Hadanomy Collagen Cleansing

Ah jeez, is May gone already?!? Sorry for lagging behind again :(

Anyway, been using this Hadanomy Collagen Cleansing since April and it's about time for a review. This makeup cleansing gel is not your average foaming gel cleanser. In fact, it will not foam at all. This is actually a gel alternative to the cleansing oil, only it remains a gel through and through, not a gel-to-oil either.

Why? Because some folks are uncomfortable with and/or dislike the oily or silicone-y feel of cleansing oil, or find that cleansing oils are messy, spill-prone, and generally inconvenient to travel with (this I somewhat agree with). Hence the makeup cleansing gel that takes off both makeup and sunscreen, just like the cleansing oils do. 

And yes, you start with dry hands and dry face, just as you would with a cleansing oil. Massage thoroughly to remove makeup and sunscreen, then rinse. Some people like to add a little bit of water first to emulsify, just as others do with cleansing oil, massage some more before rinsing. After the dry hands and face it's pretty much personal preference.

Hadanomy AquaPlacenta Wash Facial Cleanser

After Shiseido Perfect Milk deep fried my skin over the course of 2 nights, I went back to Shiseido The Skincare Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam but got bored again rather quickly. ...And moved on to this Hadanomy AquaPlacenta Wash Facial Cleanser ^.^

This is a cleansing foam and I wasn't going to buy it at first. Not only is it freaking huge (150g!), it's a foaming cleanser which means chances are good it will deep fry my skin again. Aside from that, I still have a few other items from this Hadanomy AquaPlacenta line (lotion and cream) but so far have only used the Concentrated Mist. In the end though, I bought it anyway -.-' 

Hadanomy Collagen Concentrated Lotion

This Hadanomy Collagen Concentrated Lotion is the last of the 4 products I started using from this line. This lotion (toner) is a much thicker and much more moisturizing version of the Collagen Lotion. It is supposedly the second to last step before the cream, which raises my eyebrows, because it's very moisturizing already just by itself!

Suggested routine for nights (purple section): 

1. Collagen Cleansing (for makeup removal, pink tube, haven't tried this yet; if you wear a water resistant Japanese sunscreen, you will need an oil cleanser to remove that first), OR

2. Collagen Wash (follow up cleanser, pink pump bottle, I skipped this and didn't bother with it)

3. Collagen Concentrated Mist, OR

4. Collagen Lotion

5. Collagen Milk

6. Twice a week treatment: Collagen Mask (skipped this too) 

7. This Concentrated Lotion

8. Collagen Cream (haven't tried this yet)

Suggested routine for days (yellow section):

1. Collagen Wash

2. Collagen Concentrated Mist, OR

3. Collagen Lotion

4. Collagen Milk, OR

5. Collagen Cream

***Hadanomy product guide from Hadanomy JP.

Hadanomy Collagen Milk

I apply this Hadanomy Collagen Milk after the Concentrated Mist (and sometimes Lotion), just as recommended in the product guide below. This is a moisturizer milk that, despite looking thick, opaque, and scary in the bottle, is in fact quite a pleasure to use, much so hubby has started mooching it from me ^.^

Suggested routine for nights (purple section): 

1. Collagen Cleansing (for makeup removal, pink tube, haven't tried this yet; if you wear a water resistant Japanese sunscreen, you will need an oil cleanser to remove that first), OR

2. Collagen Wash (follow up cleanser, pink pump bottle, I skipped this and didn't bother with it)

3. Collagen Concentrated Mist, OR

4. Collagen Lotion

5. This Collagen Milk

6. Twice a week treatment: Collagen Mask (skipped this too) 

7. Concentrated Lotion (left this at home, but will review next)

8. Collagen Cream (haven't tried this yet)

Suggested routine for days (yellow section):

1. Collagen Wash

2. Collagen Concentrated Mist, OR

3. Collagen Lotion

4. This Collagen Milk, OR

5. Collagen Cream

***Hadanomy product guide from Hadanomy JP.

Hadanomy Collagen Lotion

Next up is the Hadanomy Collagen Lotion, which I was using daily while visiting with my parents but have since reduced usage to only occasionally when I feel my skin needs extra help. This is a lotion (toner) that is viscous, making it more of a water-like gel. It is thicker than the Collagen Concentrated Mist. While it does melt upon contact and becomes more watery in my palm, it's still not quite as runny as the mist. 

Suggested routine for nights (purple section): 

1. Collagen Cleansing (for makeup removal, pink tube, haven't tried this yet; if you wear a water resistant Japanese sunscreen, you will need an oil cleanser to remove that first), OR

2. Collagen Wash (follow up cleanser, pink pump bottle, I skipped this and didn't bother with it)

3. Collagen Concentrated Mist, OR

4. This Collagen Lotion

5. Collagen Milk (using right now, will review next)

6. Twice a week treatment: Collagen Mask (skipped this too) 

7. Concentrated Lotion (left this at home, but will review too)

8. Collagen Cream (haven't tried this yet)

Suggested routine for days (yellow section):

1. Collagen Wash

2. Collagen Concentrated Mist, OR

3. This Collagen Lotion

4. Collagen Milk, OR

5. Collagen Cream

***Hadanomy product guide from Hadanomy JP.

Hadanomy Collagen Concentrated Mist

This Hadanomy Collagen line was my "goodbye Japan" gift to myself ^.^ Of course I was being silly, because both the Hadanomy Collagen as well as AquaPlacenta lines are easily available via the internet as well as here in SF, and I have already spotted them all over Japan Town. Then again, I got these in Japan for a discounted price and no markups or international shipping :P

Anyway, I am reviewing this Collagen Concentrated Mist first. It is not the first layer of my daily skincare routine (that would be SK-II Facial Clear Lotion then Facial Treatment Essence at night, and currently The Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner then Facial Treatment Essence again in the morning), but it is the first step after cleansing (makeup removal) and washing (follow up cleansing) according to the product guide. I started using it almost two months ago after hubby and I left Taipei.

Hadanomy AquaPlacenta Concentrated Mist

I finally finished my 1 fl oz. bottle of Caudalie Beauty Elixir and happily moved on to this Hadanomy AquaPlacenta Concentrated Mist. Yes, you read that right, placenta as in placental protein.

There have been many debates on the benefits of placental protein and many companies have put them into cosmetics and skincare, especially in Asia. In Japan, there is no shortage of products touting placental protein as an ingredient. But this trend, so to speak, is actually not that recent. Even back in 2004 before I left home for Japan the first time, I had heard of placental protein in skin care. 

Y. was a Japanese language partner I met during my last year of college (we still keep in touch and I had visited her a few times in Kyoto already). It was winter of 2004 and she was in between her home-stay program, so I invited her to spend a few nights at my house. As she was prepping her skin prior to bed, she pulled out a mysterious small bottle from her toiletry case. I asked, and she said it was a serum made out of placenta. I raised an eyebrow, and from my reaction she smirked a, "You don't know anything, do you?" smile. Then she proceeded to tell me that every 6 months, she and her aunt would spend an equivalent of $160 (almost 20,000yen at the time, which translates to roughly $255 with the current exchange, not counting 8 years' worth of inflation) for 2 small bottles, which with sparing nightly use would last them each 6 months. I nodded, astounded, and wondered why on Earth would anyone spend so much money on a tiny bottle of placenta "stuff." Eww was my exact thought, and after the ick factor wore off I started to question whether such an ingredient is properly tested for, well, anything really.

Hadanomy AquaPlacenta Concentrated Mist