There was a little bit of a stir in the beauty world recently when Gatineau brought back the Floracil Gentle Eye Makeup Remover ; a product that was discontinued a few years ago. when it left the shelves, fans of the product made enough of a fuss for Gatineau to listen, and bring it back in it’s original form. I LOVE it when brands do this. Chanel take note re the fateful decision to discontinue your Prolumiere foundation pls and thank you.
I had it all a bit back to front : I had only ever used the Floracil Plus which was a slightly fancier bi-phase formula that removes all eye makeup, including waterproof. I’ve always really liked this, as I often wear heavier eye makeup and long wearing formulas which some removers and cleansers don’t seem to budge. This has always worked really well for me, and I think this is my second, now-nearly-empty bottle of the stuff. When the original Floracil made it’s comeback I was lucky enough to be sent a bottle so I thought I would do a comparison between these two eye makeup removers.
The Floracil Plus contains Vitamin E, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aloe Vera and Witch Hazel. All these ingredients combines make for a very soothing formula, that keeps the eye area hydrated, protected and calm. It does contain oil, hence the bi-phase formula and ability to remove stubborn makeup, so you will get a little bit of residue after using. I usually will use the Floracil Plus to remove stubborn eye makeup and then go over with a normal micellar to get rid of the slight oily feeling.
Now ; The original Floracil. One that I hear so many people used and loved….and are very happy that it’s back! I have only been using it for maybe 4-5 weeks (I got sent a bottle pre-LFW to try out @ shows) so I’ve given it a good few rounds on myself and models. It is definitely a softer and more gentle formula, and has that micellar feel to it. It is an oil-free which will be preferable to some and it is SUPER cooling and soothing to use.
The Floracil removes a pretty decent amount of heavy eye makeup so is great for the average makeup wearer. It’s also the go-to for contact lens wearers, those with more sensitive eyes and if you don’t like oil in your remover. A tip for using this if you do have on heavy eye makeup and what I found really effective at London Fashion Week, is to really saturate a few pads with the Floracil, and then apply and hold onto the closed eye for 20 seconds or so to allow it to break down the mascara / eyeliner etc. HOWEVER. If you frequently wear heavy eye makeup, love waterproof mascara and/or eyeliners, glitters and the rest then I would say the Floracil Plus is your gal.
For me? I much prefer using and the feel of the Floracil original but the Florcail plus is more effective for heavy duty makeup removal. Anything with oil in will work quicker.
The Floracil bottle I have is an extra large 400ml size with a special pump applicator that you just place the cotton pad on and pump to disperse the product. This is currently a QVC special only although I do hope to see it hit the main Gatineau website as it’s a great size and value if you love the product, as so many people seem to.
Floracil is the one for you : if you have sensitive eyes, wear contact lenses, wear light-normal amounts of makeup more often than heavy/full makeup.
Floracil Plus is the one for you : if you wear heavy eye makeup, prefer a waterproof mascara, want your eye makeup off quickly.
Have you tried the Floracil? I literally didn’t know about it until the re-launch when I saw a few of my beauty pals discussing it so I got intrigued. It didn’t disappoint and it’s one I will still use although my no.1 love will always be the Floracil Plus formula.
*Contains Press Samples
