What’s your makeup removal process? Share your routine & favorite products!
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For heavier eye makeup days, I like using Lancome’s Bi-Facil on cotton rounds to remove the bulk of my eye makeup and lip makeup. Then, I use shu uemura’s Cleansing Oil to get rid of the rest of the makeup. Sometimes I’ll follow-up with a cleanser (which I usually change up frequently) and/or toner.
Thanks to Ringo for today’s question!
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I remove my makeup as soon as I get home, with some oil-free, moisturizing drugstore makeup remover pads. (I refuse to buy a classy brand name product for simply removing my makeup. I usually shower right after I get home anyway, and I always use a pore-cleansing gel in the shower and another on to set on my face after I get out.
Oh my god, my routine is EXACTLY like yours, Christine, except I do it everyday whenever I have makeup on regardless of whether it’s “heavy makeup” or not. I always follow up with Clinique’s 3-step cleanser.
I use one MAC wipe all over my face, especially to get off my eye make up and waterproof mascara. I usually do this before I jump in the shower at night so that the shower will wash off the excess residue/oiliness and 4x a week I also use the Clinique 7-Day rinse off scrub in the shower. Once I’m getting ready for bed, then I do my “facial routine” which starts off with washing my face with facial cleanser. Right now I’m liking the new Bliss No-Zit Sherlock facial cleanser+toner wash. 🙂
I use MAC wipes to remove my eye makeup, then I use a foaming cleanser and a facecloth to wash my face. It seems to work for me!
if you haven’t already, could you maybe do a tutorial on how to properly remove eye makeup?
That would be great bc recently i’ve been losing alot of lashes, idk if it’s my technique or my remover.
For the eyes I always use Mufe’s Sens’eyes and then a Neutrogena liquid scrub for the face.
I use Bioderma Sensibio Solution Micellaire on cotton wool. Pricey but it removes all my makeup and doesn’t dry out my skin. I usually follow up with a rinse and then buff with my Clarisonic.
Do you use this on your entire face, and if so, do you notice any dryness after rinsing? I was using this as a cleanser and noticed my skin was feeling dried out and I was still breaking out, but I am now thinking it was due to jojoba oil I’d been using to moisturize.
But I do agree, Sensibio works great at removing makeup. I actually prefer it to Bi-Facil, because I don’t get cloudy eyes, removal of mascara takes less time and my eyeshadow and liner doesn’t go all over the place like it does with oil alone or oil/silicone-based removers. The only thing I notice is that it doesn’t completely remove shimmer/glitter particles depending on the shadow itself, but I can easily remedy that by applying some oil to the area and gently wiping it off with a wet cotton ball!
First I take off the eye makeup – heavy stuff like greasepaint sticks, I use Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover soaked into a cotton pad and held on the eye for 20 seconds before wiping. Lighter eye makeup I use Clarins Gentle Eye Makeup Removing Lotion, but I don’t like it much and will just buy the Clarins Instant from now on and use it for everything.
After the eye makeup is off, I blot my lips and rinse my face with luke warm water. Then I use my favorite Clarins Extra-Comfort Cleansing Cream (happy user for over 10 years with this stuff). You warm it up in your palms and then press it into the skin, lifting your hands off to form a suction. Quick rinse with cool water to get any excess off if necessary, then Clarins Extra-Comfort Toner. My skin feels refreshed is cleansed, softened and ready to be moisturized after that and is never red or irritated. ‘Been happy with this system for a long time and my skin looks great – never have blackheads or breakouts!
I use Bi-Facil for eye makeup and then cleanse my face with Cetaphil cleanser.
Typically I use MAC Cleanse-Off Oil all over, rub it in for a good 15-30 seconds. Than I use a foaming cleanser, such as MAC Lightful Foaming Cleanser with the Clarisonic MIA. Tone using MAC Lightful Active Softening Lotion on some cotton pads.
first i remove my waterproof mascara with an almay moisturizing eye makeup remover pad then remove the rest of my eye makeup with boots original beauty formula cleansing milk (with a cotton pad). once all my eye makeup has been removed, i use the same cleansing milk to remove the rest of my makeup with a large cotton pad. then i’ll follow with either the aveeno moisturizing bar or the body shop cucumber cleansing milk for extra cleansing.
i’ve only started using the boots & body shop cleansing milk a few days ago; but so far, so good :). i’m looking into using muslin cloths for removing my face makeup instead of cotton pads. anybody currently using one? would you recommend it?
