Rosette Soys Lotion Rich & Soys Milk

Sorry for posting so little these days but as I said earlier I have been sick and also a bit uninspired what to write about lately lol.

Anyway, I recommended the Soys line from Rosette to so many people already who asked me for skincare suggestions but haven´t actually reviewed the stuff so it was about time to remedy that!

Rosette is a Japanese brand, I think the most known range is probably the Hello Kitty line (which includes masks, face washs, moisturizer gel etc.) and Sasa carries quite a lot of products.
It was quite coincidential that I picked up the Soys products, I like to add random stuff to my Sasa shopping cart to try out and among them was the Lotion Rich and the Milk from Rosette. I also purchased the Soys Wash foaming cleanser but haven´t tried it yet so will review this individually one day.

As you might remember my skin is really sensitive, for some strange reason much more sensitive to skincare than makeup. I almost never react to foundation, blushes or powders but in like 90% of the times when I try new skincare it turns out to be unsuitable for my skin.
The Soys products looked nice and were very affordable (like US$9 per product) so I picked them up expecting they will probably still end up in my "can´t-use-stash" aka trash bin hehe. 

In Japanese beauty lingo a lotion is basically a toner to be used before moisturizer but the whole idea of a toner is different as it´s often more moisturizing (or including other skincare benefits) than clarifying. I have the impression that the "lotion" step is actually the most important in Japanese skincare ranges, often the toners are the most advertised products.

The Lotion Rich is a viscous (as in lightweight liquid gel) clear lotion filled in a brown plastic bottle. It´s very easy to squeeze or shake this out of the bottle and it´s a refreshing yet very mild and moisturizing lotion.

It´s the perfect prep for the Milk which comes in a clear plastic bottle with a pump dispenser. I usually pump 2x in winter and 1x in summer so even though the bottle is small-ish it lasts for about 2-3 months with 2x daily use. Since I use a bit more of the Lotion Rich than the Milk the products finish at about the same time.
The Milk is lightweight and not sticky but still it´s rich and moisturizing so for me it is perfectly balanced. It doesn´t leave a greasy film but leaves my skin so super soft and smooth.
Since using this skincare (I am on my 4th set of toner and lotion, started using these products about 10 months or so ago) my skin has been in the best state ever, clear and without any red bumps.

I really love this skincare range as from the bottle design to the contents this is just perfect stuff in my opinion. I am so obsessed with this skincare that I have several bottles of each of the 2 products in my backup storage (right now 6 bottles/each!)... I am a bit mad I know lol!


Both products are not fragranced and super mild. The Lotion Rich contains 200ml whereas the Milk has 120ml. Both products retail for 1050 Yen/each which converts to about US$13 so Sasa is quite a few $$$ cheaper than Japanese drugstores.
There is also a regular lighter Lotion available but I chose the "Rich" version for my dry skin-type.
 
I always first cleanse my face (or double-cleanse at night if I am wearing makeup), dab the Lotion Rich on with a cotton pad and then apply the Milk. Sometimes I use a special wrinkle treatment afterwards (more for prevention, I don´t have many lines yet), at night I follow with the Kracie Hadabisei overnight mask (reviewed it some time ago). And of course I always dab on some eyecream and lipbalm.

According to Sasa the Milk contains soybeans and black soybean extract, soy isoflavones, hyaluronic acid, soy lecithin and Vitamin E.
 
The Lotion Rich contains rice fermentation liquid, hyaluronic acid, soybean extracts (white and black) and is meant for dry and delicate skin.
According to Sasa both products are unlikely to cause irritations and I have to fully agree in my case.

Rating 10/5 lol, best stuff ever

Kao Curél Moisture Lotion III (Enrich) & Moisture Milk & Intensive Moisture Cream

Kao Curél is a skincare line targeted towards sensitive skin types and is very popular in Japan. I know that some body lotions from Curél are available in drugstores in the USA, too, but I think the face-care is only sold throughout Asia. If you read about Kao online you will see that it´s a Japanese company but with some sub-brands available or even originating in the USA like Bioré and Jergens (which was acquired by Kao in 1988). Also one of the best haircare lines available locally (Guhl from Germany) is a Kao brand =D


Anyway even though I am very happy with my Kanebo Freeplus I still can´t stop trying other stuff, especially since Curél is quite a bit cheaper so if this would be good stuff it could save me a little money on the long run.

