As I may have mentioned before, skincare is something that I am really interested in and think is really important - so no face wipes for this girl!
I believe that in order for my main cleanser to work properly, I need something to remove all makeup first and leave my skin receptive to my cleanser (the infamous "double cleanse" technique if you will), and I find micellar waters are ideal for this purpose.
I have previously tried and reviewed the make-up artist staple that is the Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micelle Solution (previously called Bioderma Crealine), but I have since been on the hunt for an inexpensive, cruelty free alternative.
Superdrug has become a regular haunt of mine for everyday staples from toothpaste to makeup, given that their own brand products are cruelty free (and BUAV approved), and so when I came across the stand promoting their new skincare and makeup range B., I was really excited when I clocked the miceller water!
Priced at £4.99 for 150ml (although it's currently on special offer for £3.32), Superdrug's offering is considerably cheaper than the Bioderma micellar water, and essentially does the same thing, which is to remove impurities whilst being as kind to skin as water and protecting the pH balance.
I think in terms of being an all-over facial 'cleanser' of sorts, the product is let down by the bottle size: where as Bioderma comes in mahoosive 500ml bottles that you can easily use all over and it will last you some time, I do find that I go through this very quickly (as with the Korres Cleansing Water) and so I have been mainly using this as an eye makeup remover.
For this purpose it does very well - I soak two cotton wool pads (one for each eye) in the micellar water and hold each over my eyelid for 30 seconds or so, which removes eyeshadow/eyeliner completely, and helps to effectively loosen up mascara (I am yet to find a non oil based eye makeup remover that completely removes mascara in one go. Even Bioderma couldn't do it!). My eyes are not at all irritated by this product, and I have no concerns with using it round the eye area.
As an all-over facial makeup remover (I am slightly loathe to call it a cleanser, as to me a cleanser is a 'proper' balm or lotion!), I do find I can easily go through around 4 cotton wool pads before I am satisfied my skin is make-up free (and I generally don't wear a lot of foundation), and then I always like to follow up with another cleanser because I find this micellar water leaves a slight tacky film on the skin.
Despite this, I do think it's quite refreshing (possibly the cucumber extract, which does not add any scent in my opinion, but makes for a nice skin pick me up), and I love the fact it doesn't irritate my skin at all - does anyone else find their skin sometimes gets a bit 'sore' when you try to remove every last trace of makeup? I also like the fact it's multi-use - you could easily use this after your cleanser in place of a toner.
I am really pleased that Superdrug have launched a highstreet micellar water, as it shows they are very much in tune with current beauty trends and what the average skincare junkie 'needs' (note the inverted commas ha) - if only they could produce it in a bigger bottle...
Have you tried this? Or do you have any cruelty-free effective micellar waters you could recommend?
