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What's your makeup removal routine like?

I usually use a cleansing oil (I’m currently using Tatcha),
which usually gets 95% of my makeup off. I’ll use a cotton swab with makeup remover for getting last bits of eyeliner off my lower lash line. If I wore a really stain-prone lip color, I’ll use a tissue to remove as much as I can prior to using the cleansing oil.

— Christine

35 Comments

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Lauren Avatar

Okay how do you use cleansing oil to remove eye makeup without getting thr oil in your eyes? When I do it my eyes feel gummy and cloudy for a while.

Deborah S. Avatar

I don’t know if it depends on the oil or not but I haven’t had any trouble with the Tatcha Camellia Oil cleanser that I have been using for quite a while now. I am on my second or third bottle. After massaging into skin and eyes I add water to emulsify and rinse and no residue. I use to get a lot of annoying residue with the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water in the blue cap which was suppose to remove “waterproof makeup and mascara”. The oil in that would gum up my eye lashes and left a sticky residue behind that you would have to scrub to get off. I still have two bottles under my sink which I just need to throw out as I will never use it again.

Taylor Avatar

I always double cleanse when I wear makeup. Lately, I have been using the Boscia Makeup Breakup oil, which works fantastic, but is a little pricey. It does remove all of my waterproof mascara with no vigorous rubbing required.

I just received the Banila Clean It Zero Purity solid balm from Amazon, so I am excited to try that (it cost me $20). I then second cleanse with the Cerave Foaming Cleanser. It works great, it’s at the drugstore, and it’s cheap.

Deborah S. Avatar

I think you will love the Banilla Co Clean It Zero Balm. I use to use it for awhile and then tried the Heimish All Clean Balm and that works amazing also. Right now I am using the Tatcha Camellia Oil Cleanser but I still use the Heimish when I travel as I don’t have to worry about counting it as a liquid or it spilling on everything. You know how you love a product and then you try something else and you forget about the one you love. Thanks for reminding me about the Banilla and the Heimish.

Sarah Avatar

I agree! Banilla co is my absolute favorite cleansing balm. That stuff gets off everything!

Right now for my non-lazy days I’ll use just a generic bi-phase eye makeup remover. Then I go in with a q-tip because my eyes have a tendency to gather up liner in the corners…gross I know, then I’ll use an oil,balm or just makeup remover. Followed by cleanser.

Lazy days, I’ve been using one of the sephora micellar waters to remove makeup

Leslie Avatar

I use Wal-Mart makeup remover on a cotton ball for my eyes…works just as well as the Neutrogena one. I use Cetaphil to wash my face. That’s it….pretty simple. I love the makeup remover from Lancôme…Bi Facil (sp.??) … and I used to buy it, but it got pretty expensive ($27) and I figured that was one area I could cut back on lol. So, I started using the Neutrogena one, then when I saw the Wal-Mart brand, I tried it and never looked back. 🙂

Seraphine Avatar

I do the Clinique 3-step routine, though I mix it up a bit. Liquid Facial Soap Mild, followed by Clarifying Lotion 2, then Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. I’ve tried higher end products and drugstore products, but my skin seems to like Clinique the best, so I stick with it.

Momo Avatar

I posted this here back in 2015 for a similar question:

❝ Simple. Oil. I use a mixture of almond, cold pressed castor, and virgin olive oil to remove stubborn makeup.
It works 100% of the time. Plus, the oils have been strengthening my feeble lashes. ❞

And then I remove the oil with my Yes To Cucumbers Facial Towelettes.
I also incorporate a 10+ step Korean skincare routine to make sure my skin is clean and healthy.

Wednesday Avatar

I always hear Caroline Hirons in my head at night egging me on when I’m tired and not looking forward to ‘the routine’: Double Cleanse!

I have a group of small long rectangular face towels/flannels for cleansing and use a fresh towel daily. My first cleanse is usually something oil based followed up with a gel or cream cleanser for the second.

I actually triple cleanse as I then go into my makeup station and use a miscellar water all over face and then on a cotton bud for around the eye.

Miranda Avatar

I’m a little bit lazy! On a normal day, I’ll apply micellar water or olive oil to a cotton pad, hold it to each eye for 5-10 seconds, then rub up and out until my eye makeup is gone. I’ll repeat it with a second pad if it’s really persistent. For the rest of my face makeup, I just use my normal facial cleanser (Cetaphil)! I don’t have acne-prone skin, so it hasn’t harmed me yet.

kjh Avatar

Garnier blue top, then Nooni jelly oil. If known products are tough to take off, swipe face only with Garnier, and let the Nooni sit on the eyes for a bit. Then cotton pad the eyes lightly, and emulsify off. If any residue, Garnier with a Q tip. This really makes us understand why 2 cleanses are mandatory, at least at night. Despite oil cleansers emulsifying and rinsing off well, you def need a ‘real’ cleanse after.

Nancy T Avatar

First step is getting my eye makeup of using my terribly outdated, but quick and effective aloe infused baby oil on a tissue. After that, it all depends on what type of base I used that day. BB or CC creams just need an exfoliating makeup wipe usually. But those longlasting foundations like Lancôme Teint Idole 24H require that I first dislodge and lift the foundation with coconut oil before removal and cleansing.

