*~Getting It All Off: Eye Makeup Remover Review~*

IMPORTANT NOTES: "Slip Factor" refers to how well each product glides smoothly against my skin, using a cotton ball. A 1 out of 5 rating would be something that tugs and drags along my eye area while a 5 out of 5 rating would be something that glides on my skin like silky, smooth butter. (Like buttah, baby!)

All product reviews are based on my own personal experiences.

Click on each product title for additional information.


Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover

~PRICE & AMOUNT: Around $7.99 for 5.5 fl oz (162 ml)
~DUAL LAYER LIQUID: Yes
~OIL-FREE: Yes, as stated
~RESIDUE & RESULTS: No oily residue and removes makeup easily, even waterproof
~CONS: Dried my eye area out after 1 week of use
~SLIP FACTOR: 4.5 out of 5
~CAP DESIGN: Screw-top cap
~ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'd love it as much as my favorite remover (I'll get to that later) if it didn't dry out my skin. However, I would repurchase it, as long as I use an eye moisturizer every night.
~INGREDIENTS: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Chloride, Dipropylene Glycol, Poloxamer 182, Allantoin, Tripotassium EDTA, Benzalkonium Chloride, Glycerin, Cucumber Fruit Extract (Cucumis Sativus), Potassium Phosphate, Dipotassium Phosphate. (Made in Canada)

Rimmel Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

~PRICE & AMOUNT: Around $7.29 for 4.2 fl oz (125 ml)
~DUAL LAYER LIQUID: No
~OIL-FREE: Yes
~RESIDUE & RESULTS: No oily residue and it DID NOT remove my eye makeup easily
~CONS: Requires more pressure, time, and rubbing to remove makeup; slightly irritated my eye; skin felt dry afterwards
~SLIP FACTOR: 2.5 out of 5
~CAP DESIGN: Flip-top lid
~ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'm never buying this again!
~INGREDIENTS: Water, Poloxamar 184, Sodium PCA, Disodium Cocomphodiacetate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Panthenol. (Made in Monaco)

Lancome Bi-Facil
Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover

~PRICE & AMOUNT: $26 for 4.2 fl oz (125 ml)
~DUAL LAYER LIQUID: Yes
~OIL-FREE: Yes
~RESIDUE & RESULTS: No oily residue and removes makeup very easily, even waterproof
~CONS: Pricey
~SLIP FACTOR: 5 out of 5
~CAP DESIGN: I believe it's a push-down safety sealed cap (like a medicine bottle)
~ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This is a beauty splurge for me at $26 for a 4.2 fl oz bottle. I admit, I've only owned one bottle of Bi-Facil but never repurchased because of it's high price.
~INGREDIENTS: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isohexadecane, Sodium Chloride, Poloxamer 184, Hexylene Glycol, Dipotassium Phosphate, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Phosphate, Quaternium-15, Benzalkonium Chloride, Parfum, Citronellol, Geraniol. (Made in USA?)

Clinique Take The Day Off
Makeup Remover of Lids, Lashes & Lips

~PRICE & AMOUNT: $17.50 for 4.2 fl oz (125 ml)
~DUAL LAYER LIQUID: Yes
~OIL-FREE: Yes
~RESIDUE & RESULTS: No oily residue and removes makeup very easily, even waterproof
~CONS: Honestly, I can't think of one. Well, it is a little pricey, but not as much as Bi-Facil.
~SLIP FACTOR: 5 out of 5
~CAP DESIGN: Push-down safety sealed cap (like a medicine bottle)
~ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: My absolute favorite! This leaves my skin non-oily and feeling like velvet. I was in a rush one day and completely messed up my eyeshadow, so I decided to use this product to remove my makeup to redo it. I didn't need to rinse my eye area with water, nor wipe it with a tissue; my eyelids were ready to be painted up again. I also love when this is included in a GWP.
~INGREDIENTS: Water, Isohexadecane, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Trisiloxane, PEG-4 Dilaurate, Lauryl Methyl Gluceth-10 Hydroxypropyldimonium Chloride, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Phosphate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Dipotassium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol. (Made in USA)

