I was wildly skeptical when I first learned of the Makeup Eraser, a reusable, chemical-free cloth that, just by adding water, can remove any kind of makeup. In fact, I was excited to debunk the too-good-to-be-true notion by checking out the Sephora reviews, which notoriously take no prisoners. So imagine my surprise when I found nearly universally glowing reviews from discerning customers and cosplayers alike. I wondered: Could this really be the beauty girl's answer to Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser?
I decided to find out for myself, saving the fabled Eraser—an ultra-soft, hot pink 7-inch x 16 inch cloth—for one of those nights. You know, the kind where the odds of you taking off your makeup are stacked largely against you. As instructed, I wet the cloth with warm water and went to town on my eyes specifically as I tend not to wear a lot of base coverage. I was impressed that with just a few gentle scrubs, my waterproof cat eyes and mascara-ed lashes were almost completely gone sans the usual raccoon-eye situation.
But still dubious, I swiped on some matte lip color, secretly hoping it could stump the magical powers of the cloth. Alas, the sticky bright red pigment was no match. This said, after using the eraser, I used a cotton ball and toner for one last once-over and there were some slight traces of makeup. But I was still totally impressed. It wasn't 100% perfect, but it got the job done—and then some.
For one, I felt like it was less abrasive on my skin than my usual routine of using cotton pads and makeup remover. And just as importantly, the whole process was lazy-girl proof. I loathe having to take my makeup off after a super long day, and as is the case with ramen noodles, "just add water," has A LOT of appeal. Not to mention, while pricey makeup wipes have saved us many a time, often times they're saturated with chemicals and can irritate or dry out the skin.
But despite my claims, as well as that of 300+ Sephora users, you're probably still wondering: but how exactly? What it comes down to is the cloth's polyester-blend and silk microfibers, which are weaved so finely that they can penetrate the surface tension of oils where products and skin bond. Or, in the immortal words of Drake, the Magic Eraser is hittin' all the spots that you ain't even know was there. So yes, buy one, and thank me later.
Makeup Eraser The Original MakeUp Eraser, $20; sephora.com.
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