Mission: Find a New Micellar Water

So my Avène Micellar Lotion is on its last legs and it is time to find a new micellar water. The Avène one has served me well, but as a beauty blogger it is my mission to find new products to review.  Plus, I feel like I was wasting the “lotion” part of this product by double-cleansing everyday.

It seems like since I first discovered micellar water a few years, I can’t go back.  They are just so refreshing and lightweight!  It also just makes me feel like I am doing a better job of removing everything off my face by doing the double cleansing step after removing with micellar water.  The only con for me all these years is that micellar water is just not so great at removing smudgeproof and waterproof makeup.

Just a little history about what micellar waters I have tried over the years.  The first one I tried was, of course, the cult favourite, Bioderma.  I tried the regular version first and it really stung my eyes.  Then, I switched to the pink one which is for sensitive skin and it still stings my eyes.  However, I just loved it so much for removing my face makeup, I kept on using it.  It felt refreshing on the skin and was scentless, which was always a plus for me. With regards to the Avène Micellar Lotion, it is great alternative to Bioderma.  It does not effect my eyes as much and your skin feels moisturized and “bouncy” after you use it.  It does have a scent though and like Bioderma, is not great a removing smudgeproof and waterproof makeup.

So I am thinking of getting a higher end one and a drugstore one to compare this time for a future blogpost.  For the drugstore option, I have decided to get the Garnier one.  There is just too much hype aroudn it not to give it a try.  I just don’t have idea for a high-end one yet.  I thought it would just be fun to bring you along on this mission.  I’m also interested to see what thought processes people use in deciding what new beauty products to buy next.  I usually have some recommendations bouncing in my head from watching so much Youtube, but I tend to take a look at Sephora first.  

Step 1 – Search “micellar water” on Sephora

Whoa, who knew that Sephora carried so many micellar waters (or cleansing waters)?  26 in total.  Wow, I didn’t know that luxury brands like Yves Saint Laurent and Guerlain had cleansing waters.  These must be like the “designer bags” of cleansing waters.  Whoa, $67 USD!  How much that work out to per drop?  I think I will pass because I go through micellar waters pretty quickly and I double-cleanse.

Step 2 – Sort by “best-selling” and “top rating”

Oh, surprisingly the Caudalie one is the best-selling one.  I don’t hear too many people talk about this one.  The second best-selling one is the Koh Gen Do, which I hear more beauty bloggers talk about.  Top rated is often not a great measure for how good a product actually is because it purely is determined by stars and not how many people has actually reviewed.  It looks like Koh Gen Do edges out the Caudalie one by half a star.

Step 3 – Compare the price and the amount of product

So the two candidates are Caudalie and Koh Gen Do, but it looks like the Caudalie one is cheaper at $31 CAD compared to $55 CAD.  However, the Koh Gen Do has 300 mL of product compared to Caudalie at 200 mL.

Step 4 – Check out some other reviews online

Quite a few reviews say that the Koh Gen Do removes waterproof mascara, which would be amazing from a cleansing water.  Plus, it says it does not sting the eyes which is a total “pro” in my eyes.  Also, one of my favourites bloggers, Anna, from Style Under Pressure, recommends their wipes.  I might have to get this one, but let’s check the Caudalie reviews.  Overall, it seems like it is not as strong at removing makeup as the Koh Gen Do one, but is very soothing and great for sensitive skin.  The scent is also sounds appealing because it smells like grapes.

VERDICT:  I think I will get the Koh Gen Do one because I wear so much waterproof and smudgeproof makeup.  However, I might just get both in travel size and do a top 2 best-selling micellars waters from Sephora comparison review blogpost later on.  What do you think?

What process do you go through before purchasing a beauty product?

Eye Makeup Remover Exes + New Friends

I use a lot of smudgeproof and waterproof makeup on my eyes, so I usually need hardcore eye makeup removers to remove it.  Since I don’t want to torture my eyes with intense rubbing, I tend to gravitate toward those that make the removal as quick and painless as possible.  Till this day, I haven’t found one that I completely adore.   Here are some of my eye makeup remover exes that I have tried and moved on from.