I remove my makeup with MAC Cleanse Off oil, then I use my Clarisonic with First Aid Beauty cleanser.
I use Bioderma Crealine H2O (micellar lotion) for my face and La Roche Posay Rosaliac micellar jelly for my eyes. If I wear one of my über waterproof Japanese mascaras, I use the LRP bi-phase eye makeup remover instead.
Then I cleanse with the BodyShop Seaweed cleanser.
I just use Mac’s Cleanse Off Oil in the shower 🙂 Nice n easy!
I use Bi-Facil on a cotton round to remove my eye makeup (mostly eyeliner), then I follow with Garnier’s cleansing milk for sensitive skin on a cotton round and after that I take away all that’s left with Lush’ Ultra Bland and tepid water; afterwards my skin feels soft and really, really clean without being irritated 🙂
Pure Coconut oil! It’s good for your skin, removes just about ANY makeup (I haven’t found something that it doesn’t remove yet) and nice and natural! No chemicals and no burning around the eyes 🙂
how do you get the (dirty) oil emulsion off your face? i’ve got a small size of shu’s cleansing oil plus a wealth of others like jojoba & almond oils. but, i have no idea how to remove the dirty residue after cleansing with them. thanks for any tips!
First, I apply the cleansing oil and work it into my skin, and then I take damp hands and mix and rub all that, then rinse with warm water.
This is what I use too! I do tend to get a little bit in my eyes, which causes some brief blurriness, but no pain!
After that I wash my face with a mixture of sunflower and casor oils to get my foundation off.
If coconut oil weren’t so comedogenic (4 out of 5), I’d definitely give it a try.
everyday I use jojoba oil.
I put 4-5 drops of jojoba oil on a hand, then I wet the other hand and rub both palm of my hand to emulsify oil with water.
then I massage my face, especially eyes and remove the oil and makeup with a cotton disc.
Wash my face with a natural bar of soap and my skin is perfectly clean.
This method is natural, very gentle on the skin and eyes, efficacious also with waterproof makeup and very cheap 😉
I have to caution those with sensitive skin, jojoba oil CAN be irritating! A lot of girls with sensitive skin on makeupalley (including myself) have reported irritation with jojoba oil.
That’s weird, about the irritation. Are you guys sure it’s the jojoba oil causing the reaction and not the preservative or anything else? Jojoba oil is an anti-inflammatory, so it’s been used for hundreds of years to treat skin irritation.
Then again, everyone’s skin is different. Body chemistry and all that!
Yes, I’m sure. I used it last night without any other skin care products, just water and a washcloth, and my skin was almost burning. It was also irritated as I was massaging it into my skin. And I’ve used wet washcloths on their own before without skin care products without that problem, and it’s not the water itself. My skin became much drier after using it as well.
I think that it could simply be its composition, something about it not working well for those with sensitive skin. I have highly sensitive skin, though. But I’ve used olive oil and sweet almond oil without that reaction, so I know it’s jojoba itself! I think it’s also been the cause of my somewhat dry skin around my eyes 🙁
For the non-lazy days: Marcelle “Essentials Waterproof Make-Up Gentle Makeup Remover for Sensitive Eyes” (wow a mouthful!) on a cotton pad to remove my mascara and eyeshadow – I roll the pad on my finger and sweep up my lashes like a mascara wand to remove mascara – it’s to prevent the black strings that come out my eye when mascara falls underneath my eye and goes in my eye consequently.
Then I’ll use MAC Cleanse Off Oil to remove lip and face makeup – Followed by cleansing foam.
For those lazy days, I’ll use the cleanse off oil and cleanser.
Shu Uemura’s Brightening cleansing oil removes all my makeup no matter how much I wear…I don’t use a cleanser afterwards, I don’t believe in cleansing twice lol
For my eyes I use MAC’s Gently Off Eye and Lip Makeup Remover to remove my eye makeup and mascara. Then I use MAC’s Wipes to remove my face makeup because I use Estee Lauder’s Double Wear foundation, and then I use Clinique’s liquid facial soap to cleanse my face after that.
I use Bobbi Brown Long Wear M/U Remover on my eyes. Then on my face I use Estee Lauder take it away and tissue off. Follow with toner or cleansing water (always trying new brands for these!)
I use Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish and a muslin cloth to remove all my make-up.
I use J&J baby soap. it works a treat!
Good old Dove soap and water and afterwards a cotton ball with a swipe of rosewater just to make sure nothing is left on my skin followed by moisterizer. I have tried scores of fancy expensive cleaners on my face and after about the 3rd use, my face either breaks out in pimples or worse, eczema that takes me ages and expensive doctors ointments to get rid of.
