(This review is written for The Glosse Posse.)
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Last year, a sales assistant from Lancôme recommended Bi-Facil to me as the best eye makeup remover in the world (she didn’t say that – she said she loves it and it’s the best thing she’s used). I looked skeptically at the small blue sample bottle with the separated liquids but tested it that night. To my delight, the mascara came off very easily without much effort and I wasn’t left with very oily lids either. It removed all types of mascara – non-waterproof, waterproof, smudge-proof, fiber lashes – without pulling out my lashes. I was disappointed when I started to run out of my sample but I really didn’t feel like splurging C$35 for a fairly small eye makeup remover bottle (125ml). Surely there had to be a drugstore dupe. I ended up trying five kinds:
- I started with the Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes. I found these makeup wipes great for nights when I wanted to remove makeup as quickly as possible. The only downside is that there are 25 sheets for $6.49 so in the long run, this wasn’t necessarily the cheapest option.
- Annabelle Eye Make-Up Remover with aloe vera and cucumber extract – I found a bottle that had 35% more product. Many reviewers found this eye make-up remover soothing for the eyes and perfect for contact lens wearers. It is perfume-, alcohol-, and soap-free. It certainly doesn’t sting but it doesn’t do a good job at removing smudge-proof mascaras. Now I use it as a micellar water alternative since the formula seems to be pretty similar. The best thing about this product is that it comes with a pump dispenser and cap.
- Clean & Clear Soothing Eye Makeup Remover – I saw a pin on Pinterest with a picture of this product as the drugstore dupe for Bi-Facil. Since this eye makeup remover also had two separated liquids, I decided that I would get it. It turned out to be oilier than Bi-Facil even though this is an oil-free soothing eye makeup remover. I don’t understand… It’s not even that great an eye makeup remover. For a while, I would mix one part of C&C and one part of Annabelle to remove eye makeup. I wouldn’t recommend this product, but that’s probably just me.
- Marcelle Renforcils Waterproof Eye Make-Up Remover – Marcelle is the No 1 eye make-up remover brand in Canada. When I saw this gel at Winner’s, I liked the idea of a paraben- and perfume-free eye makeup remover that also had a lash fortifying complex. This retails for $17.50 but I bought it for C$7.99 (133ml). What is suppose to make this Marcelle makeup remover special is that it is ‘formulated with the latest micellar cleansing technology’. Unfortunately, this was rubbish at removing smudge-proof mascara. Even removing waterproof mascara wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. It even stings if you have too much gel on the cotton pad (silly me). Maybe I’ll use this as a non-eye makeup remover.
- Andrea Eye Q’s Makeup Remover Pads For Waterproof Makeup – This was sold as a pack of two containers (each container has 65 pads) at Winners for about C$5.99. I liked the idea of pads that already had makeup removing solution in them. While I was expecting something like Neutrogena’s wipes, I did not expect to pull out a mineral oil-soaked thin pad from the small container. Nevertheless, it is the only eye makeup remover I’m using at the moment because of its ability to remove waterproof and smudge-proof mascara’d lashes with one pad. However, it is very oily so you will need to rinse your face with a gentle cleanser afterwards. (The back says you can rinse with water but my lids would still feel a little oily.) If you are looking for something cheap and simple, then go with this product.
After trying the four drugstore eye makeup removers (I’m not going to count Neutrogena), I decided that I would stick with Lancôme’s Bi-Facil. I was lucky to find a bottle on sale for C$24 at Winners. Yes, it’s not that much cheaper, but it is worth it. That is, until I find the perfect (and affordable) eye makeup remover.
Is there an eye makeup remover that you like? Let me know!
The Lady and the Rose 