps to reduce water retention and acts sort of like a lymphatic massage for your face. To be honest, if you don’t do the massage, I think it’s faster than doing the makeup remover, eye-makeup remover and cleansing routine and for much better results too.
Michelle says
Boots Botanics Organic Cleansing Balm is basically a dupe for Eve Lom’s cleanser at a fraction of the price (something to the tune of 6pounds for a tub). I’ve tried it and it’s awesome. The only drawback is that the muslin cloth that comes with the Boots cleanser isn’t great, but if you have the muslin cloth from the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish lying around, it works just as well. The Boots cleanser is definitely a fantastic alternative to Eve Lom and furthermore, it has NO mineral oils 🙂
Paris B says
Thanks for the rec! We don’t have Boots here but if I come across it, I’ll give it a go 😀
Ms Lim says
Can I know the information of the distributor of Eve lom in Malaysia or Singapore.
Thanks & Rehards
Eileen Lim
Paris B says
Eve Lom in Malaysia is distributed by Luxasia.
Kate Bishop says
Thank you for the review. Honestly, it is by far the most helpful review on this cleanser on the internet, and believe me, I’ve read hundreds HUNDREDS of reviews on this cleanser to decide whether or not to shell out so much money for this. Just a huge thank you for your honest review.
Paris B says
I’m very happy you found it useful, Thanks! 🙂