Battle of the Drugstore Cleansing Waters; Malaysian Drugstore Version

I am not about to make grand announcements that this will be a series I will do regurlarly.

However, I do want to continue doing this with other products as well.

Anyway, this is a battle of the drugstore cleansing waters; Malaysian edition.

Just to be clear these aren’t Malaysian brand, just brands available in the Malaysian drugstore market.

I pitting 5 cleansing waters from 4 brands.

The Contenders!

Will rate them based on;

1. Effectiveness (how well makeup is removed)
   
2. Gentleness (any irritation to my eyes, which aren’t sensitive to begin with, I rate it 0)
   
3. Packaging (in terms of being easy to use and if its travel friendly)
   
4. Taste (yes! this matters because I tend to remove lip products off with them as well)
   

Price seemed redundant because these are all affordable products at the drugstore. I based rating on a 5 point scale, 0 being the worst and 5 being best performing. I will also list price per 100 ml, and look out for additional notes on each product. A winner will be named at the end.

Before going on, I share below the look that I created for this experimentation. I did the exact same look for all the experiments.

Products used;

Essence I ❤ Colour Intensifying Eyeshadow Base

Stila In the Light palette

Essence Liquid Ink Waterproof Eyeliner

Silkygirl Big Eye Collagen Mascara (Waterproof but easy to remove)

Silkygirl Expert Brow Slim Liner

Essence Lash and Brow Gel Mascara

uptown visions Concealer (product and brand no longer available)

MAC Studiofix Powder NC45

 

How I put all the cleansing waters to the test is to generously soak it onto a facial cotton pad, hold it onto my eyes for 10 seconds making sure the entire cotton pad is constantly in contact with the eyelid. After 10 seconds, in one gentle and thorough swipe, makeup is removed with the cotton pad.

 

First up Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water Pure Active

Pretty well done.

Quite a lot of product on the cotton.

Average point: 2.25

Retail price per 100ml: MYR 11.60

Notes: This has alcohol in it and irritated my eyes a fair bit, hence the 0 points for gentleness.

 

Maybelline Micellar Water

Most product off, even mascara even compared to the previous contender.

All the mascara on the cotton!

Average point: 3.25

Retail price per 100ml: MYR 12.45

Notes: Although packaging is only received 2 points, it is actually the safest to travel with although not the most convenient to use.

 

Biore Perfect Cleansing Water

The product.

Pretty effective although a tiny bit of mascara was left behind.

Most of the makeup off.

Average point: 2

Retail price per 100ml: MYR 11.70

Note: The most bitter tasting and the one that hurts my eyes the most!

 

Simple Micellar Cleansing Water

So much makeup left behind. And you can see my eyes still wet from the cleansing water.

Not much mascara and liner on the pad compared to the others.

Average point: 1.5

Retail price per 100ml: MYR 11.45

Notes: Taste pretty bitter, only second to the Biore and irritated my eyes just as much!

 

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Not as effective as its blue counterpart.

Much of the makeup is off.

Average point: 2.75

Retail price per 100 ml: MYR 11.60

Notes: This didn’t irritate my eyes and it usually removes any residual makeup with a second swipe.

 

OVERALL SCORES

Cheapest per 100ml, Simple Micellar Water (MYR 11.45)

Most expensive per 100ml, Maybelline Micellar Water (MYR 12.45)

Difference of one ringgit which is a tiny compensation given that the Simple scored the lowest.

SO my champion is………………………..

 

MAYBELLINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If you are reading, I do hope you find what you were looking for or find some relevant information here to make a judgement call. This is solely my experimentation and my point of view, albeit being properly put to the test.

Bioré Perfect Cleansing Water (Makeup Remover) Review

[UPDATED REVIEW]

Bioré is a cosmetics brand that predominantly focuses on skincare. It is owned by the Japan based company Kao Corporation. Kao Malaysia has been established since 1973. The Bioré Perfect Cleansing Water is supposedly created with micelle technology that would dissolve and remove makeup (including waterproof mascara) gently without the need to tug on your skin. It is also alcohol-free, oil-free, colourant-free and fragrance-free. All great for sensitive skin.

