Name: Eyes and Lips Makeup Remover
Brand: Nivea
Size: 125ml
Price: €2,50

From Nivea’s website:
NIVEA VISAGE Delicate Eyes and Lips makeup remover is designed to efficiently remove waterproof makeup from the delicate eye area and from lips, without leaving an oily residue. Pleasantly hydrates the eye area and lips.

What I liked:
- removes minimal makeup
- doesn’t leave an oily residue
- doesn’t burn nor stings eyes
- the price

What I didn’t like:
- doesn’t remove waterproof or longlasting makeup well
- doesn’t hydrate much

As my regular readers know, I’m not a fan of Nivea: their products are average, when not really badly formulated. I bought this makeup remover ages ago just cos it was cheap and I needed something to remove waterproof makeup, used it once and forgot all about it. But I recently found it lying forgotten in my drawer, so I gave it another go.

White in color, this has a creamy consistency and is  really gentle on the eyes: it doesn’t irritate them, doesn’t sting them nor burn them and it doesn’t leave an oily residue either. And that’s pretty much all that I like about this product.

Although designed to remove waterproof makeup, you actually need a lot of product and a lot of rubbing to actually remove waterproof and longlasting products. This only removes very minimal makeup so if all you’re wearing is a soft wash of color on the eyes, it’ll remove it well and easily (just like any other makeup remover on the market). But does this performs better on the lips? Sadly, no.

It also promises to hydrate the eye area and lips, but it fails in that department too. My lips in particular feel a bit dry after removing lipstick with this product.  Overall, I like that it is gentle and doesn’t leave an oily film on my skin, but if it doesn’t remove waterproof makeup well, what’s the point of using this at all?

Available at: supermarkets

Summary
Nivea Eyes and Lips Makeup Remover is a gentle product that removes minimal makeup without leaving an oily residue behind. But if you wear heavy eye makeup, long-wearing or waterproof products, it’ll take a lot of time and effort to remove it completely. And it’s not that moisturizing either.

Rating: 3/5

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Name: Eyes & Lips Makeup Remover
Brand: Kiko
Size: 125ml
Price: €5,90

From Kiko’s website:
Ideal for waterproof make up. Perfect for cleansing even the most sensitive eyes. Panthenol, bisabolol and distilled rose water moisturise and soothe.

What I liked:
– removes makeup well
– gentle and not irritating
– the packaging
– the price

What I didn’t like:
– slightly oily
– not easily available outside Italy

I’ve tried many makeup removers in the past but they were ineffective, or left a greasy residue behind, irritated my eyes or were simply too expensive for my budget. So, my search for the perfect (and cheap) makeup remover is still ongoing and the next candidate for the title is Kiko Eyes & Lips Makeup Remover. How well does this perform?

This makeup remover is bilayer: the blue layer contains a cleansing solution while the transparent one an aqueous solution. You need to shake the bottle so that the two layers mix well before putting some of the remover on a cotton pad and start cleansing or it won’t work properly.

If well shaken, however, it will remove all makeup, including waterproof mascara, eyeliner and red lipstick in just a few swipes without irritating eyes or blurring vision. But while this works well, I have to say it isn’t the most effective makeup remover I’ve used.

Both L’Oreal Gentle Makeup Remover For Eyes and Lips and Helena Rubinstein All Mascaras! Complete Eye Make-Up Remover take slightly less time and swipes to remove makeup but since the first one irritates my eyes and the second one is way too pricey, Kiko Eyes & Lips Makeup Remover is a valid and cheap alternative.

The remover feels a bit oily and it leaves a residue on skin but since it is barely noticeable it doesn’t bother me too much. I just wash my face with water afterwards and then I’m left with clean and soft skin.

The cylindrical packaging is made of plastic and it isn’t very smooth to the touch with is a good thing or you’d risk dropping it if you’re as clumsy as me. The opening is very small and because of that, it will pour out just a tiny amount of product, that necessary for complete removal of makeup, so that none of the product gets wasted.

