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Do you use a separate eye makeup remover?


Do you use a separate eye makeup remover? Why/why not? What are your favorites?

If I do really heavy eye makeup, yes, I do. I find it ends up being more effective, and you don’t have lots of black eyeliner and mascara running down your face and onto your sink. I like Lancome Bi-Facil!

Thanks to Li Ming for today’s question!

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47 Comments

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Soo Avatar

me too! I have tried so many makeup removers and they all sting or burn my eyes. Bi-Facil has been the only that’s gentle on my eyes but removes long lasting makeup really well.

Michelle Avatar

I use a separate eye makeup remover because it gets eye makeup off easily and I don’t have to smear eye makeup all over my face with my facial makeup remover. Avon’s eye makeup remover is my favorite.

Jessi Avatar

I use a cleansing oil to remove my makeup. It works really quickly with no rubbing or tugging and washes away clean. The only downside is blurry vision if it gets in your eyes, but I just use eye drops and it goes away.

Emma Avatar

What a great advice! I stopped using my cleansing oil for eye after a few times due to this annoying blurry vision. I’ll try it!

I used to use the Rimmel Gentle Eye Make Up Remover which was great but it’s used up. After several bad experiences of using oil, I got myself the Neutrogena Deep Clean Eye & Lip Makeup Remover. I prefer the Rimmel one, it cleans away makeup better and my skin feels more natural afterwards. It takes longer for the Neutrogena one to wipe away the makeup. Even though it’s “oil-free”, I find it a bit oily. I expect it to be fresh instead of looking dewy in the eye area.

Ice Queen Avatar

Yes, I do. Trying to wash off my liner and mascara at the sink is just a pain. A little natural oil, jojoba and coconut oils are my faves works like a charm and saves me a lot of scrubbing and raccoon eyes. 🙂

Marie Avatar

I use a specific eye make-up remover when I do heavy eye make-up, like a dark smokey eye or lots of mascara and eye-liner. In that case, I use Nars eye make-up remover. Otherwise, I just use my Créaline micellar solution by Bioderma.

stephanie Avatar

No, I find the Chemicals in most eye makeup removers to be irritating so I use grapeseed oil and everything just glides off. Grapeseed Oil is good for the skin and the brand I buy, Trader Joes label is very reasonable

Cynthia Avatar

I do, I use Target, Up &Up, Makeup Magician. Doesn’t burn your eyes and leaves no residue. Plus its cheap and doesn’t have any obnxious fragrance.

Kristabelle Avatar

Yes- I have to with how much I wear. For the rest of my face, I use wipes, but I don’t like using those for eyes- they feel rough and like they’re pulling at my eye skin. Have yet to find a really good (not horribly expensive) liquid waterproof remover, though.

Niki Avatar

Yes, I soak couple a cotton pads with Sweet Almond Oil to take off the first layer of eye makeup; and then use Avon Moisture Effective Eye Makeup Remover Lotion to remove the remnants of my waterproof mascara and eye liner.

Natalie Avatar

I absolutely do – it’s a must if you depend on eyeliner as much as I do. Anything in a wipe or that you use with cotton balls always hurt the skin around my eyes. But I found my solution! Physician’s Formula makes a creamy eye makeup remover that just lifts my eyeliner right off with just a little eye massaging!

LU Avatar

I have never needed to. I use Olay daily facials cleansing cloths at night to wash my face and it takes all my makeup right off. Then I squeeze excess water/cleanser out of the cloth and use it as a makeup removing wipe for any eye makeup that didn’t wash off. I really love those cloths, cleared up my pimples too.

Lee Avatar

Yep, a good eye makeup remover effortlessly melts away shadow, liner, and mascara without tugging. I like Sonia Kushak’s Eye Makeup Remover from Target which is a great BiFacil dupe.

Ashley Avatar

Coconut oil, as well as the majority of oils save for safflower/sunflower oil and mineral oil, is notoriously bad for anyone prone to any kind of acne. It is one of the most comedogenic oils out there, actually. So definitely not something I recommend if you have acne or if you used to have acne. Even if you didn’t/don’t, definitely patch test this and most oils for a prolonged period.

sonephanie Avatar

I don’t wear eyeshadow and black eyeliner everyday, but when I do I will use a separate eye makeup remover. I go cheap and use the generic Up & Up brand one from Target. It works well enough for me.

JulieD Avatar

Paula’s Choice cleansers get off all my eye makeup and do not irritate. If I am trying to use up another cleanser, I will use a separate eye makeup remover. The best ones I have tried are MAC’s Gently off eye and lip makeup remover, Mary Kay oil-free Eye makeup remover, Clinique take the day off… but my two favorites… MakeUpForever’s Sens’ Eyes, and Lancome’s Bi-Facil.

