Being someone who started using cleansing milk and cleansing oil to remove makeup, I can never quite get cleansing water. How could I? A full day worth of makeup, dirt and sebum are thoroughly removed at the end of the day with my usual remover product so there wasn’t any need to change to something milder that is mostly just water.
Despite how I feel about cleansing water and after reading all the raving reviews online, Bioderma has become something that I wanted to get my hands on for the longest time. It is not available in Malaysia directly although I nearly bought from an online seller at one point of time. You have no idea how happy I am when I found out Isetan KLCC brought in Bioderma since March 2014 and I think I was among the first to notice it from Isetan Newsletter, rushed over and got my hands on my first ever Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution. I am a late bloomer in this new bandwagon but hey, it’s better late than never eh? 😀
Overall, there are three types of Bioderma micelle solution available namely Sensibio H2O (red cap) for Sensitive Skin, Sébium H2O (green cap) for Combination or Oily Skin and Hydrabio H2O (blue cap) for Sensitive Dehydrated Skin. I chose Sensibio H2O because that is the best seller among three and the BA also highly recommend Sensibio for me.
After I bought it and used it, I still don’t quite understand the whole micellar water craze. I know it’s a waterless makeup remover / cleanser. What I don’t understand is how something that has the texture of a water works in removing all makeup, dirt and sebum after a long day. That was like an inch thick to be removed! Okay, I was exaggerating. It feels like an inch thick of stuffs on my face after a long day 😀 . Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution is not just a makeup remover, some used it as cleanser and I’ve even heard some used it as toner. A few months after I bought a huge 500ml bottle, I’ve only used up less than 1cm of the content. That was also because I force myself to use it. For someone to have such an oily skin and with makeup on the whole day, I feel that the Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution doesn’t remove all my makeup, even after going through six pieces of cotton pads. I know I always double cleanse thereafter but what’s most important to me is the first cleansing step. It’s a waste of time and waste of cotton pads. I could have just step into the shower, pump some cleansing oil onto my palm and remove my makeup.
Recently I’ve reorganized my beauty storage and I have the huge Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution bottle staring at me from where I sit. Spontaneously I reached out for Sensibio H2O to remove my makeup nowadays and you know what, I’ve grown to like it more and more. Because of that, I started to find a better way to use it so that I won’t be wasting time and cotton pads in removing makeup. I find that MUJI Peelable Cotton works the best as it’s huge and it’s peelable into four pieces but I would prefer to separate one piece into two.
This is how I usually do it. I take a piece of MUJI Peelable Cotton, peel into two and soak bit by bit of the cotton pad and squeeze the cotton pad gently so that the micellar solution saturated the whole piece. Reason behind this is that the cotton pad is relatively larger than usual. I’ve tried pouring bit by bit but my makeup wasn’t removed properly. Squeezing the cotton pad is the fastest way to soak the whole piece!
Some like to start with the face but I like to start with removing eye makeup first. I used half of MUJI Peelable Cotton for the face by fully utilizing the front and back of the cotton pad. As half of the cotton pad consists of two peelable pieces, I don’t peel and use the inside because the layers are quite thin and inside are all soaked with foundation from the face. Sometimes when my face is extra oily or when I have thicker base makeup on, I’d use the whole cotton pad, which also means I repeated the removal process four times.
I also read numerous reviews that Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution doesn’t remove waterproof eye makeup properly so I’ve never tried using it on my eyes. Just the other day, I thought why not use this to remove EVERYTHING from my face. It turns out way better than I’ve imagined it to be. The micellar water managed to remove all my waterproof eye makeup such as the Estée Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara (which can be a pain in the butt to remove) and Make Up For Ever AQUA Liner. All I did was to pour some micellar water out on the cotton pad in a straight line, placed it on my eyes for one minute and everything came off easily. I used the rest of the cotton pad to clean up my eyebrows, eyeshadows and any residue that was left.
Oh and, just to be safe…I also used a normal cotton pad (I prefer The Body Shop Organic Cotton Rounds) and run it gently all over my face to catch any residue before double cleanse in the shower.
