With the exception of some Glossier stuff (of which more in coming days), I have bought no skincare since I returned from Australia in the beginning of the year. This has not been too difficult, as I own enough skincare for a small Korean town. It’s also always satisfying to use things up and find nice products you had almost forgotten you had.

Leahlani’s Bless Beauty Balm is one of the things that I’ve dug out. It’s not so much that I had forgotten about it: I don’t use balms much (unless they are cleansing balms, which I love), as my skin isn’t that dry. Therefore, balms tend to come out mostly in winter and especially when I’m sick and my skin is red and sore.

As I mentioned in my most recent post, I caught the flu last week and I’m still dealing with the aftermath. My nose and the skin around it are in a sorry state and this is where the balm comes in. Now, many people love May Lindstrom’s The Blue Cocoon when their face is seriously ravaged by elements or illness. And yes, it’s a beautiful balm, but it can sometimes irritate my skin when it’s not at its best. It is also very strongly scented, something I don’t necessarily love when I’m feeling unwell.

Leahlani’s balm is gentler and has never annoyed my skin in any way. It is less “oily” than The Blue Cocoon, with a smoother texture, and it’s not blue, although it does include a small amount of blue tansy. I did not buy one to replace the other, but the balms do actually share quite a lot of the ingredients, including camellia seed oil, marula oil, cocoa butter and shea butter. Do of course be careful if the latter causes you problems.

I use the Bless Beauty Balm wherever my skin is dry and angry. It’s immediately soothing and does improve the situation considerably overnight. I like the texture and how it immediately melts when it meets the skin. I’ve also discovered that it works great as a lip balm and you can use it for cuticles, too. I haven’t tried it as a cleanser, as I own several dedicated cleansing balms and don’t want to waste the BB balm on this.

There are certainly cheaper alternatives for doing what this product is doing, but I like to have something nice to use when I’m feeling like shit. It is all organic and cold-pressed (and made in Hawaii by a small company), if that is important to you. The blush-pink colour is absolutely lovely. And compared to The Blue Cocoon, it’s still an absolute bargain.