Cosme.com's Comparison of 15 Different Body and Hand Creams

Hello!! Today I bring you a translation of cosme.com's comparison of 15 different body/hand creams.  I didn't post a translation of the pic below because I figured I'd introduce it here, it says "A comparison of 15 different popular body and hand creams." Surprisingly or perhaps unsurprisingly  many of the creams listed aren't Japanese brands, I guess we all admire cosmetics from abroad. Well enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions!

Bloombox Natural and Organic Box September 2015

This is my final month of bloombox. Hurray!!! I say this because Japan likes to do this really annoying thing where they will automatically renew your contract if you don't cancel within the allotted timeframe (usually a month). They also do this with phone contracts which is inconvenient. I originally signed up for the 6-month plan and now, a year has come to a close. Most of the samples were good but I just have too much stuff now! Not enough face to use it on! So it must end!

This month there was a choice between the normal box and a special "Natural and Organic" Box, so I obviously chose the upgrade. They were also offering this box to non-subscribers for 2700yen. All the items are full sized! I haven't used the products yet, so this is just an overview of what I received. Let me know if you'd like reviews after I have used them. Here we go!!

The More You Know: Two Kose Softymo Cleansing Products You Probably Haven't Heard Of

So I was reflecting on my life here in Japan and looking back at all the frivolous purchases I've made throughout my two years (as of right now) that I have lived here. One thing that sends me over the edge into buying a product is packaging, especially if that packaging is cute. I've learned about the merits of oil cleansing while I lived here, and since there are so many options on this side of the world it was easy for me to accumulate a lot of stuff. Let's put it to good use now shall we??

First, a little about my skin. I only get pimples when I'm hormonal, leave makeup on for far too long, or visit a country where China's pollution is a problem (shakes fist angrily). I never patch test, I haven't had any severe reactions to any ingredient thus far (knock on wood). I would say I have combination skin.

The two products I will talk about are from Kose, part of their Softymo range. I know their cleansing oils are incredibly popular on the reddits, but have any of you heard of their cleansing liquids? I'm thinking not. Here is a photo in its standard packaging as well as ingredients and claims.

Softymo Speedy Cleansing Liquid

Water, Dipropylene Glycol, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, PEG-20 Glyceryl Isostearate, Butylene Glycol, Ethanol, Methyl Gluceth-10, PEG-32, PEG-6, Mallow Flower Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate

Claims

 100% Oil Free, Paraben Free, No Silicones

~With a fresh feeling it softly takes off even difficult to remove makeup

~Leaves skin feeling soft and beautiful

~Since its made with no alcohol, people with eyelash extensions as well as those who don't like oils can use it

Softymo Honey Mild Cleansing Liquid

Water, Butylene Glycol, Cetylhexanoate, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Sorbitan Oleate, Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate, Serine, Honey, Disodium Salt, Pyrrolidon Caboxylic Acid(Acrylic Acid/Alkyl Acrylate (C10-30))Copolymer, Potassium Hydroxide, Fragrance

Claims

5 Types of 100%Pure Honey (Lavender, Damask Rose, Goji Berry, Orange, Lychee) in Combination with Butylene Glycol

~5 Free, No Parabens, Mineral Oil, Alcohol, Silicones, Dyes 

~Its at a neutrality close to that of tears (I guess that means it won't sting your eyes?)

~Even with mascara on, it will cleanly take everything off

~You can use with wet hands or face

~Uses Natural Fragrance, Floral Honey Scent

Ahhhh!!! It's Minnie Mouse!!! Softymo had a stint where all of their cleansing products had Disney characters on it. They also had an Ariel version of the liquid, but I had already bought this one so I could.not.let myself do it. 

Review

This product has 2.4 out of 7 stars on Cosme.net, which is Japan's most loved product review website for consumers. I fully support that rating. The consistency is that of a slightly gelatinous alcohol? I can definitely feel a cooling effect from the alcohol in it, although it's thicker than plain alcohol would be of course. As far as makeup removal is concerned this is subpar. I don't wear heavy duty base makeup usually but I have to rub more than I would like with this. For mascara, it doesn't dissolve it, it just kinda loosens it if that makes sense. I can get my mascara off....eventually, but again there is too much rubbing involved. There is no need to double cleanse (if you get all your makeup off) because it rinses cleanly. If you are someone who wears light makeup, has an aversion to oils, but is indifferent to alcohol in your products, maybe this could be the makeup remover for you?

