Suncut UV Mild Care Milky Gel SPF50+ PA++++

Just finished with this 80g bottle of Suncut UV Mild Care Milky Gel SPF50+ PA++++ as well. I've been using this sunscreen on my little ones as well, but only on their Splash Days at school because it's waterproof (during the summer, they get to mess around with water and kiddie pools for an hour outside in the morning, twice a week). 

Precious Garden Hand Cream Part III

Last fall, Julia, a reader, surprised me with an enormous care package from Tokyo with many of my favorite things: Daiso masking tapes in cute prints, green rooibos tea, hand cream, snacks, and new lippies she thought I'd like but haven't tried because she hasn't seen any reviewed on this blog. I'm so lucky to have such thoughtful, kind, and generous friends! Thank you, thank you, Julia!



Among the goodies was this 70g tube of Precious Garden Hand Cream in the Relaxing Flower scent, which is what I'm reviewing in this post.

Grace One Rich Moisture Lotion R

Trying really hard to finish this 30mL trial bottle of Grace One Rich Moisture Lotion R. This and the Rich Moisture Milk were freebies that came with the Perfect Gel Cream Set.

Grace One Rich Moisture Milk

Finished my little jar of Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Silky Cream and moved on to this 30mL trial bottle of Grace One Rich Moisture Milk. The bottle was from the Perfect Gel Cream Set I bought for hubby.

Kokutousei Hakkou E Gel Cream Hydrating Elastic Gel

Hubby has been using the 90g jar of this Kokutousei Hakkou E Gel Cream Hydrating Elastic Gel for a few weeks now and he really likes it. This is a 6-in-1 product, a lotion (toner), milk, essence/serum, cream, pack, and massage-cream all in one. Kokutousei has an English website and you can read more about the whole skincare line there.

Precious Garden Hand Cream Part II

At long last, after some 9+ months I finally finished my previous tube of Precious Garden Hand Cream in the Relaxing Flower scent. Now I'm moving on to the second 70g tube in the Honey Peach scent.

Well, it smells neither of honey or peach but rather a generic but pleasant fruity flowery scent. It's not overpowering and I only use half a pea size amount each time anyway.

See my previous Precious Garden Hand Cream post.

Grace One Perfect Gel Cream

Continuing the trend of all-in-one products, I picked up this Grace One Perfect Gel Cream Set to try. The set comes with a full size 100g Gel Cream, and two 30mL trial size bottles of the Lotion R and Milk.

Precious Garden Hand Cream

Bought both 70g tubes of Precious Garden Hand Cream (a sub-brand of Kose Cosmeport) back in the fall when I was on a hand cream rampage. These are supposedly the same only with different fragrances. The lavender tube is Relaxing Flower, which stays put in my living room on a side table.

This is a very thick and rich hand cream that leaves my hand velvety and softly scented (the orangy tube smells heavenly too!). It comes out of the tube a semi translucent cream, and I only I need a tiny amount the size of my pinky nail for both hands.

Being a compulsive hand-washer, I reach for this hand cream a few times a day, and yet after several months' use I still have half a tube left! With the oncoming summer, I might have to put it away in favor of a lighter cream, but I definitely recommend it for those with dry hands. Love it!

Kokutousei Moisturizing Lotion

Bought this Kokutousei Moisturizing Lotion Set on a whim because it came with a 180mL and a 130mL refill pouch. I know, crazy, right? Especially when I hadn't seen this new brand under Kose Cosmeport before. But it looked interesting so I was game to try it.

SunCut UV Protect Gel SPF50+ PA++++

We ran out of body sunscreen on our second day in Tokyo, which, as you know, is a happy occasion for me because it means I can go browse the drugstore (again, despite the crazy music and harsh lighting). Hubby and I loved loved loved Nivea Sun Protect Water Gel Super SPF50 PA+++ (will review next), but after many a bottles I wanted something new I haven't tried before. A quick walk around the block and we came home with this 100g bottle of SunCut UV Protect Gel SPF50+ PA++++, courtesy of Cosmeport, a sub-brand of Kose.

Softymo Super Eye Makeup Remover

I've been using this Softymo Super Eye Makeup Remover for a while now, not wanting to bother with rinsing my face after wiping off eye makeup with BeautyMate Aqua Makeup Removing Wipe. Plus using a whole sheet of wipe for just my eyes seems wasteful.

Softymo Super Eye Makeup Remover is an unscented milky emulsion that's supposed to be gentle, taking eye makeup off without drying or irritating the eye area. Also, there is no need to rinse my face afterwards, which is what I look for in an eye makeup remover (otherwise I wouldn't bother with it and just wash my face off with an oil cleanser!). And although it says eye makeup remover, it can also be used for lips. Other pluses include the fact that it's more affordable, being a few hundred yens for a huge 230 mL bottle that will probably take me months to use up since I only need a small dollop at a time. Despite the fact that I prefer the dual-layer liquid eye makeup removers like Lancome Bi-Facil, between this big bottle and several others that were half the size and twice the price, I couldn't help but giving this a chance. The Cosme Award (from Cosme.net, a sprawling Japanese cosmetics and skincare information and reviews site) sticker on the bottle definitely helped my purchasing decision!

