BATTLE OF THE CLEANSING BALMS: CLINIQUE TAKE THE DAY OFF VS. IT COSMETICS BYE BYE MAKEUP

For the past few months, I have been using and LOVING my Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. Mine is almost empty so I was planning on repurchasing it during the recent Sephora sale. However, I saw Kathleen Lights rave on YouTube about how much she loved the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Makeup around the same time that they were having their 25% off sale (I’m sure that was intentional). So, I decided to buy the Bye Bye Makeup because I love almost everything that I have tried from IT Cosmetics and I thought that comparing the two of these products would make for a good blog post.

 

 

Let me first start by saying that both of these products are amazing and if you’ve never tried either of these cleansing balms you MUST buy one. It is SO much more enjoyable, gentle, and effective than using a makeup remover wipe. Of course, cleansing balms are more expensive than the makeup remover wipes but I think that they are worth it.

At first glance, these two products are incredibly similar. They both feel creamy and gentle on the skin yet are 100% effective at removing my makeup. Here are the differences that I have noticed:

• Bye Bye Makeup has a slight scent to it. To me, it smells like fresh oranges. I actually enjoyed this A LOT but if you are sensitive to scents you may not like this.
• The price. The Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm costs $29 for 3.8 oz while the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Makeup costs $38 for 2.82 oz. So, the Clinique product is larger AND cheaper.
• On the IT Cosmetics website I read that the Bye Bye Makeup is non-comedogenic, sulfate-free and paraben-free. I checked the Clinique website and I could not find any of these claims so my assumption is that the Clinique product is NOT paraben-free, sulfate-free or non-comedogenic.
• The consistency. I used each of these products for a few days (Clinique on one side of my face, IT Cosmetics on the other) and although they performed nearly the same they felt different. The Clinique product is slicker and more oily while the IT Cosmetics almost feels a little “fluffy”. That’s not the perfect description but I can’t think of a better word to use.

Both of these products perform incredibly well and leave my skin feeling really smooth and soft. They both remove my eye makeup without irritating my eyes. There are slight differences in the consistency of each product but to me the largest difference is price and “quality”.

BOTTOM LINE: If you have sensitive skin and/or want your skincare products to be non-comedogenic, sulfate-free and paraben-free (and don’t mind paying extra for it) then you should get the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Makeup. If you want more “bang for your buck” or prefer an oilier consistency then you should get the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. As I have gotten older, I’ve started to pay more attention to the ingredients in both my skincare and haircare. I am at a point in my life where I am willing to spend more on products to get higher quality ingredients. So for me, I plan to repurchase the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Makeup from now on!