Hada Labo Air BB Cream SPF20 PA++

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As always I couldn´t resist this new "BB cream" from Japan, this time from Hada Labo.
I got a tube in the lighter of the 2 available colors from Alphabeautyuk on eBay who states about this product:

"Features
1. A single tube gives you all-in-1 foundation performance plus skincare benefits from the Hada Labo series
2. It helps depress excessive sebum secretion, cover pores & small flaws, and even skintone.
3. It contains hyaluronic acid and collagen for skin nourishment
4. With effective whitening ingredients like arbutin and vitamic C derivatives
5. No fragrance, mineral oil-free. Alcohol-free. Preservative-free.
6. With SPF20 PA++ sunscreen support"

Sounds quite good but unfortunately this BB cream in its plain white tube is a total fail.
First off this stuff has nothing to do with a BB cream. This feels like a pure silicone cream which means it features this weird powdery feeling once you apply it. Furthermore this has zilch coverage, not even the least bit.

As you see on the swatch pic a bit below this stuff has a color like mustard but once applied it is so sheer that there is no color, no coverage, nothing.
I might give this the credit as a silicone makeup primer...it´s decent in this respect but it´s NOT a BB cream. Sorry, Hada Labo, by just writing "BB cream" on the tube it doesn´t morph into one!

This is unscented and I haven´t tried this long enough to determine if it would cause blemishes like many other silicone primers tend to do.

This was also on the pricier side at around US$20.
Rating 2/5

Mentholatum Water Colour tinted lipbalm in Wild Coral

The Water Colour lipbalm from Mentholatum (a company owned by Rohto Japan) is one of my most recent acquistions from Sasa. As I said before I like adding random interesting-looking stuff to my orders, usually to qualify for the free shipping =)

The Water Colour lipbalm is tinted and comes in 2 colors (on Sasa at least), a berry and a coral shade. I actually added the Wild Coral color to my cart by mistake as I wanted the berry shade (and have ordered meanwhile) but noticed my mistake too late for changing it.

The Water Colour comes in a white and silver twist-up tube which reminds me quite of the lipsticks from Shiseido Kesho Wakusei.
The balm is scented unfortunately...it´s some weird kind of grapefruit scent perhaps... not so much to my liking to be honest.

The texture is slick albeit a bit waxy so it´s not the most comfortable lipbalm out there but it´s not the worst either. I feel it´s sitting on the skin a little more than really sinking inside so I would not suggest this as your sole lip treatment.


I like how this makes my lips look naturally plump and slightly tinted in a soft glossy coral shade however the color is a bit bright so probably best suitable for ladies who are a little more tan than me.
On the pic below I applied a sheer layer on top of a layer of clear lipbalm:

On the one hand this is a nice inexpensive tinted lipbalm perfect for tossing in your purse for quick touch-ups. On the other side the lack of moisture, waxiness and mediocre scent reduce the pleasure of wearing this.

I think I paid somewhere between US$4-5, so the price is not bad.


Rating 2.5/5

Rohto Mentholatum Sunplay Skin Aqua Moisture BB Cream SPF27 PA++

Mentholatum is actually a US-based company but was acquired by Rohto Japan a few years ago so I consider it a Japanese brand now (at least for their Asia-only lines like Sunplay Skin Aqua =D)


I found a review of the Skin Aqua Silky BB Cream (the one for oilier skin-types) on one of my favorite blogs written by my dear friend Yumeko (check here to read it!) so when I found the Skin Aqua Moisture BB Cream (for dry skin) on Sasa I ordered it right away.

The virtues of this BB Cream are:
-sun block (UVB protection of SPF27 and UVA of PA++)
-moisturizer
-concealer
-foundation
-whitening
-anti-aging
-oil-control (? in the moisture version?)
According to Sasa this was produced in Korea by a company specialized on BB Creams ("as one of its innovators"). No idea who is the mysterious manufacturer of this actually Japanese BB Cream =)


The tube is nothing special..just a very basic white squeeze-tube containing 40g (and costs around US$16 on Sasa). The Moisture-version has a copper-colored cap whereas the Silky one for oily skin is silver.

Now I have to say this Moisture BB Cream is absolutely amazing. I wore it for several days and it matches my skin-tone perfectly. The texture is on the slightly thicker and moisturizing side so it´s really for someone with normal-dry or dry skin but it blends into my skin like a dream and doesn´t feel heavy after a few minutes and after setting with my face powder.


The coverage is excellent so I only wear this and powder, no separate foundation is required for a pretty much flawless look (i have good skin to start with though). All the redness on my cheeks and small freckles I have on my nose are hidden when I wear this BB Cream.

In addition my skin stays absolutely silky smooth (feel and look!) when wearing this and even through the powder I notice a light glowy finish. Don´t worry, there are no shimmer particles in the BB Cream. I guess the glowy finish comes from some silicones I suspect in the formula (judging by wear and feel).


The Sunplay Skin Aqua Moisture BB Cream has a light scent, something floral...a typical BB Cream scent in my opinion (Skin79 perhaps?). I don´t really like it but it doesn´t bother me as it pretty much is gone within a few minutes after application.
Staying power (with a layer of powder) is excellent. I wore it for around 10 hours without significant fading (mostly around my nose) and it didn´t settle into those few fine lines I am having.
As I am so thrilled you will probably guess that I didn´t get any skin irritations =)


Totally recommend this stuff if you have a light-medium skin-tone and normal or dry skin or for cold weather when your skin needs an extra layer to protect it. The SPF is sufficient for the weather here in Austria usually but for summer I´ll prime with a SPF50+ to be on the safe side.