Cleansing Balms and Cleansing Oils: TOP PICKS
Cleansing oils and cleansing balms are hands down my favorite way to remove makeup. It feels nice to massage your skin, they dislodge gross oily skin plugs (sorry), and you don’t use a million cotton face pads.
There are a lot of makeup-removing cleansers that I absolutely love but they:
don’t blast through tough makeup quite as easily as these products and
have such precious ingredients to refine my skin that I will only use them as a second cleanser after removing makeup. No need to waste them on mascara.
I go for products that can rinse cleanly off with water because it’s more gentle on my skin since I use retinol and exfoliating acids but you can always use a washcloth if you want.
Here are my favorites!
(Click HERE for direct links on my ShopMy page)
Clinique’s Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm* was one of the first cleansing balms I’d ever tried and I couldn’t believe how well it worked. It leaves your face feeling super fresh and it can truly take off ANYTHING, even my beloved (but impossible to remove) Mac Magic Extension Mascara. z
Roccoco Botanical’s Pore Cleansing Oil is super straightforward, just sunflower oil to clean out your pores and emollients to help it rinse clean. Still, even as someone who loves a luxury product experience, I can’t help but go back to it because it makes your skin look and feel amazing. // $65 for 6.7 oz
Farmacy Beauty’s Green Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm* is just such a fun product to use! The texture is super light like sorbet, you can literally see your makeup melting off your face, and I love the citrus smell. // $34 for 3.4 oz
Jordan Samuel Skin’s The After Show Treatment Cleanser is my most-repurchased makeup remover. It’s got a gel-to-oil formula and includes gentle exfoliants to help refine your pores. But it’s gentle enough that you can still use AHAs/BHAs afterward if you want. Sometimes I’ll use it for a second cleanse during the winter since it’s so cushy and moisturizing. // $22 for 3 oz
Marie Veronique x Kristina Holey collaborated on a line of essential oil-free products to help heal sensitized skin but that doesn’t mean their Pure + E.O. Free Oil Cleanser has a plain formula. It’s got superoxide dismutase (a great antioxidant), as well as pre- and probiotics to balance your skin’s microbiome. // $40 for 4 oz
Which makeup removers have you tried and loved?