Review: Simple Brand Micellar Water

I caught wind on social media about Micellar water a few weeks ago and was really intrigued on the claims that you can use this in place of tap water and cleansers to wash your face. I picked up this Simple Cleansing Micellar Water at target for 6.99 and wanted to try it out immediately.

So what is micellar water? Micelles are little tiny oil molecules that mildly work to dissolve oil on your skin. Micelles have been used for years overseas and have worked their way over here due to their popularity and effectiveness. Micelles are a great alternative (especially those with sensitive skin) because they can take the place of a harsh detergent.






 
I tested this product out at the end of my workday and was wearing CC cream, concealer, eyebrow tint, eyelid primer and mascara. Following the directions on the back was easy, I drenched a cotton pad in product and began wiping my face in sections. Looking at the cotton pad it had removed a lot of my makeup fast, but I had to go through about 5 cotton pads to really remove all the makeup on my face and I was wearing a pretty light face of makeup.



Claims:

• Perfect blend of multi-vitamins, skin loving ingredients and gentle cleansers
• Cleanses the skin and removes makeup
• Skin is left feeling clean and hydrated
• Gentle enough for sensitive skin

What do I think?

• The ingredients in this product are pretty mild and gentle, meaning that they are perfect for sensitive skin. It includes some pH balancing ingredients and citric acid so it will help tone your skin as it cleanses and help balance your skins acid mantle (see previous post for more on that). 
• Using this in place of a cleanser/makeup remover is a little hard to agree with just because I think it took too many cotton pads to remove everything. It is definitely a better option than rubbing your skin with a facecloth, but not an environmentally friendly one. You'll also be spending more money buying cotton pads.
• I have to say that this stuff leaves my skin feeling SO CLEAN and hydrated. It is such a really overall refreshing feeling that i'm becoming addicted to. This will totally be my go-to product this summer after being in the sun.

Overall impressions would be that I think this is definitely something people should try out if they're interested. There's no harm in using it, and if you're wearing a light face of makeup it will be easy to remove everything.

My routine so far has been to use it on my eyes to remove makeup, use my DIY oil cleanser (which I'll blog about soon), and then go back and swipe the product all over my face to tone, refresh, and remove any remaining makeup. I have noticed my skin is super happy with this routine so I'll definitely be repurchasing this again when I'm out!!

AHA / BHA the low down on facial acids

Inviting an acid into your skincare routine isn't as scary as it may sound; and when done properly can be really beneficial to your skin health. I'll introduce you to two really powerful and useful hydroxy acids that you can incorporate as you need into your collection: Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA's) and Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA). 

AHA's
There are numerous AHA's in the world but the ones that are used specifically in skincare products include: citric acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and mandelic acid.

What do they do?  
Did you know that healthy skin is naturally acidic? It has a pH of 4.5-5.5. 
If high school chemistry wasn't your thing don't worry here's a quick update: 

 Being so acidic, skin has what is referred to as an "acid mantle" that enables us to be shielded from weather, bacteria or fungal infections and breakouts, also helps delay signs of aging. Every day we do things to our face to naturally disrupt this mantle, like using detergents in our shampoos (ever notice those pesky breakouts around your hairline?) and in our cleansers. See how much higher in pH shampoos and soaps are? I could talk forever about ingredients in products and skincare science (which I have learned completely on my own) but to not get completely off track here; AHA's help restore our natural acid mantle.  

Both BHA and AHA's have exfoliant properties. AHA's exfoliate by sloughing off dead skin cells to stimulate cell turnover and allow new healthy skin to grow in its place. By clearing skin of dead cells they are able to clear blocked pores(minimizing them!) and excess sebum (sebum= waxy oil excreted by the skin naturally) which can help those who have chronic acne or oily skin. Another benefit to AHA's removal of dead skin cells is allowing product applied to the skin after to sink in deeper and therefore being way more effective.

AHA's have their downfalls too; they can be pretty harsh or irritating. They are also best applied at night due to the new vulnerable skin appearing as the acid disintegrates the dead cells. If applied in daytime you'll need a powerful SPF tp protect those pretty new skin cells.

It's also important to remember that you don't have to apply anything to your entire face; don't treat your whole face the same! For example I have a really sensitive left cheek, totally weird, so I know that when I apply something harsh I tap lightly in that area.

