Removing eye makeup: Part II—the best way to remove mascara

In terms of saving the undereye skin from harm, the following is my best recommendation for how to remove your mascara. Granted, this is how I remove mascara in my treatment room during a facial, it is not that simple to do on your own. I personally haven’t worn mascara (or any makeup) since I was 30 (23 years ago!), but when I did I actually used this technique to remove my mascara. It’s not the only way, but it is one way to remove mascara without disrupting the delicate undereye tissue. You’ll need cotton pads (the flat kind work best vs. a cotton ball), a few Q-tips, water, and a little patience. Once you get the hang of it, taking your mascara off this way won’t seem so arduous. Good luck!

• First, wet a cotton pad and squeeze any excess water out
• Fold the pad in half
• Then wet both ends of a Q-tip
• Place the flatened cotton under your bottom lashes, with the straight line of the fold directly up against your eyelashes
• Take the Q-tip and with one eye closed (this is where it gets a bit difficult to DIY), gently rub the Q-tip on your upper lashes. The mascara will go directly to the cotton pad, and this will not disrupt the delicate skin around your eyes.
• Another possibility is to place either a cotton pad or a towelette folded under your lower lashes and use another towelette in the same way you’d use a Q-tip—gently going over the lashes to remove mascara. This might be easier considering you really don’t have your eyes to guide you and the towelette offers a bigger surface to work with than a Q-tip
• Once you have done both eyes, simply do your regular evening Basics 1-2-3 routine, remembering to include eye cream

I would do all the makeup removal and taking off of mascara before you clean your skin. That way you can go over your eye area with the cleanser, getting off any residual makeup bits and getting your entire face super clean. Whenever you wear makeup, it’s best to cleanse twice: the first time to get the makeup off, the second time to get your skin clean.

If you wear waterproof mascara, it will require oil to remove it, not simply water. Using the above instructions, you’d put an oil (like baby oil or even your favorite mascara remover) on the Q-tip instead of water. This technique might actually keep you from getting oil in your eyes as you remove the mascara. Give it a try and see.

This technique surely isn’t the easiest way to remove makeup from your eyelashes, but if asked what is the least harmful way to do it, this is how I would suggest removing mascara. If you are constantly tugging your delicate undereye tissue, possibly rubbing your eyes inadvertently during the day, squinting, along with exposure to the sun, this tissue may show signs of aging faster.

For more information, see:

• Removing eye makeup: Part I
• Eye makeup removal with Vaseline
• How are you applying eye makeup and mascara? Here’s a QUICK TIP for anti-aging application! (upcoming)