The product.

It comes with a pump! Every beauty addict can appreciate this!

And a safety clip!

Description on the back.

Description: Cleansing water for the purpose of removing makeup. Available in 90 ml and 300 ml bottles. The 300 ml bottle has a pump the 90 ml one does not.

Where to buy: All major drugstores (Watsons, Guardian, Caring).

Price: Anywhere between MYR 24 to MYR 36 for the 300 ml bottle and anywhere between MYR 11 to MYR 17 for the 90 ml bottle. Prices are subject to in store rates and, discounts and offers.

I have included pictures on how well the cleansing water works to remove makeup. 

I have concealer, foundation, powder, liquid liner, eyeshadows, mascara, lipstick and liquid lipstick.

Soaked for about 10 seconds and gently swiped off. Pretty amazing huh? The matte liquid lipstick is still there though.

Pros:

It does the job quite effectively. However, removing matte liquid lipsticks requires a little more effort.

It leaves the skin feeling fresh and hydrated.

Does not have a sticky after feel as with some cleansing waters.

Doesn’t have an annoying scent or anything like that.

 

Cons:

It tastes BITTER!!! (If you have used it on the lips to remove long wearing lipsticks or matte liquid lipsticks, I’d suggest rinsing your mouth first before you do anything else. If you accidentally lick your lips after having used this you are going to regret it. This cleansing water tastes bitter! Very bitter!)

After using it for some time, it has started to irritate my eyes.

 

Rating:

7/10

This previously had a rating >8 but I have deducted points because it now hurts my eyes…

Product Empties #15

 This is the famous Biore pore pack and boy oh boy is it satisfying to use! I don’t have visible black heads and so this isn’t something I need. But just using it and peeling it off is strangely therapeutic. I just wanted to see if I had all that problems on my nose to remove, which I had very little of. Won’t be purchasing this again.

I have a confession to make. As much as I love using face masks, I have never really felt a big difference after using one except being rejuvenated and refreshed. I don’t want to be an unappreciative asshole because this was a gift, but more than feeling refreshed and rejuvenated I didn’t really see a difference with my facial skin after using this.

Give this brand a try I say! Probably one of the best drugstore facial cleansers I have used in a while for its price. It’s MYR 12.90!!! This one in particular has dissolving micro-beads in it. I won’t be repurchasing this one but there’s another I am currently using which I will.

I have reviewed this (post link here).

I actually liked this brow pencil from Etude House but I dropped it and I’m guessing the product inside broke. Every time I sharpened it, the nib kept breaking off. I whittled it down until I couldn’t sharpen it anymore. Don’t think I will be repurchasing this.

Gone….. ALL gone! See why I don’t like sharpening makeup pencils!!!

Product Empties #13 (18 products)

It’s been a while since my last product empties and needless to say it has piled up, 18 products high!!!

MAKEUP! (One product is missing but I’ll be sure to insert it).

SKINCARE!!!

PRODUCTS TOO BIG TO FIT IN THE FRAME! 😛

I bought this box of 8 pairs of false lashes and put it to good use on my co-stars during a stage play. They were cheap ones but I have forgotten the price. At most 2 to 3 uses then the band sort of starts pulling apart when I tried to take off excess glue. The band is thick and unwielding. Definitely not good falsies but they are thick and give the eyes a dramatic effect. Definitely not repurchasing this one.

How the lashes look.

Eye open…

This is the I ❤ Stage Eyeshadow Base from the brand Essence. I have reviewed it in the past. I plan on updating the post and re-blogging it but meanwhile read about it here! I have already repurchased this.

