Finding the best skin care products since 2014. Started with a focus on Korean skincare and grew from there. Skincare tips and beauty tips that work, maybe some hamster butts too
Few skin care ingredients make me as happy as niacinamide does. Niacinamide is one of the few actives that I actively (ha, ha) seek out in my skin care products, and I’m always a little disappointed in products that don’t contain any. I just can never get enough of the stuff. Here’s why.
What is niacinamide?
Niacinamide is another name for vitamin B3. As an ingredient in topical skin care products, it has been shown to be antioxidant and to have a variety of other benefits. It is a cell-communicating ingredient, which means that niacinamide actually alters the behavior of skin cells, rather than simply creating a temporary, superficial effect on the skin.
Niacinamide’s benefits for hyperpigmentation and skin brightening
One of the most well studied and well known benefits of niacinamide is its ability to fade hyperpigmentation and brighten overall skin tone. Niacinamide does so by inhibiting the production of melanin in the skin. In Japanese and Korean skin care products, therefore, you’ll often see niacinamide in quality skin brightening and lightening products. (Source)
Niacinamide for anti-aging and wrinkle prevention
If you’re concerned about preventing wrinkles and slowing the aging process, niacinamide offers benefits in that area, too. Niacinamide has been shown to increase skin elasticity and reduce fine lines and wrinkles, making niacinamide-containing products valuable additions to a solid anti-aging skin care routine. (Source)
Effects of niacinamide on overall skin health
In addition to the big two benefits of brightening and anti-aging, niacinamide also produces other notable improvements in skin condition over time. Niacinamide can decrease sebum production, a compelling benefit for those who struggle with oily skin. It can also stimulate skin to produce more natural lipids and strengthen skin’s overall barrier function, helping those with dry and dehydrated skin that loses moisture easily. Niacinamide can lessen the appearance of acne and redness by soothing inflammation. Finally, in conjunction with sunscreen, niacinamide’s antioxidant properties help to protect skin from further UV damage. (Source)
Where can I find niacinamide?
Luckily for anyone interested in the skin benefits of niacinamide, this is a very common ingredient, found in both Asian and Western skin care products. I use many niacinamide-containing products for face, and even my body lotion, Olay Quench in the Shimmer formula, boasts niacinamide as one of its top ingredients. So the next time you’re in the market for a brightening, anti-aging, or overall skin-boosting product, take a look at the ingredients list and try to find one with niacinamide!
A selection of the niacinamide-containing products I own. As you can see, I like niacinamide.
Do you use any products with niacinamide? How are they working out for you?
Yes, that’s right. The new 2015 Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence sunscreen and I plan to elope soon. We will make our lifelong commit to each other official on a sunny beach (while wearing adequate sun protection, of course). We will spend our lives supporting each other in a mature but passionate partnership of equals. I will provide the money, and Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence will provide the UV protection. And when we leave this world behind for the great snail farm in the sky, we’ll spend eternity watching over our fellow skin care fanatics, like anti-aging guardian angels.
Okay, not really, because marrying a bottle of sunscreen is weird, but that’s how much I love the 2015 reformulation of the already popular Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence sunscreen. I hadn’t been expecting it to arrive from Japan for at least another week, so when I got the package yesterday, I screamed!
Oh my loves. I’ve waited for you for far too long.
Before we dive into what is obviously going to be a rave review, let’s take a minute to talk sunscreen.
Why is sunscreen important?
As most people know by now, sunscreen is vital to any anti-aging skin care regimen. UV radiation breaks down your skin’s natural collagen scaffolding and damages skin at a cellular level, leading to photoaging, sun spots, and in some cases, even cancer. UVA radiation in particular is responsible for much visible skin aging and penetrates both cloud cover and glass. If you want to prevent future wrinkles, you must protect your skin from the sun. If you want to give your other anti-aging actives a chance to work on your existing fine lines, you must protect your skin from the sun. In short, you must protect your skin from the sun.
Unfortunately for those of us in the US, that’s easier said than done.
Why is Asian sunscreen so great?
To put it bluntly, the vast majority of affordable, easily accessible US sunscreens suck. If you’ve tried a few, you know exactly what I mean. If applied in the recommended amount of 1/4 tsp for face, US drugstore sunscreens (I’m looking right at you, Neutrogena Ultra “Sheer” (heh) “Dry” (hah) Touch Sunscreen) tend to be thick and heavy, with an oily residue that never fully dries and a bright white cast that will turn even the tannest of reformed tanners into Casper the Greasy Ghost. And they often have that distinctive sunscreen smell. These flaws make the typical US drugstore sunscreen too unpleasant for anyone but the most dedicated skin care addicts to use on a daily basis, let alone in the amounts required to get the advertised protection. I know I didn’t get diligent about my sunscreen until I started using Japanese products.
It looks like we’re stuck with crappy US sunscreen formulations for now. That is, unless we turn to Asian sunscreens!
In my opinion, Asian sunscreens are far more advanced than US sunscreens. Development of most technologies is driven by the market’s perceived need for them, and East Asia’s deeply ingrained, near-universal preference for fair skin drives the continued R&D of stronger, better sunscreens. Stateside, on the other hand, mainstream beauty standards are much less focused on skin, and fair skin isn’t preferred at all. Drugstores here sell self-tanning lotions not whitening creams; tanning salons remain popular. A market that isn’t interested in achieving and maintaining fair skin isn’t a market that motivates much sunscreen R&D.
