I learned how to put on makeup by watching my mother, just as I learned to take it off. For years she swore by baby oil and nothing else, squeezing a generous squirt on a cotton ball to remove the blue-black mascara and eyeliner that framed her eyes. And I did too, up until a few years ago when the oil started to irritate my skin and I’d wake up in the mornings with puffy eyelids that wouldn’t deflate for hours. Since then I’ve tried a number of eye-makeup-remover products, some of them effective but way out of my budget (mine were trial-sized), others more reasonably priced that don’t work as well. So when Garnier Canada sent me its new Clean+ Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser for Sensitive Skin (hey, that’s my skin!), I was game to test it out.

Because it’s a lotion I applied it like I would any other cleanser: on my fingers and then directly on my eyelids. (One at a time, mind you. And the directions advise you to put it on dry skin.) Before I go further, I should say that I use Benefit’s They’re Real mascara and push-up liner, which are not waterproof, but still notoriously difficult to remove. (Benefit sells a remover, but I haven’t tried it.) Because of this, I spent a good 15 seconds rubbing the product around each eyelid and on my lashes just to make sure it would come off.  I used a wet cloth to remove the cleanser completely (my makeup had disappeared! it worked!) and a cotton swab to wipe off the faint line of mascara residue along my bottom lash line. (I don’t use eyeliner under my eyes.) That done, I rubbed a dime-sized amount of lotion on my cheeks and chin to remove my blush and BB cream and again, wiped with a wet cloth.

As an eye makeup remover, Garnier’s lotion worked really well. It felt gentle to use, removed the makeup easily and didn’t irritate my eyes overnight. (My sensitive skin approves!) But as a face cleanser, it’s not my fave. My skin did feel really soft for the three days that I tried it, but I couldn’t help feeling like I needed to use a toner to remove some residue. It wasn’t greasy exactly, but I definitely felt like there was something there.

I would definitely use the lotion to remove my eye makeup over the wipes I use now. For overall cleansing however, I’ll continue to use my regular brand.

Have you tried Garnier’s Clean+ Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser for Sensitive Skin? What did you think?

To read more reviews, click on the image below or follow the hashtag #GarnierSensitive.

The opinions and language in this review are my own and in no way do they reflect Garnier Canada.