NOTE: If you're unfamiliar with micellar waters and not sure what they're all about, please refer to my previous post here for an explanation and some background history. Thanks!
Simple Cleansing Micellar Water
(retail: $6.99, 6.7 oz)
Keep reading for my full review...
As I've mentioned before, there are not many affordable options when it comes to micellar waters here in the US. L'Oreal and other drugstore brands make micellar waters in markets outside of the US, but nothing else here compares to the price point of this Simple version. The most popular micellar water worldwide, Bioderma Sensibo H20, is now availble for about $17 here in the US, and Sephora has a house brand micellar water for $12, but yeah, $6.99 is the lowest I've seen when it comes to micellar waters in this country that you can purchase in-store (the Yves Rocher micellar water I reviewed for you a while back sometimes goes on sale for $4, which is fantastic, but you do have to pay shipping unless you can catch a free shipping promotion).
Also, remember that Simple often goes on sale at the drugstores, and there are often coupons for Simple products (both printable and in the newspapers) that you can use along with sales. So if you play your cards right, you will be able to get this for next to nothing.
No fancy directions--just apply to a cotton pad, wipe your face and you're done. No rinsing necessary.
Made in USA
Here's another shot of the bottle so that you can better see the liquid--it literally looks just like water, and the consistency is much like water as well (it's not thick or oily--it pretty much feels like water):
If you caught my Yves Rocher micellar water review, then you know that I'm no expert when it comes to the world of micellar waters. The Yves Rocher version was literally the first micellar water I had ever tried, and the Simple version is the second. So I really only have the YR version as a basis for comparison here.
I find that both the Yves Rocher and Simple versions are quite similar in terms of makeup removal (which I'll get to in a second), and they feel quite similar on the skin. Both leave a slight tacky feeling on the skin immediate after use, but that quickly goes away and then my skin just feels soft and fresh, without any lingering residue. The biggest different between the two products, for me, is probably the fragrance. The YR version has a clean fragrance to it, whereas the Simple version is fragrance-free. There is no fragrance to this product at all.
I've tried using the Simple product in several ways: to remove my full face of makeup and also as a follow-up to removing my makeup after using towelettes, eye makeup remover or traditional facial cleanser at the sink. I find that when I'm wearing a full face of makeup, including long-wear foundation, waterproof eyeliner and the whole nine yards, I require several cotton pads to remove everything (very similar to how the YR micellar water performed for me). And I did have some issues with waterproof liner--no matter how much micellar water I used and how many times I applied with a fresh cotton pad, I still saw lingering residue under my lower lash line. I don't use waterproof mascara, but I'm guessing I would probably have that issue with waterproof mascara too, since I had it with waterproof liner.
For me personally, this product really works best on either light makeup days (when you're not wearing waterproof eye makeup), or as a post-cleansing product to help remove any last traces of foundation around your hair line, etc. For me, it didn't work as a "remove everything at once" type of product. But I do really enjoy using it after I've cleansed my face, to help remove anything my cleanser did not catch. And I also have been reaching for this product in the morning--especially on lazy weekends when my face is already clean from the night before, and I just want to refresh my skin before doing house work, laundry, etc. It's perfect for just a quick refresher or cleansing if your skin is already fairly clean to begin with.
I also want to mention that this product leaves some nice, light hydration behind, without any greasy or oily feeling to the skin. The weather here in San Diego has been unseasonably warm for this time of year, with temperatures up into the mid-80s, which isn't always fun when you have oily skin (which I do). But I find that when I cleanse my face at night, and then just use this product in the morning before applying my makeup, I can skip moisturizer completely and my skin is nicely hydrated, without getting super oily throughout the day. Now keep in mind that I do have very oily skin to begin with, so this product may not provide you with enough hydration if your skin is normal to dry. But if you're a fellow member of the oily skin club, this could be a nice way to add some extra hydration in the morning without having to use moisturizer on warm-weather days (but please still use sunscreen or, at the very least, a foundation with sunscreen. I'm all about never leaving the house without at least SPF15 on my face at all times, but I prefer SPF30--it's the best thing you can do for your skin in addition to drinking water!).
Oh and one more thing: I haven't experienced any skin irritation, breakouts, stinging eyes or temporary foggy vision while using this product. In fact, I once got it IN my eyes (by accident of course) and it did not sting.
FINAL VERDICT: This wasn't a "remove all makeup in one quick shot" type of product for me, but that's not to say that I don't have other great uses for it. I really like it for removing any lingering traces of makeup after traditional cleansing, and I also like it for cleansing my face on light- or no-makeup days. And since I have oily skin, I've found that it also works great as a morning cleanser. This product gives my skin some nice, light hydration before applying my makeup, and I can actually use it in place of moisturizer on warm-weather days when I'm trying to avoid turning into a greaseball. I think that, for $6.99, it's definitely worth a shot, especially if you've never tried a micellar water before and you'd like to see what all the hype is about.
