Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water Review

I recently went on holiday and after hearing so many good things about Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water, I told myself if I came across it I would have to pick it up and see for myself. I bought mine in Australia for about $6, my boyfriend had actually seen it first and laughingly called it 'miracle water' but it really is!

This stuff is fantastic! It looks, smells and feels just like water but it's an incredible cleanser. I wear a full face of makeup most days, and would normally remove most of it before cleansing with a baby wipe which would leave a fair bit behind. I apply a bit of the cleansing water to a cotton round (normally it takes 2-3) and it easily wipes away every bit of makeup without having to rub harshly. Even my notoriously difficult-to-remove They're Real mascara and liner, and my Collection Cosmetics mascara comes completely off with this. The only other things that were able to do this is the They're Real remover or coconut oil, so it's a pretty impressive feat!

After 'cleansing' with it my skin feels fresh and clean, not tight or dry but just refreshed. I actually poured a little of this into a spray bottle to use while travelling to spray on my face to refresh my skin!

I still like to use another cleanser after this as I have oily, acne-prone skin, but after a night out I've gone to sleep after just using this and my skin still felt and looked clean.

Now that I have this, I can't see myself not using it so guess I'll be hitting feelunique to pick some up online (or beg the boyfriend to bring some over from priceline!).

I'm so disappointed that I am writing this review. I was so excited to get to trial it and had this internal narrative planned out where I was one of the cool kids with the hip new product about town in my cool little hands and I'd rave and be cool by association. In reality I'm the socially awkward kid who hated chatterrings and was never allowed a tamigoochi.

I feel completely evil so I'll start with what I do like. The size. At 400ml it is a very generous serving and the $12.99 price tag is very reasonable. I also love the packaging. The clear water is very appealing inside the tastefully pink and clear bottle.

I'm still kinda impressed by the sorcery behind this product. For all intents and purposes it could be water. It looks, smells and (yes morbid curiosity got the better of me) even tastes like water. Yet clearly it's some sort of spellbound elf water because it does more than mere water could ever hope to.

My main problem is I have no idea where this is supposed to fit into my regime. I've heard makeup remover/pre-cleanse wipe, stand-alone cleanser, and even an after cleanse product (but then do I still tone after that??). I'm beyond confused. It's the very last day of the trial and I've tried this every which way trying to find something that works for me and I just can't.

As a makeup remover, while I do find it works adequately, I get a MUCH better result from the coconut oil I was previously using, especially on stubborn eye makeup.

As a pre-cleanse I can clearly see on the cotton pad that it is drawing dirt and grime to it almost magnetically. I don't feel that it's doing a better job than just washing though and this adds an unnecessary step to my already extensive regime.

As a stand-alone cleaner...No. Just no. I keep seeing everyone saying how good this makes their skin feel and I swear it's like I'm using a different product. My skin feels tacky and, frankly, gross. I really did not enjoy leaving my skin like that or applying moisturiser and/or makeup overtop.

As an after cleanse I got that same icky clammy skin feeling and again, completely unnecessary step in my regime - it was nice to see that my cleanser was working and there was no grime on the pad when I did this though.

On top of all this confusion and unnecessaryness, I really don't think my skin reacted well to this at all. My chin pores got so gunked up and gross feeling. I do have some hormonal issues at play at the moment so I won't blame the breakouts I had entirely on this product but they certainly did nothing to help them and my chin has not been this bad in a loooong time.

I am 100% in love with this cleansing water. In the past, I have almost always reacted to makeup remover because my skin is very sensitive. It doesn't matter if its coconut oil or a a makeup remover packed with chemicals, If not instantly I will eventually react to it over time. That is why my life has changed since i discovered this dream product.

The first thing which drew me in was the packaging! Theres something about the design which is so simple yet so flattering and in my opinion is a lot nicer then some of the other Garnier products. The subtle hints of pink combined with the silver sticker which you can see through the back really compliment the rounded edges of the bottle for a soft and cute look. The size of the bottle is another plus! I get so sick of tiny bottles for makeup remover because they're the type of product that gets used very quickly. This is a very generous 400ml bottle which has so far lasted me around 2 months and I still have a bit to go. It's also incredible value for money, only costing me about 9 NZD off feelunique. Using it every day I would estimate a bottle would last me 10 weeks - thats 90 cents a week for an amazing product ladies, can't beat it!

On to the product itself. It has no fragrance and essentially feels like water so its a sensitive skinned girl's dream! It is described as magnet-like drawing away the dirt from skin and believe me it does just that. Not only does it to an incredible job of removing makeup quickly and effectively but it actually cleanses the skin. I still go in with my usual cleanser afterwards but since using this product I have been having more thorough cleanses, less blackheads and very rare breakouts. It's also an amazing product for times when you are sick or come home just a little tooo late but still need to remove your makeup before sleeping. I haven't even got to the best part yet - NOT ONCE have I reacted to this, no rashes no nothing and I have been consistently using this for almost two and a half months. I think this is mostly because of the simplicity of the product and the fact that there is absolutely no residue left behind to cause irritation. I'm telling you, if you have sensitive skin you need this in your life.

I can honestly see myself repurchasing this product again and again because it is just that amazing. It will be a staple in my routine for many years to come and I can not stop raving about it to all my friends.

NOTE: I first reviewed the Garnier Micellar Water in 2014, after using it for two weeks. I then switched to another makeup remover, giving this one to a friend. After all of the hype this year, I repurchased and used for two weeks before having a terrible breakout. At this point, I decided to rewrite my review. When I first used the product in 2014 I had acne, so would not have attributed this product to it.

I have used the ZA cleansing oil to remove makeup for years. It is quick, easy and effective. When my ZA cleansing oil ran out recently (believe me, I usually have backups) I didn’t want to go into town especially for it, so I picked up the Garnier Micellar water at the supermarket. The Garnier Micellar water is used by soaking cotton pads and then wiping these over the face. This totally pulls the makeup off my face, foundation, mascara, eyeliner and all. No scratching or scrubbing, no cleanser splashed into my eyes, and no sticky residue. It does take five or six cotton pads to remove my full face of makeup, so it isn’t an environmentally friendly way to remove makeup. I then follow up with a double cleanse using my Lancome cleanser.

The Garnier Micellar water didn’t irritate my eyes and I was under the impression that it was virtually just water, so I wasn’t concerned about the ingredients affecting my skin. My skin is usually very clear, with no more than two small blemishes at a time. Within a week of using this product, I had a major break out. I had at least six large blemishes around my chin, as well as small bumps over the rest of my face. I was guttered, as my skin scars for a long time and I had invested a lot of time, care and money into getting my skin to a blemish and acne scarring free state. I had introduced other products into my routine at the same time, including a foundation, so the Garnier Micellar water didn’t ring alarm bells and I continued to use it for another week. After seeing a post on Instagram regarding the Garnier Micellar water and break outs, I immediately stopped using it. From that point I had no further blemishes, however the ones that it caused are taking very long time to heal. Due to the high number of girls that have broken out from this product, I do not recommend it to anyone, and have returned to my ZA cleansing oil.