 This is an eyeliner that I bought from Daiso after watching a YouTube video but I didn’t really like it. I just used it to scribble on my hand with all those hand art stuff that I do and also draw on a moustache for a fellow stage actor. I find that it is not as smooth on the eyelids and tugs on the skin. Not repurchasing it (costs MyR 5.30).

This is the Silkygirl Perfect Stay 20HR Eyeliner. I have reviewed it before (link here) and in fact, it has shown up in another product empties post (link here) but the one in this picture was their limited edition packaging that I got for the fun of it. Purchased it at MYR 10. Don’t plan on repurchasing just because I do have other eyeliners to try out.

This is a lip balm from the brand Bell Star which I bought from my trip to Thailand (trip post here and haul post here). It was an ok lip balm, didn’t really do anything phenomenal for my lips nor was it all that bad. Even if I could I don’t think I’d repurchase this.

This is the Muji facial cottons, a cult classic in the beauty world. This is said to be a dupe for the Shiseido facial cottons. I do plan on reviewing it but at the moment, lets just say that I love it. It costs MYR 10.90 here in Malaysia. Yes, I have backups!

There’s one product which is not in the picture because I had tossed it away not knowing that I hadn’t put it into an empties post.

This is the Elianto Activewear Mascara which I have reviewed before so thank God I have a picture of it (review link here). I wouldn’t repurchase it because I have got at least 3 different unopened mascaras and one I am still working on.

Moving on to the two big products…

This is the Bath and Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist in Wild Madgascar Vanilla. It was given to me by my director as a token of appreciation for starring in his play. I freaking love this scent! Sweet vanilla scent, a lot like some scented lip products and some of you may know that I happen to love this (little things in makeup I love post). Yes, I have repurchased it (for MYR 38; original price MYR 73).

This was from the first haul I ever posted on FiercePaint (link here), I used it once and I hated it because it has an intense warming effect on the skin perhaps due to the fact that it claims to sculpt the body. However, when I started trying to loose weight, I just used by mixing it with my regular body shampoo. I still hated it and I have no idea if it actually “sculpted” my body. Not repurchasing it at the moment but I am very curious if continued usage may help. Hmmmppphhh. Cost; MYR 13.30.

Moving on to the rest of the bunch.

 This is a hand cream from the brand Eubos that was in one of my haul posts (link here) and I just could not get over how oily my hands felt everytime I used it, however, I found better use for it! I used it on my feet! Oh boy did it work wonders! Try it! I may just repurchase it for the feet exclusively (price; MYR 7.90 for a trial size)!

 This is the Biore Facial Foam in Pure Mild. It’s ok. Not great, not bad, not going to re-purchase. Costs MYR 10.80.

This is the Ponybrown Happy Sense Baby Whip hand cream. I’ve used up one before (product empties post link here). I like it because they absorb well into the skin and does not feel sticky. I do prefer the previous one but this is nice too. I won’t repurchase this because I do want to try others (cost MYR 19.90 for 3).

I got this Dettol Gold body wash trial pack from a dear friend, Daniel (hi love!!!). He purchased something else and got this for free, so he gave it to me. There appears to be gold flakes in it which, I am pretty sure, for a product this cheap cannot be real gold flakes. It was alright. Body feels clean. Thumbs up! May just purchase the full bottle if it isn’t too pricey.

This is the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner. This was featured in one of my haul post (link here). This burned my skin! But since it was a 60 ml bottle I powered through and finished it. Surprisingly didn’t dry my skin out and my skin did stay blemish free! I would repurchase but I simply cannot stand the burning sensation (original price MYR 13.70, purchased for MYR 6.85).

This is the Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser. This was featured in a haul post (link here) and I’ve used another in the white tube (product empties post link here). I kinda love this stuff. Plan on purchasing the full bottle when there’s a promotion (costs MYR 2.90).