Therefore, if you want a sunscreen that’s actually pleasant to use, doesn’t stink or turn you into a clown-white greaseball, and that you know provides an adequate amount of UVA protection to prevent wrinkles, consider Asian sunscreens. Many, like the one I’m about to review, are quite affordable and easy to order from Amazon.
Review: The New 2015 Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++
Purpose: Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence is a light, hydrating daily use facial sunscreen. It promotes healthy skin and prevents photoaging and skin cancer by protecting skin from UV radiation. It’s SPF 50+, giving high protection against UVB (burning) radiation. The PA++++ designation shows that the 2015 version of Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence has UVA (aging) protection of at least 16 PPD. PA++++ is currently the highest range of UVA protection measured in the Japanese skin care industry.
This little blue bottle of goodness has saved my skin.
Do not use if: You are sensitive to alcohol, silicones, chemical UV filters, citrus fruit extracts, or anything else in the ingredients list.
When and how to use: As the last step of your morning skin care routine, apply approximately 1/4 teaspoon to face, avoiding eye area, and another 1/4 teaspoon to neck and upper chest. Allow to dry for at least 15 minutes before applying makeup or going out into the sun. Reapply for every 2 hours of total time spent in the sun. (Not every 2 hours period. Every 2 hours of sun exposure. So if you’re in the sun for 15 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes at lunch, and another 15 minutes in the afternoon, you don’t need to reapply.)
Whenever I start a new bottle of sunscreen, I bust out the measuring spoon to make sure I’m using enough.As you can see, it’s a lot! If you’re new to proper sunscreen use, it may look like an impossible amount. Don’t worry. It isn’t, at least not with this product.
Ingredients list: I’m uncomfortable providing an ingredients list here, because they aren’t listed on the package in English and I don’t read Japanese, so I can’t offer a direct, off-the-box translation. There is an ingredients list available on CosDNA, however.
No idea what this says.
Notable ingredients: As far as ingredients go, there isn’t too much to discuss here. Stable chemical UV filters and the solvents, emulsifiers, and moisturizers that give this product its cosmetically elegant finish make up most of the ingredients list. Down very low on the list, you’ll find sodium hyaluronate for extra hydration, vitamin- and amino acid-rich royal jelly extract to firm skin, and several citrus extracts, which I imagine are included for their brightening and/or antioxidant properties. The alcohol can be a concern for some people as well, but I do not believe it’s problematic for anyone except those with extremely dry or sensitive skin, or who are specifically reactive to alcohol.
Performance
My big concern with the 2015 version of Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence was that the reformulating necessary to get it that PA++++ rating would change its texture or finish for the worse. The older, PA+++ version of this sunscreen has long been my favorite when it comes to cosmetic elegance. I preferred to wear it instead of my PA++++ sunscreens whenever I knew I wouldn’t be outside much on a given day. Sometimes messing with something good doesn’t make it great, but instead takes away a big part of what made it good in the first place. (I mean, these fears didn’t stop me from ordering four bottles of it sight unseen, but I did worry.)
The labeling is almost the same, but the 2015 printing does look a little sleeker.
There was nothing to worry about. I’m completely ecstatic to report that the texture and finish of the 2015 PA++++ Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence sunscreen are exactly the same as the previous version!
The 2015 Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence comes out of the tube as a very light, slippy lotion with a cool and watery feel and a hint of sharp citrus fragrance and alcohol smell, both of which fade quickly. The sunscreen spreads smoothly over the face, and even at the 1/4 tsp recommended dose, massages in and absorbs quickly.
Seriously, this stuff sets and dries faster than any other sunscreen I’ve ever tried, by a long shot. I always reach for it when I’m in too much of a hurry to wait the usual 15 minutes for chemical filters to bond with my skin before applying makeup or leaving the house. And once it sets and dries, it feels and looks like absolutely nothing on the skin. No shine. No oily feeling. No white cast whatsoever. It’s so invisible that I would be nervous about whether it’s actually protecting my skin, if not for the fact that SPF and PA are tightly regulated metrics.
Despite the lack of shine or oily residue, the 2015 Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence, like the discontinued older version it replaces, provides a nice extra dose of hydration that may be enough for people with oilier skin. If you have an oily complexion, you may also appreciate the oil control that this formula provides. Its clear, natural matte finish lasts for hours, if not all day. I wouldn’t recommend skipping moisturizer if your skin is drier, however. The alcohol may prove to be a little too strong for dry or dehydrated complexions without a moisturizing cream underneath. My skin type is normal, and I use Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream under this sunscreen on more humid days and Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream underneath when the weather is more arid.
As a final note, the 2015 Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence plays just as well with makeup as its predecessor did. Although the formulation does contain a few ‘cones, it is primarily water-based, and that helps to avoid issues like product pilling caused by base incompatibility. I tried applying my BB cream over this after only a 5-minute wait as well as after my more standard 15-minute wait. Both times, my BB cream went on smoothly, without caking or balling up or pilling off. The shine control is an excellent asset under makeup as well.
