Beauty and the Least

Battle of the Brands: Micellar Waters


Today I wanted to debut a new type of post where I compare a few different brands of the same product, let you know the differences, and recommend if there is one I prefer over the others. Although they’ve now been popular for quite a bit, I still get questions about micellar water and want to clarify exactly what they are, so I’m here to explain that. And as promised, I’m announcing the winner of my Spring Giveaway at the bottom of this post!
Basically, micellar water is a water-based product that you can use in place of or in conjunction with your regular face cleansers and/or makeup removing products. I use micellar water both to cleanse my face and to remove makeup. I love using this instead of a typical face wash because it is so much less messy! I hate that when I wash my face water seems to splash everywhere and get all over my sink, mirror, and floor. It is much cleaner to squirt some micellar water onto a round cotton pad, wipe it across my face and then throw it in the trash. No mess! Micellar water is also super gentle on your skin so it is easy to remove makeup with, especially on the eye area. Below are the three I’ve tried out:

Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water • $8.99 – This is the first micellar water I ever tried and the catalyst of my love affair with this type of product! I think this one might still be my favorite of the three. It is so gentle, has no smell, is easy to use, and very affordable. They even make a mini travel size which is handy! For some annoying reason, it is 3.38oz though instead of the TSA-approved 3oz of liquids so you will still have to bring it in a checked bag. But better than lugging the big bottle still!

Yes to Cotton Micellar Cleansing Water • $8.99 – I’m a pretty big fan of this brand so I thought I’d give this one a try. It also is unique in that it has a pump top so that you can just press your cotton round into it to get wet instead of having to flip the bottle and squirt onto the round with the other two. This sounded like a plus, but it actually seems a little more messy to me and is harder to control the amount of product you’re using on the pad which can quickly become over-saturated. This one has a slight pleasant smell and is just as effective at removing makeup and cleaning. However, the one drawback I found is that when I got it in my eyes it did sting a bit, whereas the others were okay. Another difference is that the other two brands are each 13.5oz, whereas the Yes To micellar water is an 8oz bottle. *Note: Yes To just super recently launched a Cucumber Micellar Water and a Coconut Micellar Water. Haven’t tried these yet but they could be better!

NYX Stripped Off Micellar Cleansing Water • $7 – I’m a huge NYX fan and was actually somewhat surprised they came out with a micellar water since they typically don’t really put out skincare products. This one is the best deal as far as price per oz and I really have no complaints about it! Again, very gentle, no smell, non-irritating. The only reason I would perhaps recommend the Garnier version over this is that this is a makeup brand and that is an actual brand known for their skincare. The ingredient decks are almost identical though, so I don’t think there is actually much difference.


And now….the moment you’ve been waiting for! After randomizing all of the entries into my Spring Giveaway, the winner of the Colourpop / It Cosmetics set is:

Megan from Miami, FL

Congratulations, Megan!

Be sure to subscribe to my blog (below) and follow me on Instagram so that you can be notified of all future giveaways I’ll be doing montly!
Have a great week babes, xoxo Nicole

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