Marie Louise Cosmetics Cleansing Clear Gel.

I’m a fan of the smoky eye. In fact, having rather typical East Asian eyes, I’ve been a fan of the smoky eye since probably as long as I’ve been wearing makeup. Face it, a smoky eye to me is like mascara to your average Caucasian — I do not leave the house without it.

The problem with the smoky eye is removing the smoky eye every night. It’s no easy task, trust me.

I’ve tried many, many makeup removers. Oily ones, stinging ones, all-in-one wipes, even Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. Needless to say, it’s a hit or miss proposition.

Now, I’m not going to say Marie Louise Cleansing Clear Gel is the best at removing makeup I’ve ever tried. It’s good, don’t get me wrong. All Marie Louise products’ nanotechnology and emulsification make their products reliably good. But what really sells me on it is the feel of the Cleansing Clear Gel. Squeeze a quarter size dollop on your hand and it looks like a clear gel. Rub your hands together to emulsify the gel and you feel the thick, viscous, rich quality. This is not your average gel. Massage onto your face and instantly you realize that this is a sort of oil in thick gel form. It’s like giving yourself a massage, but with a rich, creamy gel. As you massage it in, all the dirt, oxidized oils and makeup accumulated throughout the day are swept up into the gel. Then rinse or wipe off, and all you have is super soft, super clean skin — no stripping, no harsh cleansers (which, by the way, paradoxically increase oil production).

I know — oil removing oil? That’s right. This oil is the kind that removes oil and doesn’t leave an oily residue on your face.

The biggest endorsement I can give? It’s the middle of summer and my T-zone has started to run amok with oil production. But Marie Louise Cleansing Clear Gel not only doesn’t add to the oil slick on my face, I actually think it’s helping it.

Marie Louise Vital Nanonemulsion α-VC.

I’ve raved about Marie Louise Cosmetics before. I’ll admit it. I’m a huge fan. And their Vital Nanoemulsion α-VC is no different.

A beauty essence serum created with the latest nanotechnology and emulsification methods, the α-VC penetrates to nourish from deep within the skin. It’s Marie Louise’s nano-sized ingredients that allows them to seal in triple-layered capsules of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A in the center again. As each layer sheds incrementally in different layers of the skin, the nutrients are quickly absorbed deep into the tissue where they restore and revitalize skin. In other words, these babies go where no regular cream, serum or lotion has gone before.

Why drive a Honda when you could drive a Porsche?

Marie Louise Cleansing Clear Gel.

I’m a fan of the smoky eye. In fact, having rather typical East Asian eyes, I’ve been a fan of the smoky eye since probably as long as I’ve been wearing makeup. Face it, a smoky eye to me is like mascara to your average Caucasian — I do not leave the house without it.

The problem with the smoky eye is removing the smoky eye every night. It’s no easy task, trust me.

I’ve tried many, many makeup removers. Oily ones, stinging ones, all-in-one wipes, even Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. Needless to say, it’s a hit or miss proposition.

Now, I’m not going to say Marie Louise Cleansing Clear Gel is the best at removing makeup I’ve ever tried. It’s good, don’t get me wrong. All Marie Louise products’ nanotechnology and emulsification make their products reliably good. But what really sells me on it is the feel of the Cleansing Clear Gel. Squeeze a quarter size dollop on your hand and it looks like a clear gel. Rub your hands together to emulsify the gel and you feel the thick, viscous, rich quality. This is not your average gel. Massage onto your face and instantly you realize that this is a sort of oil in thick gel form. It’s like giving yourself a massage, but with a rich, creamy gel. As you massage it in, all the dirt, oxidized oils and makeup accumulated throughout the day are swept up into the gel. Then rinse or wipe off, and all you have is super soft, super clean skin — no stripping, no harsh cleansers (which, by the way, paradoxically increase oil production).

I know — oil removing oil? That’s right. This oil is the kind that removes oil and doesn’t leave an oily residue on your face.

The biggest endorsement I can give? It’s the middle of summer and my T-zone has started to run amok with oil production. But Marie Louise Cleansing Clear Gel not only doesn’t add to the oil slick on my face, I actually think it’s helping it.

When you get a virtual tome on the benefits of a beauty product from the exclusive U.S. distributor, you know there’s got to be something of substance there.

That’s what happened when I emailed Lillian Wang of KosmeLink, the exclusive importer of Japan’s famous beauty line Marie Louise Cosmetics. Believe me, she believes in her product (a “gem” from Japan whose story has not yet been told in the U.S., she says), and her enthusiasm is infectious.

Marie Louise Moistraiser α-VC.

The Marie Louise Moistraiser α-VC is a personal favorite of Lillian’s. Why? “Toners in Asia are very different from toners in the U.S.,” she says. Toners in the U.S. are meant to be “astringent,” or a part of cleansing, but toners in Asia are actually the first step in moisturization, she says. That’s where this “toner” got it’s name — “Moistraiser.”

But it’s not just that. Marie Louise products are emulsified and utilize nanotechnology. Essentially, what that means is that the products undergo a process that applies extreme high pressure to emulsify oil and water together, allowing for both hydration (water) and moisturization (oil). Most products are either oil-based or water-based, not both. But you need both for healthy skin.

Marie Louise goes even one step further. They nano-emulsify, which means the high pressure creates nano-sized particles that are smaller than the space between skin cells. This allows for far better absorption into skin cells than other products which, though it may contain high quality ingredients, don’t have the technology to allow these ingredients to penetrate between these skin cells. And if it can’t penetrate your cells, you might as well not even put it on.

That’s impressive, admittedly. But what will it do for my skin? Well, it’s actually perfect for anyone in the summertime when heavy creams can be a bit much, but especially for people like me with oily T-zones that can’t handle heavy creams but need to hydrate (lack of water) and moisturize (lack of oil) their skin. (Even oily skin needs anti-aging help and dehydration can cause break outs.)

But an added bonus to the moisturizing, antioxidant and anti-aging benefits is something I didn’t expect — the Moistraiser contains alpha-arbutin, a mulberry extract, that works like hydroquinone to whiten dark spots on the skin. (I’m sold!)

I personally love the ever-so-slightly viscous yet not at all sticky feel of the Moistraiser. (That’s the emulsified nanotechnology I’m feeling — it’s penetrating power doesn’t leave a residue on the skin.) It’s so soothing, they even recommend using it to massage the face. For me, this is one product I would actually buy. And you know beauty products almost never go on sale, but you can get it now at a one-day only, guaranteed low price at AudreyShops.