PPS: The Holy Grail 1 - Makeup Removal

In their bid to achieve the ultimate PPS, anyone who is at least a tiny bit invested in the upkeep of their complexion would most definitely have their own personally curated stock of go-to goods and solutions. I've dedicated the next part of the PPS series to reviews of my staple skincare products. These are products I've used for a good long time, so I trust them and I've had great results with them. Hopefully they would work for you guys too!

For reference, I have combination skin; my T-zone is America's Next Top Oil Reserve, and my cheeks and chin tend to be slightly on the dry side (tight after baths, but not flaky or peeling)—thus—the products I use are of a good range, and can cater from moderately oily skin to moderately dry skin, but probably not on the extreme ends of the spectrum.

Investing in a good makeup remover - why is it so important?

If you're a major vainpot and makeup addict like me (see photo) this item is essentially 1/2 of the holy grail in your pursuit of PPS. Today, I invite you to think of makeup as nothing more than a thick sludge of goo.

Yes, yes, this 'goo' makes you fabulous like a unicorn and paints you like a rainbow in the midst of a black and white film set, but it's nevertheless still goo, and when left for hours on end, it clogs pores and encourages the growth of a whole host of nasty bacteria and what have you.

Makeup and skin-related afflictions—like acne, pimples, whiteheads, blackheads, blocked pores, etc—are like a dysfunctional couple. If you have shit on your face, you need makeup to cover it up. If you cover it up, you could possibly grow more shit on your face.

They never seem to get along.

There's even a type of acne named specifically after makeup: Acne Cosmetica. I NEVER KNEW THIS TILL TODAY LOL.

While using specially formulated makeup lessens the chances of skin problems, the bottom line is: leaving makeup on your skin for any longer than necessary is BAD and you need to get it all off before you wind down for the day.

As with all things, there are good makeup removers, and bad ones. My skin is quite sensitive, and breakouts can easily happen if I use the wrong product. In the past, I used varying brands of makeup removal wipes; they were the quickest and most hassle-free, and I happily wiped makeup off my face with them for years... until one fine day, I grew a cyst on my lower right waterline. Dafuq. I actually didn't notice it as it wasn't painful (but I hear they can be!), but when I did notice...

...Yup.

After consulting a beautician, I discovered the cause: IMPROPER REMOVAL OF MAKEUP.

Turns out that makeup removal wipes, convenient as they may be, are a really terrible long term solution to makeup removal, because they're just simply not thoroughly cleansing, especially if you tend to use more makeup around your eye, like me. If they were even sufficient, they would probably be more suited for people who go for 'barely-there' makeup looks that don't require much product, or only used as a last resort (when you're at an impromptu staycay and you didn't bring all your good stuff, when you're on a plane and you left all your shit in your check-in luggage, etc, shit happens).

I guess that's probably why you don't see good cosmetic brands selling wipes?

Enter, Caudalíe, a French cosmetic brand founded by husband and wife duo, Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas. Three years ago, I made a complete swap over from drugstore wipes to Caudalíe's makeup removers, and although they extend my cleansing/skincare routine by a few extra minutes, they're completely and utterly worth the time (and money).

Behold.

Why is Caudalíe so special?

The Caudalíe range of skincare products are well-known for containing vine and grape extracts from vineries in Bordeaux, France, and other organic ingredients which are gentle, yet can deliver a completely nourishing and scrupulous cleanse. They're also 100% free of synthetic derivatives such as parabens, phenoxyethanol, paraffin, mineral oil and phthalates - all of which are chemicals which are likely to deteriorate your skin health.

Marketing and technical spiel aside, my experience with this particular brand comes from the almost-daily use of their gentle makeup removal lotion, and more recently (because the lotion is no longer available for retail, if I'm not wrong), their micellar cleansing water.

I particularly like their makeup removal products because they are very gentle on your skin, and they don't leave the skin on your face feeling raped of moisture. They're also effective in removing all sorts of makeup, and this is something I can fervently attest to.

Let me offer some context: I've been using Ettusais' bi.ta.ba. Volume Mascara since I was 18 years old, and it is by far the most IRRITATINGLY DIFFICULT mascaras to remove. It is waterproof, oil proof, and literally almost everything-proof, and it makes my lashes look SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME... but ya la fucking difficult to remove, so much so that I sometimes avoid using it even though I love its effect on my lashes...

... Until I discovered that Caudalíe's makeup removal products can remove it in a matter of seconds. Hallelujah!

After regular use, I found that my skin became less prone to small bumps which signal a case of blocked pores, and I also noticed a significant change in how smooth my skin felt. It really was quite extraordinary, and I'm totally sold.