Yves Saint Laurent Top Secrets Universal Makeup Remover Melting Balm-in-Oil

Did some damages at YSL online store during the Black Friday sale and, among other things, picked up this 125mL/4.2fl. oz.jar of Top Secrets Universal Makeup Remover Melting Balm-in-Oil (oof, what a mouthful!). I wasn't going to use this cleansing balm just yet but it jumped the queue having arrived leaking and oily. After cleaning up the mess, I realized it wasn't because of the rough transit or the faulty packaging but rather because the cleansing balm itself was so melty.

Wow--this cleansing balm was so soft it felt like melty buttery cloud on my skin, probably softest cleansing balm I've tried thus far! This was probably the reason it melted in transit and leaked right out of the jar too. Either way, I was impressed and checked the ingredients, which was when this cleansing balm blew me away again: it's polyethylene-free! So soft and still free of polyethylene? Yes, please! I thought it did a great job removing my waterproof sunscreen and makeup too. It didn't rinse totally clean but I wouldn't say it left a residue either. More like it left my skin feeling moisturized, and I liked that.

However, there was one thing that kept me from declaring this one of my favorite cleansing balms ever--the scent. It was very strongly scented with a cheap fruity scent that was more drugstore than luxury. Urgh. Why they would ruin a great product like this, I don't know, but I can tell you that the scent was so strong I can still smell it as I type this review. Will not repurchase because of the scent alone.

 

The oily package that jumped the queue.

Yves Saint Laurent Top Secrets Universal Makeup Remover Melting Balm-in-Oil:

ETHYLHEXYL PAMITATE • PEG-20 GLYCERYL TRIISOSTEARATE • SYNTHETIC WAX • OLEA EUROPAEA FRUIT OIL / OLIVE FRUIT OIL • BUTYROSPERMUM PAKII BUTTER / SHEA BUTTER • PHENOXYETHANOL • TOCOPHEROL • CAPRYLYL GLYCOL • AQUA / WATER • POLYSORBATE 20 • BUTYLENE GLYCOL • BENZYL ALCOHOL • LAMINARIA SACCHARINA EXTRACT • ZINC SULFATE • VITREOSCILLA FERMENT • PYRODOXINE HCI • CITRIC ACID • PARFUM/FRAGRANCE.

***List of ingredients from YSL Beauty US.