Burn Baby, Burn. (Superdrug Skin Essentials Eye Make-Up Remover)

Member Name: bondgirlk8

Product:	Superdrug Skin Essentials Eye Make-Up Remover
Date:	02/11/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It really, really works...and is very cheap

Disadvantages: It felt burny (initially, it's better now)

As I have mentioned in other reviews since my return to dooyoo, I have just got married. This is important to this review as, although wonderful and very much worth it, weddings do tend to leave you a little bit skint. As a result, married life has kicked off with us watching every penny....even more than usual, which is saying something for someone as tight as me.

So, last week as I am desperately trying to extract the final dregs from my bottle of eye make-up remover, I am forced to accept that the day has come where I will have to buy a replacement. Enthused with the recent success we have had with many brand-downshifts on the food shopping, I decide to try the new Superdrug own no-frills brand and see if it also applies to cosmetics. How bad can it be? It's probably made by the same people that make some other swanky brand and wrapped in a disguise anyway. I take confidence from the fact that there are two varieties, one of which is specifically made for sensitive skin. Oh, goodie, I am a contact lens wearer and anything to do with my eyes panics me. Also, my skin IS a little sensitive under and around the eyes (whose isn't?). Now, my skin isn't THAT sensitive, normal products generally do me just fine. However, seeing as I'm going for a low-price version (which of course means there could be all kinds of harsh scary stuff in there), I decide to take no chances and go for the sensitive version. (The other variety is Camomile which is designed to be suitable for all skin types).

So, lets see if it's any good....

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Packaging
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The packaging of this product is very simple. It is a clear bottle which contains 150mls of the lotion. You can see the liquid inside which is handy as you always know how much you have left. It has a screw-top lid and a blue label which gives you the name of the product and a little bit of information on the back detailing the contents and instructions for using the product. It also states that it is suitable for vegans and vegetarians (yippee!) and that Superdrug are against testing on animals.

*****
Price
*****
Here's the real winner. This product costs £1. Yes, just £1. I have to say, this did worry me a little initially. You know when something is so low a price you begin to question the quality? Well, that's where I was. I justified it to myself by calmly explaining to the concerned side of me that this product is part of a whole new range and it must, surely, have been through a testing process. You only use a tiny bit, I tell myself. It's not like using really cheap cleanser that makes your skin oily, or flaky, or spotty, or all three simultaneously. Besides, it's Superdrug, you LOVE Superdrug! Well, you got me there, says the other half of me, I am indeed a Superdrug junkie. Alarm bells silenced, to the counter I march.

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Application
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The eye make-up remover is in the liquid format and so is extracted from the package by unscrewing the lid, placing a cotton wool ball or pad, or other shape of your choice, over the top and tipping the bottle a little until it dampens the cotton wool slightly. The cotton wool is then swiped across the (closed!!) eye. I like to also use a cotton bud directly after the swipe by running it along the eye-liner mark on the upper and particularly lower lids. I find this tends to help remove the more stubborn make-up from an area that is difficult to safely get into with cotton wool soaked in lotion.

It is fast and simple to apply.

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Sensations
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The first sensation to mention is probably smell. I think it is genuinely scentless. It is meant to be fragrance-free, although this doesn't always mean that there will be no smell at all, there is usually something. Not this time. I could detect nothing, and all in all that is a good thing for me.

Next comes texture. As mentioned above, this is a liquid eye make-up remover. It has the consistency of water, unlike the thicker gels or creams. The first thing that struck me was its lack of oiliness. I'm not fond of oily products, particularly if they are intended to go anywhere near my eyes. All too often eye make-up removers fall into the oily category. This one, thankfully is not one of them. It felt more like a toner than anything else. I like that.

But...Yes, there is a massive big, ugly BUT! Just after application, a split-second before the smug feeling of getting a brilliant bargain kicked in, the skin under my eyes began to sting like mad. There was an awful burny feeling. I checked to make sure it was indeed a bottle of eye make-up remover and not nail polish remover, and yes, it was. The feeling was not unlike the one you would get should you place a cotton ball soaked in nail varnish remover on to the really thin sensitive bit of skin directly below your eye.

I actually attempted to cool it and calm it down by applying cleanser to the area straight away to remove anything that might still be sitting on my skin, but I think it must have instantly absorbed and so could not be removed. It did pass fairly quickly, but it was such a shame. I didn't expect, even with the cheap price, to burn like that from a 'sensitive skin' product, regular sure, but not sensitive. As I mentioned above my skin is really not THAT sensitive...I was playing it safe! I dread to think what effect the regular version might have had!

I have tried it again this time using hardly any of the product at all, and I have found that this doesn't tend to cause so much of a reaction, but then I had to face it. I had made a blooper. Nivea, I'm so sorry, take me back.

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But does it work?
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Much as it pains me to say it, I have to say that yes, it actually does work. I guess whatever harsh chemical they are using is in there for a reason.

Before I go any further, let me point out that I really like eye make-up. It is the best of all the make-ups. On a given day my eyes will have at least three different shades of shadow, as well as eyeliner and mascara, along with a bit of added definition to my eyebrows. In addition, I favour waterproof mascara and waterproof eyeliner. I am obsessive about both these products - not only can I not leave the house without wearing them, I can't be IN the house without wearing them, even if I'm not going to see a soul all day. I'm also very unhappy with the concept of re-application, so tend to buy the industrial strength stuff. This is not easy to remove, so believe me when I say if it shifted mine, it will shift anything. I secretly wonder if, rather than a nice brand in disguise, it is actually paint stripper, or nail varnish remover in disguise.

So, overall, I've given this product a three-star rating. I did consider giving it four (can I give it 3 and a half?), because it really did work incredibly well, and it is surprisingly cheap, even the burning wasn't SO bad and my skin did seem to toughen up to it. (To be completely honest with you I think I have adjusted it, I'm still using it and it no longer burns me. Should that worry me?) However, I felt I had to penalise it for being Sensitive yet still causing the burny feeling on my skin. Had this been the regular version for "normal" skin, I would have forgiven the burning a little on the basis that my skin is too sensitive for it and it would then have earned its fourth star (had there been no burn at all, of course it would have got a perfect 5).

However, it DID work, and it probably will for you. I think it is a trial and error kind of product, you never know, it might not burn your skin. If you are brave enough to try and tough-skinned enough to take it, congratulations, you might just have your wonder product here. If you have ever had any cause to think you might not be made of leather though, it might be better not to take the risk.


Thanks for reading

© BondgirlK8 October 2009

Summary: It may or may not burn. It's a gamble.