NYX Eye & Lip Makeup Remover

~PRICE & AMOUNT: $6 for 2.8 fl oz (80 ml)
~DUAL LAYER LIQUID: Yes
~OIL-FREE: Yes
~RESIDUE & RESULTS: Very oily residue, even if it's oil-free. Must be all those fruit extracts? Removes makeup fairly easily, even waterproof
~CONS: Oily residue; not readily available (probably only online)
~SLIP FACTOR: 5 out of 5
~CAP DESIGN: Screw-top lid, but there's a peg in the cap that fits into a hole at the top of the bottle
~ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I think the blue coloring is unnecessary; I don't like the oily residue but I take a shower right after removing my makeup, so it's fine.
~INGREDIENTS: Water, Cyclomethicone, Isohexadecane, Butylene Glycol, CI 61565, Sodium Chloride, Poloxamer 184, Benzyl Alcohol, Fragrance, Citric Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Oryza Sative (Rice) Hull Extract, Vigna Radiata Seed Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract. (Made in Korea)

~FINAL THOUGHTS~

Ranked in Order of Preference

1. Clinique Take The Day Off
2. Lancome Bi-Facil
3. Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover
4. NYX Eye & Lip Makeup Remover
5. Rimmel Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

It looks like the bi- or dual-layer eye makeup removers have a nice "slip" quality. I'm never repurchasing that Rimmel one again, although it has received good reviews (that's why I bought it in the first place). It just didn't work out for me and it didn't glide on my skin as smoothly as a dual-layer liquid.

Try comparing the ingredients of each product because it's interesting, well, at least to me it is. =P

I'm still on the lookout for a great drugstore eye makeup remover that is as good as Clinique's. For some reason, the Neutrogena one dries my eyelids out, but it works very well. If you have any recommendations, please let me know!

Hope this helps! =)

*Collective Haulie*

Here's what I've bought in the past couple months. It's all eye candy! For some of the items I'll have a separate post with a review and swatches...

28-color neutral palette ($21.95, the shipping cost is ridiculous @ over $10). I thought I would love it but I just like it, well, I think it's OK. I'll have a review and swatch post in the future.

I got this for 25% off so it was really cheap for only $18.23, that's including tax and free shipping. That's the only thing I picked up during that special.

I always thought this packaging was gaudy, scaly and reptilian-looking but it actually kind of grew on me. I figured you can reuse the palette when you use up the glosses and put your own in there. Plus, it's just a good mirror to check your lips with at a restaurant. I constantly worry about having food on my lips or teeth when I eat out. "Do I have food on my face?...Do I have food on my face? You sure?" Haha

Ulta had a Friends & Family 20% off special not too long ago plus a buy 2 get 2 free on Ulta products. I love their eyeshadows ($7) and Safari kind of reminds me of a darker version of Henna or Sumptuous Olive because it's an antique gold with olive undertones but it's not very green.

Also swatched is NYX eyeliner in White ($2.99) and Ulta lipliner in Flesh ($7).

On clearance at Ulta was an Essie nail polish for $3.99 down from $6.99. Essie has the same exact INGREDIENTS as Fingerpaints nail polish from Sally's Beauty Supply. Refer to my previous post on more info. The "chip factor" on this one was 2/10 but with this color it was a little hard to get it to come out evenly. The total haul at Ulta was a little over $18.

These eyeshadows are from the new Revlon Matte collection which offers not only eyeshadows but blush, lipstick and eyeliner kohls. They're OK; it was a little powdery when I did the swatches but not when used on my eyes. These were on a BOGO but I had a $2 off coupon so I believe I got both for a little over 4 bucks. Cut those coupons ladies!!!

