If you wear any type of foundation/concealer/blush, ect it is absolutely essential to use a make-up remover on your entire face and then go about your face washing routine.
If you want to see why simply don't use a make-up remover and wash your face as you regularly do, then go over your face with a gentle toner or astringent and you will see a ton of make-up and dirt on the cotton ball. Make-up is very heavy on the skin a simple washing isn't enough to get most make-up off.
If you wear a lot of make-up on a daily basis, I use a make-up remover(Almay make-up remover pads), then I wash my face with a natural facial soap with tea tree oil, goat milk, emu oil, and dead sea minerals, and then I use an all natural toner to make sure I have it all off my skin..it normally takes me all three of these to finally get the make-up and dirt off.
If I don't wear make-up then I simply just use the Facial soap.
Originally Posted by whoaitschell do you think that a makeup remover is essential to skincare? i use cetaphil gentle face wash & started thinking that maybe the fact that it isn't especially for makeup removing that perhaps by not taking my makeup off completely it could be the cause of lingering pimples... i just order MAC cleanse of oil & i'm hoping i will be at the end of my skincare search!! i really like cetaphil because it is gentle and moiturizing but at night i just feel like i should scrub my face a little to get it more clean. i used DHC's oil but it made my skin dry [it did take my makeup off very well tho!!]. any thoughts?