How E.L.F. Micellar Cleansing Water Ended Up in My Garbage
My nearly full bottle of E.L.F. Micellar Cleansing Water ended up in my garbage within minutes of using it but let me digress for a moment and tell you a little about this new micellar cleansing water.
E.L.F. Micellar Cleansing Water is a new gentle, oil-free cleansing water (note the word gentle, it’ll come into play later on in my review) that promises to remove makeup easily without drying out skin. E.L.F.’s a little late to this show because the micellar water trend is starting to die down and cleansing balms are becoming more popular. But none the less, the beauty world still has their eye on micellar water as an easy way to remove makeup in a hurry without stripping skin. Weirdly enough, E.L.F. Hydarting Gel Melt Cleanser made an appearance before their micellar water did. So, E.L.F. definitely has their ear to the beauty trend ground but I guess they decided to launch well after the trend has come and gone!
Hey, better late then never though right? Plus we all love on E.L.F.’s cheap pricing and this micellar water isn’t badly priced at 5 oz for $7 bucks. Although if you want to be technical about it, Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-1 Cleanser+Waterproof Makeup Remover is around the same price at over double the size.
I’m not much of a micellar water fan but lately I find I use it a lot more since I’ve been cleansing with Lush Ultra Bland. Typically I use Ultra Bland and follow up with micellar water to remove the film Ultra Bland leaves behind at times. Honestly, a washcloth soaked in hot water removes most of Ultra Bland but I still like to use micellar water after just to get any traces of it from my skin plus it preps my skin nicely for my other skincare. Micellar Water, for me, is the lazy girl’s guide to removing makeup! It’s great but I never feel fully clean when I use it. So, on a late night when I can’t be arsed to double cleanse and do the entire remove my makeup bit that’s when micellar water comes in quite handy.
But, E.L.F. Micellar Cleansing Water won’t be one I’m adding to my skincare line up!
Reading through reviews on this new micellar water was quite entertaining and although there are many poor ones most don’t mention the one biggest problem I had. One person asked the question, “Does it burn your eyes due to the alcohol?” got a reply of, “Nope!” Ok, obviously, I must be in the minority here as this is exactly the reason I tossed it. I used it once and once only and it burned my eyes to the point they were red and watering for hours after. So much for gentle!� Ahhh yeah, that’s a call for the trash can. Take into consideration it does contain alcohol which might be where the burning comes into play but let’s not forget you likely don’t want to cleanse with alcohol due to not only drying but a host of other issues that it can cause.
Does it remove makeup? Well, I can’t speak for eye makeup as I gave my eye a single swipe with it and after that couldn’t test further since it stings like crazy. It does remove most surface makeup though such as foundation, BB Cream, blush, etc…and does so surprisingly without making my skin tight or dry nor leaving behind a sticky or tacky film.
Sadly, the stinging was a huge deal breaker. Micellar waters are formulated to be gentle enough to use all over your face to remove all kinds of makeup including eye makeup. I find a cleanser I can’t use around my eyes fairly pointless. Strangely enough there is no warning about not using it on your eyes and the directions even say to swipe over eyes for makeup removal.
Personally, I’d avoid it if you have sensitive eyes (or even if you don’t). It’s just not worth the sting.
E.L.F. Micellar Cleansing Water is happily resting in peace at the bottom of my trash can.
