Bioderma Sensibio H2O Review

On a trip to Singapore last year I went to a Guardian Pharmacy specifically to pick up a bottle or two of Bioderma. It is a product from France and I had seen many positive mentions of this on YouTube as well as around the net and wanted to see whether for me, this product will be a star.

Bioderma Sensibio H2O is a gentle cleanser and makeup remover which is suitable for sensitive skin. It is fragrance and alcohol free and the first item on its ingredients list is Aqua or water.

Here are the ingredients:
Aqua, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Propylene Glycol, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Fructooligosaccharides, Mannitol, Xylitol, Rhamnose, Disodium EDTA, Cetrimonium Bromide.

It is a clear liquid not unlike water but if you give the bottle a little shake, you will be able to see that the liquid bubbles up a little. When you first see this product, the packaging is simple and quite straightforward I must say. No frills about this at all. I almost missed it at the pharmacy because it didn't quite stand out, but I was determined not to walk out of that place without at least one bottle of this in my hands!!

I was curious as to how a product that looked like water would be able to lift away all my layers of makeup? So I tried it out for myself. The way to use this product is to pour out a little onto some cotton pads and then skim it over your face to remove your makeup. I take two cotton pads, pour out some liquid and the take the pads and place them over my eyelids for about 3 seconds before I swipe it all around my eyes to remove eye makeup, then I used the cotton all over my face to remove make up there. Lastly,I turn the cotton over and use the other side to take off the residue.

The hubs watched me do this one day as I was cleansing and chatting about something (important I am sure!) and as we were talking I saw his eyes grow bigger and bigger and thought that there might be a giant spider on the wall behind me! Before I could scream (I cannot stand the sight of spiders!! EEEK!) he said "Wow, what is that? It seems to be taking everything off so easily!" Well, let's just say he was immediately schooled on all things Bioderma!

If you don't mind the ickyness of removed makeup, I have a picture of how much one swipe around the whole face turned up! Foundation, eyeshadow and eyeliner all gone.

The first thing I notice is that my eye makeup which includes, eyelid primer, cream shadow as a base, eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara (sometimes waterproof) will 'melt' upon contact with the product. This is the reason I leave the soaked cotton pads over my eyelids for a few seconds. It cleans the area quite well as I wipe it around my eyes. To remove the last stubborn makeup which is usually waterproof eyeliner (usually at the base of the eyelid) and mascara, I need to turn the cotton over and wipe again. And the picture below shows the other side of the cotton after cleansing the second time. I concentrated on the hairline too especially for this step of cleansing.

Amazingly, because of its ingredients, this solution does not hurt the eyes at all. I was initially conscious when wiping makeup under my eyes that this will sting and cause my eyes to go cloudy but it did not at all. This product does not irritate sensitive eyes like mine so no red eye! This is especially good because undereye makeup is at the lashline and if you want to really get liner off properly, you cannot help but sometimes get into the eye. Well, with this product, there is no need to worry because there is no stinging even. Thats how gentle it is.

Even though this is a cleanser, I still follow up with a face wash with my regular cleanser, just to ensure that the last bits of grime are washed off and nothing clogs my pores. However, I sometimes skip this step and still feel comfortable enough to come back and wash my face later.

  

I have also used some of this on a q-tip to clean off some makeup mistakes....while I was doing my eyeliner one day, there was a loud thunder that scared me so much I got waterproof eyeliner all over the side of my eye and this was great in removing that. There was no greasy residue to deal with and after the area had dried off completely, I applied a little powder over the area which restored it to looking like new.

Overall, this is a great product and I have been using this everyday since I started about 4 months ago. As you can see from the pictures, I am halfway through already!

The downside to this great find is that it is not available in Malaysia. In Singapore, it retails for around $39 for 250ml which is steep. However, since I enjoy using this, and it is convenient, I can overlook that. You can find these sold online or if you have relatives or friends in Singapore, you could enlist their help in getting this.

Bioderma also claims to be fragrance free but I still detected a faint smell probably from the cucumber extract that is in this product.