Here comes the odd part. I, somehow or rather, seems to disagree with what I read online about Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution.
1) Most user said this removes makeup thoroughly and I think it’s not quite thoroughly.
2) It doesn’t remove waterproof eye makeup and I think it’s great on waterproof makeup.
3) It doesn’t sting the eyes and I think it does sting a little bit.
Apart from that, I have to agree that this doesn’t leave a sticky residue behind. Why would it right? It’s just water solution after all. And that it’s fragrance free. It does comes with a scent to it and you WILL taste the scent when used to remove lipstick. I always always make sure I use a tissue paper to wipe off the access thereafter. Did I mention this works superb on the lips? Now you know 🙂
Here is the ingredient list for those who are looking forward to it.
My friend, Jennifer spotted Bioderma in https://guardian.com.my/ a few weeks ago and she Whatsapp me about it. We were both unsure if it’s available physically in Guardian outlets so I took a stroll to Guardian KLCC and spotted Bioderma shelf a few feet away, which you probably already know if you’re following me on Instagram and Facebook 🙂 . Bioderma originally is sold at pharmacies in other countries so it was no surprise that it is now available in Guardian. Having said that, do take note on the price difference. Isetan is a tab bit cheaper than Guardian. Another difference between both retailer is Isetan carries the 500ml bottle, not the 100ml and Guardian is the other way round.
Now that I’m already liking Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution day by day, I did intend to go back to Isetan and grab the latest promotion, which is exactly the same promotion as I bought before. Maybe later. Perhaps I should let other people enjoy the ‘buy 500ml get 100ml for free’ promotion 😀
Have you jump onto the Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution bandwagon yet? Which would you prefer as your makeup remover? Cleansing water, milk or cleansing oil still? As much as I am a-okay with this whole micellar water now, I still don’t use it everyday. It depends on how much makeup I have on and how tired I am 🙂
Bioderma is available at Isetan KLCC and selected Guardian pharmacies in Klang Valley.
Where to buy:
+ Isetan KLCC
+ Guardian Suria KLCC, Mid Valley Shopping Center, Pavilion, Berjaya Times Square, 1 Utama Shopping Center, Sunway Pyramid, Ikano Power Center, KLIA2, Bangsar Shopping Center & Giant Hypermarket Bandar Kinrara
+ Guardian Online – https://guardian.com.my/index.php/pbrand/bioderma.html
Price:
+ Isetan KLCC – 250ml RM70, 500ml RM100
+ Guardian – 100ml RM38.90, 250ml RM70.90
Bioderma Malaysia Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bioderma-Malaysia/607923902638838
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored review. I bought the product on my own.
Comments (12)
Lol, you and I are so alike that we’re like twins. I initially read so much about Bioderma and yet, I didn’t get the hype. Subsequently, one day, I had some luck and got it via Strawberrynet. When I first received it, I wasn’t so excited to the extent that I would open it and use it straight away. That was because I still have heaps of cleansing oil stash to be used. Haha. No thanks to my hoarding skills ya. I started to use after some time and to my surprise, I actually REALLY love it! With Bioderma, I deploy 3 step cleansing – first cotton pad is for eye make up with eye make up remover, second and third cotton pad is for Bioderma and final step is facial cleanser. My face feels so clean after using it! I still use facial cleanser as my final cleansing step because I am paranoid like that. When I step into shower, I can feel my face is smooth and clean even prior to using facial cleanser. My on ly gripe is the cotton pad usage haha. Recently, I got the last 500ml bottle from Isetan as I had some vouchers to spend. The BA was very friendly and provided me with some Phyto sachet samples to try. Lol. Now that I see this promotion again at Isetan which is super good deal in my humble opinion, it is definitely more attractive than the Guardian now for now (only free delivery via online shopping right, for first 50 customers, and they don’t have the elusive 500ml one which is cheaper in comparison).
