I went to bed with a full face of makeup and actually convinced myself that my lashes looked great when I layered a new coating on top of yesterdays leftover mascara. It was back in the days when I started experimenting with foundation to cover up my acne, and reality hit hard: My breakouts got worse by the day, and soon it was obvious that I had to clean my face.

Since then, makeup remover is a staple on my bathroom shelf. I have tried more brands than I can keep count of, but I always had a complaint.

Either they stung my eye, left half of my mascara stuck to my lashes or were ridiculous expensive. Or worst, everything combined.

Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover Waterproof

If money didn’t matter, Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover would be my first choice. It is suited for heavy or water-resistant makeup, and even though I don’t wear water-resistant mascara on a daily base, I generally prefer those to the gentle ones.

But sadly, money does matter, and a bottle containing 125 ml sells for 25 € on the website here. I go through one bottle in about two months, and I am not willing to spend that much money on taking off my makeup.

Cyclomethicone emo|h|solv|vc 0 0, Aqua/Water/Eau solv, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Isohexadecane emo|solv, Butylene Glycol h|solv|vc 0 1, Sodium Chloride vc, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Water so, Parfum/Fragrance perf, Benzyl Alcohol pres|perf|solv|vc, Panthenol so|h 0 0, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside surf, Disodium EDTA chel, Tetrasodium EDTA chel, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Dehydroacetic Acid pres, Citric Acid buff, Potassium Sorbate pres, Sodium Benzoate pres, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract so|aox 0 0, Ci 42090/Blue 1 col

So for the longest time I just used my Bioderma Sensibio Eau Micellaire, which is 22 € for 1000 ml on the website here. As much as I love it as a pre-cleanse, it is just okay at removing my eye makeup. It got rid of the majority, but the next morning I would still wake up to panda eyes, which is not a pretty sight.

You can imagine the excitement when I discovered a budget alternative: The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye & Lip Makeup Remover. As soon as I placed my next order at The Body Shop (which seems to be getting quite frequent lately), I made sure to add it to my basket.

 

The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye & Lip Makeup Remover

Just like Clarins, the product itself has an oil-based phase (clear) and a blue-toned water based phase, which mix after shaking the bottle. It contains 150 ml and is available for 8 € on the website here.

Aqua/Water solv, Isododecane emo|solv, Isopropyl Palmitate emo 1 3–4, Potassium Phosphate buff, Hexylene Glycol solv|emu|perf|surf 0–1 0–2, Sodium Chloride vc, Dipotassium Phosphate buff, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate chel, Decyl Glucoside surf, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide pres, Disodium Edta chel, Arginine sii, Taurine buff, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract so|perf

While the Clarins smells floral, no scent is noticeable with The Body Shop. Both don’t feel oily on my lids, leave a film on my contacts or sting my eyes. One night I used Clarins on one and The Body Shop on my other eye and except from the smell couldn’t tell a difference.

For me they are a dupe in effectiveness, not in ingredients obviously. But as how a product performs matters more to me in makeup removers than which ingredients it contains, for me that is close enough to safe the money.