I pulled this picture from my archives because I forgot to shoot a close up picture! Damn it!!! Anyways, I featured this in a Products I Stopped Using post (link here) and also a hack post (link here). Click those two links to see how I ended up finishing this. Not repurchasing. Costs MYR 11.50, purchased for MYR 9.80.

I got this sample from Facial Malaysia (website link here and Facebook page link here). Nana, the person that runs Facial Malaysia is the nicest person ever! She sent me some skincare products from Paula’s Choice to try out for an honest review exchange and I absolutely loved them (review link here). This one was good too! It worked well and my skin did alright considering that I am very prone to razor burns because I don’t shave unless necessary (I typically trim my beard). If you need more information do check out the Facebook page and the website.

This is the SK-II Facial Treatment Mask which I won from Fiona of Street Love (the most read Malaysia beauty blog! Blog link here). I featured the product in a I Won post (link here). This nice rejuvenating mask revived my tired skin which was suffering from heavy makeup application. About repurchasing, I don’t think I would, only because it is so expensive here!

Phew!!! That was A LOT! Thanks for being with me guys!

Lots of love!

Hari

*air kisses*

Product Empties #2

Why I do product empties and include more than just makeup is all detailed in my first product empties post which you can read about here. I previously just took the picture collectively but this time around I have decided to take each picture individually as well to attach beside each description.

 

This is the package in which the smaller bottle came in as a free gift.

 1; This is the Silkygirl Gentle Eye & Lip Makeup Remover. There are 2 bottles, a small one and a larger one. The smaller one isn’t one that can be purchased unless it came in the double product package in the picture to the left which costs MYR 13.80. The other larger bottle is actually the smaller one (55ml) for sale and retails for MYR 7.90. The larger bottle for retail contains 110 ml of product and retails for MYR 16.90 (not shown in picture). It is a bilayer makeup remover with oil and water which needs to be shaken before use. It is a pretty good makeup remover since makeup like waterproof eyeliner and matte liquid lipsticks need some kind of an oil based makeup remover to remove them. I am definitely going to repurchase this but only the smaller one and do a review on it in the future.

 

 

 

2; This is the Biore Perfect Cleansing Water which I have previously reviewed here. I love this makeup remover and I also use it as a cleanser if I am in a rush to cleanse my face. It does not strip my face of moisture and does not leave a sticky feeling on my skin. Definitely going to repurchase this! Caution, it tastes very bitter so beware of it getting around your mouth/lips and God forbid you should lick your lips then!

 

 

 

 

3; This is The Body Shop, Indian Night Jasmine body lotion. This smells simply amazing! The scent is pretty strong that it would smell like I am using perfume although it isn’t long lasting. The sticker on the bottle can be removed easily and the bottle can be reused because the cover is a screw cap and it is a squeeze bottle. I actually got this as a giveaway but the price tag shows that it retails for MYR 21.90. I want to repurchase this but I can’t seem to find the small bottle.

 

 

 

 

4; This is the uptownvisions pressed powder in Tender Brown. I purchased it at Guardian quite a while ago and I don’t remember exactly how much it cost me but I think it was under MYR 15. It is probably one of the best pressed powder I have ever used and I would compare it to my high end pressed powder foundations. However, I have tried and tried to look for it and it is no more available here. I can’t even find it online! No website, no nothing! 😦 There is still a little bit of product left and I love using it as a setting powder to set my foundation and eye primer. I even mix it in with a darker greyish brown powder and use it as a cheek contour on my friends with lighter complexion (of course I’d use this only if it was a favour and I don’t get paid for helping someone with their makeup but if I was getting paid, I would use my more expensive products).

 

5; This is the Jordana Oil-Free Liquid Foundation that I reviewed here. It is an ok foundation for me and I do mix it with other foundations to bring down the orange-ish tint that it has when it oxidises on my face. I am not going to repurchase this because I would like to try out other drugstore liquid foundations. There is one last portion left in it for a full face but hey, it’s basically empty.