Conclusion: As much as I loved the completely invisible finish of the old Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence sunscreen, I didn’t use it as my everyday sunscreen because of its slightly lacking UVA protection. With the 2015 reformulation that brings it up to PA++++, however, this is now an absolute holy grail for me. Biore managed to improve the product’s one objective weakness without undermining any of its existing strengths. And as a bonus, this sunscreen is relatively easily found on websites like Amazon and is sold for a great price–usually less than $10 a bottle. Perfect. Just perfect!
Be on the lookout for our wedding photos. I think we’re going to elope very soon.
Rating: 5–the first 5 that I’ve given out on this blog!
Rating scale:
1 – This should be taken off the market.
2 – Caused me some problems; would not buy again.
3 – Meh. Neither great nor bad.
4 – Pretty good. Would buy again unless I find something better.
5 – I’ll never be in the market for a replacement unless this one is discontinued.
Where can I buy the 2015 Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA++++?
If you thought that something this amazing must surely be impossible to find, think again! The 2015 Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence sunscreen is available for $11.98 on Amazon with free Prime shipping (affiliate link).
I love seaweed. It’s one of my favorite foods that are not Chinese restaurant spareribs. I love seaweed in soup, I love it crisp and wrapped around a nice big mound of spicy salmon and rice, and I could eat about a hundred strips of seasoned nori at a time. So when a box of sheet masks from The Face Shop arrived yesterday and I found a Kelp mask among them, I knew which one I had to try first.
This is the current state of my sheet mask collection, minus seven MBD masks that I’ve grown bored with. Let’s just say I’m never hurting for things to review.
The Face Shop is a lower midrange Korean cosmetics brand whose marketing, much like Innisfree’s, focuses on natural ingredients. That’s not to say that they’re an all-natural, organic, no-long-science-words company, however. The Face Shop “brings together science and the perfection of nature” by using natural ingredients to enhance and differentiate otherwise fairly standard formulations. I haven’t had much luck with their skin care in the past–their Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam is an alkaline nightmare that leaves more soapy residue on my skin than actual soap–but I’m always a sucker for a sheet mask.
The little symbol in the upper right corner indicates the purpose of the mask. The big drop stands for hydration. I’m not sure what the little balls mean, but I’m guessing antioxidants. If any of you know for sure, please tell me in the comments.
Purpose: The Face Shop’s Real Nature Mask in Kelp claims to use kelp extract to purify the appearance of skin. Additionally, the back of the packet on all the Real Nature sheets says that “the air pockets within the sheet contain handful of nutritional essence, providing natural moisture and nourishment to skin.” Yeah…I don’t know about that. The air pockets must be microscopic, as I looked very very closely at the sheet and saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Do not use if: You are sensitive to alcohol, fragrance, or anything else in the ingredients list. And just to be on the safe side, use with caution if you have any shellfish or other seafood allergies.
When and how to use: Cleanse face and prepare skin as desired. Some people use sheet masks in place of the rest of their serums and essences for the night. Personally, I use them to supplement the rest of my nighttime skin care routine. I apply all my serums and essences as usual, then use the sheet mask right before my final heavy cream of the night. Leave on for the 10-12 minutes indicated on the mask package (or longer–it won’t hurt anything). After removing the mask, pat or massage in any excess liquid. Finish with an emollient or occlusive cream if desired.
I’m still not great at getting head-on shots of the backs of these packets. Sorry.
Notable ingredients: As I mentioned, I haven’t really had the best impression of The Face Shop’s skin care, but for the most part, I like this ingredients list. The star ingredient, laminaria japonica extract, is right up near the top of the list, indicating that the mask contains a relatively large amount of it. Laminaria japonica is an edible seaweed native to the waters of East Asia. In addition to tasting delicious, it has been shown to benefit skin both by promoting hydration and by significantly slowing down the rate of water loss.
But hold up! All these proven botanical ingredients are great, but that doesn’t mean that The Face Shop’s kelp sheet mask achieves Benton levels of gentleness and lack of fillers. (You’ll someday find out why I hold Benton up as the standard.) My CosDNA analysis of The Face Shop Real Nature Mask in Kelp identifies a few problematic ingredients. Alcohol denat. (denatured alcohol) throws up a big red flag in the form of a 5 for potential irritation, so if alcohol-containing products have irritated or dried your skin out in the past, patch test before you try this mask. In addition, butylene glycol and dimethicone score 1s, and triethanol amine gets a 2, as potential acne triggers, while carbomer has a 1 for irritation. My skin is generally very hardy, so I used the mask anyway.
Bet you won’t be sleeping well tonight. You’re welcome.
Performance
The first thing I noticed about the mask was not encouraging. Straight out of the packet, it has a strong fragrance. To me, it smelled floral, but adulterated by some other undefinable aroma. It wasn’t entirely pleasant, and it began to give me a mild headache within just a few minutes. I am sensitive to fragrances, though. I can’t be around anyone who’s wearing perfume for longer than a few minutes before my head starts to hurt, and cologne has always been one of my major dating deal-breakers thanks to the headache factor.
I powered through it anyway, because I wanted that kelp extract on my face.
The mask sheet itself is soaked with essence, the material thin and unusually silky. There are lots of slits around the edges and in the eye area to help customize fit. Those slits are helpful, but application was still a pain. I found the mask floppy and hard to put on. It kept folding in on itself and sticking and having to be pulled straight again. Once I had it all smoothed out, though, it fit and adhered fine, and I didn’t need to cut any additional slits to make it work for my face.
