As you may know, I've tried several cleansing oils. They were from the cheaper ones to the more expensive ones. But they all had one function - to clean off all my makeup and sunscreen. Especially my waterproof versions.
And because now that many companies have imported different Korean cleansing oils, the prices have gone a tad up. I mean, yes, it's still cheaper to buy directly from Korea if I want a cheap cleansing oil. But - I wanted to try something that I can get here. A product for which I wouldn't have to wait for 3 months to get it.
So, when I was picking up cleansing oils on Notino, I noticed this MAC Cleansing oil. I thought that the price would be higher, because well, let's be honest, MAC is expensive.
But truth to be told, the price is comparable to other imported brands. I was intrigued so I got it.
MAC Cosmetics Cleanse Off Oil
The MAC Cosmetics Cleanse Off Oil makeup remover removes makeup, dirt and all impurities from your face perfectly and leaves the skin soft and clean.
So, it's a cleansing oil. But a fancy cleansing oil. Fancy because it comes in a very pretty cardboard box. It feels expensive. It looks expensive. It is an upscale brand, so even the cleansing oil is more high-end than low-end.
THE PACKAGING
Can you see it? The textured cardboard box? It looks really pretty. It's shiny and it's made from thick cardboard. I felt a bit bad throwing it in the recycle box. I mean, it's so pretty and I'm a sucker for pretty packaging.
The bottle itself looks classy and unpretentious as most MAC products do. I had a couple of their makeup items and they all had the same plain look. Basic but functional. Except for the limited editions, those are usually something funky. :)
The bottle comes with a handy pump that works flawlessly.
Sometimes with cleansing oils, they can come with defective pumps which makes the whole application messy.
Luckily it's not like this with the MAC cleansing oil. It works great and I usually need 2-3 pumps to get everything off my skin.
THE OIL PERFORMANCE
The oil is thin. It's very watery and slick. Well, it's a proper oil. There's no balmy feeling, just plain mineral oil.
It's comfortable, has almost no scent (I can smell a slight almondy/jojoba kind of scent, but only if I put my nose almost in it) and it does the job well.
In contact with water, it turns into milky water and leaves no residue.
But if it gets in your eyes it will leave a slight film on them. You'll probably see blurry for a couple of minutes.
Luckily it doesn't burn my eyes.
When I use it, I have to be careful to not use too much of it (which is easy to overdo, I mean it's watery!). I think that a small bit of it would work as well. I just like using lots of product. In that sense, I'm a bit wasteful.
Here I used it with all my eyeliners and my waterproof version pens. Some are brow pens (the thin ones), and some are eye pencils.
I used 1 pump to clean everything off.
- removes makeup effectively
- dissolves even waterproof makeup perfectly
- refreshing and soothing effects
- prevents skin from drying out
PROS:
+ Classy design of the bottle (I love that!)
+ Functional pump
+ Easy to use
+ Cleans off even the most waterproof sunscreen and mascara
+ Has (almost) no scent
+ You get 150ml of product which should last you quite a bit of time
+ Non-irritating
CONS:
- Expensive (27€ / 150ml)
- Eyes remain blurry for a couple of minutes after contact
OVERALL:
There are many cleansing oils I've tried and usually, they were on the thicker side. That meant that it would take a fair amount of time to get it out of my eyes but it also meant that I'd have it for a longer time because I'd be less wasteful with it (thicker formula = I'd use less of it).
The MAC cleansing oil has a thin, watery formula that feels nice on the skin and has almost no scent. I do like that. It also isn't irritating.
The only downside I see if the price and that it does leave a film on my eyes if they come in contact with the oil. Luckily it only takes a couple of minutes to dissolve and it doesn't burn, but still. I'm still on the lookout for an oil that doesn't do that. But I think that may just be wishful thinking.
Overall I enjoy this oil and I can see myself repurchasing it.
However, if you're interested in exploring more options, especially for cleansing oils that target specific concerns, becoming an online product reviewer can be a great way to discover new favorites! There are many job search platforms like Jooble.org that offer career opportunities for product reviewers, and who knows, maybe you'll find your perfect cleansing oil while helping others out too.
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