SO. Who here wears make up? Yes? No? How bout BB cream or another type of tinted moisturizer? Well. Anytime you wear make up, you must must must take it off before you wash your face. Otherwise, the build up of dirt (yes, that’s what make up is…dirt for your face) will get clogged in your pores, leading to BREAK OUTS. Trust me, I’ve experienced it before…let’s just say “Rudolph” is a common nickname for me. Anyways, make up removers can be pretty costly over time, so here’s something that comes in XXXXX-Large that you have right at home that you could use…Olive oil!!! (extra virgin)

Just soak a cotton pad, or even a tissue or paper towel into it, and then sweep it over your face. If you have mascara or heavy make up on, just hold it on your eye for about 8 seconds and then slowly sweep it across your eye. It will sweep it right off. Plus, it’s quick and easy to get. I think I have about 10 bottles of olive oil sitting in my basement because they were wedding gifts one year (VERY WEIRD, but hey, that’s how Fuzhou people are I guess lolol.) But if you feel like putting olive oil straight on your skin is too oily for you, just mix it with water and shake it up. Get an empty water bottle, and fill the water bottle with a 1:3 ratio of olive oil (1) to water (3).

Shake it up well, and now, it should be less oily, but still just as effective. Now you hopefully won’t have to sit there scrubbing at your eyes with water/soap over and over again when you’re staying over someone’s house! Just ask for some olive oil and you’re set to go! ***Note…don’t use anything other than olive/extra virgin olive oil…it is WAY too greasy and the oils are not the same. Only olive oil is gentle enough for the skin.***

But if you’re not into the whole DIY make up remover, they sell cheap stuff at drugstores. I don’t recommend using the garnier make up wipes…I just got them recently. I don’t know if it’s because they were old or something, but they’re dry and it most certainly doesn’t take off mascara well at all. Neutrogena is better, but the make up wipes are also kinda harsh on the eyes. I recommend using an actual liquid make up remover for that kind of stuff. You can also check out make up remover creams or gels. They work just as well, and actually, it’s the kind I prefer for myself. Right now I’m using the Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel (retail: $32 i think…) It’s a bit pricey, but you only need a little bit, and it’s amazing. You apply it as a gel, massage it to loosen up the make up, and then rinse it off as a cleansing milk. I can go from this to toner because it really cleans everything out, and it’s not as messy because there’s no foamy soaps. Definitely my favorite make up remover/cleanser of all time. Works great and keeps my skin feeling soft and hydrated.

Hope this helps!

Jen