Summary:
Overall, I’m loving Kiko Eyes & Lips Makeup Remover. It’s quick and effective at removing even stubborn makeup and doesn’t irritate eyes. However, it is a bit oily and not easily available worldwide.

Rating: 4/5

Name: Fresh Cleansing Wipes
Brand: Garnier
Size: 25 wipes
Price: €3,95

From Garnier’s website:
Handy wipes for face and eyes, they remove all traces of make-up and dirt in a single step, with a toning and purifying action.

What I liked:
- removes makeup well
- leaves skin soft
- no oily residue
- gentle and not irritating
- the price

What I didn’t like:
- like any wipes, they can dry out if you don’t close the seal properly
- eyeliner and waterproof mascaras take a bit of work to be removed
- more wipes are needed if you wear a ton of makeup
- run out pretty fast

I don’t usually use cleansing wipes to remove my makeup. They are handy for travelling or to clean your face when you get back home late at night, but I’ve never felt they give my skin a proper and deep cleanse, so I only use them for emergencies.

A while ago, I run out of makeup remover so I went to a shop to get a bottle. The shop I went to is really small and doesn’t keep too many products and all the makeup removers they had either contained formaldehyde-releasing preservatives which I’m not comfortable using or products I tried but were only average.

I didn’t have time to go to another shop that day so I got some cleansing wipes instead. The green and white packaging of the Garnier Fresh Cleansing Wipes, designed for normal or combination skin like mine, caught my eye so it came home with me.

The wipes themselves are white in color and quite thick so they don’t break easily. They are pre-moisturized, although not as damp as I would have liked, but still do the job ok. They substitute both a cleanser and a toner and you don’t have to rinse off afterwards. Isn’t that great?

One wipe is enough to remove mineral makeup without leaving an oily residue on skin, but if you wear a lot of makeup, then you may need more and they’d run out soon. And while they remove eyeliner and waterproof makeup well, you need a few swipes to completely clean your eyes.

The wipes are gentle on the skin and eyes, they didn’t irritate nor sting them. Instead, they left my skin feeling soft and smooth, but not toned and they didn’t give me a refreshing feeling either, which is ironic considering the name of the product. The scent is fresh though, and subtle. It smells of fruits and is quite pleasant.

Overall, I think these are handy to use f you don’t have much time or are travelling, otherwise, I rather get a bilayer remover, which does the job better and faster.

Summary:
Overall, I don’t love these wipes but I don’t hate them either. If you don’t wear too much makeup, one wipe is enough to remove it in a few minutes, otherwise you need more. They are thick but not very moist and can dry if you don’t close the lid properly. In addition, they aren’t refreshing and don’t make skin more toned.

Rating: 3.5/5

Name: Clean Sensitive 2 in 1 Make-up Dissolver Eyes and Face
Brand: Garnier
Size: 200ml
Price: €5,25

From Garnier’s website:
A bi-phase, 2-in-1 formula combining make-up removing oils with a cleansing water dissolve even waterproof make-up and leave skin feeling fresh. Suitable for both the face and eye area, and enriched with Vitamin B5; It leaves skin feeling soft and soothed. Simply shake the bottle to mix the two liquids and soak a cotton wool pad with the mixture. Then gently wipe over the face, eyes and neck.

What I liked:
- removes all makeup well and quickly
- doesn’t irritate skin and eyes
- fragrance-free
- the price

What I didn’t like:
- leaves a oily residue on skin
- the packaging

I was looking for an effective and cheap makeup remover when I saw Garnier Clean Sensitive 2 in 1 Make-up Dissolver Eyes and Face, a bi-phase makeup remover designed for sensitive skin, at my local supermarket. It was only €5,25, so I decided to give it a try.

