As a waterproof mascara girl (my pin-straight lashes need it to hold a curl), I’m always on the hunt for the most effective, gentle and economical eye makeup remover. The only way to truly get all three of those for never-come-off-until-you’re-dead-and-maybe-even-later mascaras is to use a dual-phase, oil-based remover. The Nivea Express Eye Makeup Remover ($8.89 CAD) is new to their line, and it calls all the shots I want in an eye makeup remover… so I had my fingers crossed for this one!

Nivea Express Eye Makeup Remover

The bottle looks really sleek, with a flip-cap top and two distinguishable phases (one has a blue tint, which actually makes it very helpful to ensure you have complete homogenization of the solution). The way to use these types of solutions is to shake it up really well, so that the two layers look as if they have blended into one, then apply it to a cotton pad and hold on the eye for about 10-15 seconds. After, just swipe away the pad and your makeup disappears.

I found that after shaking the bottle, the phases separated really fast. So fast, I actually have to do one eye at a time and re-shake in-between uses.  The solution was super gentle though, I felt no irritation or burning, and even though it’s normal to have an oily film on your eye afterwards, it sweeps away clean with a regular eye makeup remover or cleansing water (I like Bioderma SensiBio best).  It took away all traces of waterproof makeup, eyeliner and mascara with ease (and non-waterproof mascara even easier). The price is right, it’s available at drugstores and it has definitely staked a spot on my bathroom sink.

Nivea Express Eye Makeup Remover

Nivea Express Eye Makeup Remover (Phases mixed)

Summary

• Price: $8.89 CAD for 4oz / 125mL
• Availability: Drugstores
• Overall: An effective eye makeup remover for the toughest mascara, liner and other eye makeup!  I found that it separates really fast, but the blue tint helps to know when the phases are completely mixed. Economical and effective, just the way I like it!
• Rating: A