It’s best to remove makeup in a specific order: start with your eyes and lips, then move on to the rest of your face, and do it gently rather than quickly with a single wipe. The order matters because the skin around your eyes is thinner than the rest of your face, and long-wear lip products, such as lip liner or long-wear lip gloss, often need to stay in contact with remover longer than foundation does. Below, you’ll find a practical plan for this step, including when to reach for cleansing balm instead of a regular face wash, and when irritation from cosmetics means it’s time to see a dermatologist rather than pick another product off the shelf.
- Start with your eyes and lips, then remove makeup from the rest of your face — this reduces the risk of irritating the most sensitive areas.
- For daily face washing, dermatologists recommend lukewarm water and a gentle, alcohol-free product applied with your fingertips, without rubbing.
- Higher-coverage foundation means more layers of product on your skin, so sometimes you need to repeat the cleansing step rather than scrub harder.
- Cleansing balm works well on water-resistant products, while micellar water is a quicker, gentler option for your eyes and lips.
- Recurring redness or itching after removing makeup is a reason to see a dermatologist, not to try another cosmetic on your own.
Why the order you remove makeup in matters
Everyday makeup — foundation, blush, lip gloss or lip liner — stays on your skin until the end of the day, so removing it is just as much a part of your routine as applying it, not something to do “if you have time.” Products left on overnight stay in contact with your skin for many hours, so thorough removal matters more than how quickly you get it done. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends washing your face no more than twice a day, and also after heavy sweating, with lukewarm water and a gentle, alcohol-free, non-abrasive product applied with your fingertips rather than a washcloth or sponge. It also advises against rubbing your skin — after washing, gently pat it dry with a soft towel rather than rubbing it (source: Face washing 101, American Academy of Dermatology). The same principle applies to removing makeup: gentleness, not force, determines whether your skin will simply be clean the next day or irritated as well.
Start with your eyes and lips, then move on to the rest of your face
Before moving on to the rest of your face, it’s worth removing makeup from your eyes and lips separately, because these areas react most quickly to rubbing or an overly harsh product.
Gentle eye makeup removal: no rubbing
The skin around your eyes is delicate and easier to irritate than the rest of your face, so instead of rubbing it with remover, it’s better to hold a soaked cotton pad against it for a few seconds to let the product dissolve mascara or eyeshadow on its own, then gently wipe it away, moving the pad in one direction rather than back and forth.
Long-wear lip liner and lip gloss
Long-wear lip products, such as lip liner or long-wear lip gloss, are designed not to come off straight away when you eat or drink, so a quick wipe doesn’t always remove them the first time. In practice, this means holding a soaked cotton pad against your lips a little longer than you would for regular lipstick. If you can still see color on the pad after removing it, repeat the step rather than rubbing your lips harder.
Removing higher-coverage foundation from the rest of your face
The higher the coverage of your foundation, the more layers of product sit on your skin. That means you may need to repeat the cleansing step, rather than rub harder. Foundation 13 from DIVAZ offers coverage described as reaching a high level, designed to create an even-looking complexion, for example in photos, and is applied with a sponge in thin layers — the more of these layers you apply to your skin in the morning, the more thoroughly you should remove it in the evening. The formula is designed to keep shine under control and maintain a natural finish throughout the day, which means removing it in the evening deserves as much attention as applying it in the morning. It’s not something to take care of while simply rinsing your face with water.
The same gentle, alcohol-free product and lukewarm water mentioned earlier are enough to remove this kind of foundation. The difference is that after washing, you should check your hand or the mirror to see whether any traces of color remain on your skin, rather than assuming that one wash will definitely be enough.
When cleansing balm or micellar water works better than a regular face wash
Cleansing balm or another oil-based product dissolves water-resistant substances — pigments, sunscreens or long-wear formulas — so it works well as a first step before washing with a regular gel or foam cleanser, especially after a day wearing higher-coverage foundation or long-wear lip liner. Micellar water on a cotton pad is a gentler, quicker option, especially for your eyes and lips, or on days when you’ve worn lighter makeup and a two-step cleanse isn’t necessary. Neither product replaces rinsing your face with water at the end: they remove makeup and most impurities, but not always the residue from the cleansing product itself.
After removing makeup: moisturising and when to see a dermatologist
After removing makeup, it’s worth applying moisturiser if your skin is dry or itchy, taking care not to pull at the delicate skin around your eyes (source: Face washing 101, American Academy of Dermatology). This step completes your routine; it’s not an extra meant only for very dry skin.
If itching, a rash or blisters keep coming back after you remove makeup, it could be contact dermatitis — a reaction to something that has touched your skin, such as fragrance in a cosmetic product. It usually starts with itching, followed by a rash, sometimes with blisters, within a few hours to a few days of contact. In this situation, it’s better to consult a dermatologist than try another product on your own, because identifying and avoiding the specific ingredient that irritates your skin is the only way to make the problem actually go away — and the sooner you see a specialist, the sooner your skin will calm down (source: Contact dermatitis, American Academy of Dermatology).
Removing makeup in the right order — eyes and lips first, then the rest of your face, with a gentle product suited to how much you’ve actually applied — is a simple way to keep your evening routine from ending in irritation. This applies to both light everyday makeup and days when you wear higher-coverage foundation or long-wear lip liner, when all you need to do is spend a little longer removing it. You’ll find more practical makeup and skincare tips on the DIVAZ blog.