Review: Bioderma Sensibio H2O

It would be a sin to be a beauty blogger and not know of the famous Bioderma Sensibio (or Crealine) H2O Micelle Solution. This French water-like gentle solution is a cleanser and makeup remover in one, adored and labelled by many as their "holy grail" product for removing makeup. You could see why I wanted a piece of its action! While Sasa had a free shipping offer, I quickly went to place the Crealine H2O in my online shopping basket, however it was out of stock so I went for the Sensibio H2O, which is the newer, re-branded name for the Crealine. I don't think I had ever been so excited to remove my makeup until I had this bottle of Bioderma in my hands!

I purchased this large 500mL bottle of Bioderma Sensibio H2O for $30 which I think was a great price, seeing as a 250mL is sold in selected pharmacies for the same price! Touted for its gentleness on sensitive and intolerant skin, this fragrance-free micellar solution is described as being able to capture and emulsify fatty molecules (such as makeup, dirt and oil) while maintaining the skin's natural balance. 

Many have raved about how easily it removed heavy eye makeup in one swipe, and a general consensus was that it was extremely gentle on the eyes as well as having minimal residue left over- which is great as Bioderma claims that there is no need to rinse after cleansing with the Sensibio H2O. However I did come across a couple of reviews where people were disappointed with how well this micellar performed in removing waterproof eye makeup- but Bioderma does say it only removes "water-resistant" makeup... whatever that is! So I kept this in mind while I removed my waterproof eye makeup.

MUA Heaven and Earth palette, L'Oreal Studio Secrets Eye Pencil, Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner 

I did a few swatches of the eyeshadows from my MUA Heaven and Earth palette (I might review this in the future) and a couple of eyeliners- with the one on the bottom being the waterproof Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner. I soaked a cotton pad with some Sensibio H2O, and swiped twice on my arm. The micellar solution resembles a slightly viscous water which is indeed gentle and felt refreshing and cooling on my skin- I found this excellent for using on the eyes. However I was actually one of the few people to be underwhelmed by its ability to remove eye makeup, if you look carefully you can still see traces of makeup on my arm! 

Further swipes managed to get most makeup off, however the waterproof Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner was quite stubborn and refused to completely budge! A quick swipe with my beloved Lacura Bi-Phase eye makeup remover (from Aldi, which I cannot find anymore) removed the stubborn makeup easily, albeit with a slight oily residue. I highly recommend using a bi-phase (oil and water emulsion) makeup remover to remove waterproof makeup instead of the Bioderma Sensibio H2O.

However not all hope is lost in the popular Bioderma Sensibio H2O- I found this to be excellent at cleaning face makeup. The one area on my forehead prone to breakouts was improved greatly after using this to clean my face properly, and I found it such a joy to use as it was so gentle and calming on the skin. Despite not being able to remove waterproof makeup, the Sensibio does work wonderfully to remove light to moderate makeup. After using it a few more times, I have really appreciated the soothing properties of this French micellar solution and find it a staple in my skincare routine.

I really want to pick up a 50mL sample sized or 100mL travel sized bottle- they are absolutely adorable! However eBay was selling them for around $15 so I didn't find that they were worth it, even though they would be great for travelling with (not that I travel that often... but lugging around a 500mL is definitely not convenient). If anyone finds a better deal on the 100mL bottles, please tell me!

Overall I do like the Bioderma Sensibio H2O, although it isn't the best product for removing heavy eye makeup. It is definitely a product that is worth trying though!

What do you think of the Bioderma Sensibio/Crealine H20? What size bottle do you have?

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Review: b.liv by Cellnique

Winter is here and we all know how much it can bring havoc to our skin- and our summer skincare routine just won't cut it! I've been lucky enough to try a few products from b.liv by Cellnique, two of them being products from their dry/dehydration range and another from their blackheads range. Hydration is definitely what my skin needs in the cold Melbourne weather, brrr!

b.liv is a sister company of Cellnique, a brand from South East Asia whose expertise is in problematic skin, be it dryness, sensitivity or acne prone skin. The products couldn't have arrived at a better time, right at the beginning of winter and when my skin wasn't at its best.

b.liv drench me moisturising cleansing gel

b.liv drench me- Moisturising cleansing gel 130mL $25
The drench me product is a cleanser that claims to cleanse to remove impurities while hydrating the skin at the same time. I have the terrible habit of not cleansing- every single cleanser I have ever used made my skin tight, dry and flaky which is not the look I am after! Sceptical that a cleanser could be moisturising, I gave this a go. Love the subtle fresh scent that is from the seaweed, aloe vera and green tea extracts and the gel was surprisingly light. The moment of truth- did it make my skin dry? Absolutely not. I find it enjoyable using this cleanser, however I have not seen any visible improvements in my skin while using it besides being moisturising.

b.liv submerge me moisturising booster

b.liv submerge me- Moisturising booster 45mL $49
I was the most excited about trying the moisturiser because, well, I just love moisturisers! Everything described about submerge me was what I needed- deep moisture penetration, retains and replenishes moisture, brightens dull complexions and calms skin irritations. Normally hydrating moisturisers are thick and slightly greasy but submerge me was unexpectedly light and gel-like. It was so easy to apply and had no greasy residue at all with was a nice difference to the thick moisturisers I have been using of late. I found that the moisturiser wasn't as hydrating as it claimed to be- however for its light texture, its moisturising capabilities were absolutely brilliant.

b.liv off with those heads- Blackheads sebum gel 30mL $49 
I've always had a problem with awful whiteheads and blackheads around and on my nose, and never really did much about them in terms of products, however I could pick them out using a pointed tweezer. off with those heads initially wasn't a product I was enthused about, as I never believe claims by blackhead removing skincare. b.liv describes its blackhead sebum gel to be able to remove blackheads and whiteheads, control excessive oil secretion and unclog pores- all in 14 days! After reading Candice's review on off with those heads and seeing her amazing results, I rushed out to try mine. The results were fantastic, and I have no whiteheads anymore!

 I'll let the photos speak for themselves! off with those heads is the most impressive product out of the three that I received, and I highly recommend it for those prone to blackheads and whiteheads, as well as clogged pores.

L-R: b.liv submerge me moisturiser, b.liv off with those heads sebum gel

Overall I am impressed with the b.liv products I have tried and am interested in trying the rest of their products, especially their masks which I have read many praises for. I have a promotional code BLG30A which gives you a 30% discount on b.liv products which you can buy on their online store, valid to the 30th of June! They are also giving away free samples here but I think they have ran out, but definitely pop your email there so they can contact you once the next round of samples is available.

Are you interested in trying b.liv by Cellnique's products?

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