Beaut.ie How To: Cleanse ... Without Cleanser

Either I have a much bigger face than I think or I like to use fifteen times more cleanser than any normal person, but somehow over the course of The Christmas I ran out of make-up remover. That was despite bringing a packet of face wipes (I know, I know, but they were *strictly* for late night emergencies) and a half-full tube of Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish away with me.

Unfortunately, I only ever managed to think of getting replacements when I was about to take off my make-up before going to bed, which is a little bit less useful than thinking of it near, say, a shop, during business hours.

Hopefully my brain's enjoyed the end-of-year break and will switch itself back on soon.

The upshot was that I had occasion to get a bit creative with my make-up removal on a few evenings recently, with varying degrees of success. Soap, warm water, and a facecloth didn't cut it (and my skin didn't thank me for trying it), and sleeping on a white pillowcase made it quite clear that my trusty Sephora Eye Make-Up Remover, while magic for banishing even the longest lasting mascaras and eyeliners, really can't cope with foundation removal either.

My best attempt to MacGuyver a solution came courtesy of the legend that is La Roche Posay Cicaplast. My past experiences with this little magic tube meant I knew it took a while to be fully absorbed, which was key: I needed something with a bit of slip that wouldn't disappear into skin following the merest rub of a fingertip. Massaged onto my dry, fully made-up face and buffed off with a warm damp facecloth, it managed to shift a whole day's worth of slap with a minimum of fuss and left skin feeling silky soft. I'd call that a win.

Moisturiser, primer, skin rehabilitator, makeshift cleanser: is there nothing that this stuff can't do?