How to Effectively Remove Your Makeup - Tips & Tricks
Makeup & Beauty Tips on How to Effectively Remove Your Makeup
Share your best tips and tricks for removing your makeup! Feel free to share your experiences, how you mastered techniques, or what you struggle with.
Temptalia’s Tips
- I like cleansing oils for removing heavier makeup, because they really break down the makeup and remove everything while cleansing all in one step.
- If you are wearing really heavy makeup, bold lip color, etc., you might want to take a cotton pad with makeup remover on it (I use Lancome Bi-Facil usually) and remove that portion first. I’ll do this if I wear really bold lips, so I don’t smear red lipstick all over my skin!
- You can use toner on a cotton pad to remove last bits of makeup and any makeup around the hair line or Q-tip dipped in remover for eyeliner.
Thanks to Dorothy for today’s topic!
coconut oil and cotton pads/balls/swabs! smells delicious and ridiculously soothing for my skin.
I love ALMAY oil-free eye makeup remover pads for all regular make-up, but if it’s waterproof or super-bright, then moisturizing Almay pads are the answer. So strong and easy to use.
Lancome Bi-Facil is also magical! While at home, that’s also my go-to, but for traveling, Almay pads take the cake. Those small circles take it all off, don’t leak and weigh next to nothing 🙂
My facialist tells me to wash my face twice- once with a oil or cream based formula specifically for removing makeup, and then a second time to really clean the skin and pores.
That’s basically what I do–Neutrogena makeup wipes to handle the makeup, cleanser to treat my skin.
Yeah, I remove lipstick and eye make-up first as well, and then thoroughly cleanse everything. I also like oil-based make-up removers. It takes a lot less scrubbing and a lot less product with those.
Like Lancome Bi-Facial
I’ve also been using Pond’s Cold Cream with just a quick soapy wash and have noticed a real improvement in my dry skin. I’m loving Ponds. I think just using Kiehl’d facial cleanser was too harsh for my climate (high-desert).
My cleansing process is really a pain because I usually wear sunscreen and waterproof mascara but, it works:
1. an emulsifying oil cleanser (currently, Tatcha’s) to breakdown my makeup and sunscreen.
2. eye makeup remnants are swept away by the Neutrogena dual-phase eye makeup remover and a cotton pad.
3. second cleanse with Cetaphil.
Since discovering Bioderma Sensibio H2O I don’t need any tricks 🙂 It’s like pure water on cotton pad but removes even the heaviest eye make up without any irritation or “cloudy” feeling I experienced after using oilier eye make up removers.
Definitely second that! Bioderma is wonderful. I use it to remove all my makeup and sunscreen and then soap up my face with a regular cleanser (I use a Vichy foam) for squeaky clean skin.
Thanks ladies for the heads up! Definitely going to check this out as I have a lot of eye make-up to remove everyday.
I usually like just taking a cotton pad with makeup remover on it and pressing it onto my eyes for a bit and the makeup just absorbs it and comes off really easily. This way I don’t need to rub to get it off.
I use Pond’s makeup removing wipes to get rid of my makeup, and then wash with my normal cleaner to get rid of any residual traces. If I don’t have a makeup removing wipe handy, using olive oil on a cotton round works great as well.
I just go over my whole face with a few cotton pads soaked in Klorane soothing make-up remover, then I wash with Purpose soap on a Clarisonic, then use my Clinque toner to remove whatever I missed.
My process is similar to Christine’s
-If I have a bold lip, I’ll take that off first with some micellar water (currently have Caudalie’s)
-For longwear make up (my preference) I use a cleansing oil (MAC’s)
-If it’s not longwear foundation, I sometimes will use a cleansing lotion (MUFE)
-Then I either go over skin with either micellar water or wash with Purpose cleanser
When I’m lazy or out of time or both, I end up using facial wipes–I love Boots and Simple because they don’t irritate my eyes. When I’m at home and have time, I use a cleansing oil first–right now I’m using shu uemura’s pore clarifying cleansing oil, and I like it. It’s almost magical how it gets rid of everything. After I use the cleansing oil I wash my face with my regular cleanser, then tone and moisturize. I rarely wear a lot of eye makeup so I don’t need extra steps there.
I recently discovered micellar water and it does works so shockingly well, I was amazed. I picked up the budget one and it still works great. I daily wear lots of waterproof gel liner & color tattoo combo, it works very well not upsetting my eyes. Micellar water also is nice for travelling.
I bought an inexpensive brand–Reversa–on half price sale in one of those great pump top bottles similar to Zoya Remove+ and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it performs.
For my everyday make up removal, I use Bioderma, it really effectively takes off everything from my face. If I have something heavier on, I also like to use the MAC Cleanse off oil, and if something is still eft on my eyes, I use my La Prairie Cellular make up remover, which works great. I also use additionally MAC wipes.
Currently I use Bi-Facil but I don’t love it – I still have to rub too much! After that I clean with Cetaphil, and sometimes use YSL Instand Pur toner if I need to be really clean. Debating switching to either coconut oil or a cleansing oil. Christine, do you have a suggestion for good cleansing oils?
