For years, whenever friends were visiting France, I would only request one thing; Bioderma. I’d like to think pretty much any beauty buff who’s tried the infamous product has experienced the same desperate need to purchase the product in bulk, but the truth is that I probably had a bit of an unnatural obssession with the ‘micelle solution’. So much so, in fact, that I ordered five bottles of the stuff when I first found out that Escentual had started stocking it, in the UK.

In hindsight, I suppose it was only a matter of time before UK ‘drugstore’ brands began producing their own versions of the increasingly popular cult product, and I finally caved in and bought the L’Oreal Paris ‘Skin Perfection’ 3 in 1 Micellar Solution a few months ago, when the last of my beloved Bioderma stash ran out. It wasn’t quite the same, but at £4.99, it was far more affordable than the French import, and was available at my local Boots, so I was sold.

And then something happened; casually browsing the skincare range, in said Boots, earlier this week, I stumbled across this little find; Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. Although UK brands are seemingly becoming wise to the popularity of micellar solutions, it’s hardly an oversaturated market, so I was pretty surprised to see another version on the shelves
It retails at the same price as the L’Oreal equivalent, and is double the size, so, naturally, I had to give it a try.

The Comparison:
L’Oreal’s Micellar Solution is probably, out of the two, the most similar to the Bioderma original; it’s a very liquid solution, although perhaps to a fault; the Garnier alternative is slightly thicker, and honestly, I find myself preferring it. My skin feels cleaner when I use the Garnier cleansing water, and I use much less of the solution to get all of my make up off. Having said that, this does come with a considerable pitfall; after using the Garnier solution, my skin is tighter, and I feel as though it could be quite drying, in the long-run; luckily, I use a very heavy night-time moisturiser, but without it, I imagine I’d have quite a problem. L’Oreal’s solution doesn’t leave me with this problem, and instead leaves my skin feeling refreshed. It also has a much more pleasant scent than Garnier’s, but I’m not sure it’s worth twice the price.

Overall?

If you don’t suffer from dry skin or have a very good nighttime moisturiser, I’d really recommend the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water; at the same price with double the formula of L’Oreal’s, it’s definitely the most budget-friendly, and whilst I find the bottle’s claims of ‘400 uses’ sound a little extensive, I don’t doubt the formula goes much further than its competitors. However, if dry skin is a serious concern for you, L’Oreal Paris ‘Skin Perfection’ 3 in 1 Micellar Solution is the way to go; it’s a much more moisturising formula, and although it requires slightly more product to remove all your make up (sometimes I end up using a cotton pad on each eye, if I’m rocking winged eyeliner, that day), it leaves your skin smoother, softer, and much firmer than the Garnier alternative.

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