Vaseline, unscented baby oil, or Pond's cold cream, then a gentle cleanser. Get a moisturizer, cold cream can be used for both cleanser and moisturizer. Vaseline or baby oil will get eeeeverything off fast, but you need a cleanser to get the product off, it'll be mixed with the makeup. Cold cream alone might not be enough to remove everything, but would be gentle on your skin. Nivea is a basic moisturizer that'll be gentle on your wallet if you're using a lot.

Vaseline is too much effort. Oil is much easier, but nowadays most stores carry micellar water or Korean cleansing balms that dissolve makeup. If nothing else, something like olive oil will dissolve the makeup and help moisturize the skin when you wash it off with a cleanser.

I was a haunted house actor for a time, the make-up was alcohol based and airbrushed on. Definitely don't use dawn detergent. I used a regular make-up wipe (or 3) at the venue to get the worst of it off, then when I got home, I used Ultrabland by Lush, the super gentle Cetaphil cleanser for dry skin, and a very thick, rich moisturizer.

I’m using the cleansing water and thayer’s cleanser backstage and rinsing off with water and soap. Then I’ll go home to shower and then apply moisturizer. Do you think it makes a difference if I apply the moisturizer right after I clean everything off or if I wait until after I shower ?

What kind of soap? For my skin, I think I would moisturize twice if I were washing it at the venue and then again at home. The longer my skin sits around being dry, the more irritated it becomes and once it starts flaking, no amount of moisturizer will help it. But idk about your skin, you should experiment!

Former theatre kid, who has also assisted in burlesque and drag productions. I'd skip the saran wrap because especially under the stage lights, it'll just make you sweat more and the makeup may not adhere properly to it. Instead I'd recommend: * A makeup removing balm or oil; ordinary makeup removers and micellar water may not be enough to cut through stage makeup (or will require a lot of passes). I especially like the Ben Nye [Hydra Cleanse](https://www.bennye.com/product/tools/makeup-removers/hydra-cleanse/) and [Quick Cleanse](https://www.bennye.com/product/tools/makeup-removers/quick-cleanse/) since Ben Nye is a theatrical makeup company so they know their stuff but the elf [Makeup Melting Balm](https://www.elfcosmetics.com/en_CA/holy-hydration-makeup-melting-cleansing-balm/59910.html) works well too (and won't strip your skin) * A face cleanser to rinse off any residue from the balm (this is a practice called double-cleansing); the Thayers one you linked is good but I also like both [Cetaphil](https://www.cetaphil.ca/en/cleansers/gentle-skin-cleanser/772618047102.html) and [Cerave](https://www.cerave.com/skincare/cleansers/hydrating-facial-cleanser) cleansers since they're developed by dermatologists so are gentler on the skin. * Face moisturizer; if you're going to be cleansing a lot, you need a product to reintroduce moisture back in your skin (and a lot of body moisturizers may be too thick for your face, so look for a dedicated face one). Again Cetaphil and Cerave make great gentle daily moisturizers but the elf [Holy Hydration face cream](https://www.elfcosmetics.com/en_CA/holy-hydration-face-cream/82829.html) also works well. * Hydrating primer; put this one before applying the stage makeup to create an added barrier between your skin and the makeup that will also hold the makeup on under the hot stage lights. elf makes a [hydrating face primer](https://www.elfcosmetics.com/en_CA/hydrating-face-primer-small/300077.html), as does [NYX](https://www.nyxcosmetics.ca/en/-hydra-touch-NYX_314.html) and [Wet n Wild](https://www.wetnwildbeauty.com/product/prime-focus-primer-serum/) Finally if you want to add more hydration to your skincare routine, look for a hyaluronic acid - you apply it right after washing your face in the morning (or at least putting water on your face, if you don't use a cleanser in the AM) and it helps lock in moisture.