More Carolyn New York nail polish when they were 50% off with free shipping! I got all these for $19 plus some $2 processing fee which I don't even know what was for because my first order didn't have that. =( But I love their cute names! There's one called Poppy Chulo. LoL. I'll have a separate post with swatches on my nails.

BOGO Maybelline mascaras. I got both for $8.49 (the Lash Stiletto costs more) but ahh, I made a mistake and got brownish black instead of black. I was so damn excited to get the Lash Stiletto I forgot to check the color. LoL. But I can't even open these until it's time to throw away my current mascaras...

Victoria's Secret body lotions and sprays that smell like Vanilla. Mmmm. Their semi-annual sale for these was 6 for $19.99. Is it still going on? These are being discontinued. Everything I like gets discontinued! Do you remember Tutti Dolci from Bath & Body Works? ...Sugar Wafer.

I also got a horde of Clinique stuff, but most of it were freebies. Always search for codes on the net to get your free stuff ladies. I bought the small sized 1.7 oz Dramatically Different Moisturizing GEL (for oily skin $12.50) and these were free: 1 oz Take the Day Off, High Definition mascara, Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Grapefruit (love these!) and a lil Acne Solutions Emergency Gel Lotion.

I liked the Clinique DDMG so much that I bought the full sized 4.2 oz for $24 and this baby has a pump so it's very convinient. I also got 3 freebies with that: a High Impact Mascara and a Full Potential Lips in GlamourFull duo, another Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Currant and a Turnarond Concentrate sample. Also picture is the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle cream ($11.42) that contains Retinol and no SPF (night). I bought this not because I have wrinkles but because Retinol is good for acne and so far I really like it. I'll do a review in the future.

And finally, Dandy's Shrimp Chips (LoL) which are so freaking addictive but they are really bad for you because it has MSG. They have another brand that are shaped like twisted French Fries and come in a bag with pink polka dots. Hmm, what was the brand again? Was it also Dandy's? Help me out my Asian and Filipina sistahs! =)
*Update* Thanks to an anonymous comment, the brand is Calbee. Now I remember...

So you see, I buy a lot of things on sale or on a BOGO. I use internet discount codes (which offer a discount, free shipping and/or free samples) and Sunday paper coupons to save money. All this effort to have more money in my pocket just to buy more beauty products! =)

Swatches: MAC, Clinique, Rimmel & NYC Lippies

More lippie swatches for you! All these lipsticks combined with my previous post is my entire lipstick collection, except for 4 Ulta lipsticks that came with the 65-piece Blockbuster set in another post. What about all my lip glosses? Shoot, that's a whole other story!! LoL

You can see that I mostly like nudes and pinks. I hope this helps again and thank you to those who visit my blog. <3

Click pics to enlarge

I added a swatch of NYX's Thalia at the end to compare with Rimmel's Airy Fairy, which are said to be dupes but I disagree. Thalia is darker than Airy Fairy, more pigmented (you only need one swipe), creamier and it's a matte/creme color. Airy Fairy is more sheer with subtle gold shimmer, lighter in pink and smells like pink blow-up bubble gum, which I don't really like. So to me, they are not dupes.

NYC Lipsticks: Square caps- Ultra Last LipWear, Round cap- Ultra Moist LipWear ($1.99)

Mousse is a creme color while the others are shimmers. Red Flame comes out magenta on my lips and I can't get it to look like the swatch. Maybe a red lip liner would help but I don't have one.

Click to enlarge

I adore Sungold Pink; anything that's pink with a golden sheen I love. Now as for Iced Orchid, I hate purple lipstick or lipgloss but this doesn't go on so badly. It just gives your lips a lilac tinge and I like wearing this with purple shirts. Pearl Glow is an interesting sheer color with blue iridescence. It will make a warm-toned pink lipstick into a cool-toned one. ($1.99)

R.I.P. Petal. See, this is why I don't like the one's with the round caps but maybe I just got a bad one.