Softymo White Cleansing Oil

Been using this Softymo White Cleansing Oil for a month now. There was a million and one choices for cleansing oils at the drug store, and I've got plenty of time so I started out with what I know.

I bought this for my mum but never cared to try it myself. I wasn't into anything whitening because frankly I think it's an odd concept not to mention the ingredients are just useless extra additions. But my mum loves all the whitening stuff, so... Anyway, fast forward to the drugstore, and when faced with so many choices, I was quick to pick this because it's the only 1 left out of the 3 Softymo cleansing oils I haven't tried, the other 2 being the Deep Cleansing Oil and Speedy Cleansing Oil :P

Texture wise, I would say this White Cleansing Oil is the thickest out of the 3 Softymo cleansing oils. Other than that, it's almost identical to its Deep Cleansing sibling, having the same orange-citrus scent (though the fragrance is so light I don't even notice it anymore), no silicon feel, and rinses clean. The whitening factor? Not that I've seen, unfortunately. Perhaps it's been formulated like American made whitening toothpaste and you'll have to use it for years and years to notice the slightest change, if there are any. Ha...useless extra ingredients... Oh well, at least it makes my mum happy.

Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil

I am half way through this Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil bottle right now and it's okay. The texture is much thinner than most other cleansing oils I've used such as DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, its sister Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil, and even the thinner Naive Olive Deep Cleansing Oil. In fact, its thin texture, the silicon-y feel, and the very slight film it left behind all remind me of the Shiseido Ultimate Cleansing Oil, minus the heavy perfume.

I think this Speedy Cleansing Oil is unscented, although the first time I used it I did notice a strange rubbery smell that went away quickly and I never smelled it again. May be it just smelled like that coming out of the bottle. Also, the main ingredient in this cleansing oil is mineral oil, so if you are sensitive to that you should stay away from this one. Other than that, it's a decent cleansing oil and does not dry out my skin like DHC. All that said though I still like the Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil better due to the thicker texture and the clean rinsing.

This cleansing oil is also the cheapest one out of all the cleansing oils I've used as a 230mL bottle usually goes for $8-10 at the local Asian grocery store. It is even cheaper online and Sasa.com is selling the 230mL bottle for $7.60 and a pack of 230mL plus 170mL refill for $12.70 :)

Softymo Collagen Moisture Cleansing Wash

After delegating Softymo Speedy Cleansing Milk to only morning use, I turned to Softymo Collagen Moisture Cleansing Wash for my nightly use instead. It was cheap and came in a good size bottle so why not? I love trying new stuff, especially when I have an excuse :)

This is pretty much your average liquid facial cleanser, although in my opinion it is quite above average. It is scented, although very lightly with a citrusy fragrance that reminds me of the scent from the Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil. The only somewhat oddity I found is that every once in a blue moon, I will smell a bit of sulfur amidst the citrusy scent, which kind of weirds me out. But hey, onsens smell like that too and people do skinny dipping it and the sulfur makes their skin soft, so why should I let this bother me when a tiny bit of sulfur will make my face soft?

Anyway, this Collagen Moisture Cleansing Wash doesn't create mad foam the way Naive Facial Cleansing Foams do, but it also didn't disappoint me the way Softymo Airy Whip did, not to mention it is a lot more gentle and much less drying! I think I will actually stick with this one for a while, at least until I use it up, which will probably take a long time since I only use half a pump each time.

Softymo Speedy Cleansing Milk

I have dry skin so I am always on the look out for cleansers that sounds like they would be nice and gentle so this Softymo Speedy Cleansing Milk seems to fit the bill. That is, until I started using it. While it is a nice cleanser, it's not what I was looking for.

Just out of curiosity, but when you read "Cleansing Milk," how do you expect that cleanser to turn out? I was expecting a sorta runny milky cleanser that's very mild and, perhaps, foams a tiny little bit. Well, I was way off. This one actually turns out to be a cleansing cream. The texture is in no way a milk but is not a firm cream either. Rather, it's sort of like your Yoplait yogurt, only thicker and creamier. It does not foam, and it does not rinse clean, i.e. it does leave an oily film on your skin after rinsing, as all cleansing creams do.

That said, it is a gentle and moisturizing cleanser indeed. I am definitely not a fan of cleansing creams, but I find myself tolerating this one, probably because it is a soft cream and not too firm and greasy like your average cleansing cream. It is unscented, and if you know what unscented Cetaphil products smell like, this Softymo Speedy Cleansing Milk smells like that. I am not sure whether it removes makeup because I always use an oil cleanser first to remove my sunscreen, and the oil cleanser pretty much takes off everything before this cleanser can prove itself in that department. I had plan to use this cleansing "milk" at night as a mild follow up cleanser after the oil cleanser, but I generally prefer my follow up cleanser to foam at least a little bit. And since this cleansing "milk" does not foam, I use it in the morning instead, skipping 2 days in between when I only rinse my face with water.

