Beauty Duel: Bioderma Sensibo vs. Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I doubt the fad of micellar waters will ever fade away in the beauty community; its just a perfect, easy, gentle way to remove all makeup from the day with a few swipes of a soaked cotton round. Bioderma really was the brand that brought micellar waters to the forefront of beauty, and they have so many different types for different skin concerns, but their most popular one is from their Sensibio range, which is geared toward more sensitive skin types, though its really a fail-safe for all skin types (can possibly be a TAD drying for some more than others, though). 

Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water has been a hit overseas, specifically in the UK; the US has not been graced with this drugstore gem until recently when I saw it advertised in a Sunday flyer at CVS (squeals!!). It's priced at $8.99 for a 400ml bottle, compared to Bioderma's 500 ml, which usually ranges around $19.95 (depending on where you purchase; for the US online beauty shoppe Beautylish, it goes for that price). So price wise, the Garnier version defiantly beats it. Packaging wise, its almost the same for both: cute pink caps and labels and easy to dispense.

Now, which one out of the two is better? The cult-classic or the drugstore gem?

For me, this was hard to decide, considering I've been using Bioderma for years now, I do notice from time to time that it can dry out my skin a bit compared to Garnier's, which I find to be much more hydrating and comforting. At the end of the day, both do a spot-on job at removing all face makeup, though Bioderma wins in terms of being able to take off eye makeup just a tad bit better then its competitor. That being said, I'm probably going to end up repurchasing Garnier over Bioderma, based on price and convenient availability. 

No matter which route you take, these are both stand out makeup-removing products, and you won't be disappointed in the slightest by either or.

Respectfully, you can purchase Bioderma at Beautylish here and Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water at CVS  here

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Blogger's Edit, 01/3/16:  CVS' current Sunday ad has 25% off ALL Garnier Skincare. Also, Ulta just launched the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Waters, which you can find here & in-stores; it's also currently on-sale, & you can use coupons and rewards points for extra savings at both stores!

Pick Your Preference: Makeup Removers

Taking off your makeup, spf, and/or the grime of the day every night is essential and the most important step at maintaining a healthy skincare routine. Sleeping in makeup or spf is a no-no; because overnight it will do more damage and overtime, your skin will only progress in showing your naughty habits. 

There are so many different ways you can remove your makeup completely before getting into the rest of your routine: balms, oils, gels, lotions, waters...SO MANY to choose, you have no excuses to be lazy and not take care of your skin properly. I wanted to talk about some of my favorites, with a few notable mentions (these are w/out photos because: I have run out of product and/or mindlessly forgot to snap a photo whilst posting this)

I'll start with the notable mentions first:

Clinique 'Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm': A favorite amongst all of us beauty bloggers & obsessives, this no-fragrance balm is absolutely a stand-out amongst other cleansing balms out there that do the same thing (still enjoy using my Emma Hardie one though from time to time). This gets off every last bit of makeup and is very gentle for the eye area. It's a very simple, plain formula but it does exactly what it saids on the tin with no fuss. And the price point doesn't break the bank, either.

Clarins 'Extra-Comfort Cleansing Cream': I quietly weep at my keyboard as I type this...because this product has been discontinued by the brand. Well, let me correct myself, the version I have, the one that comes in the big jar, has been discontinued, and since Clarins revamped the formulation by adding 'Anti-Pollution' in the title. I've read more disappointing reviews on the new one, which is why I will not go & try it once I run out of this one. I'm going to try and savior this one till the very last drop. Ok, onto why I love it so much.

It's a very thick cream, you scoop a bit from the jar, rub your hands together for a moment to warm it up to melt it, then gently press the product onto your face & lift, continue to do this about 4-6 times, & the cream lifts all the makeup & grime from the day right off the face; wipe off with a damp, hot cloth & it reveals soft, clean skin. It is such a wonderful product, its a shame Clarins thought the need to change it; whats that saying...why fix something if it ain't broke?

