It's wonderful little addition to your face care routine, especially if you have dry skin. I have stopped using soaps and cleansers all together. I don't wear a lot of heavy makeup so I'm not sure if it would work as well for makeup removal with a full face of makeup, but I simply steam for approx 20-30 seconds and then use a warm washcloth to remove makeup, rinse the cloth and repeat 3 or 4 times. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated and fresh. All your pores open up and soak in the moisturizers and serums beautifully after. The little tank doesn't hold a lot but I only refill it maybe once every 2 weeks. I haven't used it as a humidifier.... I don't think it would run for more than an hour at most. The towel warmer is also a great added function.