The 2nd face-off edition features the Innisfree Apple Juicy Emulsion Lip & Eye Remover and the Etude House Lip & Eye Remover.
Product:
Innisfree: 100ml of emulsion which is basically a cream type formula. Claims to be a hypoallergenic lip and eye makeup remover that thoroughly removes heavy and waterproof makeup while offering softness and radiance to skin like a freshly washed apple. (Note: hypoallergenic does not mean it won’t cause irritations and allergies in people, it just means it’s less likely to because their ingredients aren’t as harsh). Can’t remember the exact price since I lost the receipt but it was somewhere about 11-12,000 won.
Etude House: In comparison this is a 250ml double formulated oil and water based lip and eye remover. It claims to be gentle yet effective at dissolving all traces of makeup without any irritation, and providing a soothing and moisturising effect. This cost 8,000 won/£4.60/$6.90. For the amount you get, its really good value as this would last ages and is also cheaper than Innisfree. They do have a smaller 100ml version which I was initially going to get but then ended up with the bigger one after a very persuasive saleslady.
Win: Claim to do a similar job but Etude House wins for the value and the quantity you get.
Packaging:
Opaque pump bottle
Protective cap
Only way to see the product inside is to unscrew the pump at the top
Innisfree: This comes in a longer sleeker bottle than Etude but unlike Etude it’s not a transparent plastic bottle so it’s difficult to know how much is left in there and when you’re running out. It does have a much nicer bottle design though with cute apple prints and clear visible information in English and Korean. It has a pump dispenser which has a protective cap over the top so you don’t accidentally waste product if you’re not using it and to keep it hygienic.
Blue oil at the bottom and watery liquid at the top
Etude House: This has a more minimalist simple design. Just a plastic transparent bottle so you can see the product and the information on the front and back in both English and Korean. Since the bottle is transparent and the lettering is white you have to squint to be able to read it clearly. It has a standard cap lid with a hole small enough to allow you to control how much is dispensed. The cap is also tight so there’s no worry of it opening easily and spilling.
Win: Etude House. I like how Innisfree dispenses the product because it’s quick, easy and efficient. I don’t need to pick it up and pour it out like Etude. However I prefer Etude simply because I can see how much product I have left and it irks me that I have no clue with Innisfree. I can also imagine a lot of wastage with the latter, struggling to get the cream out when it’s almost finished. Etude is also reaally satisfying seeing the blue oil and white liquid separated but moving around the bottle together and I enjoy shaking it up and watching it all mix. I’m so easily entertained.
Ingredients/Fragrance:
Innisfree: This smells delicious! Of real apples, not the fake artificial apple smell I dislike. It contains apple extract in the ingredients as well as citrus fruit extract and lemon geranium, to brighten and tone the skin; green tea leaf extract which is anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant; and coconut oil to soften and moisturise the skin. Also, no alcohol for those who find it drying or irritable to skin.
Etude House: Not as fruity as Innisfree but just as nice. Lightly floral like spring flowers. Reminds me of soap/hand wash smells. I like it and it’s not that strong. There aren’t as many stand out ingredients for this compared to Innisfree. There is iris florentina root extract which is believed to help in anti-aging and improve elasticity and moisture of skin. It also has soothing cleansing properties. However, it contains benzyl alcohol which can be used as a preservative, fragrance or to relieve itching. In this case, I believe it’s used as a solvent to aid in the breakdown of makeup. It can be a potential irritant trigger for some people.
Win: I wouldn’t personally look too much into ingredients for cleansing products since the product isn’t on your skin long enough to have any lasting or long term benefits and gets washed away soon after. Innisfree wins though since it has more calming, effective ingredients list compared to Etude which contains alcohol and may not work for sensitive prone skin. Plus the smell of apples! Yum.
