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What kind of makeup remover formula do you prefer?
What kind of makeup remover formula do you prefer? Oil, gel, cream, mousse, lotion, wipe? Something else? Why?
For intense lip products, I like makeup remover wipes, because it takes it right off and there is no scrubbing involved. For intense eye looks, I like dual-phase removers like Lancome Bi-Facil, because it gets everything off without a fuss. Generally, I use a cleansing oil (like shu uemura’s), which works well to get most makeup off (even intense eye or lip makeup) but may not get into the nooks and crannies.
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I only have experience with cream and wipe removers, neither of which I like, but I’m curious about gel ones. I’ll be keeping an eye out on this topic to see what people recommend.
I only recently began using a cleansing oil (MAC’s Cleanse Off Oil), but I am kicking myself for not trying it sooner. I tend to wear a lot of waterproof and long wear products, but it literally melts everything right off. Everything else I’ve tried requires a lot more work or even double washing.
I personally use an oil makeup remover, specifically MAC Pro Eye Makeup Remover. That way when I remove my makeup or clean up fallout, I can quickly reapply if I want.
For me, my faves are my favorites:
Mary Kay Make-up Remover – Great for easily removing waterproof eye make-up like magic; it TRULY WORKS without tugging and irritating your eyes – safe for contact lens wearers, too! This is one of those hidden gems not talked about so much; and
ARCONA Triad Pads – Excellent for removing facial make-up quickly – deep cleanse, hydrates and safe for oily skin types. It’s a cleanser and toner in one which is great for travel or to keep in your everyday handbag – It leaves your face feeling smooth and leaves a yummy-smelling scent – natural ingredients, too (cranberries)!
I really want to try Alcone Make-up Remover Cloths. Has anyone ever tried these?
While I agree that a cleansing oil like Shu Uemura’s cuts through heavy makeup the quickest, I use a cleansing water most days (Bioderma Sensibio H2O) because I don’t wear heavy eye makeup and an oil-free formula removes the need to double cleanse immediately when I’m removing my makeup after work. I also like cream-to-oil formulas, like Helen Rubinstein Prodigy Makeup Remover (discontinued?), which feel less drying than your usual cleansing oil and is easier to rinse clean.
That should be “Helena Rubinstein Prodigy Makeup Remover”.
i’ve tried oil, lotion, mousse, gel, wipes.. and i like makeup remover wipes too when taking off lip products.. but by far the best makeup remover i’ve used is the oil type.. i use mac cleanse off oil! 🙂
Wipes are too expensive. Dual-phase (the one from Marcelle is amazing) are nice but I feel like I’m wasting too much for my entire face.
My favourite is oil-based like MAC’s Cleanse Off Oil (this one doesn’t sting your eyes). One pump and I massage it all over my face and into the nooks and wash off. Its all off without using cotton pads or using too much.
I use baby wipes for makeup removal, and cotton swabs dipped in Lancôme Bi-Facil to clean up oopsies during application.
I like the baby wipes for correcting mistakes in application. They don’t remove more than I want for them to.
I like the oil base ones I been using Estee Lauder makeup remover for awhile now
I like natural 100% jojoba oil – my main concern is removing eye makeup and sometimes and intense lipstick. I used to have a very difficult time with eye makeup removers – most would irritate my eyes (same with eye creams). But jojoba works like a dream, and I leave some on around my eyes as a nightly moisturizer. I just found a nice large bottle on sale at Sallys.
Balm-to-oil removers are lovely. I love Clinique’s Take the day off because it melts my tightlined waterproof, smudgeproof eye pencil (my most stubborn item of MU) in FOUR SECONDS. No tugging or losing lashes :).
Clinique-take the day off- cleansing balm is the bast makeup remower I’ve ever tried. It’s a cleansing oil but in a hard form.
Clinique Take The Day Off Balm is the best I’ve ever used and Ive tried pretty much everything. It is a wax that turns to a milk when massaged into skin. Doesn’t sting eyes and removes the toughest makeup. One pot lasts ages as well.
I’m prone to dermatitis and can’t use make up remover, so I use sweet almond oil. Does a great job and moisturises at the same time.