Ex Eye Makeup Removers

Lancôme Bi-Facil Non-Oily Instant Eye Makeup Remover  (Reason for Break-Up: a bit pricey and oily on the eyelids afterwards – maybe not anymore if they changed formula)

This is a bit of a cult classic, and I have gone through quite a few bottles of this.  For me, it was the first of its kind, where you had to shake it up to combine the oil and liquid.  It really is quite “instant” in that after one wipe, most everything comes off, except super stubborn Japanese mascaras.  However, I was surprised that even the super hard to remove Majolica Majorica mascara came off if you soaked the eye in a cotton pad for a minute.  I think the only con is that it is pretty pricey ($39 USD) and you do go through it pretty quickly.  I noticed now that they call it “non-oily”, so maybe they have changed the formula a bit, but I remember it did leave my eyelids a bit oily afterwards.  Anyone have an update on this?  Overall, this is a solid eye makeup remover I always go back to once in a while.

Clarins Instant Eye Make-Up Remover (Reason for Break-Up: the scent is too strong for me)

Other than the Lancôme remover, I have also repurchased this one before.  It is very similar to the Lancôme one in that it is a dual phase remover, and similarly, it removes most makeup off pretty easily.  For some reason, I think the Lancôme one is still a bit more powerful in removing stubborn Japanese mascaras.  It states on their website, that after using, there isn’t any residue left behind, and there really isn’t any compared to the Lancôme one.  The only deal-breaker with me is the scent.  It is pretty strong, and lingers afterwards.  Although, I think those that are not sensitive to scents might love this one.

Nursery Yuzu Make Up & UV Cleansing Gel (Reason for Break-Up: takes a bit elbow grease)

This is my current eye makeup remover and I have been using it for a year now.  This is a gel-type makeup remover from Japan created for professional salons.  I picked it up because it was #1 on one of their beauty review charts.  It smells really fruity like Yuzu, which I prefer over floral scents.  You can use it all over the face, but  I have stuck to my Bioderma for that and only use it on the eyes.  It removes most makeup, but takes a little bit more work then the dual-phase ones.  It does leave your eyes feeling fresh and moisturized.  I probably won’t repurchase because it just takes a little more time and work for me to remove the makeup than other removers.

New Friends

Here are a couple of Asian eye makeup removers I picked up recently.  They are both dual-phase and I thought I would just give them a try.  Plus, the price point was quite good. Both of them are under $10 USD.

Mizon Natural Grain Real Oat Essential Lip & Eye Remover

Mizon is mostly known for their snail products, but with ingredients like oatmeal, papaya, and olive oil, it seemed pretty moisturizing.  First impressions so far is that it has a pretty subtle scent, removes makeup quick easily, and isn’t too oily.  So good so far.  Sometimes, it it hard to find ingredients list for Korean products, but just noticed that it does contain parabens.

Innisfree Apple Juicy Lip & Eye Remover

Innisfree is a Korean brand that tries to promote natural ingredients in their products. This eye makeup remover contains 88% natural ingredients and contains Kaolin powder that is supposed absorb any oiliest from your eyelids (that sounds great!).  The apples in this product are supposed to help moisturize and provide radiance on your eyelids (not sure I want radiance on my already oily eyelids).  I have not opened this one yet, but I will update later on the blog about how it preformed.

What is your favourite eye makeup remover?  Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks for reading!  🙂

Review: Avène Micellar Lotion Cleanser and Make-Up Remover

 

I love Bioderma, but it stings my eyes like crazy, even the sensitive version.  So I decided to go on a search for another micellar water.  I was strolling through the French pharmacy brand section in my drugstore and I spotted the Avène Micellar Lotion.  Since it was a marketed as a “lotion,” I was intrigued to see what skincare benefits it would offer.

The amount of product and pricing compared to Bioderma is pretty similar.  You get 400 ml, whereas the big bottle of Bioderma contains 500 ml.  Pricewise, Bioderma ($27 CAD) is a bit more expensive than Avène, but you get more product.

On Avène’s website, it is marketed as a  “Gentle no-rinse cleanser, toner and make-up remover (3-in-1).”  I do think it is more moisturizing than Bioderma.  After you wipe your makeup off, if you touch your skin, it feels moist and bouncy.

For removing makeup, it is similar to Bioderma in that it removes most makeup, either than waterproof mascara and takes a little bit more work to remove eye makeup compared to duo-phase eye makeup removers.  It stings my eyes a little bit less than Bioderma.  I am not sure why because the ingredients are very similar.  Maybe it is the Avène spring water! 🙂

VERDICT:  Overall, a solid micellar water.  The only reason I  might not repurchase is that it contains fragrance.  Since I am quite sensitive to smell, it bothered me a bit the first few times I used it.

What is your favourite micellar water?

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