The suggested wearing time for The Face Shop Real Nature masks is one of the shortest I’ve seen, at 10-12 minutes. I like to get all the essence I can out of sheet masks, so I leave them on for as long as I can stand to, or until the mask sheets start to feel dry. In the case of the Kelp mask, it took about 25 minutes before the material felt “done.” In that time, the fragrance barely faded at all. The fact that I stuck with it shows my commitment to the cause.
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t have high expectations for the mask’s results. I recognize that this is unfair, since the mask does have such interesting ingredients, but I had a preexisting bias against TFS skincare. I wasn’t expecting to be as impressed as I was once I removed the mask! My skin was noticeably brighter and smoother, my skin tone very even and calm-looking, and my face felt deeply hydrated and refreshed. I haven’t been sleeping well lately, so this was a welcome pick-me-up for my tired face. The leftover essence on my skin was delightfully light and non-greasy; it massaged in quickly and left no tacky or oily residue. And the results lasted into the next day. My skin still feels so so soft, and my BB cream applied like a dream this morning.
Conclusion: Color me impressed. The alcohol and the fragrance made for an inauspicious start, but I can’t argue with the excellent results I got at the end. The Face Shop’s Real Nature sheet mask in Kelp did everything a sheet mask should do, and the relatively short wearing time is a nice bonus. I’m even willing to forgive TFS for the weird fragrance. I have a feeling it might be there to cover up the smell of seaweed or some of the other natural extracts, so perhaps that’s why it’s so strong and smells so odd.
Rating: 4.5/5 (and it would get a solid 5 from me if not for the fragrance.)
Rating scale:
1 – This should be taken off the market.
2 – Caused me some problems; would not buy again.
3 – Meh. Neither great nor bad.
4 – Pretty good. Would buy again unless I find something better.
5 – I’ll never be in the market for a replacement unless this one is discontinued.
Bonus pic: My sheet mask shelf in the refrigerator. Room cleared out for the Etude House I Need You masks and Innisfree hydrogels I’ve got on the way.
The other day, I read an article on Refinery29 about a Japanese blush style that sounded like it might work for me. The method involves placing the blush quite high up on the cheeks and blending it out horizontally rather than at the angle of the cheekbones. It creates a more youthful, soft, and round-cheeked appearance rather than the sculpted look of traditional Western-style angled blush. I really wanted to try it, so I did (in conjunction with an attempt at the Wayne Goss “clean beauty” thing. I don’t think I put on enough. I’m scared of overdoing blush.
Lips: Paula’s Choice Perfect Shine Hydrating Lip Gloss in Rose Blush
By the way. It is SO SUNNY AND WARM here right now. Feels great.
I do really want to master the Japanese undereye blush look. I love the softness of it. I think I was just too nervous about overdoing it today because the Holika Holika blush I used does get very vivid very quickly. I’ve got the Milani baked blush in Luminoso headed my way–that might work better.
Bonus duckface.
We are very much not gangsta.
Have you tried any new looks lately? How did they work out?
I’m deathly afraid of bees, but I love honey. It’s an amazing glaze on hams and carrots, and a drizzle on buttered biscuits is like an express ticket to tastebud heaven. I like it in fried chicken batter and I like it in tea. It soothes sore throats, and, if kept properly, it never spoils. And as if all that wasn’t enough, honey also offers some compelling skin care benefits. Unfortunately, I don’t think I could bring myself to coat my face in thick, sticky, sweet straight honey. That’s why I was super excited to try out my Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask in Manuka Honey!
By the way, there is no objective, conclusive scientific evidence that manuka honey is superior to garden variety not-manuka honey when it comes to skin. It just sounds fancier because it’s rarer.
Purpose: Innisfree’s It’s Real Squeeze Mask in Manuka Honey is a sheet mask that claims to deliver rich moisture to “dry, stiffened skin.”
Do not use if: You are sensitive to alcohol, fragrance, honey, or anything else in the ingredients list. Use with caution if you have pollen or bee allergies.
When and how to use: Sheet masks can be used as frequently as you want, and, with the exception of exfoliating or astringent varieties, can be left on for as long as you like. Apply in the evening after cleansing, as either a replacement for or a supplement to your usual PM moisturizing products. I prefer the latter approach. When I use sheet masks, I wait until the second-to-last step in my nighttime skin care routine, after my acids, essences, and ampoules and before my emollient or occlusive moisturizing cream. When you’re done with the mask, pat or massage in any excess liquid and finish with a moisturizing cream if desired.
Well. I really dropped the ball on photographing the back of this mask packet.
Notable ingredients: I know I said that I wouldn’t want to use straight honey as a face mask, but the fact is, that would probably be the best use of honey as a skin care treatment. According to this impressively sourced Reddit post, honey is an outstanding moisturizer with both humectant and occlusive properties and is also antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, which may make it effective against acne as well. Unfortunately, honey is not one of the top ingredients in this mask. In fact, it doesn’t even appear in its original state, but instead as honey extract.