My favorite makeup remover is the Bare Escentuals Purifying Facial Cleanser. It can be used as a facewash in the shower, or you can put it on a tissue and use it dry. It has a great smell; it’s halfway between a clean-soap smell and a eucalyptus smell. I either use that, or my Yes To Blueberries wipes.
I use oil (currently plain extra-virgin olive oil, but I also like almond oil, etc.) for my eye make-up. I wet my eyes with warm water, rub some oil in and take it all off with more warm water. Then I use a separate cleanser for my face, the best one I’ve tried is FANCL cleansing oil, it’s super gentle and removes everything in no time. It’s the only cleanser that doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight AND removes make-up efficiently at the same time. I’m super pleased with this combo and will continue to use it.
I hate wipes, but I would like to give Bioderma a try.
Micellar solutions all the way (Bioderma)! But occasionally I enjoy a good cleansing milk or oil.
But I have truly a distaste for dual-phase make-up removers, they just don’t work on me, they don’t melt away my mascara but leave my skin with a horrible greasy film, no thanks!
Hello!
My eyes are very sensitive, and the only Eye make up removers who don’t irritate my eyes, but remove very well the makeup are, for the moment, Yves Rocher – Démaquillant express yeux sensibles and Yves Saint Laurent – Instant Pur Démaquillant Yeux Haute Performance.
The first is also very cheap.
Ciao
Vale
I mostly use a lotion from l’ oréal. First a cleaning lotion and than a tonic.
It works fine so I’m not thinking about taking another product to remove my make up.
I love my Makeup Forever Sens’Eyes cream makeup remover for all of my eye makeup – even waterproof eyeliner and mascara. It takes it all off in one swipe of a cotton pad and it doesn’t sting my eyes (I wear contacts too). For my face I just use Neutrogena’s makeup remover wipes then to cleanse I use my Clarisonic Mia with Philosophy Purity cleanser. Everything comes off!
I use a natural oil, like Jojoba or grapeseed, to remove makeup a few times a week and Mary Kay makeup remover the rest of the time. Once the Mary Kay is gone, I’ll just use the oils, because they don’t break me out and they make my face feel very smooth.
Bioderma! It’s absolutely amazing, and French, i.e. hard to get. But I have seen it on Amazon. There are two forumlas: the pink bottle is meant for dry skin and the green for more oily skin. I have oily skin, but using it only as a make-up remover (and cleansing afterward) the pink works better in my experience. If you get a chance to try it, do!
I use cleansing wipes and simple kind to skin make up remover, with cotton buds and cotton wool pads. I used the lush ultrabland cleanser which is a makeup remover which looks like a tub of margerine, and feels like it. it smelt foul but got the makeup off. I had to throw it away because i couldnt handle the smell. i will be trying the baby face cleanser as soon as i get to lush
I really like clinique take the day off eye makeup remover
I use it for every eye makeup i have. However, on a waterproof mascara i find that lancome bi-facial is little bit better
Then, i was my face with clinique makeup remover facial wash
As i have acne-prone skin
I’m afraid of using oil based cleansers
I fear they might irritate my skin and cause more breakouts!
I’ll use a makeup wipe first to get most of my makeup off, then I go back with a cotton round and Bioderma Solution Micellaire (the blue one) to get off the eyeliner and mascara and anything else that didn’t come off with the wipe. 🙂
I usually break the process into many parts and use different products for each parts: Maybelline’s cleansing water for their washable mascara, gel-based for intense lip color and dual-phase removers for eye shadow, liner and face powder. Then I clean my face with a mild foam cleanser to clean the last bits of everything off and condition with toner and moisturizer. It takes a lot of cotton pads but on the flip side, I’m happy that the products’ staying power is great.
I love using MAC’s Cleanse Off Oil and then I like to clean up what’s left using a dual phase remover like the one from Sephora or the Bi Facil!
I just use cold cream, and I love it.
I use extra-virgin olive oil. I was out of makeup remover one day and tried this and never went back. Works great.
Take the day off, Clinique and Demaquilante, Dailus (brand of Brazil). Like so much!
