Monday 22 August 2016

SPOTLIGHT: Micellar Magic Part 6 - La Roche-Posay, Natio & Lacura...

Gosh I was thinking this series had a limited life, but now I'm not so sure - even more bottles of this magical water waiting in the wings for review! I've also spotted micellar cleansing WIPES, but that's a whole other story. Meanwhile, here are the remaining three from Part 5.


NATIO Cucumber & Aloe Micellar Cleansing Water (all skin types) - (200ml RRP $14.95)

Simple and elegant presentation, however there's a screw top cap that has to be removed to get to the squirter - not a major block for me, but a wee bit annoying all the same. Very happy to see that second highest ingredient is Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, well known for its healing properties. Good slip on the skin, calming, cooling, non-drying, and I can't detect any fragrance. My skin feels baby soft after use, although the cotton pad doesn't show a whole heap of makeup leftovers so I'm a bit iffy about its effectiveness. Still a very nice product, and I'd say out of the all the ones I've tried so far, the most gentle, and probably the most suitable for gals with sensitive skin (although I'm certainly no expert). Nice one Natio 


La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Micellar Cleansing Water (for oily sensitive skin) - (200ml RRP $25.95)


Apart from the Bioderma, this is the most expensive one I've tried to date. It's actually the first product I've tried from this brand. Made in France (of course), easy to open flip-top cap, no fragrance, doesn't make my skin feel tight, cotton pad slides easily over the skin, and non-drying. About the same amount of makeup traces on the pad as the Natio one. Not sure what to say here other than yes it's nice enough, but for $26 I was kinda expecting something special that would encourage me to hand over more than twice the $$$ for the same quantity. Probably best to say if you love the brand/range, you'll love this too...




If you're wondering what all those Zonders in the above label are all about, here's a translation - soap free, colorant free, alcohol free & paraben free 


Lacura Quick Fix Micellar Cleansing Water 3 in 1 - (250ml RRP $7.95)


This was the surprise of the series. Onto my third bottle over a period of at least 12 months - was suitably impressed with bottles 1 & 2, but used them all up prior to Part 1, which is why I'm only reviewing it now. Like a lot of Aldi products in general, it's been hard to find as it's a "special" and not carried permanently, and that's its only real flaw, although purists won't appreciate the inclusion of fragrance. I actually really enjoy the pretty floral scent - it's not overpowering, doesn't linger, and for me, makes the cleansing experience a little more interesting than the scent-free versions. For gals with sensitive skin, the label says dermatologically tested and alcohol free, and as per the Natio one, it contains cucumber extract... 

What makes this formula a winner is its effectiveness. Like several of the others covered in this series, it's a 3-in-1 - makeup remover, cleanser and toner. I noticed that whenever I used this water, the cotton pad seemed far more soiled than with any of the others, regardless of the cleanser I used or the makeup I was wearing. So I did a little test after cleansing my face, using one after another, and compared the cotton pads:
  • Natio - minimal amount of foundation colouring
  • La Roche-Posay - a wee bit of residue. Hmm, so the Natio didn't take it all off...
  • Lacura - twice as much foundation colour than with the first Natio wipe, and even a wee bit of blush!
So the Lacura Quick Fix appears to cleanse away the makeup traces more effectively - how about that?




As I did at the end of Part 4 HERE, I've done a swatch swipe comparison of the five covered in the last two posts. Same Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner left to dry for a few minutes, and I've included the Bioderma Sensibio at the end as it's the benchmark...


All round the results are better than from the first set of products HERE (or maybe my swatching was a little more thorough) - not much difference between any of the above, but I reckon the Lacura one looks a smidgin cleaner...

When I get to the completion of this series (if ever lol), I'll do a full arm swatch of each of them for comparison - I really need to do them at the same time and under the same lighting conditions. Till then keep well and happy lovelies!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3...