I was using cetaphil and neutrogena alcohol free toner for face and Equate oil free eye make up remover. Cetaphil just doesn’t clean unless you use a toner, but I was having dry skin issues and it was the only thing gentle enough for me. I bought Equate make up removing wipes for a trip and love them and have been using them and the Equate eye makeup remover since. I also love the Lancome eye makeup remover (bifacil?) but have used up my last sample and am waiting for my mom to stock me up when she gets her GWP -she’s a lancome addict.
I remove e/s with my Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. I sprinkle some warm water on my lashes. Then, I remove makeup with Clinique Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser. When I’m finished with the face I go back to my lashes and gently take off the mascara with my fingers (I’m using Clinique Lash Power – removes with warm water). Then I use Fresh Framacy all over the face, rinse it. Cream on top.
Sometimes, instead of the Foaming Cleanser I use Baby Face. I put it on the “dirty” face and go shower. Then I remove it with Fresh Farmacy.
I’m still experimenting with makeup removal though 🙂
When I wear eyeshadow, I remove it first with an eye makeup remover (at the moment, Clinique’s Take the Day Off). I usually use the other side of the cotton ball to remove whatever other makeup I can, then follow with Clean & Clear’s Makeup Dissolving Cleanser. It removes every trace of makeup while simultaneously cleaning my skin–and it’s very gentle.
I always remove my eyemake up with an eyemake up remover from Etude House and then remove my mascara with a seperate mascara remover from Etude House as well then I use Shu Uemura’s cleansing oil for the rest of my face
I use Ultra Bland from Lush for my eye make up. I just melt a bit between my finger tips, apply it to the eye area, rub it a bit and then I remove it with a wet cotton pad. Then I wash my face with Lush’s Angels On Bare Skin facewash 🙂
Ha! That is almost EXACTLY my routine. Except I use a makeup wipe to remove the Ultrabland before using Angels (the cotton pad leaves little fibres on my eyelashes).
Haha, cool! I thought I’d be the only Lush fan here 😛
Every night, I take some Pond’s cold cream and rub it on my eye makeup, then use a cotton pad to swipe it off. It leaves my lids soft and moisturized. Then I wash my face with Neutrogena Redness relief wash and follow with my Aveeno night cream.
Sonia Kushak’s Eye Make-up Remover from Target is a great Bi-Facil dupe. I use it with a cotton square to take off my eye make-up and then wash my fac with Cetaphil (and a wash cloth) to take off my face make-up/sunscreen.
i use Lush’s Ultra Bland to remove my makeup. fairly simple 😛
I use a non oily eye makeup remover, whatever I have on hand. If I’m wearing a lot of makeup, I’ll use a wipe, either Kirkland from Costco, or Garnier, then I follow with my Clinique cleanser and toner, then use my night cream.
I use Yves Rocher eye makeup remover (I forget the exact name but it’s an oil and works great) to remove my eye makeup using cotton pads. Then I remove my face makeup with an Olay Daily Facial cleansing cloth, and then I use a cleanser to clean my skin (and not have to work through my makeup).
Before I go to bed, I wash my face allover with a makeup remover/cleanser (usually PTR’s Gentle Foaming Cleanser or Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple). Then I will use a specific makeup remover for eyes and lightly all over. For this, I grab whatever sample I have around (lately it’s been Shiseido’s or MUFE). Then PTR Conditioning toner & the rest of my routine (Philosophy Help Me, Mario Badescu Buffering lotion & Origins In a Perfect World moisturizer).
I use LUSH’s Ultrabland to remove the eye makeup, and then wash my face with either LUSH Angels on Bare Skin or Babyface, depending on whether or not I want to exfoliate.
Lots of Philosophy’s Purity…
Didn’t think it would work removing my makeup but it seems to be doing the trick!!
I use good ol’ cold cream! I used to use Body Shop’s chamomile remover on my face then Victoria’s Secret remover on my eyemakeup (damn good stuff!). But it got expensive, so I tried cold cream.
Amazingly, I’ve found since changing my removal regimen to apply cream, wipe it off with a tissue, and rinse with water…my skin actually breaks out LESS! I guess the other stuff was too drying and my skin would overcompensate.
I simply remove mine by taking the neutrogena oil-free makeup remomer on a cotton ball and then removing my eye makeup, following up with my Proactiv to wash the rest off my face.