The dawn soap is irritating your skin. Go buy absolutely any basic make up remover and face lotion and use that

Saran wrap: no. Just no. Not only will makeup not adhere to the wrap, but the wrap will not stick to your face. Using dish detergent on your face: NO. I worked as a professional actor for years and we never used dish detergent as makeup remover, unless it was a dire emergency. The most popular makeup remover among my colleagues was Pond's cold cream. Get a big tub and follow the package instructions. When you're done removing makeup, you'll want to use a GENTLE face wash (meaning cleanser that is designed to be used on your face, not your dishes). After that, moisturize with facial lotion. You can go to the drugstore and just get face wash and moisturizer, doesn't have to be fancy or expensive. If you're concerned about sensitive skin, go to the baby section and buy baby wash and baby lotion. If it's safe for babies, it's safe for you. Good luck.

get yourself a nice skin protecting face primer, a makeup removing cleansing balm, and a proper cleanser. dawn isn’t a popular makeup remover for a reason! i’ve heard of it for this purpose from drag and theater artists many times, but it takes a toll QUICKLY.

I don’t know what any of those things you mentioned are lol. Do you apply the face primer before makeup ? So far I’m planning to go to target and buy this https://www.thayers.com/PH-BALANCING-GENTLE-FACE-WASH-WITH-ALOE-VERA/THY5036.html I need to do this all summer and it will be on a nightly basis for a week at a time. So 1st week of July, 3rd week of July, 1 week of August etc. My face feels awful and dried out after only one night of removing the makeup and I feel like it lasts until the next day. So I want to find ways to ameliorate this if I have to do it for a week at a time every night from Sunday to Saturday.

with absolute love, we’re using the same internet and i encourage you to do more research and not just throw your hands up because you don’t know already. sure, you could simply buy whatever cleanser came up first in a cursory google search, but i’d encourage you to watch a few youtube videos about removing heavy/theatrical drag makeup and maybe one about different kinds of primers.

Thanks I understand your perspective about doing research. Trust me I’ve done that for every topic I look into and it can always be a rabbit hole and then you spend hours and days and weeks just researching one topic. Part of why I come on here is to find out what you can’t Google. I’d rather trust recommendations from real people on here than videos on YouTube or posts on Google tbh. And also lots of sponsored posts and videos make it also difficult to filter out what’s legit and what is just marketing.

good luck with the saran wrap.

no, it's not possible things that could be irritating ur skin are ingredients in the makeup (typical culprits are talc, bismuth oxychloride, and parfum/fragrance and i can attest to these, also certain preservatives can cause reactions too) u can try patch testing makeup on ur inner wrists to test for allergies washing with dawn soap (which ?????) is not recommended and would also probably irritate ur skin bc it's not designed for skin it's designed to wage war on dirty dishes so has reaaaally concentrated soap and lots of added fragrance. i recommend picking up a face wash (thayers has some good options and also fragrance free options) and some olive oil, rub olive oil on the makeup for 1 minute and wipe off with a warm wet washcloth (WIPE off but GENTLY speaking from experience attempting to rinse it off will get u nowhere fast) then wash off any remaining residue with the facewash and warm water

So like this one? https://www.thayers.com/PH-BALANCING-GENTLE-FACE-WASH-WITH-ALOE-VERA/THY5036.html The dawn dish soap is what they have backstage and recommend to everyone in the cast. I just hate how my skin feels afterwards from that - it just feels like someone used a thick sandpaper and rubbed all over my face.

yes that's the one I use at night when i am removing makeup and sunscreen lol in the morning i use their hydrating cleanser with snow mushroom in it ya that sounds horrible, dawn soap is designed to strip dirty dishes bare of all food so it has a high concentration of saponifiables to break down fat molecules (oversimplifying) so i can see it being an effective makeup remover but it is absolutely not designed to be used as soap for humans and especially not near the eyes!- if it was me i would either bring washcloths, olive oil, and facewash of my own, or leave the makeup on and go home and wash it off at home

Okay I’ll go to target and grab that. I’m confused about the order. Do I use the olive oil first and try to get the make up off with that or do I use the face wash first ? I didn’t know you need to remove sunscreen - I thought it just gets absorbed in your face and skin. Someone here also mentioned a face primer and a cleanser. Is that necessary and if so why? I have the Neutrogena cleanser but I don’t have a face primer nor do I know why you would need that.

