One thing you might notice on your journey into eye makeup doom exploration is that straight up facial cleanser won’t do it any more. You might emerge from splashing your face with water, dejected at the many, many, many glitters and smudgy crap left on your eyelids. Waterproof mascara, for example, is the bane of my makeup existence. But, don’t despair! Makeup removers are here to help.
LANEIGE EYE AND LIP WATERPROOF REMOVER
I don’t have a lot of makeup remover experience because I found my HG eye makeup remover early on. Laneige is a Korean brand that has recently turned cruelty-free. I was able to try a sample that Sarie scored for me, and I bought a full size after I used that up. It took me a while to repurchase this because they used to not be CF.
This is a super-gentle and super-effective eye makeup remover. It does wonders on stubborn, stain-y lip colors, too. I use this on my eye and lip makeup, following it up with a facial cleanser, if I don’t feel like using cleansing oil. The bottle will last you a long time, so don’t worry about the somewhat steep price.
SHU UEMURA HIGH PERFORMANCE BALANCING CLEANSING OIL
This is the yellow variant and the only one I’ve tried. This shit is amazing. Definitely holy grail material for the entire face. The thing is, it’s not cruelty-free. So, that’s that. I am ruing the day L’Oreal bought Shu Uemura, since it used to be CF back when Mr. Shu U. was the boss.
CÉLETEQUE CLEANSING OIL*
I got this from a BDJ Box, and I believe it’s actually a local product. It’s still full because I don’t use it that much. I find it to be way too oily, but it will remove your makeup in a pinch. Just remember that you may have blurry eyesight for the next couple of minutes.
BOURJOIS EXPRESS EYE MAKEUP REMOVER
My sister and I got this in Vietnam. It’s a double-oil formula, like the Laneige remover, and it does work, but you have to use a lot of product. We bought this in July and it’s almost all gone.
KORRES POMEGRANATE CLEANSING AND MAKEUP REMOVER WIPES
I’m not a believer in wipes. Sure, they’re handy, but at what cost? I think it might be the alcohol content, but these sting my face like a mother-eff, and I don’t know why I ever bought another pack. Was I hoping for better results if I got another variant? Probably.
LUSH ULTRABLAND
A strong contender for my Shu Uemura CF replacement. This is quite a thick balm/cream that you slather all over your face. It’s pretty rich and works okay, but again, it’s not my favorite.
I think we can all conclude that I love using oils to remove my makeup. I think it’s not all that surprising as they break down the makeup, making it easier for you to wipe the residue away. If you’re out of makeup remover, I’ve heard that olive oil works in a pinch, but I haven’t been deprived or desperate enough to try.
Have you tried olive oil? What do you use to remove makeup?
* This was received as part of a BDJ Box, which was kindly provided by the BDJ Box Team. I was not compensated or required to feature any of the products or to write reviews.
Laneige and LUSH are cruelty-free. I have no information re: Céleteque’s animal testing policy. Korres is cruelty-free, but distributed in the US by Johnson and Johnson, which tests on animals.
Softly Sometimes 
I love ultra bland but I’d totally forgotten it existed ever since I’ve used Liz Ealre C&P which I would strongly recommend BTW.
I feel a trip to lush coming on!
Thanks! Unfortunately, we don’t carry Liz Earle here, I don’t think. Hope you get a lot of goodies 🙂
I use a combination of Bifesta Cleansing Lotion (Moist variant) for regular makeup removing and the Celeteque cleansing oil for more stubborn makeup. It is kind of weird that there is no information on Celeteque’s stance on animal testing.
Hi Pat; that just means that I haven’t found it when I looked for it. I’m sure you can probably contact them and ask.
Yeah I actually sent an inquiry through their contact form but so far I haven’t gotten any replies. 😦
Yeah, I remember inquiring about it and getting no response either.
I tried using olive oil + aloe water (got this from Michelle Phan) but it didn’t work out too well for me. I have very oily skin and I guess the combination of olive oil and aloe water contributed to making my face yuckier. Heh. For now I use VMV Hypoallergenics Quick & Complete Makeup Remover 🙂
Thanks, Elaine! Sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you!
Hi Carina,
Care to try Etude House’ Lip and Eye Remover (yup that’s the name)? Etude House is CF , it’s also an Amore Pacific brand.
I was lucky to find my HG makeup remover early on as well. I use DHC cleansing oil. It takes everything off like a champ. 🙂
Thanks for the rec!
Bioderma all the way. HG of all HG! 🙂 Bifesta works great din, plus it’s available locally!
I don’t have luck with waterproof makeup when I use Bifesta! Would you know if Bioderma is CF?
I swear by those Shu Uemura cleansing oils too. They are the bomb diggity. I’ve used the normal one, the green anti oxidant one and sampled the white recovery ex from sampleroom.ph. Right now I use Etude House’s Lip and Eye Remover (IKR, judging by the name of the product it’s as if your eyes and lips are going to actually be removed from your face, lol). It gets the job done and it’s very cheap.
That’s great news! Maybe I’ll try that one out since Etude and Laneige have the same parent company.
I had no idea LUSH had a make-up remover. will definitely try this! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yup! It’s pretty good, but I don’t like how it feels. Haha.
I found that Muji’s cleansing oil works even better the shu uemura ones.
That’s great! I have never tried those yet.
I use jojoba oil as a daily eye make-up remover, and it works incredibly well. Plus, because it’s a natural oil, I don’t have to worry about harmful chemicals getting into my skin and eyes. I’ve used olive oil too, and it works just as well. 🙂
Thanks for the tip! 🙂
I feel so guilty, I rarely use make up remover! xD
It’s alright, as long as the cleanser cleans your face well enough! 🙂
I already tried 3 in your list: laneige, shu, and ultrabland. Currently, I have laneige and casino micellar water. I don’t find the need to look for anything else coz Laneige removes even the most difficult to remove mascara in one swipe
Do you like Laneige the best also? 😀 Haha it’s so galing!
It’s the best. It can remove even the most waterproof of all waterproof mascaras like it wasn’t waterproof at all.
I just use any blue-and-clear makeup remover, hehehe! They usually seem to work although are sometimes harsh on the skin…
Laneige is two-levels rin! That’s my fave talaga, or the shu cleansing oil. 🙂