Take Off Your Halloween Makeup Without Ruining Your Skin

On one night of the year, even the most scrupulous of beauty snobs forget their careful regimens and break out the Day-Glo paint — all in the name of knock-off-your-socks Halloween costumes. Yes, the most frightful day of the year is also the hardest on our complexions.

But, according to Elizabeth Tanzi, MD, dermatologist and co-director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery in Washington, D.C., you can have your drugstore face-paint and care for your skin, too. She recommends using micellar cleansing waters and oil-based cleansers to break up the waxy residues brought on by heavy makeup. “My suggestion is to put a few drops of cleansing oil in your palm and massage it into the face," she instructs. "Then, rinse with copious water. Follow with a gentle, creamy cleanser and a sonic brush. Lastly, use a thick moisturizer, if you need it.”

To keep you from waking up with irritated or zitty skin on November 1, we spoke with the pros — and tested a few formulas ourselves — to find removers that are powerful enough to cut through layers of powder, glitter, and paint (but are still kind to our skin and eyes). Read on to get the scoop on the toughest gentle makeup removers around.