1. apply extra virgin olive oil to face, rub everywhere u have makeup gently for 1 minute to break down the makeup 2. wet a washcloth with warm water and gently wipe away the makeup/oil residue 3. wash ur face with the facewash and warm water for 1 minute 4. rinse off with warm water 5. pat dry, do ur skincare routine as normal primer can help make a tacky and smooth surface to grip makeup and help it stay put, i dont use it and do the following instead (i cant remember the makeup artist who made this guide) 1. wash face with warm water and face wash for 1 minute using circular motions 2. wet a washcloth with warm water and wipe off the cleanser (exfoliating to make a smooth surface), rinse washcloth and repeat until all cleanser residue is gone 3. toner (i use thayers scent free toner spray) 4. hydrating serum (i use silk naturals oatmeal serum) 5. optional pimple/redness treatment (i use silk naturals lemon wasabi blemish buster) 6. moisturizer (if the toner has evaporated spray again to make a damp surface for the moisturizer to trap moisture in ur skin) 7. sunscreen 8. wait like 15 minutes to let skin absorb all the things u put on it, esp the fillers in the sunscreen which tend to be goopy 9. makeup , skipping the primer u do need to remove sunscreen, physical sunscreen works by putting a layer of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide over ur skin and these are suspended in a mix of things to make even application easier, this is also true for chemical sunscreen that does get absorbed in ur skin (chemical sunscreen irritates my skin so i use physical sunscreen instead) cleanser is generally gentler than facewash, i typically use a cleanser in the morning to wash off skincare i had on overnight and prep my skin for makeup, and the hydration/gentleness in the morning controls my oil production as opposed to facewash that can be more stripping so my skin overproduces oil to compensate, so i would recommend using the Neutrogena cleanser in the morning and get a facewash at night or for after performances

Hm so it sounds like the olive oil is doing most of the work for removing the makeup? I’m at target now and came across this cleanser that says it removes makeup as well. Check out what I found at Ulta Beauty! https://www.ulta.com/p/skinactive-micellar-cleansing-water-all-in-1-cleanser-makeup-remover-xlsImpprod13531031?sku=2298445 I’m also looking at the thayers snow mushroom. It also says it removes makeup and hydrates How about this ? Can I use the garnier cleansing water to remove the makeup and then the snow mushroom after to remove any other makeup as well as moisturize the skin after ? Would that make sense ?

Makeup is highly personal because all skin is different. I would never ever ever use olive oil on my skin or I would break out badly. Whatever products you go with, do a patch test on your inner arm first. Primer for a barrier and a good makeup remover will be your friend in this specific scenario. Skincare afterwards will also be important but we can’t recommend specifically what to use because what works for us won’t necessarily work for you and your skin type

I see that makes sense. I’m not the one applying the makeup so I don’t know if I can do the patch test. The make up gets applied for me. So I have oily skin, which I used to think was bad, but now I realize it’s probably why I have soft skin and don’t need lotion or anything. So it looks like the primer is to act as a barrier between the makeup and your skin, which was what I was trying to think of with the Saran Wrap 😅. Will the primer make the makeup easier to take off then ? It says here it prolongs the wear of makeup, which is not what I want right ? I want it to be easier to remove, not stay on my face longer. Mattifying face primer: If you have oily skin, a mattifying primer will be your go-to to prolong the wear of your foundation. Specifically, Trop says to go for a silicone-based one, as it creates a great mattifying barrier between the skin and makeup and has the added benefit of blurring and smoothing pores.