BHA 
Notice that this acid isn't plural? That's because Beta Hydroxy Acid has only one type in skincare use and it's street name is one you've probably seen regularly in the product aisle of any drug store: Salicylic Acid. 

What does it do?
For starters, like AHA's, BHA also exfoliates to slough off dead skin cells. How it differs from AHA's is in it's solubility, or how it dissolves. AHA's are water soluble and BHA is oil soluble so it is able to dissolve any oils from your skin and penetrate deep into your pores to dissolve dirt and oil. Working really great for those who have any range of acne problems from tiny little annoying whiteheads to full blown cystic acne. It is also great for decreasing the appearance of wrinkles and pigmentation on sun damaged skin.

BHA is also a little more gentle on the skin, being really effective at lower concentrations.

One last thing that AHA's and BHA share in common are that they are most effective when applied as a lasting treatment. Both of these acids work best in toners, moisturizers, treatments and liquids that you apply and don't wash away (like a cleanser/face wash). Let these take time to skin into your skin and do their magic.


So here's what I use:

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid

The only BHA I use in my routine is from Paula's Choice. This product is primarily the BHA acid which I like because I know exactly what it's doing to my skin. I use this sometimes as a spot treatment when a big ugly pimple comes out to play. Using a q-tip I'll apply it all over the pimple area and it is super effective. The pimple will reduce in inflammation after a couple hours and then is usually gone in a couple of days after regularly cleaning and applying the BHA. Other times when I feel like my skin is crawling in little under-the-skin pimples I'll take a cotton pad and apply it on my skin overnight.

 

I use two AHA products, both with glycolic acid as the AHA. I originally bought Paula's Choice AHA gel when I bought the BHA liquid (side note: consistency doesn't make a difference I just really liked the way the gel felt on my skin). I used the AHA gel before I would use my BHA liquid because it would dry fast and allow me to absorb BHA better. I just recently found at cvs these Nip + Fab glycolic pads. These are SO easy to use and kind of fun too. I liked the idea of using a wipe, it reminded me of being a pimply teenager using stridex pads in my parents bathroom. These work wonderful, I find myself using them more frequently than the gel.

The price of both Paula's Choice products might seem a little steep but these bottles have lasted me a little over a year now with regular use and I'm maybe halfway through them.

So that concludes my long entry about acids. I hope I didn't confuse anyone with all this kind of crazy skincare jargon. Actually if anything I hope you learned something! I just think that these are such important skincare staples that are kind of looked over due to their complex lingo. Take some time to really think about what your skin is telling you it needs and try these acids out. If you're looking for more information on products, the Paula's Choice website is great to explore and full of really good science and information to help you out.

Suave Visible Glow Self-Tanning Lotion

So self-tanners are just not typically my thing; I've never been someone who has looked into them or tried anything long term. I think in high school I might have tried one, and would try my moms Jergens Natural Glow lotion from time to time. Over the years I have made less and less of an effort to tan outside because I don't want to expose my skin to the sun and do damage. I religiously wear SPF on my face and my body when I'm going outside and I always wear sunglasses and cover up. 

Recently, I have been really into creating a "glowing" look with my makeup and have started to think how awesome it would look on my body. Well I looked at my legs the other day at an outdoor party while I was wearing a dress and thought "holy crap Jess, your legs look like tissues". You know how white tissues are... My brain immediately went into "find a self tanner" mode because I knew I didn't want to sit in the sun and fry my skin and I knew I needed something, fast.

I went to target anyway because I wanted to pick up some new Acure products after talking about them in my last post, and I needed some new ELF makeup. Wandering around the beauty aisles, I come across this:

 Suave Visible Glow Self-Tanning Lotion

(Around 6.50 at Target)

Now I am a big fan of suave products (not so big on their formulas, but mostly on their cost and quality) and so this was kind of a "I need to try this" purchase. I was really going to go and try the Jergens Natural Glow but looking at the ingredients it had some pretty bad chemicals inside. Suave didn't seem so bad.

I knew I wanted a self-tanning product, but if I was going to try it out it needed to be one that was also a lotion or a gradual tan because I really didn't want to be orange or streaky. 

