Review: No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser

Ok, so first off, I completely misunderstood the concept of his product. I bought it a few months ago when I had a No7 £5 voucher to use and thought I'd give this new cleanser a go. I read 'hot cloth' and imagined it was some sort of self heating cleanser-you know like those really cool packets of face masks that heat up once applied to your face? When I read the directions, yep you actually need to 'learn' how to use this cleanser! I still imagined it had some sort of heating action, perhaps once the cloth was applied.

What is it?: No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser available from Boots

Packaging: It comes boxed and you get a giant 200ml pump dispenser bottle and a muslin cloth-a smaller version of the one my sister uses for cleaning up my nephews sick, but don't let that put you off! The cleanser is priced at £8.75 and considering how little you need to use, I think this is good value for money. I really love the bottle, because you can clearly see how much product you have left and because the pump moves the cleanser 'up' the bottle, you aren't left with product in the bottom that can't be reached. I found one pump dispensed exactly the right amount of product for one application, good so far.
What it says: Close your eyes, using your fingertips, gently massage over dry skin in upward circular motions. Run the muslin cloth under comfortably hot water, wring out the excess and place cloth over your face and relax whilst the hot cloth gently opens your pores. Then, using the cloth, lightly polish off the cleanser in circular motions, to remove any impurities. To finish; splash your face with cold water, to close your pores, and pat dry.
What I say: The cleanser itself is a very rich, creamy consistency and has a floral scent that some may dislike. It was overpowering at first, but kinda grew on me. I favoured using this in the morning, rather than at night when I'm removing my makeup too; I prefer something like a foaming cleanser for that. Now to the bad points, the cloth doesn't retain any heat whatsoever, so by the time I've run it under very hot water and wrung it out and got it onto my face, it's barely warm. I don't find this in any way relaxing or pleasant. Also where are you expected to do this? I personally always cleanse in front of the mirror above the sink in my bathroom. So I'm left standing like an idiot with a cold cloth over my face, just standing! Not my idea of a relaxing treat! Then you use the cloth to 'exfoliate'. If I'm going to exfoliate I want a real grainy, scrub that you can literally 'feel' scrubbing away the dead skin cells etc. This cloth falls somewhere in between, it's not pleasantly smooth, yet isn't quite rough enough.
Verdict: Afterwards, my skin feels incredibly soft and smooth to the touch and I think it does look more 'radiant'. I am also pleased to report that it didn't aggravate my (much improved btw) acne-prone skin. However I just can't be bothered with the nonsense of applying it. It adds 5 extra minutes to my cleansing routine that I don't need, the experience isn't relaxing and I have to rinse the cloth out afterwards. It's not even something I would use in the shower for example, because you still have to stand up with this cold cloth on your face! Overall verdict, it's a nice cleanser but the application is too much of a fiddle and would discourage me from re-purchasing.

P.S. I've just bought the No7 Gentle Foaming Cleanser to try, which I'm hoping will suit me better. I'll review once I've given it a good trial.