Yes, it is an art! Removing your make-up at the end of the day is an absolute must, and it’s not a case of simply splashing with soap and water. Most modern make-up is formulated to be long-wearing, which means it will adamantly resist removal if you don’t choose the correct solutions.

Eyes

The removal of eye make-up is a delicate operation, especially if you’re a fan of the holy trinity of eyewear: liner, shadow and mascara. You’ll need to tread carefully between removing it completely and effectively, and keeping your delicate eye-zone skin looking and feeling great. Pulling and dragging this fragile skin runs the risk of crow’s feet and sagging bags, so a gentle formulation is a must. Clarins Gentle Eye Make-up Remover Lotion will cut through even the thickest of eye make-up and contains burdock, a mild and natural astringent to clean effectively and leave skin feeling supple and moisturised.

Soak a cotton pad in the solution and gently place the over your closed lid, pressing gently for about 40 seconds. This allows the remover to penetrate any stubborn particles of make-up and dissolve them. Next, sweep the pad over your eye lid, and down over the top of your lashes to remove all eye shadow and grime. Use a different pad for each eye for maximum effectiveness and hygiene.

To clear your lashes of mascara, open your eye and gently dab the underside with the cotton pad, moving from root to tip. Eye liner can be taken off by soaking a cotton tip in remover and carefully dabbing it along the lash-line.

Face

If foundation is a must, the formulation for taking it off is equally as important as putting it on. Skin regenerates itself at night and needs to breathe in order to repair itself correctly, so taking off the layers of foundation, powder, concealer, sebum, pollutants and dirt is no mean feat. To restore your skin’s equilibrium, some serious make-up removing power is needed!

Apply a few generous blobs of Givenchy Skincare Clean To Sublime Expert Serum Makeup Remover to the face and massage all over, not forgetting the sides of your nose and your neck. Next, take a fresh cotton wool pad and sweep it firmly across your forehead, taking care to press against rather than pull at the delicate skin. Use gentle but firm movements to remove all of the cleansing lotion, using a fresh cotton wool pad with every stroke.

Finally, saturate a new cotton wool pad in a refreshing toner such as Annick Goutal Rosee Splendide Spray, a soothing and moisturising toner with astringent grapefruit extract and rose serum for sensitive and dry skin, or Vichy Normaderm Purifying Astringent Toner for skin that’s a little oilier. Remove the last traces of cleanser, remembering to sweep it over your eyebrows and the sides of your nose, where gunk can accumulate.

Lips

It may seem as if lipstick is self-removing, and older blends certainly were, but modern formulations are designed to last all day and will require specific removal.

The lip area is very delicate, so using a gentle moisturising cream cleanser such as Guerlain Secret de Purete Biphase Eye & Lip Makeup Remover will help to maintain the moisture equilibrium of your mouth. Smear the cream generously, not forgetting to smile whilst removing so that the cream reaches any stray colour pigments lurking between the creases.

With a cotton wool pad, gently wipe each lip in turn, using downward strokes for the upper lip, and upward strokes for the lower lip (this way you won’t induce fine lines and wrinkles by pulling the skin in different directions). Unlike the face, don’t use a toner afterwards as it can dry out this already parched area. Simply apply a layer of super moisturising Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm, with added SPF25, Vitamin E and antioxidant green tea extract.