PROJECT BLACKOUT
Waterproof Makeup Cleansing Oil · Eye Makeup Melt · Oil-to-Milk Cleanser
STATUS: IN DEVELOPMENT
A deceptively lightweight cleansing oil being developed for makeup that has clearly decided it lives here now.
Currently exploring:
Hemisqualane • Isoamyl Laurate • Isononyl Isononanoate • Polyglyceryl-2 Sesquicaprylate
THE IDEA
A silky cleansing oil that slips underneath waterproof mascara, eyeliner, long-wear foundation, lipstick and sunscreen—loosening everything without endless rubbing.
Add water and the clear oil transforms into a light cleansing milk, carrying the dissolved makeup away without leaving behind a heavy, greasy film.
WHY WE’RE MAKING IT
Because removing waterproof mascara should not require determination, three cotton pads and the loss of several eyelashes.
Project Blackout is our attempt to create serious makeup-removing power inside a formula that still feels elegant, gentle and beautifully uncomplicated.
THE DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY
THE IDEA → THE INGREDIENTS → THE TEXTURE → THE FORMULA → THE FINAL PRODUCT
THE IDEA
Make waterproof makeup disappear.
Preferably before it removes the eyelashes with it.
THE INGREDIENTS
Find the right combination of lightweight oils, cosmetic esters and an oil-to-milk emulsifier capable of dissolving resistant makeup and rinsing it away.
THE TEXTURE
Silky enough to glide effortlessly, but controlled enough that it does not immediately escape down your wrists.
Slip, not drip.
THE FORMULA
Balance cleansing power, eye-area comfort and rinse-off performance.
Too little emulsifier and the makeup simply moves to a new address. Too much and the formula may lose its beautiful oil-like glide.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
A clear, fragrance-free cleansing oil that becomes a soft white milk when water is added—and leaves the makeup in the sink rather than around your eyes.
CURRENT DEVELOPMENT STAGE
IDEA ●●●●●
FORMULATING ●●●●○
TESTING ●●●○○
PERFECTING ●●○○○
READY ○○○○○
Current laboratory situation:
The formula is taking shape. The waterproof mascara remains unnecessarily confident.
INSIDE THE FORMULA
HEMISQUALANE
The lightweight escape artist.
Provides fast, elegant slip and helps spread the cleansing oil across makeup without creating a thick or greasy sensation.
ISOAMYL LAURATE
Responsible for the beautifully dry finish.
A silky emollient being explored to help Project Blackout feel more refined and less like applying ordinary cooking oil to your face.
ISONONYL ISONONANOATE
The makeup negotiator.
A lightweight cosmetic ester selected for its excellent spreadability and its potential to loosen stubborn colour cosmetics and long-wear films.
POLYGLYCERYL-2 SESQUICAPRYLATE
The ingredient responsible for the disappearing act.
This oil-compatible cleansing emulsifier helps the formula transform into a milky emulsion when water is added, allowing dissolved makeup and excess oil to rinse away.
WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO SOLVE?
Can an elegant, lightweight oil genuinely remove stubborn waterproof mascara?
Can we reduce rubbing without creating a formula that runs directly into the eyes?
Can a powerful cleansing oil rinse away without leaving blurred vision or a greasy coating?
Can we make a cleanser dramatic enough to be called Blackout—but gentle enough to use every evening?
These are the questions currently covering our formulation notebook, along with several oily fingerprints.
THE BLACKOUT CHALLENGE
Every prototype must face the JustGlow makeup-removal obstacle course:
WATERPROOF MASCARA
The main suspect.
LIQUID EYELINER
Small, precise and strangely committed to staying forever.
MATTE LIQUID LIPSTICK
Usually more permanent than most life decisions.
LONG-WEAR FOUNDATION
Particularly fond of settling around the nose and hairline.
WATER-RESISTANT SUNSCREEN
Essential during the day. Surprisingly determined at bedtime.
Only prototypes that remove them efficiently, emulsify properly and rinse clean will move to the next development stage.
NOTES FROM THE LAB
PROTOTYPE 01
Beautiful texture.
Waterproof mascara remained unimpressed.
PROTOTYPE 02
Excellent makeup removal.
Unfortunately attempted to travel down both arms.
PROTOTYPE 03
Better control. Better rinse.
The mascara is beginning to understand the situation.
CURRENT MISSION
Increase the milkiness. Reduce the residue. Keep the slip. Protect the eyelashes.
Simple.
WHAT PROJECT BLACKOUT WILL NOT CONTAIN
No fragrance.
Your eyes do not need a signature scent.
No essential oils.
Waterproof mascara is enough excitement for one evening.
No decorative colour.
The name Blackout is a metaphor, not an instruction to dye the bathroom sink.
No expensive actives included merely for label decoration.
This is a rinse-off formula with one very specific job—and we intend to make it exceptionally good at that job.
THE TEXTURE WE’RE CHASING
In the bottle:
Clear, fluid and glossy.
Across dry skin:
Silky, cushiony and controlled.
Over makeup:
Enough glide to dissolve resistant films without dragging the skin.
When water is added:
A sudden cloud of cleansing milk.
After rinsing:
Soft, comfortable skin—and no evidence of last night’s mascara.
FORMULATOR’S QUESTION OF THE WEEK
How much emulsifier is enough?
Not enough and the cleanser leaves an oily film.
Too much and the formula may lose its luxurious glide.
Somewhere between the two is the perfect milky rinse—and that is precisely where we are currently looking.
THE PLANNED FINAL EXPERIENCE
PUMP
Two or three pumps onto dry hands.
MASSAGE
Work gently across dry skin and closed eyes.
MELT
Watch waterproof makeup begin to loosen and dissolve.
ADD WATER
The clear oil transforms into a cleansing milk.
RINSE
Makeup leaves. Eyelashes remain.
FOLLOW THE FORMULA
Project Blackout is not being developed behind a perfectly polished curtain.
We will share the ingredients we are exploring, the textures that almost worked, the prototypes that definitely did not and the small discoveries that eventually turn an idea into a finished JustGlow product.
Follow the Formula
Watch Project Blackout develop and be the first to know when the final cleansing oil is ready.
TOO CURIOUS TO WAIT?
You do not have to wait until Project Blackout is finished to begin experimenting.
Explore the lightweight emollients and cleansing emulsifiers currently occupying our laboratory bench—and perhaps create your own version while we are still arguing about Prototype 04.
ENTER THE FORMULATION LAB →
Just remember: if your first experiment removes the mascara but also coats the sink, congratulations—you are officially developing a cleansing oil.
FINAL LAB NOTE
Project Blackout
For makeup that stays through heat, rain, tears and questionable decisions—but should still know when the evening is over.
Currently formulating. Waterproof mascara has been warned.