Hi there and Happy Fri-yay! So how about Micellar Cleansing Water. Have you heard of it? What is it? What does it do? Yeah, let’s talk about all of that.
Micellar Cleansing Water was originated in Paris in the 90s to help French women combat the bad skin affects of the city’s harsh water. It was quickly discovered by models and makeup artists as an alternative to other makeup removers and cleansers due to its gentle, no rinse makeup removing prowess.
What’s the benefit for us non-models? The cleansing agents are mild and non-irritating surfactants that are tolerable even for the most sensitive of skins. My skin has been very sensitive as of late so I greatly appreciated this idea.
It’s pretty amazing that this gentle, amped up water can even remove waterproof makeup claims say. The science is way over my head but suffice to say that the micellar cleansing agents are attracted to cotton, causing it to act as a magnet and draw out dirt and impurities. Using a cotton pad to with these gentle giants is a must to get the max cleansing/makeup removing benefit.
I tried out 3 drug store Micellar Cleansing Waters for a month each (I used them as my only cleanser in the evenings) and here are my experiences in the beg, borrow or bust format (get the key here):
Pacifica Cactus Water Micellar Cleansing Tonic
BEG my friends, beg! This felt absolutely amazing on my skin, removed my makeup effortlessly and at the end of the 30 days I actually felt like my skin texture and clarity was better! I shouldn’t be surprised as I’m a big fan of Pacifica’s Sea Foam Complete Face Wash, but I must say this surpassed my expectations. I bought another and since this was luckily the last one I tried, I don’t have to give it up!
Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water
Had I not found the Pacifica water, I would have been perfectly happy to continue with this product. I love Garnier’s BB Cream so had high expectations of this product and I did really like it. I rarely wear waterproof mascara but when I did to test this out, it didn’t come off easily without some aggressive tugging. It did, however, easily remove my waterproof eyeliner and the rest of my makeup, leaving my skin feeling clean after using it.
Simple Micellar Cleansing Water
This was probably my least favorite, aka the bust. Yes it was gentle, but the act of removing my makeup was anything but. I had to beat my face down to remove even blush. It was virtually like I was only swiping a wet cotton pad over my face. I’d skip this one. I honestly didn’t want to complete the month because I felt like my pores were getting clogged but I did, anything for the blog… 😉
So while I’m not convinced that Micellar Cleansing Water is a total replacement for nighttime cleansing (and you know I love a good lazy girl beauty hack!), it definitely has its place in my routine as a great makeup remover, skin refiner and cleanser if used past midnight, aka I’m too tired for my whole skincare routine ;).
If you’ve tried cleansing waters before, what are your thoughts? Are you interested in trying them if you haven’t before?
Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!
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Morgan says
I have used the Pacifica Miscellar Cactus water. It works great, I use it after I cleanse my face with a cleanser to tone, and get rid of excess oil. It does work very well to take off make up. I’ve found that it’s best to fill up a small cup of water and add a few drops of the Miscellar water , to the water and use to q tip, to remove stubborn water resistant eye make up. Using it in that way is more gentle on your eyes. It burned mine first try.
Lydia says
Great tip Morgan! It didn’t burn my eyes but I do have to tug/rub on them a good deal to get eye makeup off which is NOT good for wrinkle prevention! 😉 Thanks for taking the time to comment, have a great rest of your week!
Nikki says
I’m trying the garnier one tonight! It was the first one I found at Ulta.
Whitney says
Thanks for the great tip.
Lydia says
You’re welcome Whitney!
Sally says
I’ve been looking for a alternative to my normal face wash routine! The Pacifica sounds like a winner!! Can’t wait to try it!
Debbie Davidson says
I have been looking for a cleaner. I’m going to try Pacifica. Thanks for the great tip. Always love your advice
Lydia says
Thanks so much Debbie! Please let me know how you like it! 🙂
Lydia says
I think you’ll love it Sally, let me know how it goes! 🙂