Have you tried the new Simple Cleansing Micellar Water yet? If so, I would absolutely love to hear how it's been working for you!
The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
I have been using it like you said after cleansing or using a makeup wipe and I love it. It gets the tiny bit of foundation left behind and I really think it's helped my skin balance out. I have normal to slightly dry skin. Its a new must have for me!
ReplyDeleteI love this - I'm a third of the way through a bottle already! The only other micellar water I've tried is Bioderma, and I'd say that I like them both equally.
ReplyDeleteI don't use it for removing all my makeup either - I mostly use it to correct makeup mistakes (on a q-tip; very precise and doesn't leave residue, so you can reapply after) or to remove makeup residue from under my eyes (again, on a q-tip). I also occasionally use in the morning instead of washing my face.
I was recently in the UK and bought the Garnier Micellar cleansing water at Boots for £3. I can't seem to find it anywhere in the stores here in the U.S. just online and even then it seems to always be out of stock. I will be on the lookout for this one next time I'm in Target. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for reviewing this! :]
ReplyDeleteI like this very much on lazy, makeup-free nights when I don't want to wash my face. It leaves my combination skin feeling cleansed and lightly hydrated, and I prefer it to any cleansing wipe I've tried (for this purpose).
ReplyDeleteI do not like it at all for makeup removal.
And I do think it has a scent--sort of a mineral, earthy smell--which fades pretty quickly. Overall, it does have a place in my cleansing routine. I'd still like to try Bioderma!
I've tried this a couple of times and I like it so far. It won't remove a full face but I don't wear much makeup on a regular basis anyway so it works for me. It's pretty versatile too so I can see myself using this a lot
ReplyDeleteBasically just glycerin water.. might give it a shot for am cleansing. With my oily skin I find most cleansers dry me too much and I get rebound oil, but oil cleansing is too much under my makeup.. so it might be a good middle ground.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to try a Micellar water so when Simple came out with this I was on board. I also don't like using this stuff on a full face of make up. I'll let my Garnier Cleanse Off Oil do that, but I do LOVE this stuff for post make up removal. Especially if there was a spot I missed! I have also found that having it around when I'm swatching is good too since I don't use make up wipes often :)
ReplyDeleteI love it because i don't wear makeup every day, and this is a good cleanser for light or no makeup days, or when i don't want to splash icy cold water on my face in the dead of winter. Does not dry my skin out at all.
ReplyDeleteI have been using the Sephora Cleansing water for quite a while. I remove my eye makeup first, then use the water to remove my makeup, going over the eyes again. I then wash my face with my regular face wash. I just bought the Simple version and will try it soon.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of just sounds like a toner. Is it any different?
ReplyDeleteReally looking forward to try this out! I need something to remove my makeup when I'm feeling lazy or tired and this seems like the perfect product!
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm using the Body Shop chamomile oils and cream cleansers since it's winter and dry, but this sounds nice for warmer weather, or like you said, lighter makeup days.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reviewing this G. I am a lazy girl and can only bother with one thing. So for me I will stick with Garnier Cleansing Oil. It removes every thing in one washing
ReplyDeleteI have the YR and the Simple. Haven't used Simple yet but I agree with your assessment G. To Emmie Lou Who's point, I don't see much difference between this and an alcohol-free toner.
ReplyDeleteI made the mistake of starting to use this and that new Loreal setting spray on the same day and one of them broke me out in a rash. I suspect it was the setting spray rather than this but now I need to go back and do test patches of this and that spray to figure out what bothered me. I don't see any ingredients in this product that should have caused me issues so I highly suspect it's the spray.
ReplyDeletethe miceller water broke my neck out in a terrible rash!
DeleteGarnier the best and less ingredients. Simple has formaldehyde aka Dmhm hydantoin and used it once and had horrible rash with eyes blown up, Bioderma had reaction"also from propylene glycol which is a known irritant
DeleteG, your review is always so detailed! Thank you for that. I see that this is really similar to the YR hydrating micellar water I bought (after reading your review on it), and it'll probably replace the YR one for me in the future. As of right now, I'm totally stocked up on the YR hydrating micellar water (I bought 3 when they went on sale for $4) but it's good to know that there's something else that'll do the same thing for a more affordable price.
ReplyDeleteI adore this. I use it after I've washed my face or like you said on a weekend. It also great to use under your eyes before you do concealer/ foundstion. Adds a bit of hydration I der the eyes and also removes fallout before applying concealer/foundation. I do my eyes first for this readon. I do t want fallout all Over then have to remove my makeup to remove fallout... & we all know fallout is pretty inevitable. In other words, this is a multi use very handy product to have around,
ReplyDeleteLove this product and use it daily more like a toner rather than a face makeup remover. My skin loves it and I've purchased bottle #2. The product is wonderful. Don't let the lower cost fool you. The product is excellent! : )
ReplyDelete