Avene Cleanance Micellar Water

Jumping on the bandwagon of the 'micellar water' craze, I started using the Avene Cleanance Micellar Water about 6 weeks ago. Micellar water is hugely popular in France and has been for centuries as a way of cleansing skin gently without having to rinse afterwards. I have used products in the Eau Thermal Avene Cleanace range before and had been impressed, so it was a no-brainer for me to try this product from a brand I trusted. This particular range (Cleanance) caters for those with oily, blemish prone skin, though there are other options for dry and sensitive skins.

This particular bottle was about £7 from Boots and is a good size to try, being only 100ml. I've since ordered the big 400ml bottle which I hope will last longer, as I have got through this pretty quickly. Micellar water is an excellent replacement for makeup remover wipes that whilst convenient, are often packed with preservatives to help them last. I have now seen Micellar water makeup remover wipes on the market though so you can potentially get the best of both worlds.

This brand has a pleasing, fresh smell. It's subtle and not astringent, it just smells clean. The water is ever-so-slightly oily and all I do is sprinkle a few drops onto a clean cotton pad and sweep across my face and eyes (yes - it can take eye makeup off too!) If you have a full face of makeup, expect to use 4-5 pads, if you've already cleansed your face (as I do - see earlier post) then you can get away with 1 or 2 pads, just to take away any lingering dregs of makeup and to freshen the skin. It feels very soft and gentle on the skin and mine devours the small amount of oil the water contains, meaning most days I don't bother with a moisturiser. I've been using it morning and evening and I feel quite strongly that my skin's overall appearance and texture has improved. My pores seems less enlarged and my skin seems more 'dewy'.

There are many other brands doing Micellar water now: Garnier and Simple to name a few. I figured that I'd pay the extra and opt for a brand that I trusted and used spring water that is bottled at the source after spending 40 years underground (think of all those nutrients and minerals!). Another brand which is touting Micellar water as their 'thing' is Bioderma, who have been selling it for years.

Next time you're out of makeup remover wipes, perhaps consider trying this instead. Hopefully you'll be as pleasantly surprised as I was!

Lisa x

Clinique's Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser

I've used Clinique's Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser for about a year now and I genuinely love it. It's quite expensive (rrp £17) but it does a fantastic job of washing my makeup off every evening. It produces a luxurious, creamy lather that doesn't strip the skin of its natural oils, yet it's one of the most thorough cleansers on the market. I literally squeeze a small amount into my palms, rub it gently into my face (avoiding eye area as best I can!) and it melts my makeup away. Then I gently wash away with lots of warm water.

I follow up with a toner or micellar water on a cotton pad, depending on whether my skin is behaving itself. When I use this cleanser, I find that there is little, if no makeup left on the cotton pad when I do the final sweep of my face. 

This photo is of a trial sized tube as I (shock!) ran out of my main supply a couple of days ago. But Clinique do some amazing bonus time deals throughout the year where if you buy two products during a promotion you can get a cute bag and a selection of travel sized products to try. This often pops up in the bonus time bags (more about my addiction to Clinique's bonus time later...) so it's a good way to experiment with it.

I'll do a post on the Micellar Water and other other cleansers and toners I use later in the week.

Lisa x