This makeup remover is bilayer: it contains one blue layer of cleansing oils and a transparent layer of refreshing water. You need to shake the bottle well before every use to make the two layers combine together. Then, soak a cotton pad with it and start removing your makeup.

It can be used on both the face and eyes and removes all makeup effectively and very quickly. You don’t need to rub your eyes with this, a couple of swipes are enough to remove all the eye makeup, waterproof mascara and eyeliner included. And it leaves skin soft too!

The remover is very gently and doesn’t irritate my skin or eyes and doesn’t blurry my vision at all, like it happened with some other bi-phase removers. Although it is fragrance-free, it has a faint smell. That’s because all ingredients have their own odour, so that is what you’re smelling.

However, it has a couple of downsides that won’t make me repurchase it. The biggest one, for me, is that it leaves an oily residue on the skin. It is easily removed with water or face wash, but still, I’d rather it didn’t leave any residue at all.

The other thing I don’t like is the packaging. The opening of the bottle is too big and, as a result, I always end up pouring more than necessary on the cotton pad. However, this is a problem with all Garnier products that come with this type of packaging.

The solvents used in the product are Cyclopentasiloxane (a silicone) and Isohexadecane, both of which remove makeup and give skin a silky feeling too. Isopropyl Palmitate also has some cleansing and emollient properties, but it can potentially clog pores. Luckily that wasn’t the case for me. The remover also contains Panthenol, which is derived from pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) and alcohol, that enhances the appearance and feel of skin, leaving it soft and smooth.

Summary:
Garnier Clean Sensitive 2 in 1 Make-up Dissolver Eyes and Face is cheap and very effective at removing ALL makeup, both on your eyes and face. However, it leaves an oily residue on the skin and the packaging isn’t very practical.

Rating: 3/5

Name: Comforting Cream Cleanser
Brand: Clinique
Size: 150ml
Price: €18.00

From Clinique’s website:
Extra-gentle, creamy-rich cleanser is perfect for dry, delicate or sensitive skins. Whipped to perfection so it glides easily over skin, melting makeup and impurities. Leaves your complexion clean, smooth, moist. Massage on, tissue or rinse off.

What I liked:
- removes makeup well
- leaves skin feeling very soft
- soothes skin
- fragrance-free
- the packaging

What I didn’t like:
- makes skin a bit greasy
- the price

I got the Comforting Cream Cleansr as part of a Clinique travel-sized set, which also contained All About Eyes Rich and Continuous Rescue Antioxidant moisturizer. The cleanser is designed for people with sensitive and dry skin. Mine is combination, so I doubt I would have tried this if it hadn’t been part of the set.

The product comes in a simple white tube with a green lid. The cream is white in color, quite rich and spreads well on the skin. Just apply it on dry skin, massage and rinse or tissue off.

Because the cream is thick and concentrated, you only need to use just a little bit and the bottle will last for ages. It removes all traces of makeup well and easily. However, I haven’t tried it on my eyes and lips, so I’m not sure how well it removes waterproof mascara or lipstick.

It rinses off easily and leaves my skin feeling very clean, smooth and soft and not dry at all. It doesn’t irritate skin and my dry patches felt soothed. However, I noticed that it made my oily t-zone slightly greasier, so I wouldn’t recommend this product to anyone with oily/combination skin.

Despite the product being fragrance free, it still has a faint and clean scent. That’s means no ingredient was added to give the cleanser a scent but all the ingredients used in cosmetics and personal care products have their own smells, so that’s what you’re smelling.

Summary:
Overall, this is a great cleanser for people with dry or sensitive skin. It removes all traces of makeup, is fragrance-free, gentle and soothing. However, it is expensive and, if you have oily skin, it could make it  greasier.

Rating: 4/5

Name: All Mascaras! Complete Eye Makeup Remover
Brand: Helena Rubinstein
Size: 125ml
Price: €29.00

From Helena Rubinstein’s website:
All mascaras! instantly removes all types of make up through a gentle cleansing.

