All about: Dermalogica's new PreCleanse Balm

I’m on the ground at New Zealand Fashion Week for the next few days working with FashionTV NZ, and wearing a hell of a lot more slap than I usually would as a result. During the week I am often a BB Cream, mascara and little else kind of woman, topped off with a bright red lip if a work commitment is in the diary. This week I am next level with foundation, primer, highlighter, shadows and more, and need something pretty grunty to take it all off.

Here’s where the new Dermalogica PreCleanse Balm steps in, a new release that I cannot get enough of. It has been designed to take the skin back to what they are calling “step zero” at the end of each day, which in the city is more relevant than ever. The skin accumulates quite a bit of "dirt" on a daily basis, which forms a thick, slick, waxy coating on the skin by the middle of the day. Four aspects that make up this 'dirt' are sunscreen, pollution, makeup and excess sebum. Without a proper cleanse to rinse all of this off, no amount of fancy cream, expensive serum, or anti-aging elixir is going to fix your skin.

Apparently most people only spend about 20 seconds washing their faces - much less than the time they spend doing hair or make-up. Dermalogica says that those 20 seconds using just a standard face wash or make-up removal wipe is definitely not enough to penetrate the layer of sebum, pollutants and cosmetic debris that coat the skin's surface. In most cases, that layer remains on the skin, preventing moisturisers and other skin care products from doing their work while dulling the skin's appearance and contributing to congestion. Clogged pores and dullness? No thanks.

"Step zero" using the PreCleanse Balm is Dermalogica’s first step in the daily cleanse to take the skin back to zero, with zero make-up, zero residue, and zero irritation.

On sale from Friday 8th September 2017 for the recommended retail price of $75, the balm is ideal for normal to dry skin due to its super nourishing key ingredients, a natural Biolipid Complex and Apricot Kernel Oil. The original Dermalogica PreCleanse (Oil) is a better choice for normal to oily skin, but for drier skin like mine it is a proper wonder.

PreCleanse Balm comes with its own cleansing mitt, which I took a little while to get used to but now love. You dispense an almond sized amount of the product onto the mitt or directly into your dry hands, and then massage over your dry face, neck, décolletage and eyes using circular motions to dissolve surface oil, dirt, make-up and SPF. You will notice it transforms from a balm to oil on contact with the skin. After about a minute, add water to emulsify by massaging to create a light, milky formula, then spend some time massaging to lift the dirt before rinsing off with warm water. Follow with your usual cleanser then treat away as you see fit using your optimal skincare routine. 

This may seem like a little bit of a pre-sleep performance, but I like to file it under “self care” and think of all the good its doing to me. I highly recommend you do the same x