Fab or flub? Garnier learns French with new micellar cleansing water
It’s no surprise that American women look to the French for beauty inspiration. With so many presenting a view to the world of clear complexions, minimal makeup and perfectly coiffed hair, it seems French women have all but mastered the art of looking effortless.
Lucky for us, you don’t have to fly to Paris to get your hands on some French-inspired beauty products.
One of the hottest trends to hit the beauty world recently involves micellar cleansing water. Created in the ’90s to help Parisian women deal with the dilemma of cleansing their faces with the harsh water of that region, micellar cleansing water is suitable for even the most sensitive skins.
Free from oils, alcohols and fragrances, the products work without the use of water by containing micelle cleansing molecules that pull oil and dirt away from the face.
For this week’s Fab or Flub? review, I decided to delve into the micellar cleansing world and review a new offering, Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water ($6.99, Target). Promoted as an all-in-one makeup cleanser, the product claims to remove makeup in one swipe without the need for rinsing or rubbing.
First impression
If you love having choices, you’ll be happy to hear that Garnier’s micellar cleansing water comes in two versions. They appear almost identical, based on their descriptions, but the product with the turquoise top is made specifically for waterproof mascara; the other is not.
Because the majority of mascaras I use are waterproof, I reviewed the turquoise version.
Micellar cleansing waters are used very similarly to traditional makeup removers (minus all the aforementioned rubbing or rinsing). Instead, you take a cotton pad, saturate it with the product and swipe it gently across your face.
To remove stubborn eye makeup, hold a saturated pad over your closed eyes for a few seconds, then gently wipe.
As a regular user of makeup remover wipes, I had a little bit of trouble adjusting to the rub-free concept. But I know all that rubbing is not the best for my skin or eyelashes, so putting an end to that could be a good thing.
Fab or flub?
Fab-ish. As far as makeup removers go, the Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water is a nice departure from other formulas I’ve tried.
The product did a wonderful job of removing makeup from my face, without leaving my skin irritated or overly dry. In fact, it left my skin looking clean and refreshed.
Unlike traditional makeup removers that seem packed with oils and alcohol, Garnier’s micellar cleansing water didn’t leave my face looking and feeling like an oil slick. I didn’t even have to rinse my face when I was done.
On the subject of removing waterproof mascara, however, the process definitely required more than one swipe. It was slightly messy and required the use of several cotton pads.
That said, the Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water was still better at removing my waterproof mascara than recent makeup removing wipes I’ve used — and I didn’t lose a single eyelash during the process.
Although I doubt I’ll stop using traditional wipes completely — they still boast on-the-go convenience — I will definitely keep micellar cleansing water on hand for a gentle way to remove my mascara at home.
This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Fab or flub? Garnier learns French with new micellar cleansing water."