As you can tell, I adore trying new makeup products. However, if you dabble in makeup, you soon discover taking it off is even more important. In my teenage years, I would often leave my makeup on and go to sleep. As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that removing makeup is even more important than putting it on because without a good base to start it, no amount of camouflage will be useful.
That being said, it’s taken a good amount of time to find my holy grail of makeup removers: MAC Cleanse Off Oil. However, recently I got a tip that The Body Shop’s Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover is a worthy challenger and a face-off had to follow.
MAC Cleanse Off Oil
As you can tell from the name, this is an oil-based remover. In the bottle, it is a lightweight unscented oil, but once combined with water, it turns into a creamy lotion that is extremely effective on waterproof makeup. It can get messy so the best way to use is to grab a makeup wipe (Dollz Tip: baby wipes are cheaper and better than makeup wipes) and squirt some oil on to the wipe. Press down on your eyes and then gently wipe off mascara, etc. You can also use the oil emulsion all over your face if you are a heavy foundation user.
Pros: Dissolves waterproof mascara; removes shimmer/glitter/glue best
Cons: Messy, especially while traveling; can cloud vision temporarily
Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover
Body Shop’s makeup remover looks like the usual drug store removers. I’ve used L’Oreal and other brands but never quite liked them since you always tend to have a bit of mascara goo leftover. They also tend to require a bit of tugging which is a straight path to wrinkles. However, the Body Shop formula seems to be very effective. I soak a cotton pad in the solution and held it on the eye. After a few moments, the makeup seemed to dissolve. You’ll still need a makeup wipe to get any face makeup off, but it works like a charm with eye makeup.
Pros: Easy-to-use; moisturizes the eye area
Cons: Hefty bottle; requires a significant amount of product for each use
Coming into the face off, I was very doubtful of the Body Shop remover but it was a pleasant hit with me. I’m definitely going to be adding it to my beauty arsenal. I prefer MAC’s thoroughness but the Body Shop product is perfect for quick corrections or traveling.
Is there another holy grail product I’m missing out on? Hit the comments!
Dollz in Dubai 
caly
April 6, 2011 at 09:40
Technically I could look this up but I feel like bothering you. I love these face-offs but I was wondering how do the costs compare?
dollz87
April 6, 2011 at 20:52
Body Shop is about 40% cheaper than Mac. That being said, my first bottle of Mac oil lasted more than a year. I think oil-based removers require less product than regular makeup removers but don’t have the experience to say that for sure.
hala anwar
April 19, 2011 at 19:54
Now may I comment on this? 🙂
What do you think of some old fashioned chamomile baby oil?
dollz87
April 30, 2011 at 20:04
The problem with baby oil is it can get trapped in the tear ducts so hence you aren’t supposed to use pure mineral oil. The Mac oil turns into an emulsion so it can be safely rinsed out.
That being said, a ton of people use baby oil (and I do too when I’m in a pinch) but for the sake of my eyes, I would rather use a dedicated eye product as much as I can.
Katherine
April 30, 2011 at 19:48
Even though I don’t wear makeup that often, when I do, I always use Lancome bi-facial specifically for my eyes. I like the idea of using a special eye product, but an all-in-one sounds a lot easier. Have you ever tried it?
dollz87
April 30, 2011 at 22:10
Bi-facil is the oil/water mixture you shake up if I remember correctly. A lot of beauty bloggers swear by that product but I’m not a fan.
First, I’m always left with extra of the water portion since the oil has been used up. Second, it’s fairly pricey for that much quantity.
If you like Bi-facil though, pick up Mac since it’s an entire bottle of oil which emulsifies with water and hence very similar.