This has Pooh on it because its honey. Get it? It melts my frigid heart. This is a newer product, it released in January of this year and it has a rating of 4.7 out 7 on cosme.net. This is a much better product than the regular liquid. It's a thicker consistency than the liquid, but not actual honey levels of thickness. I find that it removes makeup better than the liquid but I find myself having to use quite a bit of product since it does not spread as easily as a regular cleansing oil would. The fragrance is rather light and inoffensive, I like it! It takes off my mascara better than the regular liquid but not as easy as a normal cleansing oil. This would be good for anyone with an aversion to mineral oils, or loves honey infused products. 

Here's where I put them to the test!!

Arm Swatches:

Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Liner in Perversion--> Missha BB Cream #31--> OCC Lip Tar in Black Dahlia

In the first corner is Speedy Cleansing Liquid!!

Oh, it looks like a miss!! When rubbing the product in it immediately turned pink from the lip tar, but clearly didn't remove much anything. The liner DID NOT BUDGE. That is my go-to sweat proof liner it fights its way through everything, which is why I only wear it when necessary. So again, this cleansing liquid should only be used by those who wear light makeup. I use it (to finish it up) during the week when I wear my light office makeup.

In the next corner is the Honey Mild Cleansing Liquid!!

It beat the cleansing liquid, which isn't saying much!! Nah, its good, that liner just holds on like glue. While I was rubbing the product in it looked like it wouldn't budge, but when I emulsified it with water it started to come off (If I rubbed longer everything would have come off). The BB cream is all gone, and all that is left of the lip tar is respectable stain. 

Results:

The Honey Mild Cleansing Liquid is the clear victor in this match up. I would definitely buy it again if I didn't have a million other cleansing oils/balms/etc to work through.

Any questions?? Let me know!!

L'oreal Tint Caresse, Japan Release

I saw this item the other day at LOFT and it looked so interesting that I had to buy it. This is a product that just launched in Japan ( I'm not sure if/when its heading to other parts of the world) that is meant to create a gradient lip look. Here is a picture of the model wearing the product:

That looks promising doesn't it?? Here is more information on the item. It is from L'oreal and it is called Tint Caresse (ティント　カレス). This is actually quite confusing since every L'oreal lip product here is called some version of carresse. Here is what the product itself looks like:

Now you can see why it piqued my interest. The packaging is a lovely gradient. The product is a unique powder that you apply using the felt tip. The powder product itself is housed in the cap. It comes in 8 colors and retails for 1700 yen. I bought the deepest color in 8 Dark Plum. Perfect for the fall which is finally here!! Here is the model modeling the color I bought:

That looks amazing doesn't it!! According to L'oreal this product is: 

A historic first! You can have gradient lips with this brilliant matte cushion lip product, feather it out from the middle of your lips.

Have some pictures:

Sorry for the pic quality, all I have in here is a ceiling light. Anyways, it looks so pretty here, being all plum and stuff. Here is a swatch on my hand:

Doesn't it look nice here too, such a bold color. So much sass. The product is a super velvety powder that stains the lips (or back of your hand) fairly well. Here it is on my lips, I'm putting these as small as possible because lip swatches are so awkward.

 Just the product by itself.

With gloss added on top.

As you can see the application looks pretty terrible by itself. Its patchy and it doesn't build on itself to make the center look darker than the rest of the lips. Also it is incredibly drying. Maybe for someone whose lips aren't as full as mine it would be less of an issue, since someone with thinner lips wouldn't have to feather the product from the middle of their lips as much as I do. With the gloss it looks a lot better but the gradient would be lost when gloss is added on top of the product. Also, the product is deeper in person, my lights washed it out, it actually looks close to the color swatched on my hand. 

Final Thoughts:

Maybe the product would look better over a lip concealer or nude lip stick but I'd be afraid of product transfer into the powder. Oh well. At least its a nice color, but I think I'll just use it as a regular lip color and not try to do fancy tricks with it. What do you guys think?? Let me know in the comments!!

