Micellar water - on the fence

I have seen beauty bloggers rave over micellar cleansing waters for a while now and I have been itching to try it. Firstly because I have dry, sensitive skin and micellar waters promise to restore moisture to your skin while cleansing and secondly because it removes make-up as well as cleanse and tone.

For some time now I have been using cleansing oils instead of foaming or gel cleansers and although I have had great results and no complaints with it, curiousity got the better of me and a week ago I got my hands on the Garnier micellar water.

This micellar cleansing water uses micellar technology to remove make-up and dirt from the skin. It is suitable for all skin types including sensitive skin and claims that no rubbing is necessary to remove impurities. You also don't need to wash the product off after cleansing so it is ideal for lazy nights which is every night for me.

My worst fear in trying this product was that my face would burn and become irritated and red upon application but it feels incredibly refreshing on my skin and it leaves my dry cheeks plump with moisture yet toned.

However, my make-up does heavy duty to last through a 16 hour day and the micellar water does not seem quite micellar enough to remove all of the layers setting products. (Micells are tiny oil molecules which attract dirt.) I have to wipe with more than 2ml of the solution more than once to remove everything while my waterproof mascara does not budge. To be fair, the mascara is designed to withstand water but this means that I have to use an additional cleanser anyway which kind of defeats the purpose.

This has left me wondering whether the vloggers and bloggers who loves it do not use waterproof mascara or are sponsored by Garnier. I would like to try other brands to see if I can find one I absolutely love but I do not have the budget for trial and error so please tell me what micellar waters I should try. If it is cruelty free, even better!