L'Oreal 'Clean Artiste Eye Makeup Remover': I'll start by saying that there are 2 versions of this eye-remover, one is oil-free (blue bottle) & one is not (green bottle pictured at the top of this post). Before purchase, I read reviews of both & the non-oil free version had the best reviews; the oil-free came in with so-so reviews, with people saying that the oil-free one was not best for sensitive eyes because it would irritate/sting the area. I can't personally say that it does because I haven't tried that one but, I'd rather be safe than sorry. The version I do have does not irritate my eyes at all though, it does leave behind a bit of an oily residue so, oily lids beware. 

I love this eye-makeup remover because no matter how heavy you you doll up your eyes, this doesn't leave a speck of eye makeup behind. I shake it up (dual-phase formula), pour some onto a cotton pad, gently press onto my eyes (closed of course) for a few seconds then swipe down. I do this a about 2-3 times max, just to make sure I got every last bit. For $6.99, & the constant deals & coupons going on at Ulta, I almost never pay for the full price of this product.

Now onto the ones I did manage to get photos of...

Vichy 'Calming Cleansing Micellar Solution': This is a great micellar water to remove lighter makeup (tinted moisturizers, bb creams, etc), & up to medium eye makeup. Super gentle & very hydrating, also the most affordable micellar water on this list at $17. It's been a past repurchase for me as well many times over. I also have an unpopular opinion but, I do think that this removes eye makeup better than everyone's beloved Bioderma. Speaking of Bioderma...

Bioderma 'Sensible Make-up Removing Micelle Solution': This has also been a past repurchase for a while. The bottle pictured I haven't opened yet because I wanted to give other micellar waters a shot (Vichy, Institute Esthederm) before returning to this beauty-cult staple. I'm not going to talk too much about this since you can find so many reviews, articles  & videos on it but, its now readily available for U.S. purchase at Beautylish. I'm tempted to try the Hydrabio H20 thats also newly available for purchase at Beautylish here ....tempting, very tempting.

Institut Esthederm 'Osmoclean Osmopure Face and Eyes Cleansing Water': The last micellar water on the list is another great one, especially for summer. It feels so cool, fresh, & hydrating on the skin and is just as spectacular as the others at removing traces of impurities & makeup, gentle on the eyes as well. This one is more higher up in price & harder to find in the U.S. but, I'll post a link here to where you can purchase.

Bobbi Brown 'Lathering Tube Soap': Kind of a weird name for a great product. I already posted about this remover here, so I will leave it at that & read at your will!

La Roche-Posay 'Physiological Cleansing Gel': This is a new cleanser I threw into my routine only for about a week now, but I thought it deserved a mention. I love the LPR brand through & through, it was the brand that got me into taking care of myself and my skin, properly. I owe La Roche-Posay a lot, so thats why you will see every few posts or so me mention them. Getting back to the product at hand...I have been using & loving this one product to remove all of makeup, including eyes. No cotton pads to waste with this one, just a damp, hot cloth & off it goes! Its so easy, gentle, & never wasteful. You get your bang for your buck with this one, & this will be saving me money on having to buy cotton pads every month. 

I did hear through the grapevine that La Roche-Posay is discontinuing this cleanser (please correct me if I'm wrong!), if thats the case, I'll need to stock up on this ASAP! Why do brands keep discontinuing the best products?! Arg, its so very frustrating!

What are your favorite makeup-removers? Let me know! 

Skincare Routine: Night

Sorry for the delay on this post, finally found the time to sit down & type this baby up.

Get your tea ready folks, this will be lengthy one…

Pre-Cleanse: Again, with the pre-cleansing. Like I said in the last post, for my pre-cleansing I stick to micellar waters because more times than not, they are gentle enough for all skin types, even sensitive. My choice of micellar waters change now & again, but for nighttime use I love using Bioderma at the end of the day because it removes EVERYTHING, & isn’t that the point? ;)

Cleanse: I have been loving cleansing balms. I was late to the game of balms, but its better late than never, right? Best switch I ever made to be honest. My favorite cleanser of all time (too bold?!) is the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm. I can literally just go on about how much I love this cleanser but, I’ll save that for another day with another post (& also because I just ran out & am going to try something new…I will switch back to it in time…). 

At the moment I am using the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. I am still trying to get used to the non-lux feel of this particular one; & unlike the Emma Hardie one, there is no fragrance (which is great for a lot of sensitive skin types). I can’t give a good review of this particular one just yet, considering I just starting breaking this in less than a week ago but, fingers crossed this can be a cheaper & viable replacement of my beloved moringa one.

