How to be Beautiful: Soothe your skin

Balm. The word alone seems to have soothing properties. While so much of our beauty regimes is devoted to scrubbing and stripping, pummelling and plucking, slathering on an unctuous balm seems like a rare act of kindness towards the skin.

Though it feels natural to use one on your lips, leaving a balm on the rest of one's face, even just overnight, can be a little full-on for those who instantly connect anything vaguely oily with spots.

A balm cleanser is the perfect solution – gliding on gently, lifting away impurities and then leaving your skin nice and supple once washed off. Throw a muslin cloth, dipped in hot water, into the removal process and you'll get an exfoliation that's gentle enough for every day.

Even more pleasing, however, is the fact that most balm cleansers will double up to remove eye make-up, offering you a neat short cut at the end of the day to the most nourishing balm of all: sleep.