Well, the good news is that I like this lotion a lot. It's fragrance free, clear, and has no viscosity, so it goes on like water and it sinks in (or vapors off? hmm...) like water, only very moisturizing water that leaves my skin very soft and comfortable. All the win, right? Not quite. That's where the bad news comes in.
The bad news is that while HABA products are free of paraben, fragrance, color, mineral oil, and surfactant, the company isn't shy about the origin of its main ingredient, squalane - from shark liver. I'll be frank that when it comes to animal-derived products I'm as guilty as, well, everyone else. I mean, I do eat meat and hell, I've used skincare with placenta protein (Hadanomy AquaPlacenta Concentrated Mist and Facial Cleanser) and who knows from where they got that stuff, and snail secretion (Nature Republic Snail Therapy 80 Emulsion), and I didn't mind any of them! In fact, I liked the snail slime stuff enough to repurchase a set of Snail Therapy Skin Booster (lotion/toner) and Emulsion, which I'm going to get to soon!
But I think I'm going to draw the line at shark liver, and not because I'm icked out or anything. Quite the opposite, I actually like sharks. I don't like them enough to go take a dip with them or anything - I'd prefer to be the one eating lunch/dinner, not eaten as lunch/dinner - but I won't buy shark products or eat shark fin soup. So I do feel super guilty that I like both this G-Lotion as well as the Squalane Beauty Oil very much, and I'm glad I've tried both. I will finish using what I have, but I will not buy anything else from HABA, ever, especially when squalane can be derived through sugarcane, Peter Thomas Roth Oilless Oil - 100% Purified Squalane for example, a sample of which I just got a sample of this not too long ago and am looking forward to try. So yeah, I like this stuff but I will not buy it.
I like your stance on that! (And I've actually skipped the Hadanomy line despite my interest because I don't know where the placenta comes from.)
ReplyDeleteI've actually become a vegetarian two years ago, but I'm still not using enough vegan and cruelty-free beauty products...
Hi Julia!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while, how are you?
Thanks for the support ^.^ I do realize I have a choice in getting my squalane elsewhere, and so does HABA for that matter.
I admire that you're a vegetarian, that's better than what I can do :( Keep it up!
Cheers,
D.
Sorry! I'm still reading your blog, although mostly the rarer Asian cosmetics articles. Just ordered some stuff off Sasa as well. (Back in Germany for now.)
ReplyDeleteI was never a big meat eater, but in Japan I realised how hard being a vegetarian is! They put fish and bacon in every dish!
Hey don't be sorry! Unlike myself I understand other people have this thing going on called "life" LOL!
ReplyDeleteYeah, since moving home I don't have a lot of Asian makeup toys to play with :( Can't help either that the brands in Japan have been releasing repetitive and boring stuff. Ha... I do have some things that I'll be posting soon though!
Yes, many of my vegetarian friends had the same struggle when they were in Japan, much so that many of them ended up bending the rules to allow fish into their diet. You're awesome for sticking it out! Hats off to you!
^.^
D.
I don't have much going on right now, though. I'm taking a big break from grad school, trying to figure out what to do with my life.
ReplyDeleteSo it's not just me who felt like Japanese brands got a bit... boring? I'm especially sad that Lavshuca revamped its lipsticks, I should have bought more of the Moist Melting Bars!
I didn't have much money, so I cooked for myself a lot. Sometimes I had to eat things with dashi because there was simply nothing else there, and I hated being a nuisance at school or social gatherings. (A professor told me vegetarians are seen as very bothersome in Japan. Nice...) My boyfriend was very nice about finding places where I could eat, though. His pick-up line was basically, "must be tough for you to eat out! When I find a nice vegetarian restaurant, can I invite you?" XD
Taking a break is good. Mind if I ask what you were studying? Hubby considered taking a break too but decided to push through, then he changed career completely the moment he got his degree LOL
ReplyDeleteYeah, the Japanese brands have been yawn-worthy of late. Not sure what's going on, may be they got bored of themselves? xD Surely you can find some Moist Melting Rouge online somewhere, may be E(vil)bay?
That pick up line made me LOL! Adorable ^.^ And that professor who told you that vegetarians are seen as bothersome in Japan? NOT so adorable. You know what's funny? The one stereotype I hear over and over is that people in Japan are super duper discreet and tactful and they never come out and say things to your face. Well, your story is one clear example of why it's a stereotype. Sorry you had to put up with such a comment. Oh, Japan...I do miss the place though, and the food ^.^
Hugs,
D.
