When I last reviewed a cleansing oil I mentioned that it wasn’t much good at removing my waterproof eye makeup, but that I was not terribly fussed about it, because I no longer use cleansing oils around my eye area. Instead, these days, I use a separate eye makeup remover before using a cleansing oil which I then avoid using around my eye area.
Its nothing new, to be perfectly honest, but the ball as they say, has just dropped for me as to why I should be doing this. And it comes down to the fragile skin around the eyes and how cleansing oils may result in your having more lines around your eyes. Just my thoughts ok, nothing scientifically proven so don’t go jumping all over me 
The principle behind a lot of cleansing oils for the face is that you massage it into your skin in order for it to lift away the dirt from your skin and even deep cleanse your skin. Some cleansing oils are I find more effective than others in doing this, and when I do use it properly, I feel gritty bits under my fingers as I massage the oil on my skin.
The other benefit of using a cleansing oil is just how easy it is to have a 1 step process of makeup removal and face cleansing in one. I used to just step into the shower, slather cleansing oil all over my face and remove my makeup. However, I would notice that for the most part, eye makeup is one of the most stubborn to remove, especially when you use a waterproof mascara. Even if it says it removes easily, you will find that you have to massage the eye area a little more, to loosen up the mascara to be washed away.
This is what stuck in my mind one day as I was “rubbing” my eye area. No matter how gentle my actions were, the daily repeated rubbing/massaging and stretching of the skin around the eyes can’t be very beneficial. Goodness knows just how much damage I might have already done over the years 
On the other hand, when I use a separate eye makeup remover, I find that movement of the skin around the eye area is reduced. I usually wet a piece of cotton pad with eye makeup remover, place over my eye for a minute or so, then wipe off. And for the most part, it does wipe off most of my eye makeup. If my mascara is being stubborn, I rub it a little more but without rubbing the whole eye area – just the lashes.
Granted, makeup removal now takes a bit longer due to this extra step, but I personally believe that its more beneficial to my skin around the eyes in the long run. Oh one more thing. Some cleansing oils can lead to oil seeds or milia if not properly emulsified so that’s another reason not to use cleansing oils around the eye area 
Do you also use a separate eye makeup remover? Or do you prefer to stick to cleansing oils for a quick one step process? Have you given this some thought? Like I said, this tip is probably nothing new, but something that’s just struck me so I hope its useful for someone
Paris B
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Ugh. Very good point. I do it all in one go though I try to be a little more gentle around the eye area. ><
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Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:22 am
I used to too, but getting older, I figured I better start taking a little more care
Twitter: electronicfly
March 27, 2012 at 8:54 am
… I use biphase eye & lip makeup remover for everything
Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:23 am
Even face makeup?!
Twitter: electronicfly
March 27, 2012 at 10:29 am
Yup. Since my eyeliner and mascara’s the only waterproof items (read: toughest to remove) I always use a biphase, and if it’s good enough to remove waterproof, it should be good enough to remove everything else lo
It might seem expensive, but I don’t use makeup all that often, and not that much remover is used actually, maybe 3, 4 soaked pads? I do wash my face after though most times
Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:35 am
Ah that makes sense and you’re right. If it can remove your waterproof makeup, everything else would be a no brainer
Also makes sense to not have to buy a separate face makeup remover if you don’t use makeup daily. I use my oil cleanser as part of my skincare regime so I don’t consider it as a makeup remover, just a happy coincidence 
I agree. I started using a separate eye makeup remover about a year after I started on the cleansing oil madness as it just takes too much work to remove waterproof mascara using cleansing oils. I found that I would always have panda eyes whenever I wake up in the morning if I don’t use a separate eye makeup remover before cleansing my face. No matter how amazing a cleansing oil is, it can never seem to remove my MUFE Aqua Smoky Lash. Also, just like you, the extra tugging on my eyes started to bug me as I am overtly conscious of getting premature fine lines and wrinkles. Which is probably the reason why I LOATHE using cleansing wipes/towelettes.
Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:23 am
Waterproof mascara is awesome stuff especially in our humidity but the removal! Urgh! Glad to know we had the same thoughts re: tugging of skin and are doing something about it!
