Battle of the high-end makeup removers!

This, like my previous post, has been years in the making, and as such, has been put off writing for the longest time. Sometimes you just have to force yourself to do things, as daunting as they are, or else they will not get done at all. The subject I'm tackling today is that of high-end makeup removers and which ones, in my opinion, are worth the price tag.

I've tried to come up with as systematic of a way of judging the products I've used as possible, but I don't believe it's possible to rid one's opinion of a degree of subjectivity, so you may indeed disagree with me, and that's perfectly fair. Rather than using a rigid points system, I'm actually going to rank every makeup remover I tried in each category I though useful, and remark briefly on its performance. Thus, counter intuitively, my favourite makeup removers will be the ones with the smallest accumulated sum or rating.

You, the reader, may not hold some of the qualities I care about in as high of an esteem as I, so the couple of categories I'm using to rate the products may prove useful in disregarding aspects that aren't important to you, and thus assist you in your choice regardless of the high or not so high score I come up with. So. Shall we?

I'll be making note of the price and value for money (using pricing that is local to me, but that should more or less be of similar proportion most places in the world), effectiveness, packaging and fragrance and texture, to help give a just review of these six high-end makeup removers.

Lancome Bi-Facil

Price (5): €26.90/125ml (€0.22/ml)

Effectiveness (1):

This dual phase formula is very, very good at removing even the most stubborn panda-eyes.

Fragrance/texture (3):

It's quite heavily fragranced, smells like roses, which you either love or hate. The formula itself is very oily, I would say the heaviest of all mentioned here, and I know many people dislike dual-phase makeup removers for this very reason, leave a greasy film. While I would prefer a formula not quite this oily, I don't really dislike it, and the pretty blue-coloured, shimmery liquid is distracting enough for me to forgive this shortcoming.

Packaging (3):

The bottle and lid feel substantial and expensive. The opening at the mouth of the bottle is a good size too, not too small and not too big, so it's comfortable to soak the cotton pad in solution without over-doing it.

Final thoughts:

I've gone through countless bottles of the Lancome Bi-Facil over the course of five or so years. This was the only makeup remover I used before I decided to write this post about three years ago and see what else was out there. It's a cult favourite for a reason, but as I learned later on, not quite as unique as one might think. There are options that are as effective, but not as rich and fragranced, so keep on reading!

Clinique Take The Day Off Make-Up Remover

Price (2): €18.50/125ml (€0.15/ml)

Effectiveness (2):

It's very good at removing makeup, among the best I tried.

Fragrance/texture (5):

I know I said before that the Lancome was probably the oiliest of formulas, but it's really a toss-up between it and the Clinique. They are both very unapologetically greasy, which also makes them highly effective. As for the scent, to me this smells like... Industrial plastic being melted in a pot of cooking oil. I really disliked it, but I also have a sensitive nose and find features like this more important than most would.

Packaging (6):

The bottle is deceitfully pleasant to hold as it is sleek and sturdy, but this is my least favourite packaging of the lot. I hate the person who decided to put a child lock on the lid. Hate is a strong word, but I hate them. Furthermore, once you're done undoing that wretched thing, there's no stopper of any sort at the mouth of the bottle. It's just completely open, so if you manage to drop it while furiously trying to take off the lid, all your precious makeup remover would flow out in a spectacular fashion in about 2 seconds. This was the first makeup remover after Lancome that I ever tried, so it's been a long time since I used it up, and I still feel myself getting enraged remembering how much I hated having to deal with that packaging.

Final thoughts:

When this was about a third of the way from being gone, the formula behaved oddly. When you shake it up, the two clear liquids become a unified white bubbly one, which separates and goes back to normal once the bottle stays still for a period of time. For some reason, by the end, it just stayed a bubbly, milky white, no matter how still or how long it remained untouched. An added oddity that made me quite happy to be rid of this product in the end.

Shiseido Instant Eye and Lip Make Up Remover

Price (3): €25.50/125ml (€0.20/ml)

Effectiveness (3):

This is a smidgen less effective in removing makeup in a single pass compared to the first two products, but not enough to be noticeably more laborious to use at the end of your day.

Fragrance/texture (1):

The texture of this makeup remover is totally unique, it's the consistency of a basic sugar syrup. It's light and thin to the touch but thick and viscous when you pour it out. I find it intriguing and entertaining, and therefor a plus. It also smells the nicest to me. It smells like no flower bouquet I can think of existing in nature, but while the notes are decidedly man-made, the light cosmetic scent is incredibly pleasant, and has none of that “fake” tinge. The fragrance is very mild, you barely notice it, just enough to know it's there and never so much that you wouldn't look forward to being reminded of it the next time you unscrew the cap.

Packaging (1):

Whether or not the shape of the bottle is attractive is debatable, but it is pleasant and ergonomic to handle. Rather than having just a hole in the stopper, this one has a protruding tip that helps dispense product economically onto a cotton pad as you gently squeeze the bottle. In addition to liking how it feels, I also find it aesthetically pleasing, as the plastic has a pretty duo-chrome sheen.

Final thoughts:

I really enjoy this makeup remover. The sacrifice in effectiveness is minute compared to the immensely more pleasurable sensation on the skin when using this light formula.

Kanebo Sensai Sikly Purifying Gentle Make-Up Remover For Eye & Lip

Price (6): 24.90/100ml (€0.25/ml)

Effectiveness (5):

I found the performance of this makeup remover disappointing. Based on its formula, which is most comparable to the Lancome and Clinique, I don't quite understand why it removed basic eye makeup so much worse.

