I've Got To Come Clean

 As much as we hate to admit it, if you don't keep your face clean it doesn't matter how many $150 moisturizers you apply or how perfect your skin has the potential to be. We all do it. Fall asleep with the makeup on, do a half a**ed job of washing up, wake up with Rocky raccoon eyes from not properly removing eye makeup. It's a pain, but I really do try to force myself to take the extra five minutes to do it right. Some things make it easier than others, and some things make it a breeze. 

I love to play with my eyes, so in general I need to use an eye makeup remover before anything else. If I try to wash my face first, I wind up with eye makeup streaked all over my face. 

Well, if you're an eye diva don't expect to get too much help from Mary Kay "Gel" Eye Makeup Remover (the greezy kind in the tube.) It's a gel and I'm Madonna. It's a thick gloppy grease- Vaseline run through a 59 Chevy. It flat out won't remove Lancome mascaras- I had to rely on my actual plain 'ol face wash to get the rest of that. You have to tug and pull on your delicate eye skin and lashes to use it and it leaves a thick petroleum like film all over your eyes making them feel cloudy and heavy. I've gotten it in my eyes before and felt like I had cataracts. not a good quality in something MADE for your eyes. 

 

Now if you want something that works and WELL, go for Lancome Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover. 

This stuff is da bomb. Worth it's weight in gold and a major time saver since a few good swipes and you're done and clean as a whistle.   It removes waterproof mascara, glitter liner, heavily applied smoky eyes- you name it, no problem. If I've used a heavy hand that day, I'll use a separate cotton pad for each eye and give a final swipe to see clean pad and know I got everything. It glides away your makeup and dirt leaving your eye area feeling soft with no tugging or pulling. This is my go to eye makeup remover. "• A bi-phase liquid eye makeup remover. The lipid phase lifts off eyemakeup; the water phase contains special emolients to refresh and condition skin without a greasy residue"    

Then you have to get down to the business of cleaning your skin. I have been doing a comparison over the last month of three different face cleaners. So how did they stack up? Well, two of them are the same big counter brand and one is an all natural choice. 

Estee Lauder Take It Away Total Makeup Remover really does 'take it away' and using a toner afterwards never seems to reveal anything left behind. I MUST use a toner afterwards to balance out my skin PH though or it's super drying. It works excellent at removing makeup, but the skin does feel stripped. I do love this stuff for getting off warpaint but I don't like to use this everyday. 

Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Splash Away Foaming Cleanser is my go to for when I'm in a hurry and just want to clean up as quick as possible. It works especially well for those days when you're not wearing makeup or have on mineral makeup, it's not as effective at cleaning if you have on long wear makeup unless you use a washcloth, which negates the whole point of being splash away. Now if you do use a cloth, it'll get you squeaky clean, but I like that I can just splash some water on my face and be done. it rinses off extremely easily and doesn't leave a residue. This is also a favorite for starting my skin out in the morning to get off my sleep funk.

The natural option has been the award winning Philosophy Purity Made Simple. Not only is it the natural option, but it's also an effective cleanser that removes makeup AND dirt completely, leaving the skin feeling clean but still balanced. 

Philosophy maintains that this formula was created to eliminate the need for a toner, but if I have the time or energy, I will still use one simply to ensure that I've gotten all my face funk. I absolutely LOVE the clean herby smell which is quite relaxing. My travel sized bottle of this was my mainstay over the Christmas holidays as we roamed the state trying to cram in four families. Texas is a VERY big state, and we covered warm and humid, wet and cold, and dry and windy. We spent many many hours in the car and through it all, this cleanser kept my skin happy and healthy and worked well no matter the enviromental circumstances. 

My toner of choice the last few months has been Lancome Tonique Pure Focus Oil Control Mattifying Toner. This one is especially great in the summer to keep the skin looking fresh. It's made to tighten the pores and gives my makeup a smooth canvas. I feel like it's given my skin a radiant clarity. It also has a delightful light rose scent that gives it a truly luxurious feel. I would not recommend this for exceedingly dry skin, but it's great for oily or combination skin.

"This refreshing, skin-purifying toner helps oil and shine disappear for fresh, pure, matte skin. Honeycomb-shaped micro-captors absorb oil deep down in the pores. Zinc Gluconate limits the visible effects of excess sebum while salicylic acid unclogs pores. Skin is transformed, pure and lastingly matte. Pores are tightened and refined. Skin is touchably soft. Use twice daily after cleansing. "