SUSTAINABLE BEAUTY

HOW I STOPPED USING

makeup wipes!

BY ELIZABETH TRAN

YOUR MAKE-UP REMOVING ROUTINE MAY BE UNDER looked as social media places heavier emphasis on makeup tutorials and skincare routines. However, disregarding it could also make you not realize how much waste makeup removing can collect over time. As the founder of the environmental non-profit Teens Go Green, I love promoting a minimal waste lifestyle. Every so often I collect a trash audit to see what I can cut back on. Outside of food and packaging, makeup wipes were actually my biggest trash!

The problem is many of them contain harsh chemicals and are made of fibers that cannot break down over time. And don’t get me started on individual prepackaged wipes, as there is more single-use plastic compared to the actual wipe! It is a challenge because you don’t want to compromise your convenience, and most importantly your skin’s well being. Personally, my skin is very acne prone and I prefer waterproof mascara otherwise it smudges my eye shape. Before, I would use those popular blue Neutrogena makeup remover wipes but I had so many wipes leftover I had to change it.

I first tried The Makeup Eraser. I went through YouTube website reviews to only see positive things when I was so skeptical. How on earth is a fuzzy towel supposed to remove my waterproof mascara when even regular makeup removers can’t? Honestly by itself it did not live up to the reviews. Eventually my makeup came off, but I felt like I was wiping the foundation of my cheek to the foundation of my forehead. The first time I tried it I broke out all over, so I left it in my closet for some time.

My roommate then introduced me to makeup remover balms and I was bewildered. I only needed a tiny piece to spread on my face and break down my makeup, to then wash everything off. I was excited to get my own when I realized I still had my waterproof mascara smudging under my eyes. I wouldn’t want to keep on trying to rub it off with the makeup balm because I would pull my under eye skin too hard.

It was then the Makeup Eraser could come in handy and clear off my leftover mascara. I then used my regular cleanser to remove any leftover makeup and balm residue. You can also use a fleece blanket instead of buying the makeup eraser. And for makeup balms, I used Farmacy because I heard great things and was worried for my acne prone skin. The first time I wore full-on makeup three days straight I used the eraser and balm and miraculously had no breakouts!