THE luxury brand from France, Odile LeCoin, leaves me feeling like the pleb at a posh dinner, like, which spoons do you use first? My confusion with a cleansing balm is, if it is balm, surely you want to leave it on to do its balm thing; soothe, soak in, refresh, renew, make you glow, solve problems.
But no, a cleansing balm has initial balm-like effects and texture, but then you mix it gently with warm water, after you’ve applied it in circular motions, it’s always gently circular. I plan to triangulate one time to see if it makes a difference.
Anyway, once you add the water, it goes from gelatinous and thick, to milky, and then you rinse the lot down the drain. It’s got extracts of algae, rosemary and shea buttter, which all feel so silky going on, it feels a shame to rinse off. But wait! You rinse it off, but can still feel it! How do they do that?
Something penetrates, impervious to that final rinse. Pat dry, and if you are a wash and go gal, this will sort you out, glow wise, for the day. It’s perfectly light and bright for these sunny days.
Odile LeCoin OR j’aime: The ultimate day cream (£70, 50ml)
However, if you, like me, feel the need for extra morning oomph but still want to keep your morning wash simple, you then apply the ultimate day cream. This contains the usual seed and nut oils and Hyaluronic Acid, but also an ingredient I’ve not heard of before, Fucogel ( I must be pronouncing it wrong). This, I find, is all over everywhere in the cutting edge of skin care, offering mild restructuring and tightening.
This, it absolutely does. It adds to the glow effect, and makes the skin silky and soft to the touch. It’s light enough to apply your SPF afterwards without feeling all claggy. These are great essentials for a quick but luxurious morning skincare routine.
Odile Lecoin OR eclatant: Purify and Glow Cleansing Balm (£45, 50ml)
by Michele Kirsch