L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3-in-1 Purifying Micellar Solution/Water

Hi my Lovelies,

I hope the weekend has been wonderful for you and if you live in the UK, I am sure you were more than thrilled to have an additional free day thanks to the bank holiday on Monday- I was ecstatic!! It also means this is the last one till December; how grim :-((( Speaking of grim, today I would be sharing my thoughts on the L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3-in-1 Purifying Micellar Solution which has been really amazing. It has made a few appearances here on Fashstyleliv on a few blog posts like Favourite Makeup Removers and Home Spa Facial Routine but I think it deserves a nice little blog post on its own because it is that amazing. In case you are wondering what a micellar solution is- it is simply a very light fluid that feels just like water to the touch but effectively and safely removes all makeup including around the eyes without irritation. Unlike some other makeup removers, which are also a mixture of oil and water, a micellar solution is essentially non-greasy and tends not to spread/moving around the makeup all over your face as it is being removed. Typically, your skin should feel moisturised, soft and toned after use which is why some people call it magic water. 

So, you can see why I had been looking forward to trying one of the micellar solutions which has made its round in the beauty world especially the Bioderma Sensibio micellar water. However,  finding the Bioderma in UK is a bit more difficult especially in store but you can buy it online as always. Anyways, some time this year, I discovered L'Oreal had released their very own micellar water/solution and I was very keen to try it out so I trotted off to Sainsbury and got myself one bottle. I have used it for more than a month and I have subsequently gone to repurchase two additional bottles as Sainsbury's 2 for £6 offer made is impossible to look away. I love this product so much because it does feel like water and it is gentle and effectively takes off most of my makeup with the exception of my eye make up but let's not jump the gun, shall we?

Packaging

I love its slim packaging which means it can slide into anywhere easily be it your bathroom cabinet, travel makeup bag or just your dresser. I am actually quite pleased it is not a round bottle; its rectangular shape lends it some uniqueness and I love that it has a nice lid which secures the solution and lets out the correct amount of fluid although you do have to be careful not to over soak your cotton pad.

Ingredients/Formula

Most micellar solutions contain a mixture of water and oil in a mixture that is seamless so you don't notice the demarcation line between the oil and water as you would notice in eye makeup remover. The water/oil mixture means the water takes of water soluble makeup and the oil removes oil soluble makeup which is pretty much powder, foundation and other oil based makeup. I love how the formula remains stable and there is no need to shake it up at all. It is not a natural or organic product which is okay because it has not irritated my skin at all so I guess I can live with that. :-)

A few makeup items to test how effective the micellar water is

L-R= Foundation, concealer, mascara, eye liner(waterproof), dark eye shadows, more eye shadows and blush at the end.

After one swipe with the micellar solution

Residue on Cotton Pad

Application

Using it is very straightforward, all you need is a cotton pad and you are good to go. I grab one cotton pad, pour an average amount of it on the cotton pad and pat it onto my face. No need for vigorous swiping as my makeup comes off easily and the best thing is you need only a little at a time. I tend to use two applications to get that feeling of "clean makeup free face" before I proceed to my  cleansing routine. As you can see from the pictures, it removes most of the makeup (except the naught little waterproof eye liner) and removes everything including the 90% of the waterproof eye liner on a second swipe. 



L'Oreal's Claim/Promise Vs My Verdict
According to L'Oreal, the Skin Perfection 3-in-1 Purifying Micellar Solution would:
1)Dissolve your makeup 
2)Unclogs pores and removes impurities
3)Tones and Soothes Skin
My Verdict- I think it does about 90% of what it claims which is pretty good, okay, let's say excellent. I certainly agree that it dissolves my makeup easily and it tones and soothes my skin perfectly. As for unclogging pores and removing impurities, I am not quite sure about that because I have never used it as my sole cleanser rather it is my pre-cleanser. It is possible it may unclog pores to a small extent but I can't say I have experienced that to a significant measure but it does remove my makeup effectively and leaves my skin all fresh, soft and soothes and I am very pleased with these qualities especially at its affordable price. 

