This is a sponsored feature. All opinions are 100% from Her Campus.
Between late night study sessions and crazy nights out, removing makeup before bed is often the last thing on our minds when all we want to do is fall face-first into the first thing that resembles a bed. Or sometimes you’re like me, where even a skincare obsession loses to laziness. It’s too tempting, but everyone from our mothers to our dermatologists have warned us about the dangers of sleeping in a full-face of makeup.
Not only does makeup, oil, and bacteria create an acne-causing cocktail on your face, but sleeping with makeup on restricts the skin’s access to the air (like a way of “breathing”), eventually speeding up the aging process.
There are many options for removing your makeup at night, but one that has been flying off of beauty counters has been Micellar Cleansing Water. Micellar water actually isn’t new— it’s been a favorite in French women’s beauty routines since the OG BioDerma Sensibio H20 came out in 1991. So what is micellar water?
It’s a solution of soft water and molecules of cleansing oil called micelles. This makes it perfect for cleansing skin: micelles attract makeup and oil while the water dissolves dirt and impurities. Because micellar water is a gentle formula, it doesn’t leave the skin dry and tight like harsher makeup removers can. This also means that if you’re pressed for time, micellar water can also be used as a face wash.
Personally, I’ve been using the non-waterproof version of the Garnier micellar water for a couple of years now, and it’s the only thing I use to remove my makeup (I’m still on my very first bottle of the stuff — #dedication). So when I got the opportunity to swap out the pink packaging for blue, I quickly jumped at the chance. Gentle yet powerful? Count me in.
First impressions: Tbh, it’s not that different from the original formula. It melts away foundation and eye makeup with ease, and I find that I only need to use the two sides of a cotton pad to achieve this. (Pro-tip: To remove mascara without harshly rubbing your eyelashes, hold a saturated cotton pad over your eye for about ten seconds, then gently wipe away the mascara.) I think that this formula works amazingly for stubborn mascara and other heavier products, but some might find it a bit drying on their skin.
However, this won’t be a problem if you follow up with a facial cleanser, which you should, but as a solo act it may be something to consider if your skin already tends to be dry. I also noticed that it left a slight film on my skin that the original formula doesn’t leave. For this reason, this formula may not be the best if you aren’t planning on following up your makeup removal with a facial cleanser.
My loyalty remains with the original formula, but for you ladies who have to use a lot of makeup wipes to fully remove your makeup, you may want to look into this waterproof formula. Considering how effective micellar water is in general, it may be your next holy grail product! Remember that it’s always best to cleanse and moisturize your skin after removing your makeup, but hey, we’re all sleep-deprived. Every minute of sleep is precious.
You can get the Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water on Amazon or other retailers for $6.80+.