 Hey guys, welcome to my channel, it's Heela here, House of Heela. Today, I'm talking about skincare stuff. And I've got some empties that I wanted to talk about because I actually used up all of these products right up to the end, which is pretty awesome. That's always a good sign that something is good stuff. So the first thing I wanna talk about is micellar water, okay? So when I turned 38 two years ago, I decided that I needed to start looking after my skin because up until then I was very negligent when it came to my skin. All I used was dove soap and alfino cream and that was it, but I was kind of like, you know, as I get older, I need to start looking after my skin a little bit more. And one of the things that I researched was cleansers and through finding dermatologists who post content on YouTube like Dr. Sam, a channel I highly recommend, by the way. She talked about cleansing your face and I ended up buying the Effeclay H Cleanser. Based on her recommendation, but I also got some micellar water. Now, previously when I saw micellar water popping up in shops, I was just like, this is ridiculous. Why would I pay money for water? Cause it just looks like water and it was quite expensive. So I never really paid attention to it until I turned 38 and I started deep diving into the world of skincare. And it turns out that micellar water is a really fantastic thing. Now I bought this cause it was a special offer. I wasn't gonna buy it full price cause that's the sort of person I am. And I thought if I'm gonna try it out, I need to buy it when it was on a special offer and it was only for something like two pounds. And this has lasted me a really long time. I think I've had this, took me about a year to go through this. So I've been using this for about a year. Disclaimer, I don't wear tons of makeup so I don't have to use as much of it. But I imagine if you're somebody who wears a lot of makeup and you wear foundation on a daily basis and all of that other stuff, you probably would go through it much faster. But I very rarely wear makeup. These days I mostly do lipstick and maybe a little bit of a brow liner. So this has lasted me a year and it's been really, really good. And I don't just use it only when I have makeup on, even on days where I feel too lazy to do my full cleansing routine. So normally my full cleansing routine involves using the effortless age cleanser. But if I'm too lazy or I don't have enough time, I will just use the micellar water and it is just as effective as using a full cleansing routine. Okay, so what is micellar water? Well, it's not just water. The way I think of it is kind of like super water. So it's mostly made up of water and some hydrated ingredients like glycerin. And then it's also got a mild surfactant. So surfactant is the stuff that you find in soap that attracts the dirt from it. But except for here it is super, super mild. And this particular one is made for sensitive skin. I have sensitive skin and this doesn't even feel like I'm putting anything on my skin at all. Like there is no reaction. And best of all, there's no fragrance with it as well. Because I cannot stand anything that has got fragrance in it. I'm so anti-fragment. I don't even wear perfume myself because I can't deal with fragrances. And so this one is fragrance free, which is absolutely amazing. So if you're somebody who doesn't like fragrances, absolutely this is the micellar water to get. And if you're somebody who doesn't like to spend that much time on your cleansing routine morning at night and night, this is the one to get only if you're not putting on tons of makeup. If you put on tons of makeup, you probably need something else. I can't speak to that, but definitely if you're a mild makeup user, this would work for you. So with micellar water, as we said before, it's got water and then it's got hydrated ingredients like glycerin, which is a staple in most cosmetic applications because glycerin is a humectant. It keeps your skin looking nice and moist. And then it's also got a mild surfactant and it's a very, very mild one. And what happens is when you put this on your cotton wool pad, so I use it with those little oval cotton wool pads, you just sort of soak it in that and then you wipe it over your face. You just use gentle strokes going, you know, up. Sorry, that's my alarm going off there. So you use the cotton pad gently, you know, wiping, what happens is whilst the micelles, that's actually the mild surfactant, they tend, they pull the dirt and the sebum and anything else that's on your skin that isn't skin towards them on the pad. And so that's how it works, right? So that's how a surfactant works. So that's how when you're cleaning your clothes using soap or whatever, the surfactant is pulling away all of the things that are on the surface of the skin, except for again, even though it's got a surfactant, just like you have in soaps and stuff like that, this is a mild, mild surfactant, so much so that it doesn't actually cause any irritation at all. So this is good, good stuff, so it's not just water, it's kind of like super water. So I was trying to explain this to my sister and she was like, well, so you mean it's like a toner then? And she just thought it was a toner because you put it on a pad and then you wipe it over your face. And I was like, no, this is not a toner, this is nothing like a toner. I used to use toners way back when I was in my 20s and they were terrible, terrible for my skin. And I don't use toners, I actually stopped using toners because it would make my skin feel so ridiculously tight afterwards. And by the way, good skincare products that are good for your skin should not make your skin feel like that. It should not. And for the longest time, I thought that that was normal, but it isn't. But this is not a toner. So if you've decided not to use micellar water because you kind of think it's like a toner, it isn't a toner, this is a cleanser because you can use this instead of using soap and water or cleanser and water on your face. You don't have to rinse it off or anything like that. You're just good to go. You just wipe it down, throw out your cotton pad and then you just put whatever moisturizer or whatever thing you then apply to your skin. So it's not a toner and you can't do that with a toner. Okay? Because a toner is part of a three-step routine. So this is not a toner. I cannot stress that enough because I think that some people misunderstand that. So I love this. I'll definitely be getting this. This gets a 10 out of 10 for me because number one, it is fragrance-free. Number two, it is super, super easy. So if you're also looking to pare down your nighttime or your morning time routine, then this is a good substitute to add in there. But again, my disclaimer is that if you use a lot of makeup, I generally don't wear foundation. In fact, this is what I look like. I've got no makeup on except for lipstick. I just put on lipstick this morning. So this is good stuff. So definitely gonna be getting this again, Nivea. I don't feel the need to try another brand. I feel like this worked for me. And if it's working for me, I really don't need to try anything else. But I would love to know if you also use micellar water. Maybe you tried a different brand to the Nivea and you thought it was better. Do let me know, because I will be looking to buy again. And in case this one isn't available, it would be useful to know. Something else. Okay, the other empty that I have is this La Roche-Posay. Oh, also, sorry, but this is a really nice bottle. So I'm actually keeping this because it's got a good squirty thing over here. So I'm actually reusing this for my shampoo. So my sister makes me a custom made shampoo for my hair and we are always needing bottles. So I like it when products are put in bottles that can be reused for other stuff, because that's critical. So it's a really good bottle. Now, Everclear H Cleanser from La Roche-Posay. This is an amazing cleanser. I love this cleanser. This is like the fourth or fifth bottle that I have gotten since I started looking after my skin when I was 38. I'm 40 years old, by the way, just to give you a perspective on that in case you're a fellow person of 40 years. So this is really good stuff. You don't need more than a pea size and just using fingertips. I just, 60 seconds massaging it on my face and I rinse it off. And so I tend to use this when I really feel like going the extra mile with my cleansing routine morning and night. And I can use this in the shower and I can use this on the sink basin as well. But great stuff. I will be getting this again only when it comes up on sale though. So the French Pharmacy, I think it's essential. I buy these from Essential. I'll put the link in the description box down below because Essential always does French Pharmacy sales. I mean, I don't know if they're gonna be doing that during coronavirus or SNAP. I need to check if they're still sending out stuff. But I normally cash these on a sale before coronavirus. They used to do a French Pharmacy sale every two to three months or so. So I could always count on being able to get this for a third off. But well worth the money because it's your skin and you're worth it and it's really good to look after your skin. So these are the two products empties that I have that I'll definitely be buying again. I hope that you found the video useful. If you have any questions, if you want any further clarifications, do hit me up in the comments box down below. And until I see you next time, remember to subscribe. Catch you later, bye.