When the hype began to rage over this product I knew I had to try it for myself. I was stoked when I found some in Countdown on sale for $9 - I thought it was great value for money given its size compared with other cleansers I've tried. I gave it a go before bed that night and had a really positive first impression. I couldn't get over the fact that it looked like a regular bottle of water but could be so much more. I soaked a cotton pad with the product and circled it around my face; I love that you can apply it to your eye area as well - and voilà, clean and refreshed skin! I was surprised to see how much extra dirt it had picked up. But fast forward to the following night where I had a heavier face of makeup on and unfortunately my enthusiasm didn't remain so high. I needed multiple soaked cotton pads to cut through my makeup, especially my eye makeup which wasn't even water-proof, and even then I picked up more afterwards when I applied a toner. It was disappointingly clear that I had to use a lot more product and basically waste many cotton pads to get a truly clean face. The next night I loosened my makeup with water, baby oil, and a flannel first, then followed with the micellar water. This proved to be the best combination for me, and while it means that the product isn't quite the miracle worker that some claim, it's still good as a facial cleanser and 'light' makeup remover. It hasn't made my skin over oily or dry and I love that you don't have to rinse it off. Ultimately this product still helps me save time, it feels good for my skin and I will consider repurchasing it again, but it isn't as amazing as I was hoping.
Update: 04/06/2015
I just had to take another couple of lippies off this product. I think it was met with way too much hype and has since become overrated. The bottom line is it struggles to remove any the lightest mineral makeup on my face, let alone heavy foundation or thick mascara. The only time it works well is after my face has already been heavily rinsed or precleansed with oil. Therefore it's ultimately a product that over promises and under delivers. Not super impressed.
I picked this up back in January when I was over in Sydney. Of course soon after I got back there were rumours of this coming to NZ. I've been using my Bioderma Micellar water for over a year so as soon as it ran out I was happy to try the Garnier version as it is much cheaper and easier to get.
The packaging is very simple. I really like the clear plastic container as you always know how much you have left. The pink cap works well and I haven't had any problems with getting it on and off or breaking. I like the oval shaped bottle as it is easy to hold and the plastic seems quite thin so easier to push to get product out faster.
I find this incredibly similar to my Bioderma (lucky for me and my bank balance). It looks and feels just like water, but better. Personally I use this on a cotton pad after I have cleansed my face to get rid of any further make-up residue, like having a second cleanse. I also use it in the morning just to make sure my skin is clean before putting more stuff on my face. I have found that it isn't the best at removing waterproof mascara. I have to put it on the cotton pad then leave on my lashes for a bit before swiping off, but for the price I don't mind. It doesn't make me feel like my skin is stripped of moisture and I have had no redness/reaction to this at all.
I'm impressed with this product as it does all the things I want it to, and the price isn't too bad either. My Bioderma bottle (that I used in the same way) of about the same size lasted me 10 months so that shows that this is incredibly good value!
UPDATE: Turns out that this product does in fact break me out. I found that some of my pimples were not healing as fast as usual and that I had a huge amount on my chin. I stopped using this and went on to use a Simple Micellar Water instead and haven't had this problem. Therefore I have downgraded this product and will not be using it again.