The surprising beauty product you don't have to splurge on

Last week, we reported that Olivia Palermo takes her makeup off with bloody Vaseline. Even though she gets her hair trimmed every three weeks (we don't want to know how many blowdries she gets. Probably a couple a day), and she has a dermatologist practically on speed-dial, she takes her makeup off with Vaseline.

And now I do too.

Just kidding! I haven't started my Vas routine just yet; I have to finish my bottle of extremely expensive cleanser before I do that, silly. In seriousness, even if I don't convert to Vaseline, I've taken Olivia's tip on board. I am certainly not ditching my cleanser, but I follow the double cleanse rule - as I'm sure most of you do too - and the first step, the taking-off-makeup step, can be done with an inexpensive product because it's not entirely about cleansing, it's about removing. My current regime is to take my makeup off with a cleansing oil and then I use a companion foam cleanser (both from Bare Minerals), but once the oil runs out, I am definitely trying something cheaper.

Of course, one must take one's skin type into consideration; I have oily skin and avoid anything with alcohol, in fact, I go for products with the fewest possible ingredients. Some people use coconut oil (although our Beauty Ed, Aisling does not recommend), almond oil is another natural makeup dissolver that's getting popular. Some people use the same product they cleanse with twice; micellar water is another option: it's quick, easy and better than wipes. The point is, you can save money on the product you use for makeup removal.

The second cleanse is the more important one, and splurging on a cleanser that is specific to your skin needs is totally worth it.

Anyway, if it's acceptable for Olivia, it's acceptable for me.