I wanted to be a teacher for languages in Japan, so I went for a degree in TESOL/Applied Linguistics at a new programme in Waseda. Unfortunately, after the first semester, I got into some sort of life crisis and had to go home for a while to sort myself out. (My grandma was happy to have me back, I guess, and I'm my baby niece's favourite babysitter right now. XD)
ReplyDeleteIt's sad, in a way, but I guess I better figure out what to do before I spend a lot of money I don't technically have.
What did your hubby do?
I've looked for Moist Melting Rouges on the usual sites, but the colours I wanted are sold out. :/ I still have one back-up of RD-4, and then that's it. But I guess other brands have similar formulas - I've heard good things about Opera on @cosme, too bad I didn't swatch any when I was in Japan...
Yeah, he's a keeper, I guess. He also constantly feeds my turtle obsession. And we play Pokémon together. I let him win. (Actually, he's just really stronger than I am. X'D)
The professor in question was a bit mean, yeah. I'm not the only one who had problems with her. Everyone else was lovely, though, I loved my supervisor.
Gee, I had no idea about the shark liver!
ReplyDeleteWonder what they do with the rest of the shark? I'd been debating about whether to buy more HABA products, but I like sharks too (more than plants) so I will try something else.
Hi Julia,
ReplyDeleteHave you tried applying to the JET program (http://www.jetprogramme.org/)? Some of the JETs I know got hired permanently by their prefecture's board of education after their contract terms were completed! Hubby studied classical Japanese literature (Genji, etc.) and it's not like that industry is booming so he switched careers LOL
Which color(s) of the Moist Melting Rouge are you looking for?
haha you guys play Pokemon together, I can totally picture that! Hubby and I used to play katamari damacy and it was really fun! Now we watch Supernatural (US TV series) and Adventure Times (cartoon) - both are recommended ^.^
Hi kuri,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm sad about the shark liver too. I wish it wasn't so, because I actually like these HABA products :( But shark liver means I won't be buying anymore.
I have no idea what happens with the rest of the shark but I hope they'd make good use of it and not just toss it back into the ocean to rot. Urgh.
Boo. Hiss.
:(
D.
I did apply for JET two years ago, but they didn't have any vacancies for German ALTs at that time. (Last year, they suddenly had two... -.-) I don't think I'll go to Japan long-term for a while anyway, as my family is here in Europe and my boyfriend will be as well.
ReplyDeleteAnything that's not business or hard sciences these days is frowned upon, at least I get that feeling. As if business majors are saving the world... (No offence to people who are in business, some of them are lovely, but some are real entitled ***holes.)
RD-4 was my favourite (the others were all too warm or light on me), but I still have a back-up. Until that runs out, I'll find a nice replacement! (Or use up my other lipsticks. ^^;;;)
I've seen an episode or two of Supernatual, but I don't think I can get my boyfriend into it. Recently, I've been watching Pretty Little Liars for the lulz, as they say, and have been recapping/ranting to him. Maybe he'll watch it with me, he's a good TV snarker. Every time we watch Detective Conan together, he gets really angry about no one ever calling an ambulance or trying CPR simply because a little kid tells them that the victim is already dead. X'D
Oh you're preaching to the choir here, after all I think the Americans invented business a$$holery, being home to Wall Street and all...
ReplyDeleteDid you teach at all when you were in Japan? Or were you in school the whole time?
Supernatural gets better after a few episodes, and the main story line picks up great pace starting the later half of season 3 through the end of season 5. That is, if you're into urban legends (mostly American) and myths/folklores, and you like Judeo-christianity related stories.
Cheers,
D.
Of course it's important that someone is a banker, a CEO etc., but I don't get why we glorify certain professions so much and other important professionals like nurses or teachers have a hard time making a living.
ReplyDeleteI did work as a teaching assistant at my university and I also moonlighted as a nanny. XD
I think the episode I saw (where they make fun at Twilight) was somewhere into the series already?
I think the problem here is not glorifying the profession but more like glorifying the money. Most people here would actually agree with you, Julia.
ReplyDeleteHave you thought about teaching abroad for international schools instead? What did you study in college?
I can only recommend Supernatural from season 1 through season 5, where the main story line ends. Everything after that is, well, extra.
Cheers,
D.
Thank you. I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteI did consider that, but while one part of me (the old me?) loves the idea, the other part (new and somewhat frightened me) hates being far away from my family. :(
I'll keep that in mind! It's like Pretty Little Liars, which has been dragged on for so long now that literally everyone and their mother have been accused of something to the point where the main characters themselves go like, "you know what, maybe I did it and just don't remember?" XDD