Removing Eye Makeup

For many of you, removing eye makeup is just another part of your everyday routine.  But this step is actually very important.  Any time you apply eyeliner, mascara or eye shadow to your eyes, you are bombarding your eyeballs with chemicals that may be irritating.

This is why the recent development of "lining the waterline" is confusing to me.  That is as close to your eyeball as you could possibly get.  Actually, it's TOUCHING your eyeballs, and people from all over are always trying to find a brand that doesn't bother their eyeballs.  Hello!  It's bothering your eyeballs because it doesn't belong there to begin with!  Sheezaloo! 

OK.  I will get off my soap box now, I just had to get that one out of my system!  But back to removing your eye makeup: when you remove your eye makeup it is important to do so very gently.  If you scrape or stretch out your eyelids and the skin surrounding your eyes, you will get wrinkles much faster, and we don't want that.  This means that you must be very picky about the chemicals and the type of swabs you use to remove your eye makeup.

A person I know, and I won't mention any names, started to use ProActiv toner to remove her eye makeup and I screamed at her: "OMG, what are you DOING??  STOP IT!"  I quickly handed her my own eye makeup remover, relieved to have avoided an emergency call to the local poison control center.  People, please do not use anything that was not intended for your eyes on your eyes!

Instead, let me give you a couple of tips: in my experience, the oil-based eye makeup removers are the gentlest on your eyes.  The formula is smoother, and the application is the gentlest on your skin.  Just be sure to shake the bottle before use, because the oil tends to separate from the rest of the liquid.  The one I'm finishing up right now is by Shiseido, shown below.

Also, please use cotton balls rather than cotton pads.  Cotton pads tend to scrape the skin around your eyes, and the feeling is rather harsh.  It may get the makeup off faster, but trust me, it is not helpful with wrinkles.  In the picture, take a look at the paper-y grooves in between the fluffy parts of the cotton pad: these are the culprit and they are not your friends.  Cotton balls are ALL fluff, and in my opinion they are the gentlest on your eyes.  If you need proof, try testing both out.  

I hope this helps, and please keep those toners away from your eyes!

Love,

Geneys  :o)