Loreal De-Maq Expert - Ultra Make Up Remover

My make up routine has changed so much in the last year, especially so with the addition of primers and I find that I now am more thorough with my cleansing at the end of the day to ensure that I get all the product off my face. I can bet that you too, dear readers, now use primers as part of your make up routine? 

For me primers really help keep my make-up looking fresh for a longer time - and we all work long hours right and want to make sure that our make-up does not melt off by midday especially so in the heat of Malaysia. For me, having combination skin makes keeping my make-up on and looking fresh a challenge but with primers on my eyelids and as a base now has revolutionized the staying power of my make-up.   

On a recent trip with the family up north a few hours to Ipoh, I came across this curiously named item at the mall. It's called the "De-Maq Expert" which is an ultra concentrated make-up remover - I can picture someone sitting by a window with their brow furrowed, trying to come up with something fancier than, say, "Make Up Remover"!

I already own and religiously use several different brands of make-up removers so I was keen to try out something different.

This product comes in a 100ml tube with a pop cap which makes for convenient dispensing of this gel like, ever so lightly yellow tinted substance. It has a light, sort of grassy smell which I found to be quite pleasant. Because the slightly oily, gel like substance is not runny, it's easy to dispense a small blob of this and work into the face. No need to first wet the face, just put a small amount on your fingers and work it into your skin. You will be surprised to see how well the products on your face sort of melt off!

Be sure to keep this away from your eyes until you are ready to wash this off because if the product gets into your eyes, there will be a few minutes of cloudiness experienced. I did not feel a sting, rather a slight irritation caused by the clouding in my eyes.

I start on my cheeks and work my way around the nose area, on my lips, along the hairline and my forehead before closing my eyes and massaging around the eyes concentrating on the inner corner of the eyes and the lashes. Be sure to keep your eyes tightly closed at this point. After you are done, take a little water and work it into the face to emulsify the gel which then turns into a milky substance. Rinse off well with water. I follow up with a cleanser to remove the product completely.

To be honest, there is one item that I stay away from because of the difficulty involved in removing them well, and that is waterproof mascara. I love them and have a few brands that make my lashes look very lush but hate the amount of work that goes into removing them properly. But since I have purchased this, I have been bringing out all my waterproof mascara's and having a blast with them as they come off easily with this product!  

I must say that I am very happy with this product! Other oil based removers I use, are effective but oily and I have to make sure I follow up with a good cleanser afterward. With this, I do use a cleanser, but at least I am not fumbling with opening it because of my oily hands and then getting the sink all oily.....too much work!

A decent amount of this gel is all that is needed to effectively remove all my make-up. If you see these pictures, you can see how the product has turned brown as my foundation is removed.

All my eye make-up off, concealer under the eye, has virtually melted after a gentle rub of the gel....no vigorous rubbing necessary.

Below is a list of the ingredients:- I don't see any parabens in the ingredients list which is a good thing. The product claims to be suitable for sensitive skin too. I did not break out in spots after using this. As with every product I use, I am very cautious in the beginning and I use new products every other day in the first week. If I do not break out in spots, then I know this product is suitable....I have used this for close to a month now with no breakouts. Each skin reacts differently to different products so please be careful when you try something new.

For a price of RM27.90, I think this is well worth it - there is no need to use much as the product is concentrated enough to make a small amount go a very long way.  I have also tried just using this product and then rinsing it off without following up with a cleanser, but my skin did not feel truly comfortable. Also, instead of washing off the product, I have used a facial wipe - this worked for me but again, I am the sort who likes a 'clean feel' face at the end of the day so its an individual thing.

Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless Serum Primer

A friend from Kentucky was kind enough to pick up a few things for me when she came to KL for her annual family visit. One of the items she brought was Covergirl & Olay’s Simply Ageless Serum Primer. I was so very excited to try this to see if this primer was any good compared to Smashbox Photo Finish Primer and even Monistat Chafing Gel.

On the website, there are several claims which state:-

Hydrates and smoothes skin for an ageless canvas 

• Hydrates and smoothes skin for an ageless canvas
• Helps boost skin’s elasticity
• Creates a finish that looks instantly firmed

This product goes on above your moisturizer however, it says on the packaging tha you can forgo moisturizer and use this alone under make up. As with all products I use, I give it a minute or so to allow for it to be absorbed well. I instantly noted that this product did not feel like silicone but rather like cream on the face.

What I liked:-

Here is what it looks like.

I love the pump packaging which dispenses just enough product hygienically. It looks mousse like and has the consistency of moisturizer. I did not notice any fragrance which is great as I hate a medley of contradicting smells on me. It also did not feel like heavy silicone ‘sitting’ on my face.

As you can see above, the primer looks very white and I was afraid that it would leave a whitish cast on my face. After blending and patting it in, you can see a slight sheen but not a noticable white cast. 

What I did not like:-

Here is the sad truth….this is not for babes with oily or combination skin. I found the primer to be quite oily as early as two hours after application. This is totally the opposite of what I experience with my current primer which in fact works very well to manage, control and diffuse oiliness on the face. In fact, I really felt uncomfortable and I found that I needed to pat my face with a tissue throughout the day. This is totally not the case with my other primers. When my face became oily, I noted too that my make up did not stay fresh and I looked almost washed out. This was caused by two things:- Firstly, the greasiness 'melted' my make up causing the colors to fade and secondly, I kept constantly dabbing my face with a tissue and this also caused make up to come off onto the tissue.

Well readers, I did not give up on the product easily. I tried it again after some time and this time I chose to leave out my moisturizer thinking that this will contribute less to the oil slick I experienced the last time. Sadly the result was the same. My face did feel unusually greasy and I still needed to pat off the oil several times during the day. I tried applying a thin dusting of face powder at lunchtime but that just felt heavy and was not comfortable at all. Needless to say, my day at the office was not so pleasant.

The Verdict:-
Unless you have dry or mature skin this is a product that you can do without. I gave this to my mum and she has not experienced the extreme greasiness that I felt. Not a product that can challenge Smashbox Photo Finish Primer or even the cheaper Monistat Chafing Gel. I would not recommend this at all. It was worth a try just for this review though!