Twitter: HannyiNefMor
March 27, 2012 at 9:41 am
Right, you have just inspired me to go look for more bi-phase makeup removes. >.< I love cleansing oils, but they can't take off gel liners, especially Inglot's. My eyes really… won't be able to suffer through the, er… abuse I'm forcing them to go through.
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Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:25 am
I don’t have a problem with gel liners because its usually the mascara that gets to me. That said, I haven’t tried Inglot’s though I hear they are pretty awesome stuff. Better get into a good eye care practice while still young
I use a dual phase eye makeup remover, such as Chanel Demaquillant Yeux Intense remover or the Sonia Kashuk version. A cotton pad wipes off most of my eye makeup and waterproof eyeliner, but waterproof mascara is a little tricky to remove. I don’t recommend rubbing your eye area because it’s the most delicate area of the face and the skin of the under eye area is very thin. Rubbing can cause premature wrinkles around that area. So to remove waterproof mascara, I recommend using a q-tip. Get some eye makeup remover on the q-tip and gently clean your lashes. That method is much easier than using a cotton pad and it completely removes all the waterproof mascara, effortlessly. =)
Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:25 am
Great tip about using a Q-tip Joyce, thanks!
I will have to try that for the very stubborn liners or mascara and that will minimize rubbing even further yay! 
Oh no! I am using cleansing oils to remove my makeup even on the eye area! aaaahhhh, gotta buy an aye makeup remover ASAP! Thanks PB!
Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:26 am
LOL! Did I just make the sales of eye makeup removers go up?
I think its good practice because we don’t “torture” the skin around the eye so much – I do sometimes still use the cleansing oil when I forget to remove my makeup first before hitting the shower, but at least for the most part I don’t 
I actually use an eye makeup remover before but ever since I started using cleansing oils I thought that could also be used around the eyes. But you gave a very good explanation
Thanks again 
Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:35 am
You and me both Issa
But now you know and now you can take a little bit of extra care to protect the skin around the eyes 
Great tip! I never thought about it….will bear that in mind when I use my oil cleanser.
Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:27 am
One extra step for busy mommies but I think, worth it
Twitter: shusheshe
March 27, 2012 at 10:01 am
I always use a separate eye makeup remover, simply because I think cleansing oils dry out the skin around my eyes a bit too much.
Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:28 am
That’s a good thought too! I don’t find them drying but sometimes, when the oil gets in my eyes and then it emulsifies and I get blurry milky vision, it really bugs me! So this way, I avoid that problem now
I tried using cleansing oils to help remove my eye makeup cos well I am lazy lol but they dont work and get into my eyes and create a bigger mess which is just gross.. So I now religiously use a bi-phase eye makeup remover.. Loreal is good everytime but I am now venturing into Bourjois’ biphase makeup remover and it is as effective but slightly gentler..
Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:29 am
Haha! I know exactly what you mean about the oil getting into your eyes, Sharon! When that happens to me, and it turns all milky and cloudy, urgh! Its awful! Some oils take even longer to clear which is worse. Good to know about Bourjois – we don’t have the brand here but I’ll bear it in mind for when I next come to a Bourjois counter
I quickly pass through the cleansing oil only on the “lid” area during washing then would go continue with separate eye makeup remover for those hard to reach gel liners and mascara
I agree with you, the extra step is a hassle but worth it as it is our eyes! and we only have a set !
Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:29 am
Yes! And we don’t want to have wrinkly crepey eyes that look older than we are
Twitter: samstillreading
March 27, 2012 at 10:09 am
I use a separate eye makeup remover. Didn’t even occur to me to use cleansing oil- probably because I am good at getting stuff in my eyes accidently!
Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:30 am
You know what? I got cleansing oils in my eyes all the time and STILL didn’t think about using a separate eye makeup remover *facepalm*
hey paris! i think if you’d like a more natural form of a “makeup remover”, you could try olive oil instead
i find that it works wells, plus it’s good for your skin. it doesn’t cause breakouts and such 
Twitter: paris_b
March 27, 2012 at 10:32 am
Thanks for the suggestion Ying. Unfortunately I cannot use olive oil on my skin as it makes me break out so any skincare product that contains olive oil (including Hada Labo Oil Cleanser) is a big no no for me.
