GARNIER Micellar Cleansing Water VS. Simple Micellar Cleansing Water

For as long as I can remember, I've been searching for a makeup remover that would:

• remove all of my makeup, because let's face it-- most products don't
• would NOT irritate my eyes, because many of them sting 
• would remove all of my eye makeup effortlessly
• and would not dry out my skin

And until recently, I had yet to find a product that met all of my criteria. 

Today, though, I want to share with you my experiences using micellar waters. And I am going to give you a rundown on which I prefer. 

I've tried two drugstore ones, which are the Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water ($6.99) as well as the Simple Micellar Cleansing Water ($4.79). 

I purchased the Simple one first, so I've used over half of that one, but I've used at least 1/3 of the Garnier one. So I finally feel that I've reached a point where I can give you some good insight. 

I'll start by talking about the GARNIER one. 

If you go to your local drugstore, Walmart or Target to purchase this micellar water, you'll find that they have two different bottles on the shelf. One with a pink lid and one with a teal lid. I purchased the teal one because the bottle stated that it removes "even waterproof mascara." I really didn't know there'd be much of a difference in formula between the two. 

What I noticed during my first few uses, is that this one equipped to remove waterproof mascara, is greasy. 

Before application, you'll shake the bottle up well, but if you'll notice in the photo on the left, you can see the oil-like substance separating at the top of the mixture. When you mix it up, it sort of disappears, but settles back at the top once you're no longer shaking it. 

The best way to use a micellar water is to saturate either a cotton ball or cotton round with it, and use those to wipe the makeup off of your face. For me, it takes a few times to get all of my makeup removed. 

For the eyes, you'll saturate one of the cotton products and then lay it on your closed eye for a few seconds before wiping the makeup away. That allows the micellar water to break down the makeup and it makes it easier to remove. This prevents you from having to scrub at your eye to get it off, thus preventing signs of premature aging.

I found that when I used this on my face, it did remove makeup well, but left a greasy film all over afterwards. I especially felt the greasiness around my eyes. Although it feels oily every time I use it, I have noticed that the better it is shaken, the less oily it seems. Sort of like using an oil based salad dressing-- if you pour it on your salad before mixing, it will be like you dumped vegetable oil all over your lettuce. But when you do shake it well, the oiliness is present, but doesn't take over the whole salad.

I've provided you a photo of the info found on the back of the bottle. You can see that their instructions for face and eye makeup removal is not unlike what I have just explained to you above. 

The directions do say to "Shake Well." I imagine this has something to do with that oily substance in this version. 

As listed above, this micellar water was around $7 for a 13.5 oz bottle. The Simple micellar water was a little under $5 for a 6.7 oz bottle. The Simple would only be a few cents pricier if we broke down the oz per dollar. But it's not large enough of a price difference to make and break buying it again. 

Another thing I'd like to mention before moving on to the Simple cleanser, is that the Garnier did NOT sting or irritate my eyes when they were saturated with it. With most all makeup remover wipes and many eye removers, my eyes sting and burn while using them to try and remove waterproof liners and mascaras. 

Now, on to the Simple micellar water.. 

One of the first things I noticed about this product was how fresh it made my skin feel. It was the first micellar water I'd tried, and it blew my expectations out of the water. 

It is gentle on the skin, doesn't leave an oily residue, removes all of my makeup, and is made by a brand that prides itself on being healthy and
"kind to skin." 

While this brand's products are often a little higher in price point than some of the other drugstore brands, I do believe that their products are good for us. 

The back packaging states that the water has multi-vitamins and skin-loving ingredients. What could be any better than that? 

The directions are much the same as the ones on the Garnier bottle. 

I found this micellar water also did NOT irritate my eyes, and that it made my skin feel good afterwards. 

I find that when I'm grabbing for one of these, I definitely pick the Simple one. Both products did remove my makeup as they stated they would. I didn't have any problems with them doing what they claim. There's nothing vastly different in the way these products work, but having my skin feeling greasy after each use is mainly what makes Garnier's product come in last place. My skin is already extremely oily in my t-zone, so I just hate using products that make it feel oily, or add unnecessary oil in. 

I do believe the oily consistency was created to help better break down waterproof and more heavy-duty makeup, but I don't think it's necessary with the Simple one excelling at removing everything without the oily concoction. 

I do plan on purchasing the one with the pink lid once I've used up this one. But either way, I'll definitely go out and buy the Simple micellar water again. 

Micellar waters are brilliant. We finally have something that will remove our makeup, won't dry out or irritate our skin, and will deep clean and help us to achiever healthier skin. Bless the chemists who sat down at the drawing board and created something like this for us, finally. 

Please leave me comments with your own experiences using micellar waters, ask questions and I'll try to answer, and let me know what you'd like to see next! 

xx