Cons

I really love this makeup remover because it does remove my makeup gently as it promises but it does not effectively take off my waterproof eye makeup especially my eye liner. It takes it out eventually after a separate application of cotton pad and micellar water asides that for my whole face makeup. I think L'Oreal is aware of this which is why they have also released the L'Oreal Eye Makeup Remover which is like a baby sister to the Micellar solution and is worth checking out (review may be up soon). I don't think it is much of a bad thing but you know, we girls always prefer less effort and maximum impact. Other than that, I think it is an amazing product and it does take out all my makeup with two swipes which I think is very commendable.

Cost

This is one of the reasons why I love many L'Oreal products- they are high quality, available and affordable. A 200ml of the L'Oreal Micellar solution costs £5 but you can get it for less provided you keep your ears and eyes peeled for offers  in both Super Drug, Boots, Sainsbury and Tesco. I have seen it go for as low as £3 or 2 for £6 in many of these stores and I picked up a couple of bottles as my backup.

Would I repurchase?

A big resounding YES!! I am sure you can tell I really love this product so much especially as I have already made a re-purchase which is rare with me because I hardly finish my  beauty products since I always vary them. So, for this to be finished, it means a) it is amazing b)I absolutely love it c)I use it everyday and d) it is very good quality and value for money. I rate it 9.0/10 only because it failed to take off my waterproof eye makeup effectively in one swipe (I feel mean about the score but it's the truth)..Thank you so much for stopping by to hear my usual rant and I hope you enjoyed this little post. Stay tuned for my next post soon...xxx..toodles..Have a wonderful week ahead!!!

How to: DIY Home Spa Facial Treatment

Hey My Lovelies,

I hope your weekend has been relaxing; the sad thing about Sunday is that it goes too fast and heralds Monday before you can blink. Sundays are special to me because I go to church and pamper myself in many ways like sleeping for a long time, watching different movies, reading magazines or lazing about as usual. The most important and constant routine on sundays for me is my Facial Spa Treatment which I do for myself. I know it is more fun to have someone do it for me but I doubt if I can coax the BF to learn...hehehehe. I don't mind doing it myself though; it's still fun. I am going to share my home facial spa routine with you...let's get started

                                                               Cleanse

This is my number one step as always and I go to my trust L'Oreal Micellar Solution (previously raved about here) and wipe off any makeup on my face. I use cotton pads for this and it feels refreshing like water which is why I love it and it takes off my makeup effectively. I use the Lancome Cleansing Milk for my eyes because it is effective, hydrating and gentle; I love this lil sample so much. Next, I grab my favourite cleansing tool, my body shop facial brush armed with the Balance Me Cleansing Wash (mini review) and scrub gently to remove any traces of makeup still left and rinse. I pat my face with my face towel but I leave it a little damp for my next step.

                                                                    Mask it up

Next, I apply a thin layer of the Aqua Mineral Spa Mud Mask which has been featured here already. I apply in a circular motion to encourage circulation by nudging the blood flow to the top of my skin. This helps to draw out any dirt or oil or makeup that may have been embedded in my skin through the week that have escaped my powerful cleansers. I leave this on for about 15 minutes or so and rinse off ensuring no residue is left. I prefer to use mildly warm water.

                                                              Gentle Exfoliation

Knowing that some dead skin may be lurking around with the embedded impurities removed by the mud mask, I use the Lancome Smoothing Exfoliating Cream which has micro bead which are gentle but effectively remove dead skin cells from the skin's surface without bruising delicate skin. I love this product and it smells really nice although I know many ladies prefer skin care products to be free from fragrance. I use this also in circular motions to encourage blood flow and leave it on for a minute or two and rinse off.

                                                                 Toners

Next step is the toning with the Lancome Hydrating Toner (review here) which helps balance out the PH of my skin from all the drying out of the above steps. I particularly like this toner because it is also hydrating and does not contain alcohol so it leaves your skin soft, hydrated and PH balanced.

                                                                    Moisturise

Now that the skin is back to its balanced PH, I moisturise it with my favourite moisturiser which is actually an oil. I know many people who have oily skin are scared to use oils on their face with good reason. But there are oils and there are oils! If you opt for oils that are sources from the most natural sources ever, you will find that it is absorbed into your skin easily without leaving the evil shine we hate so much. That's exactly what you get with the Gamila Secret Facial Oil (review coming soon). To say, I love this oil will be an understatement. It feeds and nourishes my skin and I use it both morning and night and especially for my spa treatment. I apply this lightly on my face with a gentle massage.

