[caption id=”attachment_287” align=”alignleft” width=”200” caption=”Be good to your skin… Get that makeup off!”][/caption]

How’s your New Year’s resolution going?  Are you keeping up?  And I hope you have been taking good care of your skin with the simple steps of cleanse  ~>  tone ~> moisturize.

But sometimes the simple 3-step regiment is not enough.  “Sometimes” means whenever you wear makeup; and “makeup” means anything that’s not your skin care product: foundation, powder, eyeshadow, blush, eyeliner, lipstick, concealer, mascara, etc…

When you wear makeup, there’s an extra layer of gunk that your cleanser needs to get rid of.  If your cleanser cannot get all that dirt, oil, makeup and such off your face, it is as good as not washing your face at all.  And unfortunately most cleansers, at least the ones that don’t take a layer of skin off, fail to remove everything in one step.  And sometimes even the harsh cleansers still can’t get the job done…

So what are your options?

You can stop wearing makeup *.

If that’s not an option, then you can either washing your face twice (a.k.a. double cleansing) before going to bed ** — once to get rid of the makeup, once to get rid of any residues…

Or you can use a makeup remover prior to washing your face at night.

Be gentle with your eyes…

If you wear any eye makeup, it’s always a good idea  to remove your eye makeup first with a gentle remover.  That is to get rid of any icky stuff that could get into your eye, stay there and cause problems.  There are many eye makeup removers out there, and pretty much any of them will do. Because they are designed specifically to be use around eyes, they are (or should be) quite gentle on the delicate skin around the eyes.

Personally I like to use a simple home remedy to remove my eye makeup — a nourishing oil like almond oil.  Just pour a little bit of almond oil onto a cotton pad and gently wipe the makeup off.  DO NOT PULL ON THE SKIN!  If you’re allergic to almonds or almond oil, you can try grapeseed oil or other natural veggie or nut oils that have a good slip.  You can find these 100% pure oils from your local health food stores.

Don’t forget your face…

For your face, even when you think your makeup has slided off, there are still makeup residue, not to mention dirt and oil that’s mixed in.  So use a makeup remover for your face as well.  If you’re lazy like me, I recommend a remover wipe or cleansing towelette.  These wipes are convenient because you don’t need to use water with them.  You can be watching the news or walking on the treadmill while you use them.  My favorite cleansing wipe is, believe it or not, Kirkland Signature Daily Facial Cleansing Towelettes from Costco.  It’s thick and textured so it gently exfoliates.  It has extracts of Chamomile, Vitamin E , White Tea, Green Tea and Red Tea.  Although it’s not 100% natural, it doesn’t have too much junk stuff into either.  And it’s not drying, not to mention very reasonably priced.

When I’m not lazy or when I have full makeup on, I prefer an cleansing oil.  Shu Uemura came up with his original cleansing oil decades ago and now there are 5 different formulas for different skin types and needs.  My favorite is the Premium A/O formula.  It has a nice melon scent and does not dry out my skin.  And it removes EVERYTHING, including super waterproof mascara, in one shot.  Shu’s cleansing oils do such a great job this is ONE product I trust I don’t have to do double-cleansing when I’m not wearing heavy makeup.  DHC also has a great one that’s olive oil based.

[caption id=”attachment_301” align=”alignleft” width=”236” caption=”Don’t be like her… Get your makeup off completely before going to bed!”][/caption]

The bottom line is, be sure your cleanser is doing a good enough job removing makeup, dirt, oil and everything else.  If you’re taking all the right steps to care for you skin because you’re still breaking out constantly, chances are your cleanser is not doing its job well enough, and it’s time to bring in a makeup remover into your regiment.

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*You should still do a double cleansing or use remover if you sunscreen (which you SHOULD!)  Sunscreen products are meant to stand up to sweat and oil and you might need a little extra help to get rid of them.

** Double-cleansing are meant for night time only.  DO NOT wash your face twice in the morning.  I don’t care how oily you face gets, you don’t need to wash it twice in the morning.  Just don’t do it.

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Updated Feb 16, 2010

And what happens when you don’t remove your makeup before going to bed?  Check out this article by Vicki Santillano on DivineCaroline.com