Beauty report: Nars Makeup Removing Water 

Erase skin sins in under a minute.

Name: Nars Aqua-Infused Makeup Removing Water
Price: $42
What it does: A makeup removing gel formula that acts as a magnet for impurities like oil and dirt, and to attract and lift makeup from the skin.
Key ingredients: The technology of everybody’s beloved micellar water transplanted into a gel with the hydrating properties of kiwi and coconut water.
Available from: mecca.com.au

How it feels/smells/looks

A thin, colourless gel consistency, the product freely pours out of the angular transparent bottle and carries a very mild, fresh scent. As no rinsing is required, the product leaves behind a very slight hydrating film that quickly dissipates into the skin, almost akin to the leftover emulsion of a sheet mask. And as a makeup artist, I always appreciate a luxury brand considering practicality, so the sturdy plastic packaging makes for easy travel, while still maintaining Nars’ quintessentially chic Fabien Baron design aesthetic.

Why I like it

A far less abrasive means of quickly removing the day’s maquillage than traditional makeup wipes, a bottle of this and a packet of cotton pads stored on the bedside table can just as easily alleviate a multitude of skin sins – even on the booziest of bedtimes – in under a minute, without all the harsh astringents of the former.

Areas for improvement

Really put to the test on a recent editorial shoot, I have to confess the product struggled to totally remove the longest of lasting products, such as waterproof mascara and liquid lipstick. But for those only wearing lighter-base makeups (or happy to use a separate dual-phase remover for eyes/lips), this is a worthy successor to older generation cleansing waters.

Final comments

Stored in the fridge, two cotton pads saturated in this cooled gel is a perfect fleeting remedy to our hot summer nights at the end of a long day.

4/5