First off I am not so fond of the very medical design of Curél´s products. Very sterile and boring. However the bottles (both lotion and moisturizer) have pump dispensers so this is a big plus compared to other brands including Freeplus.

The philosophy behind Curél is replacing lost ceramides making skin sensitive and fragile as it loses its natural barrier agains environmental damage etc. The Curél products intensively replenish the lost ceramides to nourish and improve skin´s texture. Many people supposedly notice a difference in skin texture after as little as 2 weeks of continuous use. The Curél products are dermatologically developed and are mild and safe to use.


Ok ok, enough blabla! The Moisture Lotion III (Enrich) is basically a moisturizing toner (contains 150ml). To my delight this has a pump-dispenser which makes squriting this on a cotton pad really pleasant.


This is very mild as it is free of alcohol. It contains eucalyptus extract (which can´t be detected by the smell at all btw!) and allantoin. Otherwise the ingredient list seems to be very short.
I don´t notice much about the "enrich" part btw. To me this is a refreshing mild toner which doesn´t irritate my skin but it´s pretty liquid, not a viscuous more moisturizing formula like the Freeplus Maintenance Care Lotion which I personally prefer.


I have to pump about 4-5 times to saturate the cotton pad as I wish to as each pump dispenses very little which makes it easy not to overdose the product.

The Moisture Milk comes in a smaller bottle (120ml) and has a pump dispenser, too (I take about 4-5 squirts per application).


It´s a really lightweight moisturizer with a very wet and slick feel. Honestly this is not rich enough for me as my skin feels a bit tight after using this. Compared to this the Freeplus Maintenance Care Emulsion is just right as it´s more moisturizing and just perfect for my skin (normal-dry).


I think I might enjoy the Curél Moisture Milk more in the warmer months when I easily sweat and appreciate a lighter skincare.

To combat the lightness of the Moisture Milk I also ordered the Intensive Moisture Cream which I apply on top of the milk.


This comes in a 40g pot and while it looks really rich and thick it is actually a nice lightweight cream but with more moisture and lipids I guess so this is what my skin really needs. I think if I wanted to stick with the Curél skincare then I´d skip the Moisture Milk next time and would just repurchase the cream. But probably I´ll stick with my Freeplus skincare stuff which I just prefer!


All products are fragrance-free and free of colorants and are slightly acidic however they contain parabens so if you are sensitive to those you should skip these products (get Freeplus as this stuff is free of all those things incl. parabens and mineral oils).
My skin didn´t get irritated from the products but I didn´t notice any kind of improvement after using this stuff for more than 3 weeks.

In all honestly I just think Freeplus is a better skincare line. The Curél stuff is good and makes a really nice basic skincare for sensitive skin but to me Freeplus is just better and well worth the extra bucks.

You can find Curél easily on Adambeauty and on eBay from Alphabeautyuk. Ichibankao has the complete range (whereas Adambeauty doesn´t carry the cream right now). Link to the shops are on the right side if yo scroll down a bit.

Fall 2009: Etude House Moistfull Collagen (Part 2: Skincare)

I totally forgot to review the 2nd part of my Etude House Moistfull Collagen haul which I purchases already back in October 2009 =X


I only got 3 skincare items: Moistfull Collagen Cream, Eye Cream and Mask Sheet.
Etude House included samples, too, so I could also try the essence. I didn´t try the toner and lotion though!

Just like the majority of the makeup items the skincare doesn´t work for me either.

The Cream comes in a heavy orange glass pot and is not really a cream but more of a very smooth and moisturizing cream gel. It really makes my skin smooth but alas my skin doesn´t tolerate this item. I didn´t have an allergic reaction but my skin got irritated and started to pop up some red bumps on my cheeks. Also my skin in general felt somehow stressed and got rough after a few days so I had to stop using the cream.


The scent of this is nice albeit a bit strong and I prefer unscented facecare anyway!
My Cream came with a sample of the Essence (which caused the same reaction of my skin even when used with my normal Freeplus skincare routine so I stopped using it, too) and a small jar of the Cream (I should have used this before dipping in the big pot!N =X)
Contains 50ml


The Eye Cream however is quite nice even though it´s not something extremely special. It is a lighter gel cream and does a nice job of smoothing out my eye area. Although if I may be honest I prefer my US$9 Cosmetex Roland Eye Treatment Cream Q10 over this (will review soon)=P


This is lightly scented, too.
The tube contains a generous 25ml which is a lot for an eye cream. I think this tube lasts really long!