I always use cleansing oil as one step make up removal although I have a few bottles of eye&lips makeup removal. Thanks Paris for your advice I’ll try to be more hardworking today onwards, hopefully my eyes will stop aging from more gentle care hahaha
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Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:20 am
Yup! I was doing the whole one step thing too but decided it was time I did something before my eyes look older than the rest of me LOL!
I’m afraid of cleansing oils, not sure how they’d work well with sensitive skin. But you got a good point with the eye area, gotta be extra gentle. I”m using Simple’s cleansing lotion for both face and eye, works well for me and it’s cheap too
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Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:27 am
For the most part, I think cleansing oils are fine for sensitive skins. They are no worse than normal makeup removers
I used to use Simple back in the day. Haven’t thought about the brand in a while!
I only use cleansing oil to remove everything when i’m travelling coz i cant be bothered to lug so much stuff for my face..haha…otherwise when i’m at home, i try to use eye make up remover+milky cleanser instead of cleansing oil.
Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:27 am
Oh good call Kel. When travelling, I do tend to just go with the all in one too to save space
I am still sticking to the cleansing oil 1-step process. haha, the laziness gets to me. But I do have the Biore one opened right now. And so, I will try to remember to use it, so that it doesn’t stands there and expire before I know it.
Plus, I do really, really love the Biore Pink one so much more than other eye makeup removers (like the L’oreal one). haha, you have them both featured in the picture!
I basically try to pair things up. If I know my mascara and liner are not too stubborn, I stick with cleansing oil.
BUT, if I am sure my mascara is the stubborn one, and I know I lined my water line quite a lot, I will use the Biore.
Kind of really depends on which mascara/liner I chose that day.
Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:29 am
I actually think the Biore eye makeup remover works a little better than the L’Oreal one too. I’ve been alternating them to finish them up but I find the Biore cleans off more easily. If my mascara is less stubborn I go with L’Oreal but for the very stubborn ones I go with Biore. Don’t need an expensive remover at all!
Twitter: midnight_plue
March 27, 2012 at 12:19 pm
I usually use cleansing oil to remove everything, but if on that particular day I just use some mascara and nothing else on the eyes, I’d use eye makeup remover.
Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:31 am
Do you find the whole rubbing around the eye thing bad for the eyes? I mean, I am always extra gentle but still, I do realise there is some rubbing.
Twitter: midnight_plue
March 28, 2012 at 11:10 am
I find that if your cleansing oil is capable of taking off heavy duty mascara and liners, the rubbing isn’t really that much already. Or just soak a bit of cleansing oil onto some cotton pads and gently take it off. Likewise, if you are using eye makeup removers that doesn’t do well in cleaning off heavy duty mascara and liners, you still involve do a bit more rubbing than usual.
okla, i rub my eyes when i am sleepy, so… the rubbing from cleansing oil/ eye makeup remover doesn’t bother me as much d
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I’m using Mandom Express’s eye & face make up removal. So far so good! Love both of them!
Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:31 am
I have a Mandom something lying around that I remember I quite liked! I shall go dig it out again
Twitter: skyiseternal
March 27, 2012 at 2:05 pm
I use almond oil or baby oil to remove the sunscreen and even I feel the grittiness and can literally see the gunk coming off my face. I prefer using almond oil on my eye area and I used to think that since its oil, it provides slip to the skin so it doesn’t really result in rubbing around the skin or pulling of the skin and that used to happen when I used nivea cleansing milk. And, I often apply more of oil to give me better slip on the skin and I generally avoid pulling any area of the face not only the eyes.
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Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:39 am
Thanks for sharing Swati. I am very wary about using straight oils due to a very bad experience with olive oil a couple of years ago but its good to know that almond oil does the job for you.
Twitter: skyiseternal
March 28, 2012 at 2:07 pm
oh!!! what happened??? I have heard many complaints about olive oil recently…did it cause milia??
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Twitter: paris_b
March 30, 2012 at 5:31 pm
Nope I didn’t get Milia but olive oil breaks me out quite badly. I get cystic acne so I stay away from skincare that contains olive oil now.