I too deploy the 3-step. I have a habit to remove my eye makeup first before the face. I highly recommend double cleansing after that to remove what’s left on the face. Like I said, I feel something is on the face. Unless the users have normal to dry skin, then I guess it’s really clean on their skin 😀
I heard Sensibio doesn’t leave a sticky feeling on the skin but Sébium does. Absolutely no regret in getting Sensibio. The cotton pad usage drives me insane! For me I always step out of the house with full makeup on. Can you imagine how many cotton pad I need to use if I were to remove everything? For the face alone I’m already using six pieces. But that was before I switched to MUJI Peelable Cotton.
Isetan promo is by far the best I’ve seen. The 100ml GWP is a good deal plus four samples (mostly Phyto and Nuxe) 🙂 . I assume Isetan and Guardian had work out a deal on who carry what size LOL.
I think it’s great at removing makeup too. The reason people feel it doesn’t remove eye makeup is because they expect to just swipe it over their eyes and get everything off without letting it soak. Error 101. But yes, if you just use this and think your skin is clean, that where the problem comes, especially for us oily girls. The Sebium variety has a bit of an oily feel too, so I wouldn’t leave it on my skin as the final product.
That’s crazy to think this can remove waterproof eye makeup with a swipe! I do it the old school way and it’s superb. Oh yes. Sebium leaves an oily layer on the skin. That’s what I heard too. Sensibio is meant for sensitive skin therefore it’s leaves the skin dry and soft. No matter what, always double cleanser. I wouldn’t leave it on the skin either, except if I need to refresh / redo my makeup for evening event then yes, this is a great product for a quick remove and reapply makeup.
Aww, now I am in a dilemma…I still have about 750ml left…lol. Should I stock up on another bottle? This week there’s C&F voucher too 😛 Yeah, I was confused with the types of Bioderma…Sensibio, Sebium…etc…Thank god Sensibio is good so far.
Oh no no. Go through your 750ml first. That’s a lot! Unless you’re using it daily 🙂 . Sensibio will suits all skin type since it’s engineered for sensitive skin. Sébium is for Combination or Oily Skin 🙂
Been looking forward to your review, Fiona. You didn’t disappoint. I like how you tell me how it is – irrespective of the what the rest say.
I have the 500ml bottle of this I lugged back from HK. I actually haven’t even used it because I have three other brands of micellar to use. Currently using the Nuxe cleansing water which is nice and rose-scented.
Thanks Jude. I would say it’s a hit and miss product. It’s either you like it or it’s either you don’t. I managed to turn myself from not liking it to this is not bad at all. Most people would like this because they hated the sticky or oily feeling of using cleansing oil. I don’t have this problem as I remove my makeup in the shower. There wasn’t any downtime to feel the stickiness at all! LOL. Nuxe one is nice too. I haven’t tried it on my face before but I’ve heard about it 🙂 . I think I’m good with this 500ml for now. It’s going to last me for a very long time 🙂
I apply only BB Cream and I’m guilty in using cleansing wipes hehehe^^
I should get this to use instead. One item added to my wish list when I go KL.
Don’t use cleansing wipe too much. Once in a while is okay and make sure you double cleanse 🙂
I have always like Sensibio and have almost used up my 250 ml bottle. Pity I missed the Isetan promotion if not I would have bought it. I will ask my sister to buy it in France at the end of the year as it is so much cheaper there compared to Malaysia. I checked out Guardian prices of Sensibio and they are almost the same as Singapore after conversion rate.
Having said that, I still prefer cleansing using cleansing balm with face cloth which I will follow up with a gel cleanser as my second step in double cleansing. My face is so much more smoother and clearer because of this exfoliating method of cleansing. I will only use Sensibio when I use cleansing brush because I do not want to over-cleansed 🙂
Oh yeah. If anyone you know is going to France, it’s cheaper to get there. It’s insane how online pre-order / reseller is selling it at a much more higher price than the price Isetan and Guardian is selling at the moment.
I agree with you as I still prefer my cleansing gel, oil and balm to remove my makeup. I’m slowly getting to cleansing water. Very slowly 😀 . Most makeup artist use Bioderma for on the spot removal and reapplying makeup. That is why it’s highly raved.