Toner: Again, I go back to using the Body Shop’s Vitamin E Hydrating Toner.

Treatment (if needed): If I need to put a halt on a breakout(s), my current treatment that I reach for is Dermalogica’s  Clear Start Breakout Clearing Overnight Treatment. Now, from my personal use of this product (it has been some months now), the title is misleading. For me, this doesn’t help clear my spots overnight but, it does help clear my spots in a few days time. I don’t get severe acne, more times than any it’s always hormonal, regardless this still does the trick. There is no burning or redness either, which I have experienced with almost all other acne treatments. And, it’s also quite affordable at $19, with a little going a long way so this will last those people who have the occasional breakout a very long time.

Eyecare: Like the morning, I use two different eye creams at night. One that you read in my morning skincare routine, the Boots Hydrating Eye Cream, I use the same way as I do in the morning, around the contours of my eye. For under eye treatment, I am currently using the Body Shop’s Vitamin E Eye Cream. It claims to help reduce the appearance of dark circles, fine lines, puffiness, etc. NOTE: I do not have heavy dark circles or puffiness so, I am unsure how this would work on those that do. For me, it shows with time but, I haven’t seen a complete disappearing act of the dark circles just yet. Though in the morning, my under eye area is so soft, hydrated, & smooth. The price point on this is pretty good as well; a plus is that there are usually great sales always happening either on The Body Shop’s website (& in-store) or Ulta’s website (& in-store) so always look out for those if you can.

Serum: Serums have been tricky with me; I can never tell if its actually helping or doing nothing to my skin, all I know is that I love Vichy’s Idéalia Life Serum. It’s supposed to improve skin pigmentation & give a more youthful appearance. Now, at 26 years old, I don’t know if I actually need to be looking more youthful than I already do, yet, in some way, over time (on my third bottle of this stuff) it has shown to improve my skin discolorations due to old acne scars. It has taken a lot longer than 8 days (another claim by Vichy) to see any kind of dramatic difference, so that claim also tends to be a bit misleading (personal opinion). Patience is a necessity when it comes to noticing a difference when using any kind of skincare product, & my patience is slowly starting to show and pay off, which makes me appreciate this product even more.

Oil: Oil is another new thing that I have let sneak into my skincare routine. With my combination skin, I never thought oil can help oil but, apparently it does just that. By the recommendation of another beauty blogger, Jess [who runs the amazing blog called Making It Up, check it out here], I decided to pick up & try my first oil by Clarins, with their Lotus Face Treatment Oil. Like the Clinique balm, I have not been using this for a long time so I can not say much about this yet; patience & time shall only tell. I love mixing this & my nighttime moisturizer together & have high hopes of letting more oils into my skincare routines in the future.

Moisturizer: I surprised myself at how much I actually really love this particular moisturizer but, than again, it is by my beloved Clarins. I use their Multi-Active Night Youth Recovery Cream for Normal to Combination Skin. This is yet another anti-aging product, though these have seemed to work best for my skin. It has medium consistency, & even when mixed with the oil, my face never looks or feels like an oily mess. It takes a few minutes to sink in, & when it does, my skin feels hydrated, comforted, & soft. When I wake up in the morning, my skin does look more radiant & awake like I got a good 8 hours of sleep in (even on those days where I don’t!). I am on my second pot of this baby, & this is a moisturizer that I will always have on hand.

I also exfoliate usually about twice a week, where I switch up products and/or the order that I use these products above in. I will make a separate post coming next with all that info.

Where to Purchase Products Mentioned In This Post...

• Bioderma Crealine Micellar Water , $35 (500ml) or $28 (250ml)
• Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm , $55 (100ml)
• Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm , $28.50
• The Body Shop's Vitamin E Hydrating Toner , $13
• Dermalogica Clear Start Breakout Clearing Overnight Treatment , $19
• The Body Shop's Vitamin E Eye Cream , $18
• Boots Beautiful Skin Rich Hydrating Eye Cream , $14.99 (currently on-sale at ULTA for $12.74)
• Vichy Idéalia Life Serum , $39
• Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil , $52
• Clarins Multi-Active Youth Recovery Cream , $62

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