I only use L’oreal eye and lips makeup remover (the exact same one in your photo) to remove my eye make-up. I’ve been using this remover for ages and have no intention to replace it. It’s very gentle for my sensitive eyes. Since I only wear waterproof mascara, the normal makeup remover will never remove it completely.
Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:43 am
I like the L’Oreal one too and have been using it all this while
The Biore one is good too and for some more stubborn eye makeup, even better than L’Oreal I find. If you have a chance to try it, do! 
I’ve tried the Biore one before. My sister is using it. It stung my eyes the first time I used it. Bummer!
Twitter: paris_b
March 30, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Oh that sucks!
But still, glad the L’Oreal one works – cheap and good can’t be beat 
Twitter: mostlysunnyblog
March 27, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Hey Paris, before I found Bioderma, I was also using a separate makeup remover for my eyes! When I got Philosophy Purity Made Simple, I was told that it could be used on my eyes too. I tried once, but just as you said, as gentle as I can be, I’m still tugging on my eye area more than necessary when I massage the remover in. Bioderma is way cool though. It takes quite a while to remove waterproof mascara, but you can use it all over your face and afterwards it just feels so clean and purified!
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Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:44 am
Hiya Sunny! I tried Bioderma for the eye area but it was such an abject failure! I could only remove eyeshadow but never mascara. Maybe it just doesn’t work well for stubborn waterproof Asian mascara
So I stick to the 2 step makeup removal process even with Bioderma 
Twitter: mostlysunnyblog
March 28, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Ah yeah, I wish it’d remove waterproof mascara faster (and a lot faster at that), but for such a simple combination of ingredients I was pretty surprised how fast my gel liner surrendered! I really love how I can remove everything so easily (without splashing water on my face) after a day, and then I can lounge around in front of my computer with a cleansed face till it’s time to wash my face, apply lotion, and go to bed!
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Twitter: fortheloveofme
March 27, 2012 at 4:11 pm
I always use a separate eye makeup remover. I don’t think cleansing oils are sufficient in removing my eye makeup,especially mascara. Best to do an extra step for clean eyes
Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:45 am
Good idea! Most of my cleansing oils take everything off, but ever since I realized that it was also attributed to all that rubbing, I decided it was time to go separate ways
I like the Mandom Cleansing Express eye makeup remover sold at Watson’s. I actually prefer Sasa’s Swiss Line eye makeup remover as it’s similar to Mandom, but more expensive.
I just got Eucerin’s eye makeup remover but it’s weird. It looks like a cleansing oil but behaves like a normal cleanser. You do not need to leave the cotton pad on your eye for a while before removing. After removing, the skin around the eyes feels slightly ‘stripped’. Will not repurchase.
To clarify, Eucerin actually looks like a bi-phase remover, but I don’t like the feel of it as I am more used to Asian bi-phase eye make-up removers.
Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:46 am
Thanks for the heads up about Eucerin! I’ll be sure to avoid it LOL! I have a Mandom Cleansing Express somewhere. I’m going to dig it out and give it another go soon
Mandom Cleansing Express is my favorite!
And yes, I use separate eye makeup remover too cause cleansing oil often gives me milia seeds. :/
Twitter: ChloeAsh
March 27, 2012 at 6:39 pm
You’re right about tugging the delicate eye area. I always use a separate eye makeup remover. I don’t stick to one, but I prefer something that can easily remove waterproof mascara without all the oiliness! Lancome Bifacil was good, Kanebo did the job too, and I’m now using Dior’s. These 3 agree with my eyes. Don’t sting!
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Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:47 am
Ooh I like the Kanebo one too
Haven’t tried the other two but I tend to go with pharmacy brands because I’m very liberal with my eye makeup remover 
The Biore one is actually not bad 
Twitter: isabelladereims
March 28, 2012 at 7:21 am
Huhu good point, but sometimes I really feel too lazy to take off eye makeup by itself before I snooze! I do have eye makeup remover but use it only when I’m removing heavy eye makeup. Should start changing that now.
Twitter: paris_b
March 28, 2012 at 10:48 am
Ooh apparently if you leave makeup on your skin too long or overnight, it can actually age your skin so yes, proper removal of all makeup is quite essential. No matter how tired I am, I make sure my face is clean before I fall into bed
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