Sana: Nameraka Honpo essence & Konuka Moist toner

**Correction - I checked the Nameraka honpo essence and it DOES contain alcohol - thanks to Audrie for letting me know! Fortunately it doesn't dry my skin at all so it must be present at a low concentration only.

I have a long overdue Adam Beauty haul to update on - from November last year :P



That was when I got the following;

• Mandom Cleansing Express Moist
• Sana Nameraka Honpo Essence
• Sana Konuka Moist Lotion (also known as Rich Skin Lotion. Its a toner)
• Koji No. 100 Accent curler (a mini curler)
• T'estimo Grande Shine Eyes in 04

If you ask him, Adam Beauty does do some custom orders but only if the products are available to him. The Koji lash curler was not on his website but I asked him if he could get it and the price was quite reasonable. His price was close to retail, when I asked for a quote from another popular online store theirs was almost twice his price!

Anyway for today I'm reviewing the Sana products since I've had quite a while to try them out.




First, the Nameraka Honpo Essence, which is from their soy isoflavone line Nameraka honpo.




Comes in a light yellow bottle, the opening is narrow so you can still control the amount to dispense.




Official retail price in Japan is 150mL for 1260yen. Its a light milky lotion which is supposed to have a higher concentration of soy isoflavones to make your skin soft and supple.

The essence feels a bit runny, but if you have oilier skin it could be used alone as a moisturizer. Actually I find when I pair it with the Konuka toner, which is very hydrating, they are both sufficient as a moisturizer for my drier skin. It tends to dry slowly, so I would recommend using at night or if you're not in a hurry to apply makeup afterwards.

One of the reasons I bought this was because it is is fragrance free and alcohol free. Back in November my skin was extremely sensitive due to the weather change and this product was a good change from the overpriced, over-fragranced moisturizers I had been using then.

So far I haven't noticed significant benefits from this product but I like it because it does its job well as a night moisturizer for me without the heavy feel that other night moisturizers have. I would definitely repurchase it also because the idea of having the benefits of soy in my skincare routine just sounds good :)


The Konuka Moist Lotion is a hydrating toner from their rice ceramide line Konuka.




Its a clear, slightly thick liquid that comes in a pump type bottle:



Official retail price in Japan is 180mL for 1155 yen. Its a product that you would use prior to moisturizing. Its referred to as a toner or lotion on several sites, but it is actually a hydrating toner that helps prep the skin for moisturizer (see this post by blogger Phyllis on Asian toners)

The product comes in two versions - the regular and the extra rich version. I bought the extra rich version, since I figured my sensitive dry areas (cheeks) could really use some help. I use it all over my face except for the T-zone area, since that area tends to get oily anyway.

What I like most about it is how it really helps hydrate my skin in winter. The extra moisture that I get with this product allows me to use my summer lotions into winter instead of having to search for another moisturizer. I tried deciphering the ingredient list and though I wasn't able to translate all of it, the top two ingredients are water and glycerine, hence the highly moisturizing nature of the product.

Again, like the Nameraka line the Konuka line is also fragrance and alcohol free, making it ideal for sensitive skin.

Would I repurchase? Yes definitely. In fact I'm eyeing the other products from both lines. I've been waiting for my DHC washing powder and cleansing oil to run out so I can try the Nameraka cleansing oil and the Konuka face wash.


P.S. Does anyone want to swap or sell their MAC Pandamonium quad? I'd been lemming that quad for ages, forgot about it until recently and am now very tempted to buy it off eBay...unless anyone doesn't want theirs?