Micellar Water vs Makeup Remover

Time for a blog post battle! Micellar water vs makeup remover!

Micellar water blew up the beauty world when it first got launched and it’s not hard to see why. Micelle molecules attach to dirt and makeup and break it down. This leaves your face completely makeup free, it claims.

Wash-off makeup removers also claim to do the same. Instead of using micelles, they have other scientific substances to help dissolve and melt away makeup.

In this post, we’re going to find the similarities, pros and cons of the two products to find which one is victorious!

Micellar water vs makeup remover: let the battle commence!

So starting with similarities, they both remove makeup. That much is obvious. Before we delve any deeper into this discussion however, it’s probably best to point out that I use the Garnier Micellar Extra-Gentle Cleansing wipes and Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean Deep Cleansing Milk. So, as we were saying, they both do as promised. They’re also both gentle on the skin. This is a plus for me. The wipes are so gentle since they contain silk fibres which reduces the friction. As for the cleanser, it doesn’t foam up meaning it doesn’t dry out your skin and it has no parabens.

So the cleansing wipes.

Positives:

• Quick and easy makeup removal- no washing off is required with these. You simply wipe your face and the job is good.
• No scent- now these is especially good for those with sensitive skin. They are also hypoallergenic so anyone can use them without experiencing a reaction!
• Inexpensive- I got them for around £3.50 for 25 wipes but you can find them cheaper elsewhere!
• They contain just the right amount of product you need- think about it. Why would the provider of these wipes not put the correct amount of product on each wipe? They wouldn’t get sales! Using wipes means you don’t have to worry about using 1 pump or 2 of your cleanser!
• The silk fibres are extremely soft and gentle- it feels so good against your skin. Sliding across instead of tugging and rubbing. Despite the lack of friction, it also removes mascara though that does require a little more pressure!

And the negatives:

They don’t completely remove all traces of makeup- despite being infused with micellar water. I still need to wash my face after. This for me isn’t an inconvenience as I double cleanse anyway. For those who like a one-step job at night, then this may not be the product for you.

They have a very short shelf life- so as you may have discovered previously when it was all over social media, beauty products actually tell you how long they can last. These wipes have a 3 month shelf life and that may be enough for most since there’s only 25 wipes. I don’t use them everyday though and only use them when I wear light makeup. This isn’t very often as I tend to opt for the all-or-Nothing approach with makeup.

The expense will built up- if you use these everyday, the prices will build up. It’ll be £3 every 25 days which doesn’t seem like a lot but that’s 15 packs a year meaning you’ll spend £52.50 a year on a cleanser that you need to follow up with another product anyway.

They aren’t great for the environment- so many people are being more aware about the environment now which is great and unfortunately, I don’t think these wipes contribute to a positive environment. There is no sign that they are biodegradable. They aren’t  recyclable as you can only use them once then you’ve contaminated it with your makeup. They also come in plastic packaging which is another thing that people are being aware about.

And on to the cleaner!

Positives:

• The bottle lasts ages- I honestly can’t tell you how much I use this and it lasts for months! I use one pump every night and my whole makeup is gone! The best part is that the product goes down very very slowly!
• Very long shelf life- you can have this product for 24 months before you need to purchase a new one: 2 whole years! Mine last me several months but if you don’t wear makeup too often then this is such a good investment as it’s only £8 for 350 ml which is actually a lot of product!
• It literally melts the makeup away- the one pump I use removes every single trace of makeup that was on my face, despite this, I still double cleanse but if I wanted to, I could just use this product and my face would be squeaky clean! This is because it uses a special clogged pore formula to really get into the skin and clean it.
• It smells great- fan of the Too Faced Peach products? This could be its drugstore skincare sister. It just smells so fresh which my skin loves after a long day of holding my makeup on!
• It doesn’t leave any residue- in other cleansers I’ve used in the past, sometimes the product leave a film on my face which I hate the feel off, especially if it feels greasy because my face is oily enough. With this cleanser however, my face doesn’t feel oily but it also does feel dry because it doesn’t foam up and strip the oils from my skin, it just removes the excess ones on the surface!

Negatives:

• Plastic bottle-again not amazing for the environment as the packaging is not recyclable, although it may be redeemed since you only have to buy maybe 3 bottles a year?
• It requires a little more effort- this is in comparison to the wipes and the only extra effort you gave to exert is that you have to wash it off, so it’s not too much of a hassle in my opinion.

So who’s the winner in the battle: Micellar water vs makeup remover?

Overall, my preference is the Soap and Glory cleansing milk simply because it’s more effective on my skin. Some do swear by micellar water and it is the perfect remover for a lot of people, but for me, it simply isn’t enough and my skin doesn’t feel as spotless as it could.

Please let me know in the comments how you remove your makeup!