                                                               Hydrate

I know many people will have done this step before using the oil but i prefer it this way and this has worked better for me. I prefer to put some moisture and water back to hydrate my skin after using my oil. As i mentioned earlier, the Gamila Secret Oil gets absorbed within two to three minutes so I use the Lancome Hydrating Mask to lock everything in. This mask really really makes my skin feel soft. I apply some of it on my face, leave it to absorb for about 5-7 minutes as wipe off any excess. Note: i only wipe off the excess not the product in itself. I leave this on over night. In the morning, I wake up to the softest and most glowing face ever. Sometimes, I add a little eye cream like the one below which is the Lancome Absolue Precious Cells Eye Cream.

You can see why I love Sundays a lot because it is my day; a day where I do all the things I have dreamt of all week and I honestly think my sundays give me the motivation for the previous week. I hope you enjoyed my Home Spa Facial Edition. Have a blessed week ahead and see you in my next post...toodles...xxx

Top Makeup Removers feat Wipes, Cleansers, Toners and Micellar Solutions

Hi Lovelies,

I cannot believe it is Monday already;take me back to Friday. I had such a busy week and a busy Saturday but at least my Sunday was fun which was a huge consolation. You will not believe the amount of draft blog posts I have on my blogger dashboard. It's insane:-) but slowly I would whip them out as quickly as I can. I have not been my usual blog posting self but hopefully this week turns out better. I have missed you all and missed reading your lovely comments..Thank you for that!!!

Today's blog post is about my favourite beauty products/items for taking off my make up. I feel anyone who takes the trouble of putting on make up should take even more trouble taking it off in order to keep your skin in excellent condition. Of course, I understand that some days are just stressful and taking off make up is the last thing on your mind; bed is the only thing you can think of. I have those days too but I try to keep them to the minimum, In fact, extremely minimal because my skin is so sensitive and I would just have instant spots the next day. It's not even worth it at all. I love taking off my makeup and refreshing my face in general especially recently in my new flat because my bathroom is really cute so I spend a long time in there. Taking off my make up is the step that precedes cleansing or exfoliating or scrubbing my face which I do day and night. I would have a skincare routine blog post soon.

Cleansing Wipes

I am sure many people love Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes (£2.00 on offer in SuperDrug) and I am no exception. I love them because they really take off your makeup in an easy seamless way.  No need for any vigorous wiping; just straight talking swipes. I love that they are hydrating without leaving your face soaking wet as experienced with some dodgy wipes. 



They are pretty pricey so I always wait for any sales in drug and beauty stores. Another wipe which I really love is the Tesco Everyday Value Range wipes. I absolutely love this wipe and it has a slight nice fragrance although I know many people may not like this. After Simple Wipes, it has to be my next favorite because it does the job of taking off your make up well; you may have to use two wipes though. Plus it is very cheap; it costs about 45p for one pack. The only thing is it's not available in all Tesco stores, you need to go to the really big stores to find it.

Cotton Pads

I am not really fussy about them because I believe most of them do the job pretty well. Having said that, I remember using a cotton pad from a brand I can't remember now but it was very rough on my face. It was terrible and I binned it immediately. A waste of money even though it was cheap. 



Anyways, I love cotton pads from SuperDrug and Tesco because I love how smooth they are and can take a sizable amount of liquid without soaking through. Also, the individual cotton pads are not too thin or thick so they are finger friendly and the packaging makes it easy to take them out. My cotton pads are usually multitasking as iIused them for toning, removing my make up with Mi cellar water and also for removing my nail polish and anything else I fancy.

Toners 

Toners help refresh my skin after cleansing my face. Cleansing or exfoliating your face can sometimes leave it very dry, strip it from its natural oils and alter the PH of your skin. A good toner restores the PH and refreshes your skin back to its normal natural conditions. It is best to go for toners without alcohol as alcohol could also be drying on your skin. 