Although Bioderma is called a cleanser, for me, this was not the last step in my cleansing process. I still needed to cleanse using a regular facial wash to really clean my face. On one occassion, I cleansed with Bioderma several times until my cotton was not stained with foundation and other makeup anymore....this to me felt like a waste especially since this is not the cheapest cleanser around.

This product will be a godsend to those who happen to have a long day and just want to climb into bed as quickly as possible. You will be able to reasonably clean your face with this and off you go!

I would recommend this product because it is waterbased and is very gentle on skin.

Loreal De-Maq Expert - Ultra Make Up Remover

My make up routine has changed so much in the last year, especially so with the addition of primers and I find that I now am more thorough with my cleansing at the end of the day to ensure that I get all the product off my face. I can bet that you too, dear readers, now use primers as part of your make up routine? 

For me primers really help keep my make-up looking fresh for a longer time - and we all work long hours right and want to make sure that our make-up does not melt off by midday especially so in the heat of Malaysia. For me, having combination skin makes keeping my make-up on and looking fresh a challenge but with primers on my eyelids and as a base now has revolutionized the staying power of my make-up.   

On a recent trip with the family up north a few hours to Ipoh, I came across this curiously named item at the mall. It's called the "De-Maq Expert" which is an ultra concentrated make-up remover - I can picture someone sitting by a window with their brow furrowed, trying to come up with something fancier than, say, "Make Up Remover"!

I already own and religiously use several different brands of make-up removers so I was keen to try out something different.

This product comes in a 100ml tube with a pop cap which makes for convenient dispensing of this gel like, ever so lightly yellow tinted substance. It has a light, sort of grassy smell which I found to be quite pleasant. Because the slightly oily, gel like substance is not runny, it's easy to dispense a small blob of this and work into the face. No need to first wet the face, just put a small amount on your fingers and work it into your skin. You will be surprised to see how well the products on your face sort of melt off!

Be sure to keep this away from your eyes until you are ready to wash this off because if the product gets into your eyes, there will be a few minutes of cloudiness experienced. I did not feel a sting, rather a slight irritation caused by the clouding in my eyes.

I start on my cheeks and work my way around the nose area, on my lips, along the hairline and my forehead before closing my eyes and massaging around the eyes concentrating on the inner corner of the eyes and the lashes. Be sure to keep your eyes tightly closed at this point. After you are done, take a little water and work it into the face to emulsify the gel which then turns into a milky substance. Rinse off well with water. I follow up with a cleanser to remove the product completely.

To be honest, there is one item that I stay away from because of the difficulty involved in removing them well, and that is waterproof mascara. I love them and have a few brands that make my lashes look very lush but hate the amount of work that goes into removing them properly. But since I have purchased this, I have been bringing out all my waterproof mascara's and having a blast with them as they come off easily with this product!  

I must say that I am very happy with this product! Other oil based removers I use, are effective but oily and I have to make sure I follow up with a good cleanser afterward. With this, I do use a cleanser, but at least I am not fumbling with opening it because of my oily hands and then getting the sink all oily.....too much work!

A decent amount of this gel is all that is needed to effectively remove all my make-up. If you see these pictures, you can see how the product has turned brown as my foundation is removed.

All my eye make-up off, concealer under the eye, has virtually melted after a gentle rub of the gel....no vigorous rubbing necessary.

Below is a list of the ingredients:- I don't see any parabens in the ingredients list which is a good thing. The product claims to be suitable for sensitive skin too. I did not break out in spots after using this. As with every product I use, I am very cautious in the beginning and I use new products every other day in the first week. If I do not break out in spots, then I know this product is suitable....I have used this for close to a month now with no breakouts. Each skin reacts differently to different products so please be careful when you try something new.

For a price of RM27.90, I think this is well worth it - there is no need to use much as the product is concentrated enough to make a small amount go a very long way.  I have also tried just using this product and then rinsing it off without following up with a cleanser, but my skin did not feel truly comfortable. Also, instead of washing off the product, I have used a facial wipe - this worked for me but again, I am the sort who likes a 'clean feel' face at the end of the day so its an individual thing.