So altogether with my NYX lipsticks, 4 Ulta ones, and 2 Sally Hansen's, I count 51 lipsticks plus I have 6 extra backups of certain colors. Okay, I need to stop buying. LOL! Wait, I forgot about a couple Maybelline's I don't use and a Bourjois reject that was $14 but it burned my lips and wasn't even a plumping lipstick. That was a waste of money.

I don't even want to count all my lip glosses.

Yaye! Clinique Stash Came....Swatches

This is a follow-up to a previous post. My Instant Pretty Limited Edition holiday set ($36) came today and I was "Instant Happy". I love the rouching on the 10.5" x 4.5" bag and the pretty packaging of the palette and lipstick, which I wasn't expecting because the picture on the website didn't display that well. It comes with a .5 oz/15ml All About Eyes, a .14 oz/4 g black High Impact mascara, a .08 oz/2.4 g Long Last Lipstick in Twilight Nude (mini size; why not full-size like always?), a 1.7 fl oz/50 ml Take the Day Off makeup remover, and a .12 oz/3.5g 6-color Colour Surge Eye Shadow Palette all in a pretty box. They included a pink breast cancer ribbon pin also. Cool!

Can you see the palette? Is it camoflauged? Hehe

Here it is! The lipstick looks like chrome bamboo.

Clinique has nice wearable colors. Uh oh, fingerprints on the edge already.

Click image to enlarge. Shadow names are listed.

This is the Professional Polish bonus I received, which is only an online special (NOW SOLD OUT)....way better than my Macy's bonus. I'm a sucker for Clinique GWP's. I should bust out with all my other GWP makeup bags. Hmm...this is the only one left out of the 3 that were available. I think people really liked the Fresh Bloom blush in Peony in the other 2 bonuses.

Included in this one is a 2g Colour Surge Eyeshadow Duo in Butter Pecan, a .17 oz/5ml All About Eyes, a .06 oz/1.8 g Blushing Blush Powder Blush in Sunset Glow (didn't swatch it; might give it away), a mini blush brush, a .14 oz/4 g black High Impact Mascara, a .14 oz/4g Long Last Lipstick in Honey Nut, and eyelash curler (haven't used it yet) and an 8.5" x 4" white and silver wristlet bag.

Honey Nut lippie and Butter Pecan e/s Duo (matte)

Click to enlarge image

The 3rd color in the palette definitely looks bronzey in the pan but when swatched it comes up plum toned. I thought I didn't wipe off my brush good enough from the first swatch so I used makeup remover and swatched it again. It came out the same way. Strange. Honey Nut is a nude tawny color and Twilight Nude has berry tones...

So I got my Clinique fix. I'm happy! Hope this helped =)

What are your favorite Clinique products?

Clinique STEAL

So I caved because Clinique is having an online bonus where you can choose between 3 different sets that come in a white and silver floral wristlet. Click on the link to take you there to see what's inside each. (Hmm, and I'm supposed to be on a NO BUY. I promise I won't buy any makeup at one time over 10 bucks until MAC comes out with their Hello Kitty collection next February.) So I opted for the Professional Polish set because I liked that lipstick the best.

Then for my regular purchase, I picked up the Instant Pretty Limited Edition holiday set for $36. That comes with a full size 0.5 oz All About Eyes, which I had already purchased not too long ago and I wish I had waited because this is $27.50 by itself. It also comes with a 1.7oz Take the Day Off, Black High Impact Mascara sample, a mini Long Last Soft Shine Lipstick in Twilight Nude, an eyeshadow palette with 6 Colour Surge Eyeshadow shades and a silver cosmetics bag.

Wait! Then I got FREE SHIPPING by using the code "FALLBEST" (which expires Oct. 27) and that also comes with 2 samples: Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (which I dislike anyway) and Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer.

So plus tax, the grand total only cost me $38.88. What a steal!...

