Evening cleansing routine

~ stashy

I take cleansing quite seriously.  In the morning, it’s not as much of a focus for me, since my skin is mainly covered with skincare that I applied the night before, and any sebum from my skin from sleeping.  However, by nighttime, my skin has gone through a full day of external elements including skincare, makeup, sebum and any environmental pollutants / dust that have coated my face for 16+ hours. I need to remove all of this thoroughly before applying my evening skincare.
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I use 4 key cleansing products:
• Oil cleanser
• Eye makeup remover
• Micellar water
• Toner

Here’s a more in-depth look at what I’m currently using.

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Muji Sensitive Skin Cleansing Oil ($14.50 for 200ml – Muji stores)
I bought this in the summer and started using it after I finished my MAC Cleanse Off Oil last month. Muji offers 2 versions of their cleansing oil, the Sensitive Skin version has a base of olive oil, whereas their Regular one uses mineral oil. The Muji Sensitive Skin Cleansing oil is quickly becoming one of my top 3 cleansing oils!  It is possibly the thickest consistency of all the ones I’ve tried, which had me worried that it would not rinse off well – but nope, it rinses off cleanly and doesn’t strip the skin.
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It also doesn’t have any added fragrance so it just smells like… olive oil.  This is my first step to break down makeup, sunscreen and sebum from my skin. It’s also very effective in removing about 75% of my eye makeup. I massage the oil onto DRY SKIN for about a minute, and then I rinse with water to emulsify the oil (it turns milky) and then rinse off completely. I pat my skin dry with a dry facecloth.

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Bourjois Express Eye-Makeup Remover ($20 for 200ml – Shoppers Drug Mart)
This is my first time trying this eye makeup remover and I quite like it! It’s a dual-phase type of remover which needs to be shaken up prior to use. It’s very effective in melting off stubborn eye makeup including my waterproof mascara topcoat and liquid liner. What I really like about this is that it doesn’t leave an oily residue on my skin, and it doesn’t cloud up my eyesight.
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It reminds me of my favourite Biotherm one – at a 2/3 the price. I found this bottle in the clearance section of Shoppers Drug Mart so it was only $10 – I would shell out money for this at full price.

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Simple Cleansing Micellar Water ($10 for 198ml – drugstores)
I always follow up oil cleansing (which I consider as my 1st step cleansing) with a micellar water (2nd step cleansing). I used to rely on either a cream or gel cleanser as my 2nd step but I found them too harsh for my skin. Micellar waters are much more gentle, yet effective in removing any remaining residue. Typically I don’t have much residue left on my face since the oil cleanser is very good in removing everything – but areas where I can’t reach with the oil, such as around the hairline, on the neck, and behind the ears need special attention. You’d be surprised how much gunk micellar waters pick up from those areas (and no, I’m not a pigpen!)
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I do have to say though, I’m not too much of a fan of this particular micellar water by Simple (sorry Joy!) – I find it doesn’t pick up residue as well as other micellar waters I’ve tried, and it also tends to smear stuff around instead of lifting it off. My favourite micellar waters are: Yves Rocher, Caudalie and Reversa.

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L’Occitane Shea Butter Gentle Toner ($25 for 200ml – L’Occitane stores and online)
I finish my cleansing with an alcohol-free toner. This acts as both a final cleaning step as well as a prep for serum / moisturizer. This step is how I know that my micellar water isn’t doing its job. My goal is to not have any residue left when I’m applying my toner.  I also find that putting some hydration just prior to applying a serum helps to retain moisture in my skin better than when I apply serum to completely dry skin.  I did a review on the L’Occitane toner already recently.  My favourite alcohol-free toners are: Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner, and Mary Kay Botanical Effects Freshen Formula 1.

So this is my evening cleansing routine and products that I’m currently using.  How to do you clean your face at night?

46 thoughts on “Evening cleansing routine”

  1. I really need to try oil cleansers. I’ve always been a bit skeptical of them as I have a pretty oily T-zone, but it really seems like they work!

    I’m also not a huge fan of the Simple micellar water. Like you, I’ve found it smears junk around my face. I will, however, use it to take off my eye makeup (I think it works because I don’t use waterproof mascara).

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    1. I have combo skin with an oilier t-zone and oil cleansing has helped to thoroughly clean my skin, keeping my pores clearer! I’ve been oil cleansing for at least 8 yrs now… and there are SO many more options available compared to before. Definitely give one of the drugstore ones a try – I hear good things about the Garnier one.
      Which micellar waters have you tried that you’ve like? I’m always in the market to try new ones…

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  2. Love the post, at the moment I am still using my body shop vitamin e cleanser and toner but will later be moving on to lancome’s ones. I would love to try the l’occitane one and see how I find it.

    I also love your new christmas-y theme! xx

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  3. Our routines are totally different but I enjoyed the peek at your stash. I relied on oil cleansers when heavier foundation was in play (been curious about Muji, thanks), but now that I wear lighter things, any run of the mill cleanser works well!

