For most of my adult life, I used only one eye makeup remover - Lancome's Bi-Facil. It wasn't because I believed it was the best thing ever. Someone gave me a sample and it worked well against waterproof mascara. When I finished the sample up, I continuously repurchased it for many years. I used to work on average 60 hours a week in addition to taking care of my family so, I didn't prioritize finding a replacement. Now that I have more time on my hands, I'm on a quest to find comparable, less expensive alternatives to some of my high end make-up products. Hence, this review...Price:
When I purchased this, it was part of a "buy one, get one 50% off" promotion so I didn't pay full price. However, as of this posting, my neighborhood Walgreens retails it for $8.29. This was a definite plus! It's close to $20 less and almost a full ounce more than Bi-Facil's smaller bottle.
I totally recommend buying drugstore make-up only during sale promotions because, it WILL eventually be on sale and you won't be waiting long for it to come back around. I learned the hard way - grrr!
Packaging:
As you can see in the photo, it comes in a blue-tinted cylinder bottle and it is plastic. It holds 5.5 fluid ounces of a clear, dual-phase liquid intended to be shaken before use so the transparency of the bottle allows you to confirm you've mixed it well. Hmm...this looks oddly familiar? Yeah, it wasn't hard to visually find a Bi-Facil dupe.
When you remove the cap, the opening is essentially the size of the cap. Here I wish it was similar to Bi-Facil where the opening is much smaller so it helps minimize over-saturating my cotton pad or lose a generous amount when I or my cats accidentally topple it over.
Performance:
After drowning my cotton pad (sarcasm intended), I lay the pad on my eyelid for a few seconds before the initial swipe. My eye shadow and eyeliner consistently come off with one swipe however, I usually have to work a little more to completely take off mascara. The product claims there is no need to tug or pull to remove your eye makeup, but I do have to rub a bit if I'm wearing waterproof products. They also claim there is no stinging and I agree, but with any makeup product, make sure you patch test first.
I found that Neutrogena is very similar and performs like my old friend, Bi-Facil, but there is one significant difference. Bi-Facil usually leaves me with an oily residue whereas Neutrogena's residue is noticeably less and not as oily feeling. The Bi-Facil oily residue didn't bother me before because, I would wash my face as the next step. Now that I know it doesn't have to feel greasy in the end, it's hard to go back.
Overall Impression:
Clearly I've found my Bi-Facil replacement! If only I did this years ago. How much more money would I have for shoes?
Neutrogena's Oil-Free Makeup Remover works just as well Bi-Facil, is less expensive and you can frequently get more for your money during the drugstore sales. This was clearly a no-brainer!
Neutrogena's Oil-Free Makeup Remover works just as well Bi-Facil, is less expensive and you can frequently get more for your money during the drugstore sales. This was clearly a no-brainer!
*Extra Tidbit*
I'm a geek so I wanted to understand what "dual-phase liquid" really means because it's a heavily used description in many eye makeup removers. I didn't have a chemist on hand to ask, but I did the next best thing and "googled" it. Well...I couldn't find a straight answer, but I suspected it functions along the same lines as a vinaigrette. Essentially, these products contain a lipid and water, which is why you can see a demarcation. When you shake it to combine these ingredients, it activates all the goodness needed to remove your eye makeup, especially waterproof ones. Geek out...
