I dread layering on coats of mascara, regardless of how luscious it makes my lashes look -- all I can think about is how I'm going to lose half of my eyelashes once it's time to remove my makeup. Long-lasting and waterproof mascaras these days have less and less water in their formulas and more and more water-repelling waxes. Which is great, because your mascara is less likely to smudge or run. And also not great, because it's such a chore to remove.

If you want to keep your lashes intact, here's the mascara-removing technique King suggests: Before you do anything, dampen two cotton rounds (cotton balls will leave stray fibers lodged in your lashes, or worse, your eye) with water, then apply a gel-based makeup remover like Philosophy Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleansing Gel For Face and Eyes, $23, or a cleansing oil like Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Oil, $32, to the cotton rounds. Rest the rounds over your closed eyelids for five to 10 seconds. "You want to let the product actually work and dissolve the mascara before you even start moving the pad," King says.

When you do begin to move the pads, treat your lashes like an extremely moody cat -- don't pet or swipe against the grain. "Never rub back and forth -- you should stroke down your lashes gently and slowly, then circle in towards the bridge of your nose, over eyelids, and again stroke down lashes," says King. "Follow this pattern until the mascara is removed." Your lashes will thank you.

Dangerously close to mascara on the scale of most annoying makeup to remove is eyeliner, which we painstakingly try to get right on the water line and press into our lower lashes. This is where an oil-based cleanser, like Dermalogica Precleanse, $40, will work well for removing makeup, says King. Just be sure to look for a product that's water-soluble and formulated with plant oils or nut oils, which won't irritate the super sensitive skin around your eyes.

Use your fingertips to gently massage the pre-cleanser onto your eyelid and lower lashline in downward strokes for about 15-20 seconds. Then, emulsify with a little bit of warm water and use King's trick for removing stubborn eye makeup: Fold a cotton pad to create edges. Look into the mirror and use the corner edge to wipe close to the eye rim and in the line. "You don't want to pull at the skin, or push product into the eye -- dissolved product will sting," says King.

Successful smoky eyes are built from the bottom up with eye shadow primer, and layers and layers of blended shadow. It's tempting to start scrubbing away all that work with a washcloth and call it a day, but most washcloths are too rough on your eyes. To remove eye makeup gently, your fingers and a damp cotton round are the only things that should ever get near your eyes.

To break down your smoky eye, King recommends looking for dual-phase eye makeup removers that are made of oil and water. (You'll know them when you see them. They're the bottles of liquid you have to vigorously shake to blend.) The first phase, oil, cuts through eye shadow and primer, while the second phase, water, usually of the cucumber or chamomile variety, soothes skin. Try Lancome Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover, $30, or Simple Dual Effect Eye Make-Up Remover, $6.99 Apply to a damp cotton round and hold over your closed lid for 10 seconds. Next, gently swipe from you're the inner corner outward.

If your eyes sting or you still find raccoon eye remnants the morning after, branch out from your usual beauty brands and give eye experts at the drugstore a go. Pick up pre-moistened Systane Lid Wipes, $13.49, which are specially formulated for sensitive eyelids and can be used to remove remover that may be irritating your eyes or leaving dull smudges.

You know you've found a winning lip gloss when you're wiping it off at the end of the night and bits of tissue stick to your lips. Just one problem: according to King, you should never use tissues on your face to remove makeup. "Paper is made of wood! Tissues are too harsh on the skin," says King. (But blotting excess oil with a tissue is still okay.)

If you've noticed dryer lips, flakiness and chapped skin, ditch the paper products and use your fingers to remove lip products. Lip glosses are hydrophobic (they hate water), so skip splashing your face over the sink and use dry fingertips to apply an oil-based product, like Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Oil, $16, or Boscia Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil, $30, to your glossy lips. Then, rub the product gently in a circular motion with your ring finger (the most gentle of fingers) for 30-60 seconds. "The idea is to remove product, not stretch your skin," says King.

We all want a long-lasting lipstick that stays all day� until we're standing over the bathroom sink at 2 a.m. with lipstick that refuses to budge. For hard-to-remove liquid lipstick, you need an oil-based cleanser that will cut through the plastics, wax and pigments clinging to the skin. The oil will also keep your lips from drying out. We like Sephora's Supreme Cleansing Oil, $15, and Make Twilight Lip Oil Remover, $10.

Use your fingertips to work the oil into your lips creases. With a cotton round, sweep from right to left, flip it over and sweep from left to right. For lipsticks that aren't meant to survive a nuclear holocaust, a few swipes in the same motion with an oil-infused remover wipe like Dermalogica Precleanse Wipes, $18, should do the trick.

No makeup remover on hand? No problem. Try this genius hack for removing liquid lipstick.

If you have trouble coloring inside the lines or managed to smear dark lipstick on your face during dinner, use an oil-free eye makeup remover like Maybelline Expert Eyes 100 Percent Oil-Free Makeup Remover, $4.65, and a cotton pad to quickly lift stains and smudges from skin. Oil-free formulas won't smear the rest of your lipstick.