Take care of you,
kats xxx

P.S. Linking this post to all the other beauties over at Ingrid's always entertaining Monday Makeup Madness Link Up Party 

28 comments:

  1. So much micellar!!! I wonder why they can't include it as an ingredient in actual cleansers?

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    1. Lol, brilliant idea for a new formula Beth! Makes heaps of sense, and with a bit of luck they're already working on it in a lab somewhere ha ha xxx

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  2. Great reviews of the Micellar waters, Kat. I have a Lacura one in my stash waiting to be used. I'm happy to see that you rated it well, it sounds great xx

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    1. I really like it Indie - just wish it was available whenever I wanted to buy it. Next time I'll pick up 2 or 3 as it can be a long time between drinks lol ♥

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  3. I'm not a big fan of micellar water as a lot of the sensitive skin ones aren't actually good with sensitive skin or don't work :( I might have to try the natio one - did it sting your eyes at all?

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    1. Great feedback Alinta - thank you. My skin is pretty tough and I haven't as yet experienced any issues with any of the ones I've tried, but it's good to know that the formulas still need some work. I don't actually use it for removing eye makeup, but I did wipe my eyelids with it a couple of times last night after reading your comment, and didn't feel any tingling or discomfort ♥

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  4. WOW WOW WOW such a thorough review!! you are amazing Kat x

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    1. It's all pretty interesting hey Barbe - I reckon there needs to be some sort of labelling controls as to what exactly is and isn't a micellar water, the current scope seems to be rather wide xxx

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  5. I actually really love the Natio one! I'm currently using a Model Co one and it's not amazing.

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    1. Glad to hear good news about the Natio TP - I thought the ModelCo one was a dud, but someone must like it hey ♥

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  6. What a great find the Lacura is! I will definitely have to pick up a bottle and try it for myself! I am loving the Nivea Micellar water at the moment but I am almost out so your blog posts are going to be a huge help when I choose which brand to purchase next, thank you x

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    1. The Lacura is well worth a try Marisa - different products work for different gals, but I hope some of the information is helpful. Would love to know which one works best for you xxx

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  7. Great Review as always Kats! There sure are a lot of Miceller Waters! Thanks for doing the research for us. Tal xo

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    1. So many hey Tal - trouble is I'm on a roll now, and not sure when it's all going to stop! Actually all I have to do is STOP LOOKING ha ha xxx

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  8. Interesting results! Obviously one should not use the price of a product as a guide to which one will be the most effective! Instead we can refer to your experimenting and research for us! Thanks for the thorough review.

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    1. You're so welcome Ingrid - when I started this theme I had no idea it would go on for so long, but I'm finding it quite intriguing xxx

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  9. to be honest, I can't tell the difference between my micellar water... I feel they all do the same thing!

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    1. I reckon you're right Lily - they're much of a muchness, but the prices sure differ hey ♥

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  10. LOVE the swatch idea that's awesome. There's a few here I want to check out, I've really only tried the Swisse and Bioderma but I need to have a look at others lol

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    1. I reckon the price points make it well worth trying a few Jackie - I doubt I'll buy the Bioderma one again, some of the cheaper ones seem to work just as well xxx

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    2. Oh for sure, I got mine from an event otherwise it is pretty pricey. But I don't use it for makeup removal, just for a morning freshen up so the cheaper ones are definitely more useful for me

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    3. I only use it instead of a toner Jackie - a second cleanse, so the less expensive ones suit me better too ♥

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  11. Wow, so surprised with the Lacura. Who knew Aldi would have nice skincare? Love this series babe x

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    1. I've tried quite a lot of it Mel - for the price, it's actually pretty good. Not startling, but the quality is there that's for sure xxx

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    2. I cannot pass up the Garnier original formula micellar water. I've tried a few others but keep coming back to this one. My 12 yo son likes the Simple one - but he doesn't have makeup to remove!

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    3. Hi there Kim-Marie - yes the Garnier one is excellent, and it's such great value too with that huge bottle. How wonderful that your son uses micellar water too ♥♥♥

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