Some new things!

Haven't done a haul post in a while, so here goes:

From MAC Dsquared:




I won't be talking about the Sculpt and Shape duo since I've already reviewed it when it first came out. But here is a look at the Blood Red lipstick:




Skin swatch:




Lip swatch:




As most people have noticed this lipstick isn't really blood red, its more of a dark berry colour. Texture is nice (I believe its a lustre), and the coverage is quite good, opaque but not thick.

Also picked up the Sana Uruoitaishi products - the gel and the mist because of the reviews from Musings of a Muse.



I paid about USD$11 for each, which makes them quite affordable compared to say MAC Fix+ or the department store gel moisturizers.

The gel comes in an adorable Matryoshka doll container. The character is supposed to be "Miss Hyaluronic, the Moisture Ambassador!" Lol she's also supposed to plump up your skin with moisture - hence her round shape :D



The container doesn't hold that much product, only 25g, but for the price its still affordable compared to similar gel moisturizers from department store brands.



From the look of the gel, I thought it would be similar to the products I've tried: Lancome Aqua-Fusion, Clinique Moisture Surge, and Nars Aqua Hydrator Gel. However its actually quite different from all the above. Here's a quick summary of those 3 if you've missed or forgotten my reviews on those.

Lancome Aqua Fusion: Great gel moisturizer but does contain fragrance
Clinique Moisture Surge: Fragrance free lightweight gel but too light to moisturize enough in winter.
Nars Aqua Gel Hydrator: Super lightweight and hydrating, but extremely expensive.

For starters, the Sana gel is fragrance free, which is great for those sensitive to the fragrance in Lancome Aqua Fusion. The texture is thicker than all the above products I've tried, yet sinks in easily. It moisturizes way better than Clinique ever did, probably due to the 3 hyaluronic acids it contains.

In fact this gel is pretty close to perfect. My only reservation is whether this contains silicones, because most gel moisturizers do. I can't read the ingredient list, so its a matter of just trying it out anyway to see if anything happens. I've only used it for a week so I can't tell if there's any issues with my skin that could be caused by silicones. So far so good though.

I quite like the mist too. Its a hydrating mist that can be used for an extra boost of moisture. I've been using it over makeup, just like how you'd use MAC Fix+, and I quite like the result. It makes your skin glowy (and less cakey if you're using powder foundation). Just be careful not to spary too much or it will feel a bit sticky on your skin.

Anyway I love the Sana illustrations for the products:



Gotta love the OMG! in each picture! So unnecessarily dramatic :D

Update: I bought the product off AdamBeauty.com. He usually ships the same day with tracking for $2, and his prices are quite fair.

Quick review: Sana Namerakahonpo Cleansing Oil

Product Description
Soymilk cleansing oil removes makeup thoroughly, leaving skin soft and supple. Quickly blends with water-proof mascara and makeup in clogged pores and removes makeup thoroughly at once.

At 1000yen for 120mL, its one of the most affordable oil cleansers I've come across. I bought mine from Adam Beauty for US$13.50. DHC would cost $15.00 for the same quantity, while MAC would cost $16.80.

Comes in a convenient pump bottle which doesn't look half bad on your bathroom sink. There is a clip on ring around the pump that you can keep to prevent the pump from being pressed accidentally (resulting in product leakage) when not in use.

Pros
- inexpensive
- easy way to remove base makeup and eyeshadow thoroughly
- packaging is quite nice for a drugstore product
- fragrance free

Cons
- does not remove some types of waterproof mascara completely
- mineral oil based (but then so is Shu Uemura's oil)
- may not clean enough to be a cleanser by itself, I definitely needed to use a separate face wash afterward.

Overall
Great make-up remover for anyone on a budget. Just be prepared to supplement it with a good waterproof eye makeup remover and facial wash as this won't do it all.

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?