Thursday, October 02, 2008

Saving on Eye Makeup Remover

I know it sounds like a really silly place to pinch pennies but I really am in a penny pinching mood lately. Few people realize just how drastic our pay cut was but I'm in a mood for honesty lately too so I'll let the cat out of the bag a little bit here... it was nearly half. So, to put it bluntly when you lose half (almost) of what you make and then turn around and take an additional sum out of each paycheck for health insurance (unfortunately for us a necessary evil) you get extreme about pinching pennies. I have read lately about folks who have lost LOTS and LOTS of money in the recent stock downturns so nearly everyone is looking for ways to save some money.

Okay...so anyway. I ran out of eye makeup remover and don't you know that good old Maybelline waterproof whatever it's called in the pink tube that I've worn since junior high mascara don't come off with just any old thing! I read a few articles here and there and got mega frustrated and irritated and kept telling myself to just go to the store and fork out the $5 or whatever for a bottle of the cheapo waterproof eye makeup remover... but I just couldn't make myself do it, even when I found a coupon! I kept thinking about it and I hate the way it makes my skin feel, I hate the greasy feeling on my eyes and I hate the smell of it and I hate the oily feel of it, and I hate that I have to pay for something that I hate to use.

I ended up using Google (of course) and trying out a few different recipes and then tinkering with them to get them just right for me. This is what I ended up with and I love it.

Homemade Eye Makeup Remover
2 Tablespoons baby shampoo
you can use the brand of your choice but make sure that it doesn't sting! They all say they do but we all know that some of them are lying. My test batch was actually make with Johnson and Johnson's Vapor Bath because that just happened to be what I had on hand, it worked but did give me a little "zing" that some people won't appreciate.

1/4 tsp oil of choice
I say oil of choice because some people are extremely opposed to using mineral oil. I used it in my 1st test batch, but to see if other oils would work I also tried safflower and castor oil and olive oil. All of them worked well enough for me.

3/4 to 1 cup of water
If your water is heavily chlorinated you might want to boil it first. Mix the ingredients together slowly and put into a container of your choice but you will want one with a lid that you can store conveniently.

To use this just saturate a cotton ball with it and hold it over your eye for a few seconds then gently swish the makeup off. I love not having the greasy feeling and my eyelashes feel healthy and soft instead of crunchy and itchy all the time. I used to have lots of gunk in the corners of my eyes in the morning when I woke up but now they feel clean (tired but clean).

I haven't calculated how much this actually saves because I know it varies tremendously from person to person. I imagine that a sample size bottle of baby shampoo would last me a good long while though.

So that's it, another easy way to save a little bit of money.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You mentioned not liking a greasy feel, but good old-fashioned petroleum jelly (vaseline!) is a great make-up remover, it's cheap, and has a zillion other uses, medicinally and otherwise. Might be a good option (for some at least!)

Ginger said...

I don't use eye makeup remover, but love any thrifty ideas and enjoyed this post. We have recently began making our own homemade laundry soap. It is working out great and we save lots of money compared to the expensive stuff at the store. I am sorry about the insurance costs, etc.

Thank you so much for the sweet comment and well wishes you left on my blog. I am not blogging right now, but I put you on my favorites and plan on coming by and "seeing" you. How are you adjusting to your medication? God's Blessings be upon you!

Morgan said...

Neat recipe! I usually get washable mascara, but I got waterproof without realizing that I had to use the company's special formula...silly me. Any area is a great area to save money in!
I'm sorry your family is dealing with some hard times. God bless you guys!

Jeannie said...

Hi anonymous,
petroleum jelly is wonderful for all sorts of stuff... and it definitely fits the bill for cheap! I just hate having that greasy feeling on my eyes though. I do know that it beats any of those fancy foot creams for healing dry and flaky feet!

Janie!!!!
We have made laundry soap too and it's a great way to save money. I hope to post some of the ways to make it soon. I have made the liquid type several different ways, but I've also made the powdered variety and liked it too.

I hope that you are doing well and feeling at least a bit better!

Morgan,
Thanks for your sweet comment, and for stopping by! I agree, it's always good to save money in any area that you can. I tried washable mascara but I am one of those people who just can't keep my hands out of my face ... particularly my eyes, I seem to always be rubbing them and I used to end up looking like a racoon.

This recipe is one of those rare things when brands do seem to matter too... I've dabbled a little more and baby magic and johnson's baby shampoo both seem to work better than the super cheap stuff... there are several bargain brands I haven't tried yet but there is only so much I can try in so little time.