Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water - You need this makeup remover!!

It's really difficult to find the perfect balance between a product that will remove waterproof eyemakeup, not irritate sensitive eyes, and also not break the bank. I've reviewed a few eyemakeup removers here on the blog, and I've tried many, many more. It's also rare that I find a product that I'm so excited about that I have to stop the presses and write about it immediately, putting all other blog posts on hold! Well, stop the presses - I found an exciting product that I love!!


(This post may contain affiliate links which were added to make it easier for you to find the items. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you). You are free to use the links or not - if you do, I thank you!)

I'd heard about Garnier's new SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water, and I wanted to try it, but until the other day, I hadn't been able to find any locally. So I almost jumped up and down in the grocery store when I finally saw it on the shelf!

If you haven't heard of this, it's an all-in-one makeup remover and cleanser. There are two versions - one is for regular makeup, and the other is bi-phasic for waterproof makeup. You're supposed to be able to use this to remove all of your makeup without rubbing or rinsing. Honestly, I'm not interested in using it to remove all of my makeup - I prefer to use an oil for that. But I really don't like to use an oil for removing my eye makeup, so I was hoping that this would work as well as Lancôme Bi-Facil and Clinique Take The Day Off for a fraction of the cost.


The ingredients are: water, cyclopentasiloxane, isohexadecane, potassium phosphate, sodium chloride, hexylene glycol, dipotassium phosphate, disodium EDTA, decyl glucoside, polyaminopropyl biguanide. I compared them to the Lancôme and Clinique and they are very similar.

I wear waterproof eyeliner and mascara, so I want to be able to press a cotton pad to my eyes for a few seconds and gently wipe away the makeup. No rubbing or tugging. Lines and wrinkles don't need any encouragement!

If you've used a bi-phasic product before, you know that it needs to be shaken right before use. This is what the Garnier Micellar Water looks like before and after shaking:


I applied a generous amount to a cotton pad (so that it was saturated, but not dripping), and pressed it gently to my eye. I held it there for about 15-20 seconds, then gently wiped as I lifted it. Almost all of the mascara and eyeliner were removed in the first swipe. I just gently patted my eye to remove the remaining makeup:


For my other eye, I just flipped the pad over and used the other side.

It worked just as well as the other bi-phasic eyemakeup removers - and it seemed to be less irritating than the Lancôme (which contains fragrance) - and it's a whole lot easier on the wallet! I paid under $8 at Kroger for 13.5 oz. I'm sure Walmart carries it; maybe Target and Ulta, too. If you prefer to shop online, Amazon has a great price.

Cost comparison of similar products:
Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water 13.5 oz. $7.99 = $0.59 per oz.
Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover 6.7 oz. $26.00 = $3.88 per oz.
Lancôme Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover 6.7 oz. $39.00 = $5.82 per oz.

But wherever you buy it or whichever version you get - you need this!! As you can see from the cost comparison, it's an incredible deal. But beyond that - it WORKS. You won't be sorry. It's amazing. I'm just so happy to have found a great drugstore product that does what it says it will do! And just so we're clear here - there are a couple of affiliate links for Amazon in this post, but I'm not affiliated with Garnier, and this isn't a sponsored post. I purchased the product myself and I'm only telling you about it because I really like it and think it's a fabulous product at a fabulous price.


Have you tried Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water?