Micellar waters: A hot topic that has been on every beauty enthusiasts lips over the past few months. First up, WHAT IS a micellar water and how does it differ from a standard cleansing water?
Micellar waters were pretty much born in Paris. We know how the french ladies love a cleanser and a toner (It’s french religion basically!) and many are adverse to using tap water on their faces so the micellar water was born as a quick hybred between a cleanser and a toning water. A 3-in-1 water that removes all traces of dirt, city pollution and grime, makeup, waterproof mascara and more without the use of water or rinsing. What makes a micellar water slightly more effective than a typical cleansing water is the fact that is contains ‘Micelles’ which are teeny tiny oil molecules suspended in water. This is the key to them cleansing so effectively yet gently.
These below are not ALL micellar waters (Clarins, Phytomer, Rodial aren’t) but these are just a bunch of my favourite micellars & cleansing waters that I have used , tried and loved over the years. Gone are the days of using makeup wipes (unless you are at a festival), it is so much BETTER for your skin and can be cheaper to quickly swish some of these 3-in-1’s onto a cotton pad and remove your daily face.
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water
Believe the hype.
One of the most talked about micellar water that has launched into the high street. I saw this everywhere and it has had a load of great reviews. I didn’t NEED anymore cleansing waters as I have so many but I just couldn’t resist this. I absolutely love the packaging, it’s really pretty (if not a bit of a copy of Bioderma) and the generous 400ml size is a real money-saver. The water itself is outstanding at removing my eye and face makeup in easy sweeps. This comes a VERY close second the my Bioderma and is quite a bit cheaper than any other waters I have used. Would reccomend this to anyone who wants to dip their toe into the Micellar world and is still unsure.
£4.99 (400ml)
Bioderma Sensibio/ Crealine
THE O.G of micellar waters.
I had this way before the hype. Makeup artists have been using this backstage for many, many years, and I have used it for over 7 years. Due to more demand in the UK, it is thankfully much more accesible and easier to buy. Back in the day, it wasn’t online or sold anywhere in the UK so you had to pick some up during the Paris fashion shows, or get a makeup pal who was visiting, to pick you up a bundle. Models love it as it’s so gentle on all skintypes, anti-inflammatory and hypoallergenic.
So popular is this among makeup artists, it was and still pretty much is, simply referred to as ‘Bioderma’ or ‘Crealine’ (now Sensibio) in the makeup world….imagine a product so popular within another brand that it was called by the brand name as opposed to the product name?! I still refer to this one product as my ‘Bioderma’. Not really that expensive either, it sits just above the high street newbies.
£9.99 (250ml)
Phytomer Rose visee
A Touch of luxury.
Phytomer is not such a well-known skincare range as the others but when I am back home, I often have facials at The Royal Yacht Spa and this is their favoured treatment range. This water is has a beautiful smell of sweet roses and it’s also PINK which obviously is super important(!). This sits between a cleansing water and a toner rather than a 3-in-1 Micellar. It freshens, energises and tones the skin and will remove light makeup and dirt but I wouldn’t solely use this to remove all my makeup. I use this, without sounding too extravagent, in my gym bag, and I will use it to cleanse any makeup I have on BEFORE I work out. If I use a face mask in the changing rooms before I shower I will use it again prior to this and also after my gym shower before skincare. Ok I sound extravagent.
£17.75 (250ml)
B. Pure Micellar cleansing water
Clean & Simple.
For me, this cleansing water is what B. is known for. I got this little smaple from an event and it’s so handy for travel! (I have just been topping it up with my full-size one) Matches any of the other high street cleansing waters I have tried and I love the simple and clean packaging.
£4.99 (250ml)
L’Oreal Skin Perfection 3-in-1 Micellar Wate
Affordable and Effective.
I picked this up as a cheap go-between when I was travelling back and forth to London. The packaging for me is not the most appealing, it is quite 90’s with is square shapes and text but the product is fairly impressive. It removes all makeup with ease and leaves my skin very soft and soothed.
£4.99 (200ml)
Clarins One-Step facial cleanser
Radiance-enhancing & Energising.
This is my 2nd or 3rd bottle of this bi-phase cleansing water from Clarins. I solely bought this originally because it has orange extracts in it and I LOVE orange. Also, not many brands used to do these 1-step cleansing waters before the Micellar OUTBREAK and this was easy to get hold of on my travels : I usually buy this at the airport.
As you can imagine this smells lovely and removes makeup well because it has quite an oily base to it. You need to shake it up to mix the oily bit and watery bit that seperates – the above picture is shaken up, the top picture shows it more seperated. Leaves skin stripped of any dirt & makeup but sometimes I feel a little bit too much oily residue left on my skin which I don’t get with any other of my cleansing waters. It has served me well over the years and would reccomend this maybe for people who aren’t too oily on the skin.
£20 (200ml)
Rodial Dragon’s blood cleansing water £29 (200ml)
Anti-Redness & Soothing.
My second bottle of this. It is a really lovely and gentle cleansing water. ‘Dragon’s Blood’ is a tree sap that is really healing and anti-inflammatory and along with Rosewater and vitamin B3, this is very gentle and soothing on the skin. This is great for energising , brightening as well as makeup removal. It has a few extra benefits that simply just cleansing, and it kind of needs to with the pricepoint. I think a big plus on this one is the pump applicator which is very quick and effecient to use.
£29 (200ml)