The Sheet Masks are heavily saturated with essence (25ml) and you get 5 in the package, each packed individually of course.
Again my skin didn´t have an allergic reaction to this but it felt rough and irritated after using this so this mask is not good for me.


Prices were somewhere around 10000-16000 Won I think but can´t remember exactly.

New skincare love: Sana Nameraka Honpo Part 2

As I posted before I was so thrilled with the bunch of Sana Nameraka Honpo items I received from Adambeauty last week I ordered more items right away.


I already described the concept of Nameraka Honpo cosmetics and reviewed a bunch of products here.
All products state to be free of fragrance, preservatives and mineral oil. (isn't that great?)
Furthermore they're supposed to be for every skin-type but I have to say that most of the products are probably too rich for oilier skin-types.

I am not someone who likes to mix & match different lines of skin-care but rather prefer to use products from one line together so I decided to order all the other items I need to have a complete set of Nameraka Honpo skincare. There are a few more items I didn't get as I didn't think they're needed for me and after all I don't need 10 layers of stuff on my skin.

Since I have the Nameraka Cleansing Oil, Face Cream and Sheet Masks (and the UV Makeup Base) already I decided I needed the Rich Toner, Soy Milk Lotion, Cleansing Foam and Cleansing Milk (well, this one wasn't really necessary I think).

-Soy Milk Cleansing Foam:


The Cleansing Foam is a foaming cleanser which comes in a very soft white plastic tube. It lathers nicely to a dense white smooth foam
which leaves my skin very clean. I feel the Cleansing Foam is a bit on the harsher side though as my skin feels a bit tight afterwards. If I tone and moisturize right away that's not a problem though and I feel my skin is really clean.
The tube contains 150g and costs US$10 on adambeauty.
RRP in Japan is 735 Yen

-Soy Milk Cleansing Milk:


I think I only bought this because it was called "Makeup Remover" on Adambeauty so I somehow thought it's for removing eye makeup. Haha! Dumb me! It's a good old cleansing milk which is quite effective in taking off face makeup but the Cleansing Oil does a much better job of removing mascara and other color makeup so I think the Cleansing Oil followed by the Cleansing Foam is enough to get my face clean.
Comes in a good pump bottle which contains 140g.
The instructions say to squirt a bit onto the palms of your hands, spread it over your face and then rinse it off. It rinses very well so no oily residues are left.
I paid US$12 on adambeauty
RRP in Japan is 945 Yen

-Soy Milk Rich Toner:


While I generally skipped toner for the longest time (after Clinique's crap stripped my skin of all oil and self-defense thus making it look like raw meat for several months) I now think they're essential.
I chose the Rich Toner which is a slightly milky liquid in a stiff plastic bottle.
The toner feels refreshing but also moisturizing so I really love it and think it completes the series quite well.
There is also a Light Toner but I don't see it listed on Adambeauty (however Sasa lists it for US$10.50)
The 200ml bottle sells for US$11.50 on adambeauty.
RRP in Japan is 945 Yen

-Soy Milk Lotion:


The Lotion is a very lightweight runny moisturizer to use between the toner and the thicker cream or to use instead of the cream if your skin isn't that dry.
The Soy Milk Lotion makes my skin very soft upon application but leaves a very odd sticky feeling behind. If I follow with the cream right away that doesn't matter but I wouldn't like to wear the Lotion alone without a cream.
The Soy Milk Lotion costs US$12 on adambeauty and contains 150ml.
RRP in Japan is 945 Yen.

All items are available on Sasa.com, too. They also carry most of the Nameraka Honpo Arbutin (Whitening) series. Since I am already Caspar The Ghost's sister and don't have any pigment spots to cure I didn't order any of these.

To me the stars of the Nameraka Honpo series are the Cleansing Oil, Sheet Masks, Rich Toner and Face Cream.

The only item I feel is missing is an eye cream. I do have great eye creams though so it's not much of a problem.
I am also interested in the Soy Essence which I will probably order from Adambeauty soon.


I also ordered the Lifting Essence from Sana's Hari & Nobi range (I think it only offers 2 items)... I wanted it mainly for the cute pink tube and pretty Japanese lady printed on the packaging lol!
It's a lightweight gel you can use on fine lines to make them look smoother. According to the description on the packaging this is also working for expression lines.


