“Lou, how the heck do I take off waterproof mascara or eyeliner?” Given I usually recommend waterproof mascara for everyday use, this is a great question that I’m often asked.
Truth be told waterproof mascara is a stubborn bugger to remove and you probably won’t get it off with a regular face cleanser. On that note, please: Don’t take your eye makeup off by rubbing at your eyes with a flannel and water (or regular face cleanser): The skin on your under eye area is incredibly thin and delicate and is the first area where people show aging. Rubbing, tugging or using unsuitable products on this fragile area will cause premature aging, so treat it with respect, tonnes of love AND the right products. You’ll thank me for this in years to come… 🙂
Back on track, how to remove waterproof mascara! I swear by Clinique’s Take the Day off Balm to take off all my makeup, including waterproof mascara (note, it’s pre-cleanser only, not a full-monty one-stop cleanser). This is essentially a modern day classic cleansing cream. How this works is I apply a smidgen of balm (i.e. 3/4s of a teaspoon of product) all over my face including my eye area and then I massage it into my eyelashes using my index finger and my thumb until I can’t feel the mascara anymore (see beautiful photos above). Lastly, just rinse it off and you are done. I put my friend Toni onto this recently and I asked her how she was finding it “What did I do before?” was her incredulous response. She’s currently onto her second tub. I’m onto my fourth! (They last a long time, one tub lasts me three months, if not longer). Price: NZ$64 (and worth every cent!).
As a more affordable alternative to Clinique’s wonderchild you can purchase an eye makeup remover targeted specifically at removing waterproof makeup. Neutrogena’s Oil Free Makeup Remover is a great inexpensive eye makeup remover that you can handily purchase from your local supermarket. I’ve used this on and off for years and, pleasingly, it always gets the thumbs up from beauty experts. This is a gentle, fragrance-free, silicone-based dual-phase remover that kicks butt at dissolving all kinds of eye makeup, including waterproof mascara/gels/eyeliners. All you do is soak a cotton pad with the product, hold it over your eye for 5-10 seconds (the longer the better) and then gently wipe. All your eye makeup, including waterproof mascara, should come off easily. Price: NZ$14 (you can often get it on sale).
What products have you tried that you recommend for removing waterproof makeup? 🙂