Cosme.com's Sunscreen Comparisons/Review, SPRAY Type Edition

Here is the fourth installment of the reviews cosme.com posted on various sunscreens. There are four different types that they tested out including gel type, milk type, powder type and spray type. Enjoy!

Cosme.com's Sunscreen Comparisons/Review, POWDER Type Edition

Here is the third installment of the reviews cosme.com posted on various sunscreens. There are four different types that they tested out including gel type, milk type, powder type and spray type. Enjoy!

Cosme.com's Sunscreen Comparisons/Review, MILK/CREAM Type Edition

Here is the second installment of the reviews cosme.com posted on various sunscreens. There are four different types that they tested out including gel type, milk type, powder type and spray type. Enjoy!

Cosme.com's Sunscreen Comparisons, GEL TYPE Edition

 I came across Cosme.com's sunscreen comparisons the other day and I decided to translate their reviews for those who are interested. There are four different categories: gel type, milk/cream type, powder type and spray type. Today I have for you the gel type comparisons. Hope you enjoy!

Haul Time featuring Japanese sunscreen, RRS and Innisfree

The first items in my haul are these! They were 50% off at my local Family Mart (convenience store) so I picked them up for around $3 each! I'm excited to try them out when it gets warmer!

Left: Hadalabo kit, 20ml of the Gokujyun Lotion and 25ml of the UV Moist Emulsion SPF50

Right: Biore UV Perfect Milk (full size)

Since I started frequenting the AB reddit page, I've been interested in trying Benton Cosmetics. I ordered these from RoseRoseShop!

Left: Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream (5ml) and Snail Bee High Content Essence (5ml)

Right: Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel (5ml) and Aloe BHA Skin Toner  (5ml)

My goodies from the Innisfree World tutorial!! I was worried about these as it took forever to reach me and I live in Japan, only an hour plane ride away. But it seems as though everyone is getting them around now.

Included in the trial kit are products from their Green Tea Line including the Balancing Lotion, Balancing Skin, Seed Serum and Balancing Cream.

Here are the rest of the spoils from my RRS order. I like the idea of ordering samples rather than full size. I will be visiting Korea again in three weeks so hopefully some of these work out for me so I can bring some back!

Left to Right: All from Skinfood, their Watery Berry Serum, Royal Honey Hydro Essence, and

Black Pomegranate Emulsion

Left to Right: Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence, Nature Republic Shea Butter Moist Steam Cream, and Mizon Snail Repair Intensive Ampoule 

Lastly were the free gifts from RRS! There is no English on the bottle but a Hangul search brought me to the conclusion that they are from The Face Shop's Jeju Golden Seed Line.

Left: Jeju Golden Seed Lotion

Right: Jeju Golden Seed Toner

Glossybox Japan November 2014

Here are the contains of my November 2014 box, enjoy!!

Glossybox Japan October 2014

Well I decided to go through the products I've gotten in my Glossyboxes over the past few months. I've used a couple of the items but overall I still have most of them. Below is what I received in my first box which was the October 2014 box. The trend I've noticed with Glossybox Japan is that they will only include one fullsize product with your order. With Glossybox in America there are generally bigger samples given.

The overall feeling of the box.

Glossybox Japan March Box 2015

Hello everyone, I wanted to finally get around to posting my Japanese Glossybox. I signed up for the the 6-month plan and this is the final month for me (yeah it took me a while to start blogging about it). The 6-month plan cost 8,640 yen which right now is equivalent to around $72, so around $12 a box. I didn't think it was worth it honestly so I probably won't extend the plan. But who knows, so now on to the products I got.

This is the presentation of the box when first opened.

Empties part 1

I've been neglecting this blog big time and it's a shame. I have a lot of empties that I want to log and then throw out, so this will be an empties review of various products!! (Sorry for such crappy photos!!)

This was a refill of some Biore Makeup remover wipes, sorry I don't know the whole name. I find that Japanese face wipes have a lot of alcohol in them and dry my skin really badly. The wipe itself was on the thin side and not the most comfortable to use.