The rest of the serum’s ingredients are basic but good. There’s sodium hyaluronate, the sodium salt form of hyaluronic acid, for plumping and hydration, and green tea and aloe leaf extracts to provide additional anti-inflammatory effects. My CosDNA analysis of the Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask in Manuka Honey only flags two ingredients: butylene glycol, a slip agent and penetration enhancer, scores a 1 as a potential acne trigger, and carbomer, an emulsifier, scores a 1 as a potential irritant. Remember, however, that although CosDNA does not flag “alcohol,” alcohol is a known irritant for some people, and “alcohol denat.” will score a whopping 5 for irritation.
Performance
I purposely waited for a very dry skin day before trying this mask, because my skin is normally too balanced to really put the Manuka Honey sheet mask’s moisturizing claims to the test. Finally, there came a day when the stars aligned. I forgot to use my Hada Labo hydrating toner, skimped on my moisturizing cream because I was running low, went out in unusually arid weather, and found my skin getting drier, tighter, and more uncomfortable by the hour. By evening, I was dying to get this mask on and see if it could inject some life back into my thirsty, thirsty face.
Wouldn’t you just love to wake up in the middle of the night with me looming over you like this?
Like the Black Berry It’s Real Squeeze Mask, the cut of the Manuka Honey sheet mask fits my face more comfortably than any other sheet mask I’ve ever tried. The mask material seems thinner and more flexible than the Black Berry’s and is also much more saturated. The essence is the clear and watery type, like the My Beauty Diary formulations I’m used to, with a soft, sweet, vaguely honeylike fragrance. So far, so good.
One caution: I accidentally got some of the essence in my eye, and holy CRAP did it sting. It stung like the vengeful ghost of some poor worker bee that had spent its entire unassuming life diligently making honey to nourish the honey bee collective, only to see the product of its labor taken away and squandered on some crazy broad’s face instead. So be careful when you’re placing this mask around your eye area and don’t let any drips reach your eyes.
The Innisfree Manuka Honey sheet mask lasted about 30 minutes on my face before drying out. Throughout that half hour, my skin felt cooled, soothed, and comfortably hydrated. I was concerned about the alcohol in the essence, since Mr. Crazy Snail Lady had had a minor reaction to Innisfree’s similarly formulated Green Tea sheet mask, but I experienced no ill effects. A little essence remained on my face after I took the mask off but absorbed fully with a little massaging and about 15 minutes of waiting. My dryness was fully cured; my skin felt moist and supple and had regained a lovely dewy glow. I sealed the essence in with a layer of Mizon Good Night White sleeping mask, and the results lasted through the next day.
Conclusion: Well, it’s nothing groundbreaking. Intense moisturization is kind of the baseline expectation of a sheet mask, and the Innisfree It’s Real Squeeze Mask in Manuka Honey doesn’t moisturize any better than many other sheet masks I’ve tried. It does live up to its claims, however, and I like that it dried up faster than the MBDs, since that saved me a bit of time in the evening. It’s nice enough, and I’m relieved that it didn’t give me the kind of problems my mister had with the Green Tea.
Rating: 4/5
Rating scale:
1 – This should be taken off the market.
2 – Caused me some problems; would not buy again.
3 – Meh. Neither great nor bad.
4 – Pretty good. Would buy again unless I find something better.
5 – I’ll never be in the market for a replacement unless this one is discontinued.
It may sound like total insanity to start tailoring one’s daily skin care routine based on the weather forecast, but, you know, it is what it is, and I accept who I am, so I’m okay with that.
Late last week, I caught a local weather forecast that predicted a very warm and dry weekend. Warm I can deal with, but I absolutely hate dry days, especially windy ones. My eyes get all dried out, my sinuses shrivel up, and my skin, if unprepared, feels like it’s about to crack and peel right off my face. Dry air does not feel good. This time, though, I got through the entire ultra-arid weekend without a single uncomfortable moment, and I owe almost all of it to my Hada Labo products.
Plain, unadorned hydration. That’s what Hada Labo do.
This post contains affiliate links, which enable me to receive a small commission on purchases made by clicking the links. Affiliate links are marked with an asterisk(*).
Owned by Japan’s Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Hada Labo is one of those skin care brands that focuses on doing one thing, and doing that one thing incredibly well. In Hada Labo’s case, that one thing is humectant hydration. Hada Labo has three distinct lines–the original Gokujyun moisturizing line in the white packaging, the Shirojyun brightening line in the blue packaging, and the Gokujyun Alpha anti-aging line in the red packaging–but the cornerstone of all three lines is hydration, in particular through the use of hyaluronic acid variants at various molecular weights, with the higher molecular weight HA forms able to attract and bind more water but less capable of deep skin penetration and the lower molecular weight HAs able to penetrate more deeply, though with a slight trade-off in hydrating effects. (For a more detailed rundown of the three forms of hyaluronic acid present in the famous Hada Labo Gokujyun lotion, check out the Skin and Tonics review.)
It’s that focus on hydration that I wanted when I heard how dry the weather was going to be. I own three products from the Hada Labo Gokujyun line, and all three of them came into play.
Like the rest of the Hada Labo Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid line, the foaming cleanser has a short and relatively simple ingredients list, with several humectants, few extraneous ingredients, and no fragrance, making it a promising choice for people with sensitive or reactive skin. I appreciate it for the way it thoroughly cleanses my skin without leaving it dry, tight, or itchy.
One pump of fluffy white foam is enough for face and neck.
Next up is Hada Labo’s signature product, the Hada Labo Gokujyun Super Hyaluronic Acid lotion, which the company claims is so popular in Japan that a bottle is sold every few seconds.
