I have two bugbears when it comes to eye makeup removers: an inability to remove eye makeup on the first go (surely that is Makeup Removal 101?!) and stinging (unforgivable).
Thankfully this little beauty has neither issue.
It is, quite simply, the best eye makeup remover I have ever used and I must have repurchased it a dozen times.
Years ago, Bioderma products were only available in pharmacies in France and when I first trained to become a makeup artist, legend had it that professional makeup artists would buy Bioderma micellar water in bulk and cart it back to the UK, such was its reputation. It was the must-have item.
From that point on, whenever I spied a bottle in a behind the scenes photo from London Fashion Week or saw a makeup artist using it on set, I was desperate to see for myself what all the fuss was about.
By the time I eventually got my hands on a bottle (I remember it was quite a moment!) I was delighted to discover it lived up to the hype.
For those unfamiliar with the term ‘micellar water’, this Huffington Post article from 2015 describes it thus: “Micellar water is made up of micelles (tiny balls of cleansing oil molecules) suspended in soft water.” It is basically a kinder alternative to foaming cleansers which can strip the skin of its natural oils. It is also a fabulous product for situations where clean water is limited or non existent (e.g. festivals, camping, traveling etc).
There are tonnes of micellar waters available on the market, not all of them great. Ones I have personally tried, aside from the Bioderma, include this one by Nuxe (gorgeous scent and worked a treat), Garnier (haven’t used it in a while but I remember it stung my eyes like a ****@$!) and this one by & Other Stories (I have been using it recently but every time it stings my eyes…not sure how others fare?).
I only know one person who hasn’t got on with Bioderma’s micellar water but most of the clients and friends I introduce it to, never look back…
Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellar Water
THE FACTS:
How much is it:
Boots sell it for £10.80 for 250ml but if you shop around you can generally find better deals from French pharmacy sites such as cocooncenter.co.uk who sell 2x 500ml bottles for just £17.99, plus shipping. If you are trying this product for the first time I would encourage you to buy a small bottle first, like this 100ml one, before you commit to a larger bottle. Personally I would not buy the pump top 500ml bottle again (I found the liquid tends to go everywhere no matter how carefully you pump it out).
Where can I buy it:
Boots, Feelunique and a whole host of other sites online. Simply type it into google and pick the best (most trustworthy) deal.
Who is it for:
Anyone who wears makeup. This is a particularly good eye makeup remover for contact lens wearers and those with sensitive eyes. Some sites say it is not a good eye makeup remover for waterproof or long-lasting makeup but I haven’t personally found this to be the case. If any eye makeup does remain after the first wipe I find it is easily removed with my usual cream/balm/oil cleanser and a hand hot flannel.
How to use it:
Semi-saturate a cotton pad (do not completely saturate it) and hold it over your eye. After one or two seconds gently start to rub the cotton pad around the eye area and lashes to remove your eye makeup. I then either turn the pad over to do the other eye or if wearing a lot of eye makeup will use two pads.
Coming up tomorrow…
We are seven gift ideas down, eighteen to go! I have many more cool present ideas still to share with you…so be sure to keep tuning in!
xx
A bit more about my Advent Cal:
My advent-themed calendar is designed to give you, lovely reader, some ideas for presents this gifting season. The list is based on my Top 25 Beauty Buys of recent years. Of the 25 products which made the cut, some I have used for the first time this year and others I have been using for several years. The selection criteria for each product was as follows:
1. It is a product I have repurchased or know I will definitely repurchase at some point
2. It is an item I believe will genuinely make an awesome gift for someone this Christmas
This series is not sponsored and you should know that, like many makeup artists, I am one of the fussiest people I know when it comes to selecting and using beauty products. They have to blow me away. Hope you enjoy!