How to Choose an Eye Make-Up Remover

Mascara is the most stubborn make-up to remove, yet is closest to the most sensitive part of the face. This makes choosing an eye make-up remover a tricky one - how to get something that thoroughly removes stubborn make up without aggravating your eyes? It's also essential that it's easy to do, so you've no excuses before bed. The most important thing to consider is whether you want to choose an oil or water based remover. 

Oil-based 

Oil based cleansers are the most effective at truly removing mascara. You're far less likely to wake up with a moon of mascara underneath your eyes if you removed it the night before with oil based remover. The negative is that they are messier: getting the oil-based remover completely off can be difficult, they have a tendency to slide around the skin if you try and rinse them off with water/wipe off with cotton wool. 

Water-based

These are definitely less messy than the oil removers: it's easy to apply with cotton wool, hold to the eye, and then wipe off. I find these effective for eye-shadows but not capable of fully removing mascara. 

What do I choose?

Oil-based is the only way for me, as I hate waking up with mascara round my eyes or applying mascara to lashes with a crust of yesterday's mascara. I go for basic products that are gentle, rather than expensive products with added extras. 

It took me a while to be converted to oil-based cleansers, as I found them messy and difficult to remove, but I now have my routine sorted. I put boots simply sensitive eye make-up remover (typically retails for just £1.50) onto my finger tips, stroke onto the eyelids to loosen the make-up and then rinse off with water. At this stage, my face will typically have a greyish film of mascara-y cleanser over my cheeks that is difficult to rinse off with water alone. The final step is cleansing my entire face with my usual foaming cleanser, which removes all the remnants of the oil.

I keep a bottle of a water based eye make up remover (l'oreal gentle eye make up remover for £2.99 works for me) for those times when I've made a make-up mistake or need to refresh make up during the day.