You want hydration? Hada Labo gives you hydration.
The clear, slippy liquid,which should be used shortly after cleansing in your skin care routine–right after cleansing when possible and right after acids/first essences when those are used–feels like concentrated water and contains all three of the hyaluronic acid variants that Hada Labo uses. The hydration it gives is immediately visible from the first time you use it. Skin becomes softer and plumper, fine lines seem blurred, and the complexion takes on a translucent glow thanks to all the water packed into and between those cells.
Seriously, it looks like nothing but does a whole lot.
Humectants like the ones that Hada Labo uses are fantastic for drawing moisture from the deeper layers of the skin up into the upper, visible layers, so if you’re well hydrated, you’ll most likely enjoy an immediate improvement. It’s important to remember, however, that humectants alone aren’t enough to keep skin hydrated, especially in dry conditions. Preventing all that lovely moisture from escaping requires some kind of emollient or occlusive final layer. When the humidity is high, I seal it all in with a dab of Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream, which is light enough to allow the Hada Labo humectants to draw in yet more water from the outside air. When the humidity is very low, however, failing to seal the hydration in with a stronger occlusive product can lead to increased moisture loss. All through that desert-dry weekend, I used Benton’s Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream as my final moisturizing step before sunscreen–but any relatively heavy cream will do.
Under normal circumstances, these two Hada Labo products and the rest of my regular routine are enough to keep my skin hydrated and happy, but I had a feeling that that weekend wouldn’t be normal, so I whipped out my heaviest hydration hitter: a pack of Hada Labo Gokujyun sheet masks.
They’re a little pricier than my precious My Beauty Diary sheet masks, so I save them for special occasions and emergencies.
Normally, I might use a Hada Labo sheet mask once every couple of weeks, if that, or if some new product I was trying had irritated or dried out my skin. For the predicted super-dry weekend, however, I used one of these masks every single night, and every night, I wore the mask for 45 minutes to an hour instead of the recommended 10-15 minutes so that my skin could soak up every last available drop of ultra-concentrated humectant hydration.
It worked. The air was indeed ridiculously dry all weekend, and my eyes and sinuses definitely suffered, but my skin felt and looked perfectly fine and just as moist as usual.
Hada Labo isn’t fancy. Its packaging is plain (which I prefer) rather than cute or pretty (though the US-specific Hada Labo Tokyo rebranded, reformulated products do have a more feminine aesthetic). The claims are simple. But Hada Labo products just work. They do what they say they’re going to do, and for me, they do those things extremely well. Good stuff.
It’s amazing to see Asian skin care and cosmetics, especially the huge K-beauty side of it, making waves Stateside. Investors like Yahoo cofounder Jerry Yang seem to agree, as the $29M that Korean beauty box company Memebox just raised to achieve its global ambitions shows. In today’s link, Forbes.com talks about Memebox’s rise and plans for the future.
Note: This post was updated on March 9, 2015 with some additional notes on product fragrance.
It took me a long time to get over my resistance to BB creams. I’ve always thought of BB creams as just another variety of “concealment” makeup, which isn’t my thing. My approach towards makeup focuses on enhancement rather than concealment. (Also, I’ve tried a couple of Western BB creams that really failed to impress.) Then Missha sent me a hefty travel size of their M Signature Real Complete BB Cream that happened to be in the right shade for me, and my whole attitude changed.
Hello, new favorite item.
I had it all wrong. BB creams aren’t for heavy-duty concealment. In fact, since most BB creams offer only medium or light coverage, people who want a base product capable of covering up a lot of blemishes or severe pigmentation issues should probably look into concealers at the least and probably proper foundations, too. Attempting to cover up significant problems with BB cream will probably require caking on many layers of it, resulting in an unpleasant effect.
In my experience, BB creams like Missha’s M Signature Real Complete are great for covering up those persistent little pores and evening out those little areas of redness–around the nostrils, for example–that are natural features of the skin rather than actual blemishes that can be treated. To put it simply, a BB cream like this is for when you want to take the look and texture of your skin from “good” to “awesome” without looking made-up. BB creams can also serve as a helpful base for other makeup products, like blush. I could never get my blush to apply perfectly evenly until I started using this BB cream.
You can probably tell this review is going to be a rave. Let’s get down to it.
That’s a lot of claims for a simple makeup product–a clue that this isn’t just a tinted moisturizer.
Purpose: Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream is a moisturizing base makeup product that promises 12-hour skin coverage and wrinkle-fighting, whitening, and sun protective properties.
Do not use if: You are sensitive to beeswax, stearic acid, silicones, or anything else in the ingredients list, or if you have experienced negative reactions to botanical extracts in the past.
When and how to use: After allowing sunscreen to set for at least 15 minutes, apply and blend approximately a pea-sized amount of product on face with hands, sponge, beauty blender, or foundation brush. Using hands will require the least amount of product. Foundation brushes may suck up some product and therefore use a little bit more, but in my opinion, the sheer, perfect skin-like finish is worth it. Set with powder if desired.
They’re already the best of friends.
Ingredients list:
Okay, I’m going to do something a little bit different than usual here, because this is the longest ingredients list I’ve ever seen in my life. Let me give a broad overview of the product and ingredients before we dive into the actual list.
