It’s no secret that I’m an advocate for a double cleanse in the evenings. And a vital part of this ensuring your makeup is completely removed. Sleeping in your makeup is proven to impair cells and inhibit the natural processes of repair and regeneration that our skin naturally carries out on its own overnight. This is in part due to occlusive fillers and silicons in our foundations as well as the free radical damage caused by fragrances, pigment and a host of other ingredients that may give us lush and voluminous lashes during the day, but are not so great for fine lines and collagen degradation.
When removing your makeup, there are a few general rules of thumb:
If you’re using a micellar water
• Saturate your cotton rounds to let the lotion do the work for you
• Hold over each eye for 60 seconds to really break down makeup
• Gently swipe inward and upward, working over the eye carefully and gently
• Don’t pull, scrub or rub the eye contour even if the temptation is there – slow and steady wins the race!
• For a micellar, I like Bioderma’s Sensibio H20
If you’re using a cleansing balm, oil or milk:
• Warm it between your hands to emulsify. This will avoid causing any drag on the skin
• Use featherlight, circular motions when breaking down eye makeup
• Ensure your facial cloth isn’t too hot to prevent redness and inflammation
• For this method, I like CHANEL Le Lait and Biologique Recherche Lait E.V.
If you’re using a foam or gel-based cleanser:
• Be mindful of the eye contour – surfactants can be drying and result in brittle lashes and brows with overuse
• Remove with tepid water, even on a cold night
• If you still have panda eyes, make the effort to go in with a liquid makeup remover. It’s not worth the crows feet or stains to rub the excess off with your towel
• Here, I like Cosmedix Benefit Clean or Augustinus Bader’s Cream Cleansing Gel