I use shu’s and like that 🙂 I’ve also used Shiseido’s, MAC’s, and Bobbi Brown’s – they’re all equal in effectiveness for me overall, but some are thicker/thinner.
If you check out musings of a muse she has a section of reviews of cleansing oils. I personally use shu’s and like it, but she has a whole range of options that are cheaper if your budget doesn’t run to shu.
I usually remove my eye and lip makeup first. I use Dermalogica gentle eye makeup remover for both eyes and lips because I like the gel like consistency.
For the face, I use Neutrogena makeup remover wipes, they’re great at breaking down the gunk on my face at the end of the day! 🙂 After this step, I wash my face with a regular cleanser.
It’s a lot of work to remove makeup properly but it goes a long way towards keeping pores unclogged and skin clear!
I wash my face (really just eyes b/c I wear eye makeup, mostly) with a cream makeup removing cleanser (I like the new Maybelline one). And then I wash with a normal cleanser in the shower. Then when I get out of the shower, I use a cotton pad and a bi-phase makeup remover to remove any traces of eye makeup.
If I only do steps 2 and 3, meaning skipping the cream cleanser, my eye makeup doesn’t get totally removed b/c I use waterproof products. I need the 1st step to break it down dramatically.
I’m working my way through a jar of cold cream, but I don’t like it because it’s hard to get off. It does work well for stray eye makeup, though. I apply the cold cream to my eyes, and then wipe it off, and then usually do that a second time.
Usually within a few hours of that, I’ll take a shower (I shower at night) and use the facial cleanser I keep in the shower (burts bees).
After I get out, there’s usually mascara below my eyes that both the ponds and the cleanser missed, and I’ll go at that again with some more ponds on a Q-tip.
It’s an annoying system. I don’t advocate it, haha. I should get a liquid eye makeup remover and just ditch the cold cream already, because I hate it.
I massage some cleansing oil to breakdown eye makep and then use neutropenia makeup remover wipe to wipe off my raccoon eyes. Then I use the other side of the wipe to clean the rest of my face. Last, I wash with a good cleanser and I’m done! Squeaky clean! I have the clarisonic and while it’s nice this process is much quicker and less messy. This takes anout a minute no matter how much makeup im wearing.
I’m too darn lazy to use a separate eye makeup remover and I cannot stand BiFacial because it stings like a b**** on me so I just use a really good foaming cleanser to take everything off – Shiseido Benefiance Extra Creamy or White Lucent Brightening cleansing foams are both excellent for my skin and they take off full eye makeup, long last eye liner and waterproof mascara, etc.
The trick is to work up a really good consistency lather – thick enough that it covers effectively without running or dripping but thin enough to penetrate between lashes and into any little creases to get everything off. I use a very gentle massaging/fingertip motion to break down product (it takes a minute or two) and then simply splash it all away with cool water.
No rubbing, wiping, tugging or pulling or ending up with annoying cotton fibres on my face.
No advice, but a question instead: What exactly is a toner and what is it supposed to do/how is it good for you?
Bioderma on some cotton pads. And then Neutrogena Fresh Foaming face wash.
I’ve never quite gotten the point of cleansing wipes. I have them but end up using them more on days off or no makeup days if I do use them. I’ve always just washed my face twice and then used makeup remover to get any residual makeup off my eyes. For quite a few years I’ve been using Bare Escentual’s Purifying Cleanser and African Black Soap from Coastalscents. This Black Soap is amazing to clean with. Every now & then I’ve tried cleansing oils and I did like them. Josie Marans was pretty good. My HG MU Remover is new by Bare Escentuals. It came out this past Holiday and it’s the best I’ve ever used. Not oily, not drying and I don’t have to tug at my eyes to get the residual off. A little goes the longest way.
If I’m wearing foundation, then I’ll apply Ponds Cucumber Cleanser all over my face, wipe it off with damp tissues, then I’ll wipe my face with a warm/hot washcloth to get off all traces of cold creme and makeup. Then I’ll wet my face a little, and apply a bit of a gentle cleanser, and then will rinse it all off. All the makeup is removed and my skin is lightly moisturized.
I don’t like to spend too much time with MU removal. I just use a gel cleanser in the shower, once mostly on my eyes, and don’t wash it off completely, and then I put the gel on a cleansing cosmetic sponge and really well massage my face, then wash it all off. Works well for me.
I use Pond’s makeup removing wipes to take off my makeup, and coconut oil to cleanse my skin. Works like a charm! (:
I wear heavy makeup and falsies all the time, so this is what I do:
– Use a cleansing oil (I use a lot of brands, currently liking the one I’m using from Skinfood).
– remove excess eye makeup with another makeup remover (favorites that don’t irritate my eyes are by Nuance and Cyber Colors).
And then I finish up using the Clinique 3 Step solutions. Keeps my skin pretty good except near my period when I get occasional break outs. Although it’s lengthy it’s worth the time to take care of your skin!
Bioderma Sensibio micellar water. 🙂