Rinse Your Makeup Away At The End Of The Day

Cleansing balms are required skincare in my house. If you’ve never tried one, it’s essentially a solidified oil that easily rinses away and is used as the first step in a two-step cleansing process to remove your makeup in the evening. I’ve tried many different brands throughout the years, and the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Makeup Cleansing Balm ranks high among my favorite formulas.

The first thing to know about this particular cleansing balm is that it doesn’t smell great. Other cleansers, like the Eve Lom Cleanser for example, are an aromatic experience, but Bye Bye Makeup smells sort of stale, but not bad in the way an expired product might. Speaking of ingredients, fragrance is the second to the last ingredient listed so something was added, but I’m not quite sure what. Other ingredients include hyaluronic acid, ceramides, licorice root extract, turmeric, and tea tree oil. It’s also paraben free, but does contain mineral oil.

The product is thick, oily, white, and a little goes a long way. It’s meant to be applied on dry skin, right over your makeup, and as you massage the product into your skin, it warms into a more liquid, oily consistency. I use it everywhere I apply makeup, on my eyes to break up shadow and liquid liner, and on my lips to remove pigmented lipsticks. The oil in the formula breaks down even my most stubborn long-wearing foundations but rinses away with ease when I’m ready to move onto the second step in my cleansing process. As I rinse, I continue to massage my skin, causing the cleansing balm to turn a milky white and rinse away, taking most of my makeup with it. I always follow any oil cleanse with a gel cleanser, with my favorite being the Avene Cleanance Gel.

Where to buy: Sephora | QVC | It Cosmetics