You might sound so extra when you tell someone you have a specific way you remove your eye makeup.
But believe me, when I say, you might be damaging your eyes by removing eye makeup the wrong way.
We spoke to some professional makeup artists and did a ton of research before preparing this guide on how to remove eye concealer.
Keep reading these guides to know what you might be doing wrong and how you can rectify these mistakes when taking off your eye concealer.
Common mistakes you might be making when removing your eye concealer
Using harsh products
The skin around your eyes area is the most sensitive of all your skin.
Using harsh products to remove your makeup will definitely cause some irritation and might also lead to boils and scars.
To prevent this from happening, you should use approved makeup removal products to get rid of the makeup around your eyes.
If you can’t access makeup removal products, you can use any oil-based products such as coconut, olive, jojoba, or even avocado oil.
Too much rubbing
Even with the best makeup removal products, running your eyes is too much while trying to remove your eye concealer will lead to premature aging.
Since the skin around your eyes is very sensitive, you might break a vein or two.
Apply makeup removal products around your eyes and start massaging the eyes in a circular motion.
Not letting the makeup removal products work as they are supposed to
As we all know, almost all concealers are super pigmented or waterproof. You cannot expect the makeup remover to work within seconds.
Once you have applied the remover let it sit on your face for about five minutes for it to break the chemical composition of the concealer.
After five minutes, you can start rubbing your eyes gently in a circular motion until all the concealer is off your eyes.
You can then use some wipes or cotton wool to remove the products from your eyes.
How to properly remove eye concealer?
From my previous guide on how to remove concealer and also (remove concealer without makeup remover), I gave you some you can use to remove concealer from your face.
Most of the tips I gave you will remain.
However, I will add a few more tips considering eyes are very sensitive.
Step 1: Wash your hands
Touching your eyes with dirty hands might cause you some very serious infections.
Before you start your eye concealer removal, ensure you wash your hands with warm water and soap.
Rinse your hands well to prevent any soap remnant from getting into your eyes.
Step 2: Remove your eye lashes
Fake lashes are part of your makeup so they got to go.
Remove them by hand and place the somewhere safe if you will wear them again.
Step 3: Apply a gentle makeup remover on your eye area
Before using any product on your eyes, check for the ingredients.
Some ingredients used on make-up removal are very strong for your eye area.
They might end up thinning your skin causing premature aging or even irritation.
- After finding a gentle makeup remover, apply it to your eyes. Let it sit for about five minutes.
- Start dapping your eyes and running your face gently in a circular motion.
- By now the makeup will be easy to come out without using a lot of pressure.
Step 4: Fold a cotton pad into two and remove the makeup
After running your eyes gently, fold a cotton pad into two and wipe off the makeup from your eyes.
Folding the cotton pad into two ensures that it is thick enough to remove all the eye makeup at once.
If you can’t find cotton wool at the moment, use alcohol-free wipes.
Wipes with an alcohol content will dry up your eye skin faster.
Step 5: Cleanse your eyes skin
One thing you should know is that all products that last on shelves for more than 3 months have some added chemicals that allow them to last that long.
Most probably your favorite makeup remover has preservatives.
The chemicals used for preservation could end up burning your eyes or cause skin thinning.
After wiping out the eye makeup, use a gentle cleanser or a beauty soap that does not have lye for cleansing purposes.
You should then rinse the cleanser using plain water to ensure all the soap is off your eyes.
Step 6: Soak your eyes with water
After using a cleanser on your eyes.
Take two cotton pads. Fold them for a huge ball.
Soak them in water and place them over your eyes like cucumbers.
Soaking your eyes with water will ensure that any irritation caused by makeup removers is calmed and all the excess cleanser is soaked also.
Let the soaked cotton pads stay over your eyes for about 5 minutes as you relax until you feel them getting warm.
Wiggle the cotton pads around your eye areas especially near your lash areas to remove any remaining makeup.
Some people use micellar water for this step.
However, I would still advise you against using any processed products.
Even micellar water has chemicals that enable it last longer on shelves.
Step 7: Double cleanse your eyes
Cleansing your eyes once may not be effective, especially if you had waterproof concealer.
You can repeat the cleaning process using any oil-based products.
For example, pour some olive, jojoba, or coconut oil on your fingers and gently massage your eyes for a few minutes.
Let the oil soak on your eye area for about five minutes before repeating steps 4 to step 6 above.
By now even the most stubborn eye makeup will have been removed.
If not, repeat the process until you are sure all the makeup is off your eyes.
Step 8: Check for any active ingredients
After removing your eye makeup completely, check for any active ingredients.
If you feel any irritation or burning sensation around your eyes, your makeup remover had some active ingredients.
In most cases, people reduce the burning sensation using drug store solutions.
However, I advise against it since you don’t know if the solution you are applying will cause more irritation.
What I do is soak cotton wool in olive oil and place it over my eyes like cucumbers.
I let the cotton pads rest for a few minutes till I can’t feel the burning sensation.
Wipe off the oil and use bare water to rinse off your makeup.
Step 9: Take care of sensitive skin
Although the skin around your eye area is very sensitive, it is rarely affected by skin breakouts and acne.
However, you still have to take good care of your eyes regardless.
Skip your normal skincare routine that normally comprises scrubbing, masking, and exfoliating.
Instead, introduce an eye care routine.
Start by applying a serum that contains antioxidants and vitamin E for nourishing the skin around your eyes.
Massage the serum for a few minutes and then apply a moisturizer on top for further hydration.
If you have sensitive skin by now, your skin will be calmed and relaxed ready to take another day of makeup.
Step 10: Introduce and morning routine
Although you went hard on your eye area the night before when removing your eye concealer, you will still need to prepare your eyes to take another 8 hours of makeup.
Do this by introducing a morning eye care routine that involves massaging your eyes with a gentle eye cream and moisturizing your eyes before applying a new layer of makeup.
If you do this every day before applying makeup, your eyes will remain healthy and youthful.
Skipping a morning care routine will result in possible premature aging.
Conclusion
The eyes take the most makeup than any other part of the face.
You will use a primer, an eye cream, moisturizer, concealer, multiple eye shadow colors, eyeliner, and lash glue if you are doing full face makeup.
Due to all this makeup around your eyes, you will realize your eyes get wrinkled faster and possibly get damaged.
So, when removing your eye makeup, you got to be more gentle than you would be when removing makeup from any other part of your face.
First, ensure you have clean hands to avoid transferring bacteria to your eyes.
Then, you can follow the step-by-step process provided in the guide above.
You should then subscribe to this page for more beauty hacks.
You may also enjoy reading..
- How to Remove Concealer? – Updated For 2023
- Can You Do Eyeshadow Without Concealer? |Best Guide
- What is a concealer used for?
References
- Okura, M., Kawashima, M., Katagiri, M., Shirasawa, T., & Tsubota, K. (2015). New eye cleansing product improves makeup-related ocular problems. Journal of ophthalmology, 2015.
- Akhtar, A., Kazi, T. G., Afridi, H. I., Baig, J. A., & Khan, M. (2020). Simultaneous preconcentration of toxic elements in eye makeup products through single drop ionic liquid based non-dispersive microextraction method using narrow glass column: Multivariate application. Microchemical Journal, 157, 104963.
- McIlwee, B. E., & Alster, T. S. (2018). Treatment of cosmetic tattoos: A review and case analysis. Dermatologic Surgery, 44(12), 1565-1570.