Fragrance/texture (6):

This is once again a very oily dual-phase formula, and as I just mentioned, given this, I'm baffled by it's poor effectiveness. Even worse, for personal reasons, I could hardly stand the fragrance of this product too. It's described on Kanebo's website as being fragrance free, and I couldn't disagree more. Even now that the bottle has been sitting empty for a year and a half, I can still smell it when I remove the lid. The reason I find it so revolting, is that it smells exactly like a liquid antibiotic I had to take as a child that was so terrible, it made me throw up. So, basically, it smells like a fake, pharmaceutical orange from the 90s.

Packaging (4):

This came with less product than usual, which makes it the most expensive per milliliter, but which also means that the bottle is hand-luggage friendly at 100ml. It is a simple design, with a similar but shorter tip at the opening of the bottle as the Shiseido, and I've kept it with every intention of re-purposing the bottle for when I travel. It's nice.

Final thoughts:

For various reasons, this was not a product I liked using, but since my negative experience seems to be so strong, I can't help but think it may be an exception and someone else might find this a perfectly pleasant makeup remover. As a whole, I really like Kanebo Sensai and have tried many of their products, and so far this is the only one I didn't care for and don't see myself re-purchasing, ever.

Chanel Demaquillant Yeux Intense

Price (4): €21.90/100ml (€0.22/ml)

Effectiveness (4):

This makeup remover is truly very nice, about as effective as the Shiseido, slightly less than the Lancome/Clinique.

Fragrance/texture (2):

It's dual-phase, but not overly oily. More-so than the Shiseido, but considerably less than the Lancome/Clinique. It has a well-balanced, barely noticeable cosmetic scent that I found pleasant and clean.

Packaging (2):

I absolutely fawned over the packaging. I've used Chanel makeup and owned their fragrances before, so knew no expense would be spared on nice packaging, but this was the first item that I tried of theirs that's technically skin care. I relished every instant my fingers came into contact with the packaging, and by packaging, I'm still only talking about the cardboard box! 99% of people won't care about the bloody box, and it's not like I kept it and pull it out to stroke every once in a while, but knowing it was something that I would be throwing away almost immediately, I took great pleasure in the perfectly raised writing, exquisite glossy surface and hollow firmness of the box. The slender, narrow bottle was just as nice and looked the chicest, by far, of every other lotion and potion in my bathroom. I can't however give it top marks, as beautifully designed as it was, because the hole in the stopper at the mouth of the bottle, was a bit too big for my liking, so every couple of uses, too much product would spill out and go to waste.

Final thoughts:

This was one of my favourite makeup removers to use, and though its high price and somewhat impractical bottle are faults that are certainly worth considering, I wouldn't mind owning it again someday as it was an absolute pleasure to reach for most nights.

Bioderma

Price (1): €19.85/250ml (€0.08/ml)

Effectiveness (6): I went into more detail about this cult product in my previous post on French pharmacie skin care, so won't repeat myself too much here. I found this to be the least effective formulation of anything I've used to remove makeup.

Fragrance/texture (4):

Unlike everything else I've mentioned thus far, this is the only non dual-phase formula. It's a micellaire water, clear, and indeed, very water-like. Though it doesn't leave the skin oily, it still must be either rinsed or dabbed off with a damp cloth, as the agents in it that do the cleaning, will feel drying. The first bottle I used smelled a bit like coconut, but the next two smelled like nothing.

Packaging (5):

I like the practicality of packaging like this, where you needn't unscrew a separate cap, but simply flip the lid open with one hand and pour product onto the cotton pad in your other hand. It's the route drugstore brands seem to opt for, and I get the impression that it's beneath higher end skin care, although I would love for more product to come in precisely these types of bottles. I can't tell you how many times I'm at a loss as to where to put the lid while I grasp the bottle and then drop it by accident while trying to multi-task and it ends up rolling underneath the tub and I have to get a flashlight and crawls on all fours, using a broom to retrieve it. I can't be the only one! Other than that, it's very plain looking and something I'd rather keep out of sight in a medicine cabinet if I could (don't be offended Bioderma, I'd put everything in a cupboard or cabinet, away from humidity and dust, and only have liquid soap out on the sink, if it were up to me). It isn't a handsome bottle by any stretch of the imagination, much like the typeface and overall graphic design. It has a sort of medical quality about it, as it should I suppose. But all that is secondary, even for me, as I care much more about being able to open, use and put down the bottle one-handed.

Final thoughts:

Again, shan't repeat myself too much, but for me, this product didn't live up to the hype around it on the interwebs. It isn't a high-end makeup remover either, but I wanted to include it because of its fame and because depending on where you live, it absolutely can be up there with department store brands in terms of pricing.

Phew!

And the results are as followed:

Shiseido (3+3+1+1) 8

Chanel (4+4+2+2) 12

Lancome (5+1+3+3) 12

Clinique (2+2+5+6) 15

Bioderma (1+6+4+5) 16

Kanebo (6+5+6+4) 21

The most astute among you will have probably concluded that my favourite makeup removers were those there were multiple bottles of on display. Bravo! My favourite high-end makeup remover is, based on this three year long experiment, the Shiseido. It has a beautiful, comfortable to use bottle, and the texture and scent are an additional pleasure to the product being simply very effective. The two makeup removers I would re-purchase for diversity every once in a while would be the Chanel and Lancome. While there are multiple bottles of the Bioderma and I enjoy having a formula like that at hand, I don't think I would re-purchase it anymore as I'm currently enjoying the Garnier micellaire solution as my drugstore alternative.

Hope this helps steer you in the right direction, should you want to pamper yourself with a more luxurious product for removing your war paint!