I really really love MAC’s Cleansing Oil. I just bought it recently and it really works great. I use MAC’s Prolongwear foundation and it comes off with such ease.
Neutrogena eye-makeup remover for eyes
MAC Cleanse Off Oil for everything else
I *love* the Neutrogena Make up Remover for eyes, too! I do have to rinse my eyes after because it is oily, but it works like nobody’s business and it doesn’t break me out.
Boscia cleansing oil is awesome. Gets off waterproof mascara and eyeliner.
Oil free eye makeup removers (like neutrogena) and for my foundation wipes (Kirkland)
I started using jojoba oil as a make-up remover several years ago because I couldn’t find many oil-based mu removers on the market. (Everything I found was oil-free and it never seems to remove mascara and eyeliner very well.) It sounds like there are some new products now, so I may have to do some experimenting!
I use Clinique’s Take the Day Off, but if it’s lighter makeup and I haven’t used a strong mascara, I just use my Avalon Organics toner and it takes it all off.
Oil cleansers work best for me. They really take off everything with the least amount of tugging and effort. Waterproof mascara is no problem for cleansing oils. I tried going to a gel cleanser but then had to add in an eye make up remover on top so while the oil cleansers are pricey I feel I can justify as a two in one. I’ve used Mac cleanse off oil and am now using Philosophy’s Purity cleansing oil and I love it. They both work great but Philosophy is a tad cheaper with a tad more product so I will repurchase once I’m done.
Due to prior sensitivity issues, I now strictly resort to fragrance-free baby wipes and baby oil for my eyes and face. Inexpensive & works quite effectively for me.
I just use cleansing oil. It’s what I wash my face with no matter how much makeup I have on. I’ve been enjoying the Origins one lately, and I have the travel sized MAC one to take on trips.
The only time I use something else is if I am wearing false lashes that I want to use again, because the cleansing oil would ruin them. In that case, I take a micellar water, I’ve been using the NUXE one and it’s alright, on a q-tip and run that along the lash line to loosen up the glue and remove the lashes.
Ponds Cold Cream, cheap & effective makeup remover EVER. I’ve been using it since I first started using makeup.
I prefer wipes because I can keep them right next to my bed – I never have an excuse to go to sleep in makeup, even after a long night out at the bars!
I’m lazy, I hardly ever use a proper makeup remover, I have an Olay foaming cleanser that takes off EVERYTHING (including my super long lasting eyeliners and waterproof mascara) so I usually just use that.
If I can be bothered, I like the Estee Lauder eye makeup remover in the cobalt blue bottle (Lancome Bi Facil makes my eyes sting something chronic) on a cotton square or if I’m really tired, a Neutrogena makeup remover wipe.
I did recently try a sample from an Australian brand called “nude” cleansing oil (jojoba based I think) and it is really lovely. Can’t get it in NZ though 🙁
I prefer wipes. Since I go through make-up remover so quickly, I was able to find giant boxes of facial cleanser wipes at Costco for CHEAP. Thankfully, they work really well on my skin! Sometimes eyeshadow + primer is a little more difficult to remove, so I also have a back-up lotion remover for that (specifically for eye makeup). However, while the lotion is very effective it also leaves my skin feeling slightly oily, which I don’t like.
I love love love wipe removers! They make it so easy to take off my makeup that even when I’m unbelievably exhausted I have no excuse not to. They’re also great for travel. I also like Klorane’s liquid eye remover too.
MAC Wipes!!!
Or a liquid eye make up remover for a lot of certain mascaras but not on my face. I don’t care if it says no oil, I have a hard time buying it.
Besides, Wipes are this great paper-but-tough application. Cotton pads on the eyes is fine but what do you use for a whole face? Tissues are a mess, a wash cloth is so rough, what to use? So Wipes are easy, they leave behind cleanser that rinses off and your face is clean. I don’t know of a product that removes make up by washing but this one at least doubles as cleanser enough if you’re so whupped out you want to put on moisturizer in bed as you zonk out. My usual stuff is more treatment than cleaning.
I also love anything in a wipe. Face, car, house cleaning… Wipes are EZ.