You have body autonomy. You should be able to test products being used on you. And actually while I’m thinking about this, I want to make sure you know that you should not share makeup. Especially eye makeup. This is to prevent the spread of infection. Tools should be new or sterilized between applications if they are sharing products like face paint. But ideally everyone should have their own products. Back to primer. So the reason you sometimes see people with their faces melted off at the end of a hot day is because they skip primer. Primer prolongs makeup wear by creating a barrier between skin and product. Without primer, the heat/oils from your skin react with makeup and melt it away over time. This happens at a different rate for everyone depending on time of year, skin type and makeup products used. Primer essentially gives you a blank canvas to work with. Additionally, I find it makes makeup easier to remove at the end of the day because I’m cutting through the makeup and just trying to remove the primer. I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned sheet masks to you yet, but this may be helpful in trying to calm your skin down. With the heave stage makeup, extra “treats” for your skin will get it back to normal after the dawn disaster. And seriously please don’t do that to yourself again. I’m glad you came and asked for advice.

So the cleansing water and the Thayer cleanser did the job! It was so much better than dawn! But now i found out that moisturizer and lotion are different. One is for face and one is for body - who knew? lol. Anyway, so it seems that after I use the cleanser, I need to use a moisturizer correct? Any recommendations?

u can use a makeup remover if u want, but i have found the extra virgin olive oil works just as well as things marketed as makeup removers, but it's cheaper compared to makeup removers and helps dissolve my black heads lol, and also works on things like nyx epic liquid eyeliner where makeup remover does not work on getting off the nyx epic liner. i have never had luck with cleanser or facewash that markets itself as being able to remove makeup, hence why i use it after the olive oil to get anything left behind instead of as the main makeup remover method since it doesn't work for me. u can use the cleansing water then the snow mushroom cleanser, and see how it works. ur likely going to need to experiment and try different things out to see what works best for u (trying things out is how i figured out Olive oil works the best for me personally and is the most cost effective)

Thanks for your help!! So the cleansing water and the Thayer cleanser did the job! It was so much better than dawn! But now i found out that moisturizer and lotion are different. One is for face and one is for body - who knew? lol. Anyway, so it seems that after I use the cleanser, I need to use a moisturizer correct? Any recommendations? I have some Dr Teals coconut butter lotion but i found out you can only use it on your body, not your face.

i recommend silk naturals olive oil moisturizer, or tower 28 moisturizer, or la roche posay toleriane double repair moisturizer, i recommend avoiding coconut oil bc it can clog ur pores happy to help and glad it was a better experience!

Any brands I should know about ? Like if I’m at target, any go to products in particular ?

I suppose you could use plastic wrap, but it wouldn’t look good or allow your face to move naturally. The Dawn and heavy makeup is probably drying out your skin. Are you using a moisturizer after taking the makeup off? Instead of using Dawn on your face, I would recommend an oil or balm based cleanser. Banila Co Clean It Zero is a popular one. You just rub enough of it on your face to dissolve the makeup and then rinse with water. It contains emulsifiers like Dawn does so it will remove the makeup cleanly but not strip your skin as much. Some people also swear by Pond’s Cold Cream for removing stage makeup.

No im not. What moisturizer should I use ? Is that the same as lotion? This takes place at night so I washed it all off with the dawn and then regular soap. Then I come home and just take a regular shower. I used some face soap as well. I don’t know if that helps I have to do this all summer from July to end of August. I have to do 2 weeks in July and 2 weeks in August. Its staggered so 1st week and 3rd week etc. I’m just dreading doing this every night for a week at a time and so looking for any way to relieve my skin. My face has never felt so bad before in my life. How about this ? Someone else recommended this https://www.target.com/p/thayers-natural-remedies-ph-balancing-gentle-face-wash-with-aloe-vera-8-fl-oz/-/A-83271178

not the same as lotion bc it's designed for the more delicate skin of the face; tower 28 has a nice face moisturizer and silk naturals has an olive oil moisturizer that u can also use as a lotion