In contrast to Western BB creams, many of which are glorified tinted moisturizers or ultra-sheer foundations, Japanese and Korean BB creams are meant to provide skin care benefits in addition to corrective coverage. I’ll be honest and say that I doubt BB cream does me any good. By the time I get this stuff on over my sunscreen, I have so many layers of product underneath that I just can’t imagine much getting through. Someone who has a more minimal skin care routine may see real benefits, though.
Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream’s ingredients list starts out as expected from Missha, with a fairly lengthy recital of long science words. It then descends into the madness of a never-ending series of plant extracts whose names read like the section headings in an Advanced Spells workbook assigned to Hogwarts seventh years. The list finishes off with some more science words.
There are some good ingredients here to back up Missha’s claims. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide near the top provide a bit of sun protection, though you should not use this product as your sunscreen, given that there’s no way you’ll be able to slap on enough to get the (relatively weak) SPF 25/PA++ protection without looking like a freak. It’s a nice bonus, though. Arbutin, licorice root extract, and Job’s tears are standout whitening ingredients. Missha threw in a number of peptides (sadly, all at the bottom of the list) for collagen-building, anti-aging effects. And, finally, there are a significant number of antioxidant, hydrating, and emollient ingredients to soften and smooth the skin.
Here’s the ingredients list. I transcribed it from the box, where Missha chose to print it in what appears to be 2-point font instead of being civil and providing a decently readable package insert. I also had a headache at the time. There may be typos. I really should have just copy/pasted from Missha’s website, but…I didn’t. So.
Notable ingredients: A CosDNA analysis of these ingredients turned up a few flagged ingredients. Zinc oxide, butylene glycol, heyxl laurate, dimethicone, and squalane scored 1s as potential acne triggers, while stearic acid got a 2. Beeswax scored a “0-2” for both acne and irritation.
Performance
Out of the bottle, Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream has a rich-feeling lotion texture. The travel size, on which I based this review, had little to no noticeable fragrance, at least for me. (Which is a relief, because the, uh, mature look of the packaging made me think it would also have a mature and heavy fragrance.) When I read another person’s experience with the product and how strong the fragrance was for her, however, I opened up my full-sized bottle. Strangely enough, the full size of this product does have a noticeable fragrance. It isn’t unpleasant or overly mature, but it is perfumey.
As far as coverage goes, a little bit goes a long way. As mentioned above, when I applied it with my fingers, I needed a very tiny amount to cover and blend over my whole face. When I used it with my Sigma F80 foundation brush, I did need more thanks to the brush’s tendency to suck up product, but a pea size was still enough.
This 45ml bottle will last me forever. Especially since I’m not even a quarter of the way through my 20ml travel size, which I’ve been using for almost two weeks.
In the week and a half since I began using this BB cream, I’ve tried it several different ways. I’ve tried it over my night routine, as I might wear it for going out in the evening, and I’ve tried it over my Hada Labo UV Creamy Gel sunscreen as well as my Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence sunscreen. I’ve applied it with my fingertips and I’ve applied it with my trusty brush. I’ve tried it with powder and without powder.
In every instance, Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream performed wonderfully.
It provides medium coverage, just enough to cover pores and even out my skin without looking masklike or makeup-y. I adore the dewy, real-looking finish. A dusting of powder on top will give a more matte, finished look, but I prefer to wear it without powder. It feels light and silky on the skin and, incredibly, lasts all day on me without sliding around or turning cakey, even on days when I take long, sweaty midday walks. That’s some real staying power.
I didn’t bother taking a FOTD today, so here’s how it looked on me the last time I took a selfie:
Yes, that is a map of Los Santos, the fictional city in which GTA V, takes place.
In the time since I began using this BB cream every day, I experienced no breakouts or irritation. YMMV, so get some samples and patch test before you commit.
Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream comes in four shades: No. 13 Light Milk Beige, which is a very pale shade; No. 21 Light Pink Beige, my shade, which corresponds roughly to NC 15 skin; No. 23 Natural Yellow Beige for more medium-light complexions; and the new No. 27 Honey Beige for darker skin. On a side note, it’s interesting to see Korean skin care and cosmetics brands beginning to introduce darker shades as they expand into Western markets.
Conclusion: I’m beyond happy with the M Signature Real Complete BB Cream. I never thought I’d be one to use a BB cream or other base product every day, but I was hooked from the first time I tried this stuff out. It turns pretty good skin into glowing, fabulously dewy and luminous skin. The lasting power of the product, even through my sweaty times (thanks a lot, Effexor), is amazing. I do wish it were a little cheaper, but a bottle will last a long time, and in any case, I love it enough to invest.
Rating: 4.5/5
Rating scale:
1 – This should be taken off the market.
2 – Caused me some problems; would not buy again.
3 – Meh. Neither great nor bad.
4 – Pretty good. Would buy again unless I find something better.
5 – I’ll never be in the market for a replacement unless this one is discontinued.
Where can I buy Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream?
Amazon Prime* (pay attention to the shades in the listing titles, since most of these listings are offering a specific shade)
Target* (and this will be available in Target stores starting January 2017!)
Y’all. Y’ALL. I am so glad I decided to go through my spam comments folder, because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have stumbled across this gem:
You don’t usually see a spam comment of such quality.
