Nursery Cleansing Gel and Balm - Yuzu and Grapefruit

Hello my lipstick buddies. I am back! I took an extended break from blogging because work (well, work itself was already, just "somebody" had to made it unnecessarily stressful) but now I am back at it again. Since my default antidepressant are concerts (well that's out of the questions for now) and lipsticks, I have gotten plenty of toys to review...Before diving into all the pretty shiny things, let's start with something basic - Cleansers. 

Nursery is a one of the many assuming Japanese drugstore brands that's has made an international following - Not only I hear about it all the time in Chinese sites, it's also easy to find in local Asian beauty stores in New York (plus Amazon). 

The star product of the entire brand is the Yuzu Makeup Cleansing Gel - It's a luxurious, semi opaque cream gel (smoother and creamier than Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser and much less plasticky) with a delightful Yuzu scents, so natural that it smells like I am bathing in a non sugary yuzu tea.

The gel works very well as a morning or second cleanser (I use physical sunscreen so that requires some heavier oily cleansing balm) leaving skin clean, moisturized with no residue. To me, this is a much better formulated version of Glossier Milky Jelly (that I like but won't repurchase). I used up two small bottles and will certainly repurchase again.

While browsing in Ume Cosme, I noticed there is also a Grapefruit version of the gel so I got it (I am not a citrus expert, just a lover...but is it just me or those look like lemons?) to see how it compares - The Grapefruit cleanser is similar but just a tad runnier and with a sharper, tart citrus scent. It's pleasant but I prefer the warmth and sweetness in the Yuzu one.

The label says it sold over 5million bottles in Japan and all the scents are naturally derived.

Now to the Yuzu Cleansing Balm - Another popular item in the menu. 

It came with a small scoop that I promptly misplaced

This is a sorbet like cleansing balm that melt off all the clingy physical sunscreen and makeup (welp eye shadow come off with regular cleanser too) and it emulsifies without being yucky. For around 20 bucks, I like it better than the Banila Co and Pharmacy as it feels more nourishing in an oily way (and this one doesn't have microplastic I suppose). The smell is probably a little sharper (more essential oils perhaps?) and less sweet than the cleansing gel but it's still enjoyable to use. I will repurchase once I am through with all the cleansing oil/balm hoard that I have...