Reader question: Are facial wipes enough to cleanse our face?

Hi Liz! I just took on a new job but the last few weeks have been very tiring for me. Sometimes I forget to wash my face before going to sleep. I think I have a lot of new pimples because of this! I've seen your reviews of micellar water and facial wipes. Will these be enough to cleanse my face in lieu of facial wash? - Joyce T.

Hi Joyce! You know, one of the worst beauty sins we can commit is sleeping at night with makeup on. That being said, yes, it's easy to preach but difficult to put in action when so many other important things are going on in our lives. Like, sleep. Sometimes I do sleep with my makeup on but thankfully I wake up a couple of hours later totally icked out by what I had just done!

Going back to the question: can we rely on a facial or makeup remover wipe to completely remove our face products at the end of the day? A wipe is a quick way to cleanse and go have that date with our bed, but is it enough? 

The answer depends on how much makeup you wear and how long-wearing they are.

If you only go with very little to no makeup then I assure you that wipes are enough to clean your skin thoroughly. Just remember to follow my tip about using a clean side for every pass! The Nivea Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes for instance are water-based, clean well without stinging, and have ingredients like Almond Oil to keep your face feeling smooth. You may rinse with water after using the wipe if you're sigurista but as long as nothing comes off on the wipe your face is already good to hit the sack. 

I love toting wipes when I'm traveling as I'm usually exhausted by the time I get back to the hotel. I also avoid wearing too many products while I'm out and about exploring.

Now, if you wear a lot of cosmetics - meaning several layers of foundation, primed eyeshadow, long-wearing eyeliners and mascara - then you will need to follow the double cleansing method. Basically you use a wipe (or any makeup remover, but wipes are still quickest and most economical especially if they're only P140 a pack like Nivea *wnk*) and then rinse your face with a cleanser after. One two. This is how I normally cleanse my face since I do wear quite a bit of makeup 70% of the time.

To summarize: you can get away with using just cleansing wipes if you wear little to no makeup. If you wear a lot, then make sure to double cleanse to remove any water-resistant residue.

Hope this answers your question Joyce!

This post is brought to you by Nivea.