REVIEW | Shiseido Instant Eye and Lip Makeup Remover

Pros

Dual-phased

Pleasant scent

Removes eyeshadow, eyeliner, lip products

Not greasy feeling

Cons

Bad at removing mascara (washable and waterproof)

Seems to make my lashes fall off

Price

$27 for 4.2 oz 

Verdict

I got a few of these as samples in gift with purchases from Shiseido. It smells very nice, decent at removing eyeshadow, eyeliner, etc. but it doesn't remove waterproof mascara completely for me. I've also tried using it to remove washable mascara, but it doesn't seem to be effective. I usually use a square cotton pad, massage it onto my lashes, then wipe - I notice the Shiseido seems to make my lashes fall out, either with mascara or even when I use it with a q-tip to remove eyeliner.

I mostly use this to remove lip products or to wipe off smudges from my undereye area.

I prefer to use a cleansing oil to remove waterproof mascara, like the Shu Uemura one (review here)

Purchase?

No.

Would I recommend it?

No. If you were to purchase a high end eye makeup remover I recommend the Lancome one. I've heard the Clinique one is good as well

REVIEW | Jojoba Oil - Makeup Remover, Moisturizer, etc. (from acne.org)

New packaging looks like this

Pros

Great eye makeup remover

Moisturizing

Gentle

Doesn't make me break out

Multi-functional

Dropper makes it easy to control the amount you use

Cons

Packaging seems to leak somehow

Price

$17.21 + shipping for 8 oz / 240 ml at acne.org

Verdict

Rating: A-

As you can see from the photo, I am about 3/4 done with the 8 oz container. I originally bought it with an acne.org benzoyl peroxide treatment just to test their products out. The 2.5% benzoyl peroxide gel acne treatment ended up irritating my eye when I apply it to pimples somewhat close to my eyes; I may have developed an allergic reaction to it. But I've been using the oil for years.

Usually I take a cotton bud, put a few drops of jojoba oil on it and use it to remove my most waterproof eyeliners (like my holy grail Milani Infinite liquid liner, review here). I also use it on occasion to remove long wearing lipcolors to avoid drying out my lips. The website tells you to add it to your moisturizer to make it more moisturizing. I tried using the oil itself as a moisturizer since it's similar to the natural oils produced by your body, but I started trying other products when it didn't yield amazing results. For my acne prone combination skin, it's not groundbreaking, but if I really wanted to, I probably could just use the oil as a moisturizer, especially in the winter. I don't find using it alone helping with acne too much, but perhaps with long term use it could.

To remove waterproof mascara you'd have to massage this onto your lashes like you do cleansing oils; I found that just using a cotton pad with the oil doesn't work as well because the cotton will absorb a lot of the oil. If you get it in your eyes it doesn't sting, just blurs your vision for a bit.

I don't really use it for my hair or as lotion, but if you like simple all-in-one products this could be your holy grail.

I'm sure you can find plenty of organic jojoba oil in Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or whichever supermarkets you prefer. The one from acne.org just so happens to be the one I tried, I think the dropper packaging makes it very user friendly.

Repurchase?

Yes.

Would I recommend it?

Yes.

REVIEW | Boots Botanics Eye Makeup Remover

 

Pros

Contains natural ingredients, no parabens

Cons

Oily

Doesn't remove makeup well

Irritates my eyes

Price

$6 for 5 oz / 150 ml

Verdict

This product did not serve its purpose. I'm not sure if it's because I've had it for too long, but it is incredibly oily and irritates my eyes. It doesn't really have a fragrance.

I have to go over my mascara ~3-4 times for it to actually be removed, and 2x for eyeliner or eyeshadow. You'd think that an oily makeup remover would be somewhat effective.

If you're looking for a good quality makeup remover, I'd get the Target version of the Neutrogena Eye makeup remover or the Lancome eye makeup remover if you like high end brands.

Repurchase?

No.

Would I recommend it?

No.