Some Empties...

Here are some of the products I've used in the past year, the ones I will not repurchase.

Nuxe Micellar Foam Cleanser, Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Water, Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose Petals, Avène Ysthéal Crème, Caudalie Cleansing Water and RoC Enydrial Hand Creme.

In the case of the first two Nuxe products, they where favorites of mine but where unfortunately discontinued. I was able to repurchase while they where in clearance but now they are definitely gone. 

The Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Water with Rose Petals, was good but a bit of a disappointment. I found it slightly irritating, especially compared to the previous option. I really don't understand the reformulation.

Avène Ysthéal which haven't reviewed yet, is an excellent anti-aging moisturizer but for some reason I prefer Eluage to it, also from Avène. I will try to post about them soon. They are worth looking into since they contain a high  % of retinaldehyde and are available over the counter. They are more effective than creams containing retinol (again, non prescription options) and are less irritating. Great for those with sensitive skin.

Caudalie Cleansing Water, another good product from the brand but the price is a downer. Although I was planning to repurchase, $28.00 a little excessive.

RoC Enydrial Hand Creme is really nothing special. I've mentioned it previously in one of my first posts for this blog. It's an ok basic moisturizer that tends to leave a greasy feel. The only plus, for those who appreciate it, is that it's unscented. I didn't use this one during the day since it's took a while to fully penetrate. Best keep it for before bed time.

RoC Energizing Cleansing Mousse / Review

This is a very nice, gentle, non stripping cleanser. Formulated to lower risks of allergies, even if it's very mild it still contains a light fragrance which could be an issue for some.

How to use?

Although RoC recommends to use it on damp skin, I personally find that using it on dry skin first worked better. Using it on damp/wet skin somehow makes the foam dissolve too fast. Two pumps, spread gently on skin and then wet your fingers to increase the amount of lather. Massage gently on face and neck, rinse and your done. So gentle I could even extend the lather to my eye area without any irritation.

If you wear heavy makeup, sunscreen and water proof mascara/eye liner, you will probably need another cleanser to make sure your skin is perfectly clean. For this you could consider a micellar cleanser that can be used like a toner. Quick and effective, RoC makes a good one for which you can read my review here.

Reviews:

Now this is surprising, I don't understand why there are so few reviews of this cleanser. I used it last year so it's not what I would consider a new product. The price, around $18.00 is more than reasonable so could it be that RoC is loosing it's popularity? Too much competition? There are so many good options out there, but RoC's Energizing Cleansing Mousse should definitely be considered as one of them.

MakeupAlley, 5 / 5 stars for 2 reviews
Beauté-test, 4 / 5 stars for 17 reviews

Ingredients from Well.ca:
INCI formula: Water, glycerin, polysorbate 20, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium lauroamphoacetate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium, magnesium aspartate, zinc gluconate, copper glucconate, lauroamphodiacetate disodium, xanthan gum, Lauric acid, lauryl hydroxyethyl imadazoline, disodium EDTA, citric acid, sodium glycol, sodium benzoate, phenoxyethanol, fragrance.

RoC Micellaire Confort Extrême, Cleansing Water

This is the first micellar cleanser I tried and when I purchased it I must admit that, I didn't even know what it was. Weird I know.

 That evening, I was at the pool with my daughter. She's part of a competitive swimming club and trains several times a week. I decided to go to the drugstore nearby to get a new cleanser since I was all out. 

RoC products where on special that day so I figured, why not? I'm not particularly picky and neither is my skin usually as far as cleansers are concerned. I had used some of RoC's moisturizers in the past and they where fine. I bought the Energizing Cleanser and the Micellar Cleansing Water Extreme Comfort  for about $15 each. When I got home, I asked myself, why the heck did I get two cleansers? It didn't take long for me to figure it out. I started to use the micellar water in the same way I used that lovely Gatineau toner, ages ago. 

Very gentle with no fragrance, it does a good job to remove basic makeup. It was great for eye makeup but I can't vouch for waterproof mascara. I can't comment on tenacious eye liners either. It would seem that no eye liner wants to last all day on me. When I find my HG (Holy Grail) I'll be sure to post about it.

Back to RoC. Like with all micellar waters, my favorite use for it was as a morning cleanser. It gently removed oil and impurities accumulated at the surface of my skin during the night. Not as drying as Bioderma's offerings but slightly more oily than Nuxe and Caudalie.

Why did I not repurchase it? Quite simply because I found it boring! I enjoy a little fragrance and this has barely any. Still, for someone with delicate, sensitive skin, prone to allergies, RoC Micellar Cleansing Water Extreme Comfort might be a very good option.


Here's a little wink at my daughter.

Taken during a competition, I just love this picture.

Sorry! I just couldn't resist. :D

Micellar Waters, Cleansing Waters. What are they?

One of the most important steps in taking care of our skin is cleansing it. Sunscreen, makeup and dirt have to come off at night. How we like to do it is totally personal and the choice of products is made according to one's skin type. I have 4 different cleansers in my cabinet. Unscented baby oil, a creamy cleanser, a foaming cleanser and a cleansing water.

What are they?

These cleansers also known as Eau Micellaire or Micellar Water, have gained quite a following in the past few years. It seems that every cosmetic company out there is coming out with one and for good reason since they are very convenient. They are a mixture of water and extremely fine oil particles without emulsifier so they give the skin the freshness of water, paired with the efficacy of oil with no need to rinse off. 

Read on for reviews of the ones I've tried so far...........