What I liked:
- removes all traces of makeup quickly and effectively
- gentle, doesn’t irritate eyes
- the packaging

What I didn’t like:
- the price

Every time I go shopping, I’m always drawn to the Helena Rubinstein counter. I like their simple yet modern packaging. Everything looks so elegant and sophisticated! But the products are very expensive so I always walk away empty-handed. I guess I’m too scared to fall in love with a product that I know I can’t afford to repurchase.

That’s exactly what happened with this makeup remover. I purchased it as part of a set containing also Glorious Mascara and a sample of Collagenist Eye Zoom with pro-Xfill eye cream for €27.99. I couldn’t resist the offer but I’m now wondering what I’ll do once the makeup remover runs out. It’s the best eye makeup remover that I have ever tried but I can’t neither afford nor justify spending so much for it *sighs*.

The makeup remover is bilayer. One layer contains cleansing oils and the other an aqueous solution. Therefore, you need to shake it well before every use. This is effective at removing all traces of makeup, including waterproof mascaras, with just a couple of wipes.

The remove is very gentle. It doesn’t irritate, sting or burn my eyes and would be suitable even for people with sensitive skin or those who wear contact lenses.

I like the packaging: simple but pretty. The light blue bottle has a gold and white screw cap. It is see-through so you can see how much product is left in it.

The main solvents used in the product are isododecane, which removes makeup and has a weightless feel on skin, and Cyclopentasiloxane. It is a silicone that has emollient properties. Like all silicones, it is easily spreadable and gives a silky & slippery feeling to the touch, but can cause mild skin and eye irritation.

Summary:
Overall, this is an excellent eye makeup remover. It removes all traces of makeup in just a couple of swipes and is very gentle on the eyes. However, it is very expensive.

Rating: 4.5/5

Name: Demaq Expert Milk-To-Toner 2 in 1 Makeup Remover
Brand: L’Oreal
Size: 150ml
Price: €12,50

From L’Oreal website:
For the first time from L’Oréal Paris, an ultra-effective make-up removing milk which then transforms into a fresh toner. A texture that transforms on application for a complete make-up removal solution in a single step.

What I liked:
- transforms from cream to liquid
- pink color (I know it’s not really a pro, but I love pink and really couldn’t think of anything else I like about this)

What I didn’t like:
- doesn’t remove all makeup
- leaves a greasy residue
- stings
- the fragrance
- ingredients

I’ve been curious about this relatively new line of cleanser from L’Oreal ever since it came out. This product in particular, Milk-to-Toner 2 in 1 makeup remover, claims to transform into a toner that removes eye, face and lip makeup all in one step. I like multi-tasking products and I was hoping I would be able to make my cleansing routine faster and cheaper. Unfortunately this product turned out to be a HUGE disappointment and I’m just glad that I didn’t have to pay for it, but only tried a sample.

The cream is a light pink/white color that quickly turns into a watery, although not toner-like, consistency when you massage it on the skin. Then, you remove it using a cotton pad. However, it doesn’t remove makeup well at all. I still needed to use my usual cleanser to get rid of makeup residues this left on my skin. In addition, it left a greasy film on my face.

Another thing I dislike is that this cleanser is not really gentle. It did sting my face so I was too scared to try and remove my eye makeup with it. And the fragrance is nice but very strong and it was really bothering me when I applied the product. Even if this actually worked, I doubt I’d use it again because of the heavy scent, which is something I can’t really stand in beauty products.

One of the main cleansing ingredients contained in the product is Butylene Glycol, which is an alcohol. Ethylhexyl palmitate, a fatty acid, and Isohexadecane are used as solvents too.
One of the prservatives in this product is Imidazolidynil Urea, which has been proved to release formaldehyde. See this post for more information on this subject.

Summary:
It sucks! Definitely the worst cleanser I have ever used. It doesn’t remove all makeup, leaves a greasy residue and stings.

Rating: 1/5