It was kind of a ballsy move for me to grab the "medium to tan" color because to be totally honest being out of the sun for so long has made me super fair (I'm italian, I tan easy; I'm also Irish, I fair well). Normally throwing on something out of your skin color yields a orange tone. Lets move onto the review:

CLAIMS:

• Provide a streak-free experience with gradual self-tanners in the formula.
• Gives your skin just the right amount of color with said gradual self-tanners.
• Moisturizes your skin for 24 hours with its rich hydrating formula. 
• Only takes several minutes to dry. 
• Can be used daily. 

 

What do I think:

• I definitely think that this product should not claim to be "streak free" because when I woke up this morning I was STREAKY! To be fair I am pretty sure that was because I applied it before bed and lets face it you sweat while you sleep so my streaks were on my legs, and in between my boobs. This was diminished in the shower almost completely though after using a loofah and shower gel so that is definitely good to know. I had applied this earlier in the day also and gave it appropriate time to dry and it seemed fine.
• Totally impressed with the color that this lotion gave me. Not orange which is HUGE, and the color came about after only a couple hours of applying it. It is the perfect glowing tan color for me. (and remember I chose the "medium to tan" base color and I am fair as hell!)
• The lotion part of this self-tanner is definitely moisturizing, and I like how it is a thin formula so it glides onto my skin really easily.

• Drying is another misleading claim, because it definitely takes SEVERAL minutes. I'm actually starting to wonder if this ever really dries fully. I feel like whenever my knee was bent and I flexed it again it was sticky back there, like the product never settled in.

• I have used it for two days now and I feel like the tan this has given me is just what I wanted.

If you want to try the product here is what I recommend:

Use it not for a gradual tan, but for a real sunkissed tan about 5 hours after application. I wouldn't apply it in the morning unless you're wearing shorts that day (or a tank top). The smell is a little bit overbearing at times which is unfortunately standard, it's the skin reacting to the chemicals in the product.

How I'll use it is at night, probably after I get home from work. I like that I can scrub in the morning around the areas that might look a little streaky, and it helps get rid of the self-tanning smell.

Review: Acure Brightening Facial Scrub

I learned of the brand Acure through my monthly Birchbox subscription. They had really great price points on their products for what they claim to offer. Their formulas are all natural so they have no: parabens, PEG's, petroleum, silicone, phthalates, and they're hypoallergenic. If you are curious as to why a brand would opt out of those ingredients I've linked each to a page that will explain. (I love that kind of stuff!)

Like I mentioned I purchased through Birchbox because I had received samples before and trusted that to make a full sized purchase. However they now sell Acure at Target! Who doesn't shop at target? It is so convenient because seeing the product in person is a different experience than shopping online (yea and you buy more too..).

The Brightening Facial Scrub claims to:

• Gently exfoliate using organic sea kelp
• Stimulate new cell growth using chlorella growth factor and argan stem cells
• Work for all skin types (Oily/acne prone to dry/sensitive)
• Remove impurities from your pores using french green clay and organic lemon peel

 

Straight out of the tube comes a sludgy green paste that after reading there was organic sea kelp inside had my mind thinking of nasty seaweed and pond scum....maybe that's just me.

I would apply this to a damp face because it feels a little harsh on bare skin. Once the water was able to dilute it a bit I gently went in circular motions starting at the bottom of my cheeks working onto my nose and up to my forehead. A dime sized amount got a fair amount of product up to my nose, but I applied more for my forehead since that's a trouble area for me.

Rinsing was not fun. I really have an issue with products that take too long to come off my skin because I hate tugging at my skin. This really took awhile to come off. At the end of the whole ordeal I had my arms soaked with water, my sink a mess, my floor wet, and my face a little red.

A piece of advice: Use this in the shower in the morning. It rinses off fine under the jets and is a good way to start your day.

Overall I think this scrub is fantastic because after using it for a couple weeks I feel like it helped me shed my dry skin cells and has made the tone of my skin a tad brighter. For an exfoliate this is something I would recommend to anyone. It is only 9.99 and is full of amazing ingredients that wont hurt your skin.

9.99 for 4oz I cannot get over how cheap that is; and their other products have seriously crazy low price points too! So the next time you're at target (aka tomorrow) check out the Acure section and see what else you might be into.