It's Clinique Bonus Time @ Macy's

It's Clinique Bonus Time at Macy's and they call this "The Wow Factor" bonus. Hmm, not that wowie though but I've been waiting for a nice bonus since I've ran out of my All About Eyes eye gel and I didn't like the last ones at other department stores so I had to pick this one up today. Here's a list of what it comes with and you receive it when you buy something for $21.50 or more.

1. Clarifying Lotion 2- this is for dry/combination skin types. Since I'm an oily girl, this is not that suitable for me and it does contain alcohol denat. (denatured) which is the first ingredient. That's why I've never liked Clinique skin care. If you'd like to try a nice alcohol-free toner, try Neutrogena's.
2. Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion- Now this is the thing that I've always hated and thrown away with every bonus I've ever gotten. Again, this is for dry skin types (I wish they'd have an option to choose skin care items with bonuses). This stuff is so greasy and oily. The first 3 ingredients are water, mineral oil, and sesame oil (would you like to cook some pancit with this?). Definitely NOT GOOD FOR OILY GALS.
3. Clinique Color Palette that contains: Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Rose Wine (nice fall colors), Soft Pressed Powder Blusher in Pink Blush (very sheer) and True Bronze Pressed Powder in Sunkissed (better for fair and light skintones)
4. High Impact Mascara in black- I know I've used this before and I don't remember much of it. But I'll use it again and let you know what I think in the future.

5. Different Lipstick in A Different Grape- this is a sheer, glossy, wine/berry/plum colored lipstick that's nice for the fall. It's called different lipstick because of it's smooth and comfortable feel. It's pretty moist and glides on smoothly but I prefer lipsticks with at least medium coverage.
6. Large Cosmetics Bag- this thing is HUGE. It's 11.5" x 7" x 3". The exterior is made of PVC so it's easily wipeable as well as the nylon-lined interior which is lime green. The patterned stripe on the outside is made of satin and is the top edge of a pocket! I'm telling you again, it's huge!!

7. Mini Bag- you get to choose between a round bag, a mini square one or a long, regtangular shaped bag that's triangular on it's profile. I chose the latter. =) And it's made of satin type material.

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I like how the palette doesn't come with those little sponge applicators or dinky little brushes that nobody uses anyway!

What I don't like is the plain white packaging. What happened when they used to use that fake green marbled plastic with their bonuses? Check out the pictures down further below. I like it old school.

NOTE: The palette items seem to be dry and chalky which IS NOT like the other Clinique eyeshadows and blushes I've owned. So I'm disappointed with the low pigmentation. They're usually creamy and velvety. I guess these mass market things aren't up to their usual standards. (For a base under the eyeshadows I used a Physician's Formula Color Eyes Cream Shadow stick in Champagne)

The pic below shows the 3 mini bags which you can choose from.

This bag is huge! I'm thinking of using it for skin care items when I travel. The blue thing you see there is a foot long ruler.

So what did I buy to get the bonus? I got the 0.5 oz All About Eyes gel ($27.50) which is better for oily skin types while their rich formula is better for drier skin types. This is my favorite favorite eye gel of all time because it absorbs into your skin quickly and it leaves this nice, velvety soft, smooth texture to the undereye area. It moisturizes well and I don't have to wait very long to let it soak in before I put my makeup on. This works really good for puffiness but as far as correcting dark undereye circles, it's just okay.
ALL ABOUT EYES GRADE: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(If it worked better for dark circles, I'd give it a 5)

L: New packaging/R: Old packaging
What happened Clinique? Didn't their skin care items come in the pretty patterned box like their makeup? I haven't bought anything from Clinique in a while so have they changed all their packaging to a plain boring green? WHY?!?!

This is what I was talking about earlier. They used to use pretty green marbled plastic with their bonus palettes and now it's plain white. What's the problem Clinique? Hmm, must be the economy.

I think this came with a bonus about 2 or 3 years ago. I love Faded Denim for a smokey bluish/purple eye. These are nice and creamy while "The Wow Factor" palette is dry and chalky. =(