Anyway, may be I should just stop making assumptions or having any expectation for a product altogether because this is the second time I ended up being way off, the first time with Softymo Airy Whip and now with yet another Softymo product. Then again, may be that's not possible, given everything about a product calls for expectations and assumptions, which is why we get terribly disappointed sometimes. I'm not saying I'm disappointed with this Speedy Cleansing Milk, but it certainly isn't what I expected at all. Had I known it was a cream cleanser I would have never bought it.

Softymo Airy Whip

Did you know those Naive Facial Cleansing Foams last for freakin' ever? I started using the Peach one in January, and by April I barely used up a third! So I got impatient and started trying out a different cleanser :P

I spotted this Softymo Airy Whip on Sasa.com and didn't have the strength to resist it. It had glowing reviews with 5 stars, and they all says it's gentle, non-drying, and suitable for all skin types. And it was cheap! I was completely sold and tore into the package as soon as it arrived.

Well, I hate to rain on all the great reviews, but other than the scent, this cleanser didn't bode well with my skin at all :( First of all, switching from Naive Facial Cleansing Foam to this Softymo Airy Whip, I was a bit disappointed with the foaming factor. To be fair, the Naive cleanser foamed much more than your average foaming cleanser, and just a tiny little dollop would yield a very thick and rich foam. Also, the Airy Whip's packaging gave me incorrect assumptions and my expectations were way off, which probably also explains my disappointment. Because it came in an aluminum aerosol bottle that requires rigorous shaking prior to dispensing, I expected that it would be sort of like shaving cream. You know, shake well, dispenses a gel or foamy cream, and upon application it would foam like mad. Nope. Not so. The Airy Whip dispensed a thick and rich foam, but upon massaging that foam onto my face it would quickly dissipate and become a very light and airy foam and did not stay thick and rich. So in this sense it did stay true to its name, just not the way I expected it to.

Why didn't it bode well with my skin? It stung like hell, that's why, although not consistently every time I use it. No, it wasn't because I bought the wrong stuff or that because the bottle I got had gone bad or anything. The cleanser just wasn't suitable with me skin, period. It only stung on drier days and stung the areas where my skin is most dry and/or sensitive, i.e. around my eyes, my nose and mouth, especially the under eye area, corners of my nostrils, and the area above my upper lips. You see, other than the oil cleanser to take off sunscreen, I avoid using any other cleansers on these areas directly. Of course, with any foaming cleanser it's not possible to neatly contain the foam to wherever you want them, but out of all the foaming cleansers I have used in the past (which is quite a lot!), the only other one in recent memory that stung me like this was Estee Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser (what a long-winded name it was too)! So unfortunately, on drier days, washing my face was like a race to wash and rinse off before it starts stinging, which is totally ridiculous if you ask me.

To top it all off, by May I had already used up the darn can! Yes, it lasted me 1 whole month with nightly use and every other 2 mornings' use :(

Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil

Guess what my sister brought me from Japan? Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil :D I gave it a trial run right away for those several days while I was there visiting my parents and her, of course!



I like this Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil best out of all the cleansing oils I've used so far! The Shiseido Ultimate Cleansing Oil ($23/150 mL) and Naive Olive Deep Cleansing Oil (Ebay has these for $10-15/170 mL, cheaper at the local Asian groceries) are both non-drying and mild, but they both are too runny and thin in texture, too silicon-y. Also, both leave a slight film after rinsing. FANCL Mild Cleansing Oil ($24/120 mL) is better, rinse cleaner while being just as mild and non-drying, but it's a bit too expensive to keep up. Plus it goes rancid pretty quickly being without preservatives. The DHC Deep Cleansing Oil ($25/200 mL or $12.50/70 mL) is decent, rinses clean but can be drying.

This Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil has many of the good points the other cleansing oils have and very few of their bad points. One of the good points is its texture - it is thicker than the Shiseido Ultimate, Naive, and FANCL, but thinner than the DHC. There is no slippery silicon-y feel, just smooth silkiness. Another good point is that it rinses clean but doesn't leave my skin tight or dry. As with all cleansing oils, it lifted my waterproof sunscreen effortlessly. Last but not least, it is the most affordable cleansing oil out of the bunch, being priced around $10-15/230 mL on Ebay and cheaper if you can get them at your local Asian groceries.

The one most obvious bad point is that it is scented with a subtle orange-citrus fragrance. If you're sensitive to fragrance, this is going to be a bit of a bummer. Another bad point is that 1 of the 2 main ingredient is mineral oil (the other being rice bran oil, which is actually pretty darn good stuff!), so if your skin can't handle mineral oil, this is going to be a bummer too. None of this bothers my skin so I'm really happy with this cleansing oil and will keep using this for now unless I stumble upon something even better. I would totally recommend it!