Ahhh… If my dry skin could talk, that’s what it would say about new NARS Makeup Removing Water ($29).
Gentle. That’s the figurative word here and what I like most about the product, thanks to soothing botanical ingredients like cucumber, chamomile and hyaluronic acid. It works without any soaps, oils, fragrances or alcohol to remove makeup while, according to NARS, toning and moisturizing the skin.
And, even better, it’s supposed to work without scrubbing/rubbing.
MAC Cleanse Off Oil/Tranquil and I have been in a hot-and-heavy relationship for a while now, but when I heard that François was releasing a new makeup remover that wouldn’t require rubbing, I was intrigued…
When I turned 36, fine lines seemed to crop up overnight! — so things like being able to remove my makeup without having to tug at my skin are suddenly a lot more important to me now.
And to remove long-wearing eye makeup, like waterproof mascaras, eyeliners and highly-pigmented eyeshadows, there’s NARS $25 Eye Makeup Remover. Described as a “high-performance, extremely mild makeup remover that removes all types of makeup, including waterproof,” the non-greasy, oil-in-water formula glides across skin, leaving a silky, smooth feeling without leaving a residue behind, and it contains soothing natural ingredients like aloe and cucumber to calm sensitive skin.
When I’m out running errands and wearing a moderate amount of makeup — maybe a primer, a little bit of tinted moisturizer, powder, eyeshadow, blush, gloss and mascara — I’ll soak one cotton round with Makeup Removing Water, and that’s enough to do the job (without my having to scrub/tug) in between 1-2 minutes.
But to remove more ambitious looks, and looks with long-wearing products or waterproof eye makeup, I find myself having to use a little more of the product, and elbow grease, to the tune of a few soaked cotton rounds and up to about 5 minutes.
That it is so gentle and moisturizing are my favorite things about NARS Makeup Removing Water, but in a perfect world it would handle the heavy duty stuff better.
Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world (shoot!), because if we did, it would also cost less than $29.
But hey, I still like NARS Makeup Removing Water for precisely what it is: gentle. And the next time my skin feels dry and/or sensitive, I plan to reach for it again.
PRICE: $29 for a 6.7-ounce bottle
AVAILABILITY: Available now at NARS counters and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
It sounds like my favorite Bioderma water!
I haven’t tried Bioderma but have heard great things. 🙂
I like how soothing and gentle it sounds. I hate makeup removers with alcohol, where it feels like you’re removing your makeup with turpentine.
Yuck.
I’m not a fan of that feeling, either!
that is in my NARS shopping cart. i havent taken the plunge because i still have 2 bottles of my current cleansing water!
Girlfriend, are you still waiting to pull the trigger on your giftcard? 🙂
oh i have pulled that trigger LOL! when Lhasa came out, i stopped holding on to itl
i also grabbed cyprus.
well there’s a little bit of money left in it so maybe … i can buy this!
OH NICE! How are you liking the shades? Isn’t Cyprus gorgeous?
I love the idea of a cleansing water; it sounds so gentle and soothing! Sounds like it’s not that strong, though, and that reason alone makes me hesitant to spend the $29… :/
It’s great for days when I’m not the long-wearing stuff! You might still want to try it. 🙂
Hmmm I like the fact that it’s gentle, but if it takes 5 minutes to remove waterproof mascara I might have to give it a pass. I only use waterproof mascaras (because they hold curls as opposed to non-waterproof ones), so a bi-phase one might work better for me anyways.
Have you tried MAC Cleans Off Oil, Sunny? I use that on days I wear waterproof mascara, and I looooove it!
I really like how gentle it sounds but for the price I was hoping it would remove more stubborn makeup too.
It should be fine if your not wearing any long-wearing stuff. 🙂 Maybe try it on those days?
Thanks, Karen! Would like to try this very soon. I love NARS Eye Makeup Remover, I hope this works as well. 🙂
Hi Gracie,
You’re welcome! I hope you like this product. I used it again last night before going to yoga… it works like a charm!
This sounds like a nice “quick-change” product that I’d really like. I have oily skin and a lot of acne problems, so my foundation and makeup doesn’t exactly look fresh after a day at work (or really even by mid day), and I I’m going out after work and have time to get ready, I’ll borrow Lancomes cleansing water (WISH we carried Nars so I could try this baby out!) my foundation, concealer, blush, etc, and head for the bathroom. I like using the cleansig water because i can remove my yucky looking makeup without a sink, and it’s so gentle I don’t need to moisturize, etc before I reapply my makeup (definitely saving some time!)
Hi Adrienne,
I haven’t tried that one yet. Does it remove waterproof eye makeup?
You know, I’ve never tried, but it’s supposed to! It’s always down a good job on my longwearing face products, so I wouldnt be surprised. I really like it, you should give it a whirl if you get a chance! Though it is a bit more expensive at $35.
This week I had two customers at Macy’s ask if we carried Nars, to which I replied “No, but I WISH!” lol
Hey Karen,
SO just curious, have you tried Lancome’s Micellar Cleansing water..? If so, how do you find it in comparison to this product? I thought it was cheaper, but just checked its $36 ( It is 6.8oz(200mL)
Thanks!
Hi Shauna,
Nope, I haven’t tried Lancome’s Cleansing water!
hmm. Just might give this one a whirl…looks interestin. Thanks Karen 😀