Lulle Avatar

It really depends how much makeup I am wearing. If I have a full face with foundation, powder, etc, I do a double cleanse. I always start with the eyes with makeup remover on a cotton pad (Neutrogena is great and affordable), then I use an oil or balm on my face, and finish with a face wash. The actual products change often, but lately I’ve been using Derma e Rose cleansing oil or The Body Shop Chamomille cleansing butter, and a face wash by Exuviance.

Deborah S. Avatar

I use a two step or sometimes three step cleansing routine. I start with Tatcha Camellia Oil and massage that into my skin and this really busts the makeup up including waterproof mascara which I use every day of my life. I add a little water and it becomes milky and that pretty much gets rid of my makeup. I follow with either Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip or Nuxe Reve de Miel gel cleanser. Sometimes I will use both as I like the squeaky clean from the Ceramic Slip and the moisturizing feel of the Reve de Miel. Then I will use a Q-tip to remove any remaining eye liner or mascara although surprisingly I have more trouble getting rid of eye liner than mascara.

Elizabeth Avatar

I’m with Christine, I use Tatcha cleansing oil, it gets almost everything off and leaves my face feeling great. Lancome Bi-Facil to get off any leftover eye makeup.

MacKenzie G. Avatar

Right now, I use the Simple Micellar wipes, but I will be changing to a different brand that is cruelty free once I have used up my stash. After that, I use Olay gentle facial cleanser while in the shower to get the rest of it off. If I still have raccoon eyes afterwards, I use a Q-tip with makeup remover.

Zee Avatar

Depending on how much makeup I’m wearing.
Light makeup: simple cleansing towelettes followed by a facial cleanser (any type of cleanser)
Heavy makeup: a makeup removing oil (currently using a Japanese brand called freeplus but I’m not satisfied with the residue) and follow with a cleanser

CeeBee Avatar

Cleansing oil to remove makeup, wiped off with a warm washcloth, then a double cleanse with Lanolips deep clean sulphur bar – I went on holiday for a week and took a Shiseido foaming cleanser and yep, it worked but man, did my skin freak out.
I took my usual eye cream, serum and moisturizer, thinking that would be enough of my normal routine (my cleansing oil is in a massive pump bottle and it leaks a bit so I didn’t want to lug it all the way to the beach) but nope, commence major hissy fit with surface acne and dry patches and redness. Thanks face!!!

Wendy Avatar

If I wear eyeliner, Clinique Take the Day Off is my first step. Then I use Garnier Micellar water followed by Clinique Facial soap. I wish I could use just 1 product. But the combination is much gentler on my skin.
I really can’t use anything scented at bedtime. It makes me sniffly.

Kelly Avatar

A while back I bought a UD Meltdown stick just for the next time I traveled. Well, I’m traveling now and I’m not sure I’ll ever use anything else. I follow with an Aveeno Ultra-Calming wipe and am good-to-go!

Natalia Avatar

MAC wipes and Kiehl’s cleanser. Very good and efficient. Would not change it, but the wipes are way out of my makeup budget, although they are great!

When I run out of the wipes, will try Take the Day off balm from Clinique (please let me know if I should).

Easily recommend The Body Shop Chamomile cleansing oil, have not tried their balm, maybe it’s even better.

Silvia Avatar

Rinse with Cera Vé also sometimes if I have more heavy makeup as for a night outing I finish wiping my face with a small warm white cotton wash cloth it feels so relaxing too and it really cleanses things out I can see some traces in the towel. I use Q-tip dipped in a bit of Vaseline to remove stubborn mascara especially under eye not to wake up looking like a raccoon.

Bonnie Avatar

My eyes are so sensitive that sooner or later almost every eye makeup remover irritates, so I use a gob of vaseline on each eye, rub it around, then wipe it off to get my eye makeup off and soothe my skin. After that, I use whatever cleanser I have recently received in a subscription box, and if I like the way my skin feels, that’s it for removal. If my skin doesn’t feel nice after the cleanser, then I use a toner or a micellar water (again, whatever I have from sub boxes/bags). For long-wearing lip color, I usually use a lip scrub right after I brush my teeth but before I wash my face, so the cleanser can take it all off.

Shannon. N Avatar

My makeup removal routine is usually very simple and easy!! I wash my hands, then I take a dime to a quarter sized scoop of Ponds cold cream cleanser, and I’ll massage that all over my dry, made up face. and then I’ll take a wash cloth, and wipe off the cleanser!! Tah-duh! makeup is all removed, and i’m ready to wash my face with cleanser and move on to my skincare routine!

zeezee Avatar

1) odylique balm cleanser (that comes in a pump tube! fab)
2) muji unbleached cotton pads with garnier micellar to clean off the balm plus any eye makeup
3) tony moly acerola cleansing foam

as i have acne-prone skin which clogs easily, the micellar step is critical to remove all traces of it. before i devised this step, i continually broke out from all types of cleansing balms.

plus, now i get to dissolve the ‘grits’ in the pores by allowing the cleansing balm to stay on my face for 15 mins.

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