Best Makeup Remover by Maybelline

For me, the quest for the best makeup remover is a story of evolution. That is, my habits have morphed over the years into a skincare regimen that I can now be proud of -- or at least, be satisfied with. I've tried tons of products from cheap to costly, but oftentimes, the best ones don't have to be expensive. Really, that's an advocacy of mine. Repeat after me: The best products don't have to be expensive all the time.

As a teenager, my earliest "makeup remover" was simply soap and water. To this day, I find that any non-exfoliating face wash by Pond's has similar effects to bareta (laundry detergent bar) on clothes. Hey, I'm not knocking Pond's! I'm currently using their Pure White face wash because it gets the job done. All I'm saying is that their washes are so sudsy/soapy that light makeup immediately comes off. (But there is some residue left that has to be eliminated with toner and a cotton ball).

When I learned to use waterproof mascara and foundation, the story inevitably changed. Improper eye makeup removal would cause leftover mascara to smudge and feel sticky round the eye area, while the foundation would clog the pores and cause breakouts. I opted for the classical Pond's Cold Cream or baby oil. While makeup was removed successfully, it did take a lot of effort to ensure a makeup-free face. Especially for waterproof mascara, I had to dab the cold cream on TWICE and wipe off with a few sheets of facial tissue. The main issue at hand was all the rubbing, followed by the icky greasy feeling! Wrinkly, raw, and oily skin made me worry. Even when I got to try out Shu Uemura's famous cleansing oil, the same rubbing and massaging motions required made me anxious. Was there no product that let makeup easily come off with minimal rubbing and scraping?!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="461"] Holy Grail of Makeup Removers[/caption]

Finally, I bought a bottle of Maybelline's Makeup Remover (PHP99.00/40mL and PHP199.00/70mL; no idea why it's more expensive per mL to buy the bigger bottle than to just buy 2 smaller bottles) and it worked like a charm. Shake the bottle to mix the white and blue liquids inside, soak a cotton ball, and press gently onto the eye area for a couple of seconds. I was sold on the fact that it didn't hurt my eyes AT ALL and the makeup dissolved well onto the cotton ball. You can use it for regular to heavy makeup. What's more, it required the least amount of rubbing. And while the bottle states that it's good for Eye & Lip makeup removal, I use it on the eye area as well as all over the rest of my face, though I've never tried it on my lips as I don't want to accidentally get any in my mouth--just my own personal OCD thing.

Funny thing is that Maybelline Philippines hasn't really highlighted its makeup remover so much. They keep focusing on lipsticks and BB creams, but I honestly think that this product is such a gem to their lineup. Seriously. Try it  and find out for yourself.