Application:
2 pumps of Innisfree emulsion
Smooth out onto cotton before applying to eye to prevent it stinging
Innisfree: I really don’t like how this applies. I definitely am not a fan of emulsion and lotion type eye removers. I usually apply 2 pumps onto a cotton pad and smooth it out before I apply onto eye. The first time I tried it, I didn’t smooth out the emulsion and it got into my eye and stung so bad. Already that made me dislike it. Smoothing it out on cotton really minimizes the chance of it stinging the eyes although I still make sure not to go too near the inner corners. I place cotton over eye for 10 seconds to help dissolve the makeup and then I proceed to wipe. It does a good job of quickly and easily removing eye makeup without a lot of rubbing. It gently sweeps it away and while there isn’t too much of an oily residue left, it does feel like there is a slight moisturising film left behind.
Shake well to mix together before use
Was expecting it to come out as blue liquid like in the bottle but it’s colourless.
Etude House: I like how this applies a lot. Shake up the bottle to mix the liquid and oil bases together. Few sprinkles onto a cotton pad (which is colourless out of the bottle), place over eye and wait 10 seconds for it to dissolve makeup. I feel like it does a slight better job at removing the eye makeup than the Innisfree. Quicker and with less swipes. The oil/liquid formula has never seeped into my eye or irritated or stung it. Once the makeup is removed there is a very oily residue left over the eye.
Win: Both work great to effectively remove all traces of my waterproof eyeliner and mascara but Etude House wins. As you can probably tell, I really don’t like using the Innisfree one. I’m only continuing to use it so I can quickly finish it. There is a slight sense of dread every time I apply because I’m worried it will sting my eyes. I feel like oil is a much more effective way to remove eye makeup as it dissolves much quicker and is less hassle to deal with than emulsion removers. The slight downside is that Etude leaves such an oily residue I feel forced to wash my face and use my foam cleanser right away to remove the oil. With the Innisfree I don’t feel that sense of urgency because it’s more of a moisturised feel rather than an oily one.
Effectiveness test:
I wanted to put both these eye and lip makeup removers to the test with the Clio Waterproof Brush Liner in Kill Black. This liquid eyeliner is super long-lasting and smudge proof. It literally does not budge without makeup remover. I tested the Innisfree on the left and Etude House on the right.
Clio Waterproof Kill Black Brush Liner
INNISFREE TEST:
One swipe of the Innisfree emulsion on the left
After 5 swipes of the Innisfree emulsion, the eyeliner was completely removed.
ETUDE HOUSE TEST:
After 1 swipe of Etude House
After 3 swipes of Etude House, the Clio eyeliner was completely removed.
Conclusion:
Based on the test, the Etude House proved to be more effective as it took 2 swipes less of the cotton pad to remove the waterproof eyeliner, compared to the Innisfree one.
Have to mention, that while they are effective at removing both eye makeup and lipstick, I don’t recommend using it for face makeup removal. I tried both to remove cushion foundations (which are generally similar to BB creams and have lighter coverage than a regular foundation), and neither of them could effectively remove all the foundation from my face. There was still makeup residue on the cotton after I had cleansed and applied toner. Not to mention it made my face feel very oily even after my cleansing foam. Water droplets stuck to my face in the way it does when it doesn’t mix with oil.
As eye & lip point removers though, I really like the Etude House far more. Its extremely affordable for 250ml, will last me for ages and its a quick no hassle way to remove heavy waterproof eye makeup. I usually wear eyeliner and mascara on a daily basis and it never has any trouble removing it all at the end of the day. No irritation, no discomfort and doesn’t dry out the area around my eyes.
Unfortunately, while the Innisfree apple juicy emulsion smells great it was quite a disappointment for me. It stings my eyes, is more hassle to apply as you need to spread it out over cotton, has a wasteful pump bottle and isn’t quite as effective as the Etude House remover. I definitely won’t be repurchasing this. Emulsion/cream removers just aren’t for me. I don’t find them half as effective or as convenient to use as oil or balm type makeup removers.
Therefore the overall winner is definitely the Etude House Lip & Eye Remover.
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