A tale of three towelettes...

A Tale of Three Towelettes

(Or: G. just can't leave well enough alone)

I'm going to tell you a little story, my lovelies, but first I must pose this question:

WHY is it that when I find something that works, and I love it, I just can't leave well enough alone? Why do my eyes wander in search of "something better" when I'm perfectly content with the product right in front of me? If you're like this too, then perhaps you'll be able to relate to this story.

My favorite makeup-removing towelettes of all time are Epielle Cleansing Tissues, which you can find at Big Lots or random dollar stores for around $1 (for 30 towelettes). I love these things, but they've been increasingly difficult to find in my area. Since I know they retail for around $1, I refuse to order them online and pay for shipping.

My second favorite makeup-removing towelettes aren't really towelettes at all: Rite Aid Tugaboo Baby Wipes (around $3 for 64 wipes).These wipes rock, they're super cheap, and if they don't remove all of my eye makeup, I can just dab a little bit of makeup remover directly on the towelette to finish off the job. (In case you're wondering, my makeup remover of choice is the CVS version of Neutrogena Oil-Free. It's the ONLY makeup remover at the drugstore that comes with a safety seal--believe me, I know. I've checked. I don't understand why something that you're going to put almost directly in your eyes usually comes without a safety seal. Cosmetics companies, can you please explain this to me? I've seen nail polish with safety seals lately, for crying out loud. But NOT eye makeup remover??).

OK, sorry for the tangent. Back to the story. Now, you'd think that I'd be perfectly happy with my Epielle and Rite Aid towelettes, right? Both remove my makeup just fine, they're super inexpensive, and they don't dry out my skin or leave a weird film on my face after I've used them.

But no. I must keep searching for something better. So now I'd like to show you the three towelettes I've been using lately, and let's just see how it all turned out, shall we?

Let's begin with Commodynes:

Commodynes Makeup Remover with Oats for Sensitive & Dry Skin

(retail: around $5 for 20 towelettes)

I've been hearing people rave about Commodynes for years, and a few months ago when I was Trader Joe's, I finally broke down and bought a pack after one of the employees walked by as I was looking at them and said, "Those ROCK." Commodynes are made in Spain (Barcelona, to be exact) and the towelettes are super soft, and LARGE. We're talking 8 inches by 8 inches. I immediately fell in love with the size, because the bigger the surface area of a towelette, the smaller the chances you'll need two towelettes to finish the job.

But, alas, my love affair with Commodynes was short-lived. I noticed that there are five forms of parabens in this product. Admittedly, I'm no expert on parabens, and I own my fair share of products that do contain one or even two parabens, but five seems a little much. Also, although they do a fantastic job of removing my makeup, I don't particularly care for the sticky feeling of my skin after I use them. Yes, they're moisturizing, but I don't like sticky. Strike One.

Next up, Pond's:

Pond's Evening Soothe Wet Cleansing Towelettes

(retail: around $7.99 for 30 towelettes)

This is a newer product from Pond's, so I was able to pay very little for them since they were on sale at an "introductory price" and I also had a coupon.

When Pond's says "New seal helps towelettes stay wet" they MEAN IT! These are THE wettest towelettes I have ever used, and not in a good way. Allow me to illustrate:

When you apply one of these towelettes to your face, it sloshes around and leaves actual foam on your face that takes FOREVER to dry. The wetness of these things makes them incredibly difficult to work with, to the point where I actually left the seal open overnight, hoping they would dry out a bit.

Also, if you're not a fragrance person, steer clear from these. The fragrance of chamomile and white tea is so strong that it almost burns my eyes. I can literally smell it on my face the next morning.

BUT, I will say that after you've gone through about half a pack and they dry out a bit, they do a fantastic job of removing makeup. They're small (6 x 7.3 inches), but they have a texture to them that helps give them good traction when removing makeup.

I just can't get over how ridiculously wet and foamy they are at first, and the fragrance is just too strong for my taste (and I AM a fragrance person, so that's really saying something). Strike Two.

And finally, we have Almay:

Almay Oil-Free Makeup Remover Towelettes

(retail: around $7 for 25 towelettes)

Lots of people rave about these Almay towelettes, so after the experiences above, I was more than willing to try them (plus I had coupons and got them on sale so I think I ended up paying a total of $2 for them).

The least scented towelettes of the bunch, these are also in the middle of the two previous towelettes when it comes to size (not huge, but not ridiculously tiny). There is no texture to the cloth, but it's super soft and quite durable. The fragrance is quite mild and pleasant (think fresh and clean) and I think these do a great job at removing my makeup (including eye makeup).

BUT, they sting my eyes. It's not the fragrance that stings, it's just that a certain ingredient doesn't work with my body chemistry and when these come in contact with my eyes, they sting like a mother for about ten minutes straight. Strike Three.

Here's a picture of all three towelettes for size comparison:

So the moral of this story, my lovelies, is this:

If you love something and it works well for you, don't go looking for that mythical "something better." Chances are, you've already found the best thing for your needs, so just leave well enough alone.