Seriously, WTF is Micellar Water?!

Confession time…

I used to sometimes (frequently?) go to bed without washing my face. Gasp! Shock! Horror!

I know, it’s freaking horrifying. But remember back when we all had bouncy young skin that hadn’t even heard the rumor of fine lines and wrinkles and we thought we were invincible and forever 25?

Yeah, well I’ve since wised up and realized that this face is the only one I got and I better take damn good care of it if I wanna be one of those gorgeous, baby-faced 70-year-olds featured in click bait posts titled, “We bet you can’t guess this beauty’s real age!”

So I’ve become pretty religious about washing my face and moisturizing before bed every night. And I must admit I was feeling pretty smug and proud of myself for it. As I gently wiped the fancy muslin cloth across my face, I’d think, “Look at you purifying your pores and paving the way for endless beauty.”

That is, until I decided to try a sample of micellar water after washing my face…

WTF Is Miscellar Water?!

The only reason I had this mystery product at all was because a sample was included in my Birchbox subscription. But upon reading the description, it seemed like one of those fakey, waste-your-money products that makes you feel fancy but doesn’t really do anything. I mean c’mon, it tells you straight up that it’s water! I stuck it in my medicine cabinet and moved on.

Last night though, after cleansing my face with my Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser , I had the spontaneous thought, “Is my face really clean?” Don’t get me wrong – I love the Milky Jelly. It’s super soft, gentle and conditioning and does do a pretty bang up job at getting rid of my makeup, including waterproof liner and mascara. But (said in Carrie Bradshaw SATC voice) I couldn’t help but wonder…just because I couldn’t see the makeup, was it really gone?

So I pulled out the sample of Avène Micellar Lotion that had been quietly hiding in my bathroom for months. What happened next was nothing short of a horror show…

I proceeded to douse 3 (yes, 3) cotton balls in the stuff and wipe away what  was clearly remaining makeup from my skin. Holy shit, y’all! Of course this meant that I’ve been going to bed for years with makeup still on my face even when I’d taken the time to wash it off! WTF?!? I’ve been bamboozled.

So suffice it to say, I’m stocking up on this stuff. Not the expensive French one though, I’ll probably get that Garnier deal that costs like $6.

Apparently miscellar water isn’t just pricey water by the way. It contains tiny, gentle oil molecules (micelles) that are suspended in soft water (as opposed to hard water). These guys latch onto the undesirables (makeup, dirt, grime, etc) to cleanse entirely without water. The story goes that micellar water is the French woman’s beauty secret because the water in Paris is notoriously hard. Instead of subjecting their faces to this hard water, they use micellar water to cleanse.

Technically you’re not supposed to use this with water at all but it’s not completely effective at taking off a full face of serious makeup. It’s recommended to use some sort of makeup remover first and then follow it with micellar water.

I personally like using water to cleanse (crazy, right?), so I may try just using it as a follow up to my Glossier cleanser and see how it goes. Either way though, I’ll rest a lot easier knowing my face is actually clean when I climb into bed.

How about you? Have you tried micellar water? How do you use it in your routine? Please, tell me in a comment so I can learn!