Cleansing Water

With Korean beauty trends becoming more and more mainstream, cleansing waters have taken a front seat

(From left to right) Dr.Jart+ Dermaclear Micro Water, Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water, and Nooni Root Cleansing Water

            Skincare is becoming more on-trend and the Korean beauty wave has just really started to influence western culture. Besides the cushion compacts, cleansing water seems to have made big waves in our skincare routines. With the modern adult always being busy and on the go, this wondrous water is the perfect solution to help crunch those minutes as you get ready for the day, or for when you need to refresh before hitting the town after a hard day's work. 

How It Works

           First shake your cleansing water to ensure that it is mixed well so that you get the maximum benefits of your water. Now dampen a cotton pad or ball with the water and wipe upwards on your skin while applying a light pressure. You might be amazed the first time that you use cleansing water because this stuff really does remove your makeup as you might notice after you take the cotton away from your face. (For a really deep clean, follow up with a facial toner.)

           Even though some cleansing waters come in a two-phase solution, I still recommend using a makeup remover if you are trying to get rid of raccoon eyes from your waterproof mascara or eyeliner. Otherwise you might end up using four or five cotton pads trying to wipe away yesterdays masterpiece. Cleansing water seems to work better for face and lip makeup. 

Reviews

Dr.Jart+ Dermaclear Micro Water

           This is the cleansing water that started it all for me. I first heard about it on the Birchbox website and soon received a sample in one of my boxes. I watched the video and thought, "No way that this actually works. I'll never use it." And I didn't use it until a few months later when I decided that my makeup remover wipes left too much of a sticky feel and made my skin feel like I still had stuff on it. I got out a cotton pad and soaked it with the micro water and wiped it across my face. I looked at the cotton pad afterwards and was shocked! There was sooo much makeup on the pad, and it felt just like I was wiping regular water on my face. The cleansing water took all of my face makeup off after two soaked cotton pads. And amazingly enough, there was still quite a bit of it left in my little deluxe sample. 

            The Dermaclear water does have a very delicate smell to it, almost like a very very light gardenia smell. If you do end up using it for lip makeup, I recommend using regular to rinse it off of the lips because it doesn't taste very good. This water made my skin feel fresh, almost like a light menthol or mint tingle on my face. It is a very effective formula, but it is also a little spendy. Dr.Jart+ is one of the first big brands to start this trend. Dr.Jart+ Dermaclear Micro Water $32 (8.4 fl oz)

Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water (All-in-1)

            After being shocked at the outrageous prices of the prestigious cleansing water (because why would you spend $40 for water?), I decided to try a drugstore brand of cleansing water. I was either going to buy the Garnier micellar water, or the Simple micellar water. I decided to get the Garnier cleansing water because it comes in a bigger container, and I feel like I'll get more for my money this way. I may end up trying the Simple brand water after I finish this bottle. 

            This cleansing water is a two-phase solution. It reminds me of my makeup remover and states that it removes makeup, even waterproof mascara. I bought it thinking that maybe I could skip a step and not have to use my makeup remover for my eyes. I was wrong. Either I wear really hard-to-remove mascara, or this water just isn't strong enough. But that's okay, because I wouldn't want the micellar water to be any stronger because that might mean that it becomes heavy and oily like makeup remover is, and I don't want to use that all over my oily skin. 

           The Skin Active micellar water doesn't have any scent to it, which is great because I don't want to have to smell my face all day. It is a verey lightweight formula and you don't feel it after it dries on your skin. It does a great job at removing facial and lip makeup. I am really glad that I made this purchase because it does almost as good of a job as my Dermaclear micro water and is a whole less expensive. Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water $6.96 (13.5 fl oz)

          

Nooni Root Energy Cleansing Water

           I'm a big fan of Korean beauty and I love trying new brands and formulas. During my last shopping spree on the Korean beauty site Memebox, I noticed that they started carrying trial/deluxe sized items. What a great and inexpensive way to try new products and decide if I want to buy them later. I purchased two minis from them: I'M MEME I'm Cleansing Oil and Nooni Root Energy Cleansing Water. 

           I just tried out this cleansing water last night. It has a light almost fruity floral scent. It does a phenomenal job at removing my makeup. It removes my eye makeup better than the other two cleansing waters. I still had to use some makeup remover to get the little bit of my mascara that was stuck at the base of my lashes. It works great on my lip makeup, but it tastes horrible. Again, please make sure to rinse cleansing water off of your lips! The only downfall with this formula is that while it was drying, my skin had an almost sticky feel to it. I'm unsure as to whether I will purchase more of this product, but I really do like the formula. Nooni Root Energy Cleansing Water $13 (340 ml)

          Do yourself a favor, pick up some cleansing water and savor a few more minutes doing whatever it is that you love instead of scrubbing your face.