First I use MAC cleansing oil because it gets everything off and it emulsifies water (love that!). Then I use Living Nature Purifying face cleanser to give my face a nice gentle wash. Followed by SUKI balancing toner and Stem serum. My face has never looked better or felt cleaner since starting this routine.
When I don’t wear eye makeup, but I have everything else on .. I use Olive oil.
When I wear heavier eye makeup, eyeliner and mascara .. I use Balms away.
It is soothing and I can open my eyes waiting for it to breakdown the mascara and eyeliner before wiping.
I use a combo of Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple and my Basis bar soap. That (plus a gentle wash cloth) typically removes everything. For waterproof mascara, I first use a bit of Lancome’s Bi-Facil on a cotton ball.
I never used to understand the buzz over Purity Made Simple but, two years ago – when I was 34 – my skin started to change (again) – it became drier. At that point, Purity began working REALLY well for me.
From the ages of maybe 17 to 29, I used Safeguard bar soap on my face with a wash cloth. My skin was very oily in the t-zone. Anything less harsh than Safeguard left my skin feeling not as clean.
I thought I was the only one who used more than one makeup remover 🙂 I use a dual-phase remover like L’Oreal’s Clean Artiste to get the bulk of my eye makeup off, and then follow up with Almay’s oil free pads to get rid of the last traces of makeup and the oily residue from the first remover.
Baby wipes to take off eye makeup, jojoba oil to take off face makeup, then Spectro Derm as a cleanser.
I use Clinique’s take the day off eye remover for starters. Since I’m using Retin-A, I have to be very careful with what I put on my face, so I use Shu Umera’s cleansing oil *the green kind* That stuff does not dry my face out whatsoever and boy does it remove every trace of makeup!
I don’t wear heavy eye make-up normally, so the shu cleansing oil, followed by a normal foaming cleanser generally suffices. The cleansing oil is pretty good at removing mascara, as I found on a business trip when I had no makeup remover on hand, only a sample bottle of the cleansing oil.
All need to remove makeup is Dermalogica’s precleanse and the Clarisonic… That said, I never wear heavy makeup. I do this as part of my night skin care regime followed by toner and moisturiser.
I first remove my eyeshadow with Nivea cream eye makeup remover. It is the only product I have stuck with, I’ve used it for over 5 years.
Then I wet my face and use Paula’s choice cleanser with a soft facecloth. I use a mild toner afterwards.
I use my Biore makeup remover towellets. If I am wearing waterproof mascara, I use vaseline to help remove. I clanse my face with Philosophy Purity Made Simple (non foaming)
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I use Chanel’s eye make-up remover and follow that with Shu Uemura’s Brightening Cleansing Oil. If I haven’t worn much eye makeup that day, I can skip the Chanel step.
WOW!! I can’t believe Christine you actually used my question!! I am honored 🙂 Thanks!
I removed make up by using Shu Uemura’s cleansing oil fresh. I emulsified the oil by adding water and repeated this procedure about 3 times. The oil is wonderful because it removes the most stubborn makeup!!
Thanks for suggesting it, Ringo!
That’s what I do:
All days:
1. Gently off eye and lip make up remover.
2. Cremewash.
3. Moisturelush eye cream
4. Moisturelush cream
Twice a week:
– Microfine refinisher.
first i use a cleansing oil. either the softymo deep cleansing oil (cheap! $10) or shu uemura. if i’m wearing makeup i’ll gently massage my eyes and then take the time to massage the rest of my face. and then use purity cleanser afterwards to make sure everything is off. and then toner. then lotion.
1) Wipe off my eyes with Kirkland makeup removing wipes from Costco
2) Wash my face with Biore Face WAsh
3) Use Biore Astringent on my face
4) Use Clinique moisturizing cream and
5) Clinique moisturizing eye cream
6) Brush my teeth
&) Go to sleep….. *yawn*
I saturate a cotton ball with Sephora’s Waterproof make up remover (the blue one) or Clinique’s Take The Day Off remover and wipe it all over my eyelids. Then I use my Olay daily facials to remove dirt and oil from my skin. If I still have reside from waterproof mascara or something like that, I use Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple cleanser.
Now that I look at what I wrote, I actually do a lot to remove my makeup haha 😛
I don’t use any special make up removers. I almost always remove my makeup in the shower and just use a gentle cleanser (whatever I have, I had Phisoderm right now) and buff my face (not my eyes) with a shower puff to get it off, and just massage my eyes with my fingers to get off eye makeup.