It contains Argireline (whatever that stuff is) but I honestly can't say how/if that stuff works.
I have to say this makes a nice refreshing eye gel which is very pleasant to use and I *think* it makes my skin look a bit plumper. However that's an effect most creams give so it's not that special.
Also for 1050 Yen (or US$9.50 incl. shipping on adambeauty for the 12g tube) you can't expect miracles, right? :P


I think when I really get lines and wrinkles it takes more heavy duty stuff to reduce them. But so far I am lucky and have even and smooth skin *knocks on wood*

New skincare love: Sana Nameraka Honpo

Hmmmm...I seriouly didn't need to try out new skin care. I am pretty happy with what I have.


But don't ask me why but when I placed one of my previous Adambeauty orders the Sana Nameraka Honpo stuff was really calling my name so I decided to get a few items to try the line out. I believe it's a very popular skincare line in Japan and other places in Asia and it's quite cheap so I settled on the Cleansing Oil, Face Cream, Makeup Base and the Soy Milk Face Masks.

I have to say I am deeply in love with Nameraka Honpo now! It's just a fantastic fabulous great skin care...it's mild and doesn't contain colorants or fragrance (and I read on Sasa.com that there is on mineral oil in the products either!).

The key ingredient of the Sana Nameraka Honpo line is the fermented organic (not genetically-modified) soy bean extract rich in isoflavones (great anti-oxidants).
The line is supposed to be for all skin-types but I find the items rather rich so probably they're more suitable for drier skin-types.

-Cleansing Oil:


This comes in a 120ml plastic pump-bottle which is the best sort of packaging for cleansing oils in my opinion.
It's a rather liquid slippery oil so about 1-2 pumps is more than enough to cover my entire face with the oil. I massage the oil a bit with circular motions before I start rinsing it off.
I take a little water to emulsify the oil, then take a little more water and massage. Then I rinse the rest off.
This oil cleanses soooo well but it's very gentle. My face feels moisturized but clean. I usually follow with a little foaming face cleanser and my face is ready for toner and moisturizer. Honestly I think the oil cleanses off light makeup well without another cleanser afterwards.
I think this is the best cleansing oil I used away from my beloved FancL MCO.
This retails for US$13.50 on adambeauty incl. shipping.

-Face Cream:


This comes in a lightweight white plastic pot. It's not the most beautiful but I really like to look at it due to the cute Japanese writings on it (looks exotic hehe).


The cream is a white very thick and rich moisturizer ideal for the freezy weather we have now. I use only a little as it's so rich so I think the jar will last me quite a while.


My skin feels super soft and smooth when I use this cream. I am sure this will be my #1 moisturizer for winter!
I paid US$10.50 from adambeauty.

-Soy Milk Face Masks:


As I am a total sucker for sheet masks I couldn't resist picking up the 4 pcs pack of Nameraka Hanpo Soy Milk Face Masks.
The box retails for US$11 which is not that cheap/piece. Most sheet masks I use are about US$0.25-US$1/each so about US$3 for a mask is quite a luxury.
The masks are made of a wafer-textured soft cloth material and saturated with a milky essence. I really like the masks as they're not just refreshing but also very moisturizing.
Sana recommends to use these before sleeping which I did a few days ago.


I put on the mask, relaxed for 20 minutes and then took the mask off. I spread the rest of the essence on my skin and just applied a dab of cream on top. In the morning my face was super soft and smooth. Really great!
The mask leaves a slightly sticky feeling behind but once the liquid dries my face feels just soft.
I probably will use this 1x a week and use my cheaper sheet masks on the other days (I use a sheet mask every other day usually)
I paid US$11 for the box of 4 pieces.

-Makeup Base SPF19 PA++:


While most Korean makeup bases are tinted (green and purple seem quite popular) the Japanese bases are usually clear or white (not opaque of course) in my experience. The Sana base is just a white cream that mattifies my skin slightly without drying it. It makes a good base as it slightly brightens my face and helps my makeup cling to my skin well and blend in nicely.


I haven't tried this in warm weather so I can't say if it can control oil or something.


It's a decent base but I won't say it's my favorite.
I paid US$11 for it.

I ordered a bunch of more items meanwhile (toner, lotion, foaming cleanser and makeup remover) so you can expect a review on them soon!