Precious Liquid

Looking at this bottle of Lotion Micellaire from Avène brings me back to our vacation in Cuba when we did not have any running water in our room. We were staying at a charming casa particular (room rented out by Cuban families) in a town called Trinidad in the province of Sancti Spíritus. During our first day of staying there, we had apparently drained their entire water tank (how we did that is still a mystery to us today). During those three embarrassing days at this house, the owner had to send their staff into our room to 'flush' for us. Each of those visits had staff in our room, shaking their heads at us while they muttered something in Cuban under their breath. I wish I could tell you what they were saying but I couldn't find those words in our Lonely Planet guide book. A bucket of water was shoved at my boyfriend after each of these visits. We rationed that bucket of water each day very carefully.

The incredibly uncomfortable thing about not having any running water is not being able to wash off the concoction of sweat, sand and sunscreen that had clogged our pores and permeated our hair each day. I learnt my lesson quickly to not put anything on my skin and hair which I would have a hard time removing later. Boy, was I glad to have my cheek & lip stain with me! After 3 weeks of travelling across the island, I had mastered my makeup look just using a cream-to-powder eyeshadow and a cheek and lip stain.

Using a micellar cleanser such as Avène's Lotion Micellaire, means that one can clean their skin without the use of water. Some sensitive skin types love this concept as water can aggravate extremely fragile skin. A micellar cleanser works by trapping fats or oils then carry them away in its watery solution. (See picture on the left of a micelle containing fats trapped in its center).

It was one of the days when I wanted to try something new. I had on my usual face of waterproof mascara and sunscreen; probably two of the most difficult things to remove. I massaged a cleansing oil by Shu Uemura into my skin first. Without rinsing like I would normally after this step, I soaked a cotton pad with the Avène Lotion Micellaire and wiped my entire face (including my eyes) with it. After a second wipe, my face was completely clean! The verdict? My skin felt surprising fresh, clean and hydrated; sans rinsing with water. I now welcome this bottle with open arms into my beauty cabinet.

Now you can imagine what a god-send this would have been for me in Cuba?

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Avène on their Cleanser and make-up remover micellar lotion:

No-rinse formula provides gentle cleansing without harsh ingredients.

Technologically advanced cleansing water the removes make-up without disturbing the skin's hydration and lipid levels.

• Contains "active" ingredients which are naturally encapsulated within the lotion and released upon contact with the skin.
• Provides deep cleansing power without irritation due to its lack of synthetic ingredients
• pH balanced for use on the eye area.
• Hypo-allergenic and frangrance-free.

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Avène's line of skincare revolves around the use of their mineral-rich thermal spring water. This natural and mineralized water has therapeutic uses which received recognition from the French National Academy of Medicine.


Do you have any funny travel stories? If so, please share!

Credits: aveneusa.com, edinformatics.com

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