FarmStay Collagen Water Full Moist Cleansing Balm

Here's the sister product to the FarmStay Cica Farm Calming Cleansing Balm: the Collagen Water Full Moist Cleansing Balm.

FarmStay Cica Farm Calming Cleansing Balm

Here's another cleansing balm that stood out to me somewhat: this 95mL/3.21fl. oz. jar of FarmStay Cica Farm Calming Cleansing Balm.  

 

Belif Aqua Bomb Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm

Having tried a few Belif products over the years, I was looking forward to this 100mL/3.3fl. oz. jar of Aqua Bomb Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm. 

O Hui Miracle Moisture Cleansing Oil

Here's the 150mL pump bottle of O Hui Miracle Moisture Cleansing Oil that I bought in conjunction with an O Hui Miracle Moisture Special Set among other things.

Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil

Here's the "companion piece" to the Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm: the 210mL/7.1fl. oz. pump bottle of Ginseng Cleansing Oil. 

Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm

Next up is this 100mL/3.38fl. oz. jar of Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm. 

 

Banila Co Clean It Zero Nourishing Cleansing Balm

Wow, just like that and I skipped October and November, huh? Sorry, folks. I'm trying really, really hard to keep this blog going--it's my product diary after all and I go through a ton of stuff. At the same time, wheels are falling off of the bus.

Anyway, here's to digging myself out of the draft folder that keeps growing bigger and bigger. Over the course of this year, I went through quite a few cleansing balms and oil, probably at least a dozen. I actually don't remember the order in which I used them, but I did take notes while I was using them. We'll start with a random selection in the draft folder, this 100mL/3.38fl. oz. jar of Banila Co Clean It Zero Nourishing Cleansing Balm.   

Bioderma Hydrabio Serum

Update Friday, September 26, 2025. 

 

Some 5 years after trying the below small sample of Bioderma Hydrabio Serum, I finally purchased the 40mL/1.3fl. oz. full size pump bottle earlier in the year and then quickly went through it in a few weeks. 

 

This serum was much thicker than I remember. More like a translucent gel than a serum. And very moisturizing, so just perfect for the changing weather.  

 

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Original post Sunday, April 19, 2020. 

 

Almost done with this 5mL/0.17fl. oz. sample tube of Bioderma Hydrabio Serum so here's a quick post for it. 

Shigaisen Yohou UV Sarasara Gel SPF30 PA+++

Here's another study in contrast: this 250g pump bottle of Shigaisen Yohou UV Sarasara Gel SPF30 PA+++ versus the terrible Mama Aqua Savon UV Moisture Gel Coral Safe. My boys just finished up this Shigaisen Yohou bottle and apparently they really liked it! I tried it a few times myself as I was cleaning out the last bit left in the bottle and I totally see why. 

Note: this is for the older version with SPF30 PA+++. The newest version has 260g of product and SPF45 PA+++, slightly more product with notably higher sun protection, which makes this sunscreen all the better in my opinion.  

Mama Aqua Savon UV Moisture Gel SPF32 PA+++ Part II

Okay, after a year of pinching our noses and gritted our teeth through each application, hubby and I finally, at long last, finished this 250g pump bottle of the loathsome Mama Aqua Savon UV Moisture Gel SPF32 PA+++. This is the newer Coral Safe Version that was released in 2020, although I didn't buy it until a couple of years ago--and by mistake--thinking it was something else, because the bottle is so drastically different. 

The old packaging is the tall pump bottle and new packaging is the sphere-like and chubby pink pump bottle. 

 

 

Turns out, other than the "coral safe" claim (and the packaging), there was nothing new about the actual sunscreen. The two formulas look and feel identical: thick and white, opaque cream, with a strong orange citrus scent that stayed on the skin for hours. Thankfully, it didn't leave a white cast, but the thickness made the application rather unpleasant, and afterwards it stayed sticky the entire time until I washed it off. And I live in a very dry climate with low humidity where I don't even sweat in 100F weather. I can't imagine applying this stuff in Japan. Will never ever purchase again and absolutely do not recommend. In fact, run away as fast as you can the next time you see Mama Aqua Savon.

See my previous Mama Aqua Savon UV Moisture Gel SPF32 PA+++ post.