Having Trouble Taking Off Your Makeup? Try These Tips

Any conversation about taking off makeup needs to begin with wipes. They’re fast, they’re easy to use, and that’s why everyone uses them. But there are no shortcuts in life, esspecially when it comes to taking your makeup off.

The more familiar we’ve become with wipes, the more we’ve come to see that they may be doing more harm than good. Much of the reason for that is wipes aren’t removing all of the grit and grime from your face, which means that using them regularly could lead to clogged pores—which could lead to breakouts.

Even more, most wipes hype their moisturizing benefits, but that sticky film they’re leaving behind on your face is acting more like a magnet, attracting germs and pollutants to your face.

And, to help them have a long shelf, makeup wipes also contain a relatively high level of preservatives, which could potentially irritate your skin even further and possibly trigger an allergic reaction in those with sensitive skin types.

That said, you don’t need to avoid makeup wipes altogether. Taking off your makeup can be time-consuming, and it usually comes at an hour when it’s about the last thing you want to be doing. So I’m not going to hamstring your routine.

Wipes are actually a great first step in taking off your makeup. You just need to make sure to wash your face, too. That cleanser, coupled with a water rinse, is what’s really going to flush out everything the wipes left behind.

Don’t skip the cleanser

Makeup artists, in magazine articles and beauty blogs, will tell you to only trust cleansers that are intended specifically for removing makeup. But the language on those bottles is just marketing.

The idea behind removing anything on the skin, whether it’s dirt or makeup, is that like dissolves like. So, an oil-based cleanser will work on thicker makeup and a standard cleanser will take care of lighter makeup.

I know. It doesn’t make sense on the surface, an oil-based product leaving your face cleaner. But oil dissolves oil. Try using an oil-based cleanser with a washcloth, and you won’t revert back to your old, labor-intensive ways.

Take your time around your eyes

How many times have you gotten up in the morning and found smudges from the previous day’s mascara under your eyes? Or, gone to bed with irritated eyes after rubbing them raw with a makeup-remover pad?

The key with removing eye makeup is patience. Apply your remover and let it sit for at least a couple of minutes. That’ll give it time to soften the mascara, liner, and shadow so that it will slip off easily and completely when you finally wipe.

You also want to make sure to pay particular attention to the edge of your eyelid, where liner and mascara can build up over time and lead to irritation. Rather than scrubbing, which can wreak havoc on your lashes, find a tool that’s specifically made for detail work.

And always finish with some moisturizing

Stripping off makeup day in and day out can dry out your face, where the skin is already sensitive to begin with, particularly around the eye area. So make the last step of your regimen a bit of targeted moisturizing—a touch of eye cream, some lip balm. The goal is to leave your face feeling soft and hydrated.