The Lancome Tonique Douceur is Alcohol free and it is perfect on my skin. It also has a slight hydrating effect which prepares your skin for your moisturiser. It also has a slight fragrance to it which is pleasant but I know many ladies are not fans of beauty items with fragrances. I use this mainly after cleansing both day and night. I have not been able to buy the full size toners but the good thing is I have a stash of samples which are about 50 ml each so they would last a good while.



 My other favourite toner is the Olay Refreshing Toner(£1.30) which i love because it feels very refreshing as the name suggests. I think they are a good range and this toner is one of my favourite products from their range. It is ever so gentle ion my skin and I love how clean my face feels after using it. The only downside is it does have a fragrance and it is not slight at all so that may be a deterrent for some ladies but it is really lovely and it also contains some alcohol. However, I have to say for a toner containing alcohol, it is really gentle and it does not cause any drying at all on the face which is why it remains my favorite toner because it is gently and it is really affordable.

Cleansing Fluids
I am not really big on cleansing fluids but I use this when I feel my face needs an extra cleaning boost on days when I have applied some heavy duty makeup and eye make up as well. Cleansing fluids go the extra step to remove any extra layers of makeup which the makeup wipes or solutions have missed especially around the eye area. They are not meant to replace normal cleansing or exfoliating at all but just an added extra step. 



My favourite brand is the Lancome Galateis Douceur which I also got as a sample. I love how gentle it feels (I am sure I have used the word gentle so many times in this post) but very effective in removing last traces of make up. I love how non greasy it feels as well because the last thing I want is that feeling on my face. I know the full bottle is quite pricey which is why I am sticking to the sample bottles I have.



Eye Makeup Remover
To be honest, this has to be my least used make up remover and it is mainly because I don't wear eye make up a lot except my eye liner and the occasional mascara. Asides that, the makeup wipes and solutions already take them off. I use the Nivea Eye Makeup Remover(£3.59) this when I have applied eye shadow especially smoky eye shadows. 



The formula is made up of two parts: the oil part and the water part. I am not a fan of the formula as such. You have to shake it vigorously to mix both parts properly before applying it on a cotton pad to your eye. It does take out eye makeup in a swipe but I totally hate the greasy feeling it leaves behind. Also, it has this annoying stinging sensation when you wipe around the eyes which kinda defeats the purpose of wanting to use it but it is very effective so I have not binned it yet :-)



Still, I turn to this when I need to get any eye makeup off which is why it has found its way into this post. I am looking to try the Simple Eye Makeup Remover which is non-greasy and does the job effectively

L'Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Solution(£4.99)
I left my favourite make up remover as the last. I heart L'Oreal Micellar Solution(or Micellar Water). Micellar water/solution is a term used to describe any solution of water and oil without any repulsion which means the water and oil are well mixed and there is no obvious line of demarcation. Micellar waters are really popular in the beauty industry especially in recent times because they are on of the most effective way to remove makeup which are either water based and oil based due to its unique formula. The most popular Micellar solution around now is the Bioderma Micellar Solution which has been raved about on every beauty social media platform. I have never tried it but I think the L'Oreal one may be a good alternative because Bioderma is not readily available in the UK; it is mainly online in selected online stores but mainly found in France and some countries in Europe.



The L'Oreal Micellar solution is a 3-in-1 solution which claims to remove makeup, unclog pores and tone and refresh the skin. I am not sure about it unclogging the pores effectively alone but it is excellent in removing my make up and toning and refreshing my skin. I really love it because it is multi-functional for me; I use it as makeup remover, a toner and post cleansing my face. I larrrrrvee it and the good thing about it is how affordable and available it is here in the UK. I definitely recommend it if you have not yet gotten around to laying your hands on Bioderma. It is Superb!!



So, these are the beauty products/items I use for removing my makeup and you can tell which ones I love most from how little products I have left. I hope you all enjoyed this post. I have to admit I was a little lazy to put up blog posts all through last week but hopefully this week will definitely be better. Hope you all have a fab week and catch you in my next post!!!

Have you entered the Gamila Secret Cleansing Bar Giveaway Contest? It is Open now and International...Check it out here

Have an amazing week ahead...xx

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