Scrolling through Pinterest one night I came across “The French Girl’s Guide to Flawless Skin,” and was intrigued. I love trying DIY face masks and such so I read on. In France, it is common to use micellar water to cleanse one’s face instead of water from the sink. I suddenly thought I had been cleaning my face all wrong and maybe I only needed this one product! The next day, I went to the store and bought Garnier’s Micellar Cleansing Water—the blue cap is special for removing waterproof mascara—for $11.00 and cotton balls. I decided I would not wash my face for two weeks with my normal face wash and water, only the micellar water. For showers, I will try my best to get my face wet for the least amount of time while washing my hair.
Day 1: For the first day, I started off by just rinsing my face in the morning and applying a full face of makeup to see how well the micellar water could take it off. I went all day with the makeup and could not wait to get home and take it off. When I got home, I read the bottle which instructed me to shake the bottle, apply it to a cotton round, leave it on the eye for a moment, and then wipe away the makeup.
I used one cotton ball and it barely made a dent in my foundation. I reached for another, and another, and another. I used eight total cotton balls to take my makeup off, but my face felt sticky and gross. You are supposed to not have to do any additional cleansing or rinsing after this but I decided to see if there was anymore makeup by putting witch hazel on a cotton ball—there was still makeup! I felt deceived and my face felt dry.
Day 3: I rinsed my face and put on my normal everyday makeup but my face felt extra greasy. I noticed I had to use more oil blotting sheets than usual. When I got home I used eight cotton balls again and felt guilty for using so many. I hated the way the micellar water felt on my face but decided to see it through.
Day 5: My face kind of feels like it has a certain glow, but it is super oily. Other than that, I didn’t really see a change at all. My acne scars were still there and I still had minor break outs. My period is the following week so I wonder if this will be able to fend off the pesky zits!
Day 7: I can’t take it anymore – my face feels disgusting and I am dying to exfoliate! My period is around the corner and there are two huge zits next to my mouth! When I finally arrive home after a long day at school and work, I go straight to the bathroom. I look at the micellar water—our relationship is over. I turn on the faucet and wet my face and reach for my face wash and scrub away. When I am done, my face feels brand new.
I’m glad I tried the micellar water but I do not think I will continue to use it. The idea was to take a before and after photo—but I look the same which is another reason why I will not continue to use this method of cleansing my face. The price is pretty high, but also not that bad if it works for you—since it could be the only product you use. I do have to say, it did a great job at getting my eye makeup off but in the end my eyelids were super dry. Everyone’s skin is different and I realize I only used it for a week and it takes time to get used to new things but I think I will just stick to what was already somewhat working for me.