The Gaianaut: April 2015

Topshop Wish List

By The Gaianaut 2:48 PM fashion, fashionwishlist

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation and Illuminator Mini Reviews

I made my first online order from Mecca last week, so I thought I'd post about what I got. I love the packaging of the whole order, it felt really personal and like a lot of effort had been put in to it's presentation.

Shipping from Mecca is free for orders within Australia, over $75, which unfortunately I find quite easy to get to. I have quite a few items in my online wish list on their website, but everything has been out of stock for such a long time, so I was only able to get a few products.

The first thing I bought was the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation, in the colour Medium2 'Santa Fe', which was $59 AUD. Of course I also had to buy the pump, which was $4 AUD. I find it strange that they didn't make a lid that would still fit on the bottle once the pump is on, as this seems a little impractical for travel.

I hadn't tried the Sheer Glow before I bought it, but had tried a sample of the new NARS All Day Weightless Luminous Foundation. I've found both NARS foundations a little more dry than I had expected. I'm not sure if dry explains what I mean exactly right, but I thought the Sheer Glow would be of a thinner consistency with a smoother, easier application on the skin. I don't find it hard to apply, but my L'Oreal True Match is just a lot more runny in consistency and I prefer that in a foundation. I do find that it applies much easier with a primer underneath, so at least theres that.

The other product I got was the NARS Illuminator in 'Copacobana', which was $39 AUD. I was so excited for this to arrive so I could finally play around with it. When I swatched it in store I fell in love with how sparkly and beautiful it is.

When it arrived I was a little disappointed to be honest. I tried it as a base all over my face under my foundation, and didn't really see any difference once the foundation was on. I also found my foundation didn't apply as smoothly with it underneath, as it made my face a little sticky. I then tried it as just a cheek bone highlight over my foundation, which I found worked better, but still wasn't as stand out and illuminous as I expected. Next I'll try it mixed in with my foundation and see how that goes.

I find the NARS products to be quite pricey, and as of yet haven't found a NARS product that I am absolutely in love with to justify spending that much for them. I'm in love with their packaging but the actual products haven't sold me to repurchase again. I still have quite a few NARS products on my wish list though, so I'm not giving up yet!

xx Bec

Bioderma Micelle Solution Vs Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

By The Gaianaut 3:01 PM beauty, review

Micellar water is, in my opinion, the best way to remove makeup, and a vital step in your night time beauty routine. I've been using the Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution for over a year now, and can honestly say it is one if my most loved products. I know that sounds weird, considering its just a water-like solution, but it really is amazing. It is, however, rather pricey, and if you've read any of my other blog posts you've probably gathered that I love a bargain.

Micellar water is a fragrance free, alcohol free and paraben free solution (check the bottle first as I'm not sure if this is right for all brands of micellar water). It is used to remove makeup and cleanse your face. "Micells are an active cleansing ingredient which act as a magnet to capture impurities, make-up and sebum on the skin without vigorous rubbing. "

When I was in London last year I stocked up on 1L of Bioderma, plus the 500mls I used while I was there (it's much cheaper in Europe than in Australia). So my plan was to use that up and then try the new-ish Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. Everyone was raving about this new Bioderma dupe, so I was super excited to try a similar product, for under half the price.

I've been back from Europe for about 7 months now, and have just finished one of the 500ml bottles of Bioderma, and have about 1cm left in the other bottle (I use one at my house and one at my boyfriend, Jake's). So I was finally able to compare the Garnier Micellar water to the Bioderma.

The 500ml Bioderma bottles I got in London have awesome pump lids, which are a bit hard to explain (pictured above). They're like a little round platform that you place your cotton pad on, then press down and the water soaks your pad with the perfect amount of solution. When I used the Garnier Micellar water for the first time I was very disappointed to not have the special lid anymore, so I've just poured all the Garnier product into the Bioderma bottle.

Background Info
Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micelle Solution

- 500ml bottle $39.99 (Priceline)
- $7.99 per 100ml

- "Very gentle fragrance-free micellar solution that cleanses impurities and removes make-up while respecting the skin’s natural balance."
- Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Peg-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Propylene Glycol, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Mannitol, Xylitol, Rhamnose, Fructooligosaccharides, Disodium Edta, Cetrimonium Bromide.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

- 400ml bottle $12.99 (Priceline)
- $3.25 per 100ml

- "Micellar Cleansing Water removes make-up, cleanses and soothes skin on the face, eyes and lips in one step without needing to rinse off."
- Ingredients: Aqua / Water, Hexylene Glycol, Glycerin, Poloxamer 184, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Disodium Edta, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide.

Those ingredients mean nothing to me, but I found it interesting that they only have two ingredients that are exactly the same, and yet they're supposed to be so similar.

Product Comparison

To me, using Bioderma feels like wiping my face with a cotton pad with a bit of regular tap water on it. It's incredibly gentle and removes all my makeup perfectly, even my They're Real mascara by Benefit, which I swear is half waterproof. It doesn't hurt my eyes at all when I remove eye makeup, and has never made me break out.

As soon as I pumped the Garnier Micellar Water onto my pad I could tell a difference; there were more little soap suds left on the pump pad then when I pump the Bioderma. When I wiped it on my face it felt pretty much the same, but I could feel that there was an actual product on the pad, rather than feeling like it was just water. It took my makeup off just as well as far as I could tell, but it wasn't quite as gentle. It didn't sting my face or anything like that, but it did sting my eyes when removing my eye makeup. It seems to be a bit more powerful at removing my mascara than the Bioderma, but it does hurt, so there is a bit of a trade off there.

Overall the products seem reasonably similar to me. The Bioderma is definitely more gentle, but it is the Sensibio type, which is made especially for sensitive skin. Considering that the Bioderma is more than double the price of the Garnier Micellar Water, I'll definitely be sticking with the cheaper option. However, if the Bioderma were only $5-$10 more per bottle I'd probably continue buying that, even over the cheaper Garnier product.

Summary

Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution

✓ Feels like water on the skin

✓ Removes makeup well

✓ Doesn't irritate the skin at all

✓ Doesn't irritate the eyes at all

✗ Expensive

Garnier Micellar Cleaning Water

✓ Feels similar to water on the skin

✓ Removes makeup really well

✓ Doesn't irritate the skin at all

✓ Well priced

✗ Stings the eyes

A side note for anyone bargain hunting
Simple also have a Micellar Cleansing Water, however their bottle at Priceline is usually $9.99, but is only 200ml. This means its $4.99 per 100ml and therefore more expensive than the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. Other drug store brands that sell micellar waters include L'Oreal, Swisse and La Roche- Posay.

xx Bec