No need to click the image if you don’t feel like it. The comment reads:
of courwe like your web sikte however you need to take a look at the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of thm are rife with spelling issues and I in finding it vwry troublesome to tell the truth however I will certainly come again.
Yeah well…my web sikte might have a few spelling errors here and there, but at least I use commas occasionally. And it is most certainly not my fault or my web sikte’s fault that you find it vwry troublesome to tell the truth. That’s between you and your God. It doesn’t have a thing to do with me.
It’s a lovely sunny day where I am, the perfect kind of day for a soft spring look. This quick and easy FOTD builds a little extra pink on top of my everyday makeup look and only takes about 5 to 10 minutes to do. Products, tools, and some tips for short and stubborn Asian lashes below.
I have the stereotypical Asian problem lashes. They’re sparse, they’re short, they point practically straight down, and under most conditions, they will not hold a curl for longer than five minutes. I’m also unstereotypically lazy. Fiddling with false lashes and tweezers and teeny tiny dabs of eyelash glue isn’t for me, and in any case, I’m not usually a fan of the overly artificial false eyelash look, at least not for everyday. (Special occasions? Maybe, if I had a few hours beforehand and were in a patient mood.) The “heat your eyelash curler” trick does work, but given the natural state of my lashes, I’d rather not heat-style them on a regular basis. That would only make the problem worse in the long run.
Luckily, I’ve figured out a method that never fails to give me significantly longer, thicker lashes with a 12-hour curl. It’s easy and fast. Here’s the rundown.
What eyelash curler you use makes a difference. At a glance, most eyelash curlers look about the same, right? It can be hard to see why anyone would choose the $20 Shu Uemura eyelash curler over the $3 drugstore eyelash curler. After many years of struggle, however, I can tell you that what eyelash curler you use really does matter. In general, Asian eyes sit differently in the face than Western eyes, and Asian eyelash curlers tend to fit Asian eyes better than Western ones do. What that means is that an Asian eyelash curler may be able to catch and curl more of your lashes than Western ones, which I find often miss the last few lashes at the outer corners of my eyes. The two major names in the Asian eyelash curler game are Shu Uemura and Shiseido. From what I can tell, Shu Uemura curlers are better suited for more prominent eyes, while the Shiseido curlers fit flatter eye shapes. It’s best to try both and see which one works for you.
What mascara you use makes a difference, too. Not all mascaras hold a curl, and even the ones marketed as “curling” may fall flat when it comes to naturally straight and stubborn Asian lashes. Waterproof mascaras tend to hold a curl longer than non-waterproof ones, and after over a decade of experimentation, I’ve found that the Isehan Kiss Me Heroine Make mascaras hold a curl the longest. Even the non-waterproof Heroine Make mascaras keep my curl all day. I can watch a sad movie or go frolic in the rain with no lash problems. Try some Japanese and Korean mascaras out. I bet you’ll see a dramatic improvement.
Layer mascaras for maximum effect. In the same way that you can layer different Asian skin care products to create a custom skin care routine, you can also layer different mascaras to create a custom eyelash effect. For example, my eyelashes are both short and kind of thin. I need length, but I also need volume. I’ve discovered that I get the best effect when I start with two layers of Heroine Make Volume & Curl and then add two layers of Heroine Make Long & Curl on top.
In short, choose the right eyelash curler, try some Asian mascaras, and consider layering on more coats and different mascaras to build the longest, thickest lashes you can.
And finally, make sure to treat your lashes right, so that time and abuse don’t make them even shorter and even thinner!
Eyelash care to protect and promote growth
There are a number of different lash serums on the market, some prescription, some over the counter, and some black market generics of prescription products. They all claim to keep eyelashes healthy and encourage them to grow faster and longer than they would on their own, and from what I’ve heard, some of them even work. (Think Latisse and its black-market generic doppelganger, Careprost.) But I have a much cheaper and easier-to-find treatment. Plain castor oil!
Castor oil is said to condition the lashes (and brows) and promote and encourage growth. I was pretty skeptical of those claims, but castor oil is dirt cheap and readily accessible, so I figured I’d give it a shot. After a few months of nightly use on my brows and lashes, I definitely see a difference. I now have to pluck hairs from my brow area in places where no hair has grown for years, and my lashes are both longer and more abundant. There’s a second row of lashes beginning to grow in just above the row I’ve always had; the new growth is much longer than what I used to get, and my lashes are significantly less puny overall.
If you want to give castor oil a shot, get some cotton swabs and a clean spoolie. Every night before bed, use a cotton swab to apply some castor oil to your eyebrows, gently massaging it in, and use the spoolie to swipe the castor oil onto your lashes, as close to the lashline as you can. It helps to blot the spoolie with a tissue beforehand. For your lashes, you only need a tiny bit, and anything more than that will be uncomfortable.
Of course, before you can put on your nightly castor oil treatment, you’ll have to make sure your brows and lashes are clean and free of product. I hope you’ve developed the healthy habit of removing all your makeup every night. If you haven’t, consider this: Regularly going to sleep in your mascara can dry out your lashes and cause them to break and fall out faster, and that will leave you with even fewer lashes to work with than you had before.
Yes, that is a map of Los Santos, the fictional city in which GTA V takes place.
What are your eyelash tricks and favorite tools? And have I mentioned my Twitter and my Facebook page yet?
Fifty Shades of Snail 