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    1. I highly recommend trying oil cleansing – I was skeptical at first since I have combo skin but it has made my skin much less congested and less break-out prone, especially in my t-zone. There are good drugstore options (Garnier one sounds good) so it doesn’t have to break the bank! I also recommend the Muji one. 🙂

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      1. So I went to get the Garnier one but they were all out so I got L’Oreal’s instead. I used it last night and I really love the way it makes my skin feel. Thanks for mentioning this in your post, I can see myself loving this!

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  5. I’ve been wanting the Simple Micellar water ever since Emily Noel reviewed it on her channel. We have the brand Simple here in Malaysia but the Micellar Cleansing Water, NADA! So frustrating! Same goes for Garnier, we have the line, but the Micellar Cleansing Water, no go!

    By the way, I nominated you for a blog award. You can see it here at https://fiercepaint.wordpress.com/2015/11/19/blog-awards-4/

    Please do know that accepting the award is totally up to you and I wouldn’t be offended if you choose not to do it. I do not want to impose and make you feel obligated to dedicate a post to the award.

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    1. What a tease that the Simple brand is available but not the full line! You should write to the company and demand it. 😛
      Thanks for the nomination – I shall go check it out. I’m really behind on awards and tags… 🙂

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  6. I always remove my makeup with a wipe first, then I go over it again with micellar water, wash my face with cleanser, use toner and then moisturize! Last night I was so out of it I put on my day moisturizer without realizing it haha but at least my skin was protected from UV rays… overnight… Oops?

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    1. I’ve never use makeup wipes – I just find tugging at my skin to irritate it. I do have a few makeup wipe samples I received so I might test them to see how they work for me. SPF at night is kind of like wearing sunglasses at night? 😉 I think it happening once isn’t too bad.

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      1. I don’t have very sensitive skin to the wipes never irritate my skin unless I’m trying REALLY hard to get eyeliner off, but usually I try to get that off with micellar water or eye makeup remover!

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      1. I have to say Garnier has been fabulous and very good value for money! Also really like the Boots Botanics range… really lovely formula, a tad pricier but it just felt really refreshing, and the packaging is super pretty too lol 🙂 XXXX

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  10. Sounds like a great cleansing routine. I love oil cleansers and that MUJI one sounds very interesting. Totally agree it needs to be combined with something else in a two step routine, paring it with micellar sounds like a great idea.
    xx Anne

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      1. You can probably do it with your eyes closed right?! I love that about good routines and I always miss it if I have to travel without my extensive range of products 😉

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  11. What are your other top 3 oil cleansers? I also LOVE the Yves Rocher MW 🙂 Using the VICHY & it’s ok but I can’t wait to get back to the YR tea version. Also what other eye makeup remover (waterproof) do you recommend from both ends of the spectrum? ie. 1 that’s good value (drugstore) & 1 on your SDM points redemption list

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  12. I am also not a huge fan of the Simple MW – but mostly because I don’t like the smell at all! It smells like moldy vegetation to me. LOL. But I need to use up my bottle, ’cause I don’t like to waste stuff.

    I have a tendency to prefer removing makeup with MW first, since I don’t like the feel of moving all the makeup around my face with an oil cleanser. Is that weird?

    Thanks for the Bourjois tip. I’m running low on my Marcelle and was looking to try something else, since Marcelle can give me blurry vision! Funny story, I got an eye test done a while ago, and they put these drops in my eyes, which left my pupils dilated like crazy. They also stung like a mofo. The next morning, I woke up to blurry vision – halos around lights! I had a mini freakout, thinking that the drops had messed up my vision permanently, until I realized I just hadn’t washed the Marcelle out of my eyes properly the night before. 😛

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    1. I never noticed the moldy vegetation smell of the Simple micellar water… will have to sniff it deeply tonight lol.
      Nah, I understand why you wouldn’t like moving oil + makeup around – I tend to do my face first and then massage my eyes last so I’m not smearing black stuff all over my face.
      Haha that’s a funny story about the cause of your blurry vision – I’ve never had those pupil dilating drops but I’ve heard they make everything really bright! I really like the Bourjois one – I didn’t expect to like it so much.

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    1. Give oil cleansing a try – I think you’ll like it. There are lots of inexpensive options available now. You could even go to a MAC counter and ask them for a small sample to see how you like it.
      And sorry that your first experience with micellar water was Simple – I’d recommend giving Caudalie a try (not sure if you can get Yves Rocher there?). I’m going to try out more drugstore micellar waters and cleansing oils to see how I like them so I can recommend them on the blog. 🙂

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      1. That’s a good idea. Flying out on a few days so will ask about oil cleanding at the MAC duty free counter 🙂
        Yup would love to read more about cleansing oil recommendations from you 🙂

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