Beth O Avatar

Yes, Sonia Kashuk’s remover rocks!! Comparable to Bi-Facil but at a significantly lower price. I find I lose lashes when I try to wash my mascara off with just my facial wash. Eye makeup remover allows me to keep my precious lashes!

denise Avatar

I have the same problem with my lashes if I rub them too hard they fall out.I work hard to keep my lashes conditioned and healthy so now I only use effective eye makeup removers, like Bi-facil. Was using Almay wipes but they sting and I have to rub too hard.

Jenny Avatar

I just found a great eye make up remover at CVS by Lumene. It takes all my eye make up off with just a couple of swipes, and leaves my eyes feeling really soft. It takes off everything easily, no leftover black smudges. I’ve tried a few different ones and next to Lancome’s it’s the best I’ve used.

Carrie Ann Avatar

I don’t use makeup remover on the rest of my face because my cleanser seems to get everything off, but because I use a primer on my eyelids, there always seems to be some eye makeup left after washing my face. I use Clinique Take the Day Off just on my eyelids.

Ashley Avatar

Yes, if I don’t use makeup-remover wipes (Pond’s is what I use, they’re awesome, get everything!) For remover liquid / gel, I’m using Urban Decay’s Clean and Sober (discontinued recently).

Shannon Avatar

Yes, I use either MAC Pro Eye Makeup Remover or L’Oreal Clean Artiste Water-proof & Long Wear Eye Makeup Remover and then the Neutrogena makeup remover face wipes.

Heather Avatar

I too use it when I have done a heavy eye or if I want to remove waterproof mascara. I like Target’s brand of remover which is supposed to be comparable to Neutrogena’s.

Ashley Avatar

When I used skincare products, I used a cleanser to wash off foundation and eye makeup remover for my eyes.

Now that I’m almost entirely product-free (exceptions being antiperspirant and homemade toothpaste), I no longer even use eye makeup remover. Instead, I take a microfibre washcloth, soak it in some hot water, press it up against my eyes for a while, gently wipe/dab off, and repeat until all colour has been removed. It does generally leave behind some of the shimmer from the makeup, but that shimmer usually fades off during the night anyways. Might take longer, but it’s nice knowing that I don’t need to worry about makeup/remover going over my skin when showering and that it’s yet another item I’ve been able to replace with a cheaper and/or renewable resource 🙂

Emma RZ Avatar

I use separate eye m/u remover because cleanser just doesn’t seem to get it all off and I end up with panda eyes after my morning shower. Atm I’m trying to finish up a bottle of Sephora Waterproof remover that I don’t like much because of the oiliness. I’m going to try Aubrey Organics Herbesence m/u remover next, if I can find it.

Lindsay @ A Walk in the Closet Avatar

Yes, definitely! And when I don’t, the whole time I’m thinking…”I really should”.

My mascara and eyeliner are all waterproof and even eyeshadows I like to buy ones that are long lasting. Using eye makeup remover, specifically the type meant for waterproof makeup, allows me to be gentle with my skin around that area.

Using just a cleansing wipe or regular makeup remover is too gentle on the makeup that it doesn’t allow me to be gentle on my SKIN.

Bethy Avatar

I wear heavy eye make-up nearly every day as I LOVE eye make-up. Thus far I’ve been employing Lush’s (discon’d) Babyface and it takes care of the eye make-up swimmingly. I dread the day I finish my stash and have to search for a new eye make-up remover.

Angelcat47 Avatar

Yes,as I use Huggies baby wipes(much cheaper but just as effective as MU remover wipes),but as another poster stated,they are too rough for the eye area.I use Balms Away by theBalm.It removes eye makeup quickly and gently AND there is no “blurry eye syndrome” afterward!!

Natalie Avatar

I do if I do really involved eye makeup, or a thick mascara. I like MAC’s Pro Eye remover – I find it’s really effective for me! I also like having it handy so I can do little touch-ups if I messed up somewhere, instead of wasting an entire MAC remover wipe!

AussieAngelcakes Avatar

L’Oreal’s Dermo Expertise Gantle Makeup remover for eyes & lips is amazing. It is a bi-phase blue/clear solution. It works just as well as Clarins, Lancome or Estee Lauder eye makeup removers and it’s only a fraction of the price. I would much rather blow my money on actual makeup than stuff that removes it, tee hee hee. I use a lot of eye makeup so I go through bucket loads of makeup remover. This removes waterproof makeup easily and doesnt irritate or dry my eyes out. I don’t like the packaging much so I usually aliquot it into my travel size Estee Lauder or Lancome bottles.

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