Clinique Take The Day Off Micellar Cleansing Makeup Remover Wipes (50 count) Review
A 50-count resealable pack of pre-moistened micellar towelettes for removing face and eye makeup without water. Formulated for all skin types including sensitive, and intended for situations where a sink is not available, such as the gym, travel, or the end of a long day. Part of Clinique's long-running Take The Day Off cleansing range.
Kylie Harker's review
By Kylie Harker ·
Category scores
- Value for money 2.5
Department store pricing for a disposable, and the slippery residue means many people wash their face afterwards anyway. Fine as an occasional travel item, expensive as a nightly habit when the chemist aisle covers similar ground for far less.
- Pack and dispensing 2.5
It's a soft pack with a resealable flap, which is the right idea, but reviewers repeatedly say the towelettes are thin, come out three at a time, and refuse to go back in tidily. A small daily irritation on a product whose whole selling point is that it saves you effort.
- Kindness to skin 3
Experiences genuinely split. Plenty of people call these the only wipes that don't sting their eyes; others report stinging, an eye area that stays tender afterwards, a chemical scent, and breakouts. Sold as suitable for sensitive skin, but reviews suggest that holds for some people and not others.
- Travel and gym convenience 4.5
This is where they genuinely shine. No water needed, the pack squashes into a gym bag, and one towelette handles a full face of makeup and sunscreen. If your problem is that there is no sink, these solve it properly.
- Makeup removal 4
They're large enough to fold several times so you're always using a clean section, and users who wear heavy eye makeup consistently report they lift waterproof mascara without hard rubbing. Marks come off for the leftover film rather than for anything missed.
The review
Let's be clear about what these are for, because that's where most of the disappointment starts.
These are micellar towelettes in a 50 count pack, sold on the promise that you can take your face off without going anywhere near a sink. Gym bag, hotel room, the sofa at half ten at night when standing at the basin is genuinely beyond you. Judged on that job, they're good. Judged as your actual cleanse, they're not, and the Clinique name on the front doesn't change that.
On removal they earn their reputation. They're generously sized, so you can fold one a few times and keep working with a clean bit rather than smearing yesterday's eyeliner around your face. People who wear proper eye makeup consistently report these shift waterproof mascara without much rubbing, which matters more than it sounds when you're doing it half asleep.
The trouble is what's left behind. The complaint that comes up again and again is a slippery film sitting on the skin afterwards. Some people don't mind it. I would. Dermatologists broadly agree that a wipe moves makeup and oil around rather than lifting it off, because there's no water to rinse anything away. So on an ordinary evening at home you end up washing your face after using the thing that was meant to save you washing your face. Which is a bit daft.
Sensitivity is genuinely split, and I don't think either camp is wrong. A fair number of people say these are the only wipes that don't sting their eyes. Others report stinging, an eye area that stays sensitive afterwards, a faintly chemical smell, and breakouts. That isn't a contradiction, it's just skin. If wipes generally cause you trouble, there's nothing magic here.
The packaging is the pettiest complaint and the one that would irritate me most day to day. It's a soft pack with a resealable flap rather than anything rigid. Reviewers repeatedly say the towelettes are thin and come out three at a time, and that they will not go back in neatly once they're out. The seal holds well enough whilst it's new, but you're now fiddling with a sticky flap one-handed at eleven at night, which is not what you bought a convenience product for.
Then there's what you pay. This is department store money for something that goes in the bin thirty seconds later. Nightly use adds up quickly for a product most dermatologists would call half of a first step.
Who should buy them: people who travel, people who train away from home, festival goers, anyone who genuinely cannot reach a sink and wants a wipe that isn't scratchy. Who should not: anyone hoping to replace their cleanser, anyone with reactive eyes who has already had trouble with wipes, and anyone watching the budget, because the chemist aisle does something broadly similar for a fraction of it.
I'd keep a pack in a suitcase. I wouldn't keep one by the bed.
Frequently asked questions
Do these remove waterproof mascara?
By most accounts, yes, and without a lot of scrubbing, which is the important part around the eyes. Fold the towelette and press it against the lashes for a few seconds before you wipe rather than dragging at them straight away.
Do I still need to wash my face afterwards?
On a normal evening at home, yes. The most common complaint is a slippery film left behind, and dermatologists generally treat wipes as something that redistributes makeup and oil rather than rinsing it away. Use them as a first pass before a proper cleanse, or as a genuine substitute only when there's no sink.
Are they safe for sensitive skin?
They're sold as suitable for all skin types including sensitive, and a lot of people with reactive eyes swear by them. That said, a meaningful number of reviewers report stinging, lingering eye sensitivity and breakouts. If wipes have caused you problems before, patch test on your jaw before you take one anywhere near your eyes.
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