Not So Beautiful...

Rating: 2/5

The Face Shop's Beautiful Jeong Yeon Cleansing Foam was actually a gift from a friend who went to Korea. I tried this because Koreans have such lovely skin and I was wondering if this facial wash would do me good. Hmm... I think my face became a bit dry but ironically, I also had big pimples, read: acne! *eep!* I panicked and so I switched back to Shiseido The Skincare Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam. I was able to avert the growth of some acne but there is one that survived and now looks more like a giant mole mocking me every time I look in the mirror.

The scent is overpowering as well. If you like the scent I suppose you would like it. I am really not into facial wash and other facial products with overpowering scents but I like Lush *wahaha!* Go figure! I am a very confused person...

The packaging is very simple and practical, this comes in a big size so it will last a really long time. Mine will last longer than intended... I think I can use it as a body wash and a hand soap since it smells nice.

In fairness, I really have been staying awake far too long, of course this could be the reason too but as my sister argued, this is not the first time I have lost sleep but this is the first time in a really long time that I have had a geyser on my face. *eek!*

This is all... I am not discouraging you from trying this, all I am saying is that this is not for me. :)

She - sei - Do It!

I just realized that I have not posted about my most favorite facial wash in the whole wide world *gasp*!I know during my adolescent years a.k.a. oily face years I was using Shiseido Pureness Gentle Cleansing Foam (which I have reviewed here) but during my twenties I have been using Shiseido The Skincare's Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam. When you buy, you have to be very specific with the sales associate because there was this one time when I asked my husband to buy for me and I told him the name of the product, he was given the Shiseido The Skincare's Purifying Cleansing Foam (I have reviewed this too!) instead. Most of the time my preferred facial wash is not in stock and the associates insist that they are one and the same. They are not. The Purifying Cleansing Foam has beads the Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam does not! I love how this Foaming Wash locks in moisture on one's face. I also love the scent of this foaming wash but most importantly, I love how it feels on my skin when I lather up.

The packaging is very light and so it's easy to pack and never spills. Trust me, I always pack this along wherever I go.

Dry Spell

Rating: 5/5

I never had acne. Mostly, I have little pimples. Very rare do I get a big one and this only happens while I am cramming for a project. However, during my oily teen years, I came across a magic potion for acne: "Salicylic Acid". This is really effective for acne, why you say? Because it literally dries everything up. Do not use this if your skin is not oily otherwise you will end up with a chalkboard for a face.

I have realized after my Soft Clean Estee Lauder facial foam episode that it is a matter of consequence to really know your skin type. If you make a mistake your skin will suffer. I am still in the process of rehabilitating my skin with Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Complex. This is not the concentrate version that I have reviewed in the past. Will let you know if it does something for my face.

Going back, my brother was a fan of this Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash Salicylic Acid product and I have to say, for those times he used it, it did improve his skin taking away the shine and leaving it matte.

It comes in great quantities because the packaging is huge and practical. I like the dispenser concept so you will find it easy to use as you wash your face. Unlike the Soft Clean Estee Lauder. *boo*

For those struggling with oil, good for you because that means you are still young. :) If you want it matte, you can use Neutrogena. It's cheaper than Shiseido Pureness Cleansing Foam. :)

Perfectly Clean... not!

Rating: 2/5

Okay, I promised to review the Soft Clean Moisture Rich Cleanser. I love Estee Lauder products, in fact, I am a big fan. Finding out that this facial wash is cheaper by 500 Php than Shiseido Skincare's Gentle Cleansing Foam was very good news to me. It has a luxurious smell and feel and it has a beautiful bottle too.

In spite all the aforementioned "features" I still find this cleanser to be far from perfect. In fact, I would like to go back to Shiseido ASAP. Here are some of the reasons why I feel it's far from perfect:

1. Packaging - I realized that this product was not really properly evaluated in terms of packaging because it does not have a flip-top closure. Instead, you rotate the elegant gold cap so that once you put in one of your palms, you need to use it again to close the cap. Baaahd design.

2. Texture - While you are using it, the texture is creamy and luxurious however, the cream is a tad bit runny so that when you open the cap, a lot of it gets stuck in the cap which I find uneconomical. I have to ask myself if this is indeed cheaper than Shiseido.

3. Residue - I think that there's much residue left on my face after I have rinsed for several minutes because my face still feels slippery (for the lack of a better term). Maybe because this is designed for dry skin but am always getting told that my skin is dry so I tried this.

4. Effect - My face is nowhere from calm (as it promised), my skin is a bit bumpy. I am thinking maybe my skin is not dry or maybe the facial wash is really no good. If you want to try then please do and then let me know how it goes for you.

5. Fragrance - Hands down, the product really smells good!

Overall, I was disappointed. :(

Rinse/Off

Rating: 5/5

In my quest to find a cheaper moisturizer and eye cream, I cam across Clinique's Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser because it came free with the other loot I got for buying the All About Eyes Rich Moisturizer and the Dramatically Different Moisturizer, (both have been reviewed in this site). If you are wondering what other stuff I got, I got plenty *hehe*. I got a free faux leather purse, a canvas purse (that can be used as a make-up kit), a travel size Dramatically Different Moisturizer, Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser, Sample Tube of Pore Minimizer and another tube of something I have not checked out *hehe* I have too much gunk in my hands. :) I am not complaining of course. I also got a tube of lip gloss, a small compact of foundation too. Some of the loot I got because I have a Citi Rustan's Gold and apparently that card works when you are in Rustan's after all. You get extra freebies!

So going back to the Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser, I like it because it does not dry my skin, it's priced reasonably and comes in a giant package so it lasts you a long time. They have different products for different skin types, I am type II so they gave me this. Consult the Sales Associate so they can give you what matches your skin. I also like how it feels on my skin. The bubbles are also rich and soft and it leaves me with a nice fresh glow after washing my face. The packaging is light and practical. It does not have a strong scent so you almost do not notice it is there, not that it smells bad.

I recommend this because it's not expensive but gentle and effective. I have used it for three months now and still no breakouts. :)

Beada Beads

Rating: 4/5
While I was in Boracay, I realized that I have left my Clinique facial wash (which I will review eventually *hihi*) and so I used my sample tube of Shiseido The Skincare Purifying Cleansing Foam which is like the previously reviewed Shiseido The Skincare Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam except that it is not gentle. It has beads and I was thinking, the beads were not that many and the beads did not feel rough on my skin, I was thinking it was alright if I used it more than twice a day in Bora. I mean I wash my face in the morning, after the beach and before I sleep, that's at least three times a day and I stayed in Bora for four days! *yikes!* No wonder my face got really dry after, I was blaming the Shiseido Suncare SPF50 PA+++ that I use everyday anyway!

Note to self, I must not use the exfoliating facial wash more than once a day. If you ask me, one should just exfoliate twice a week and several days apart. I just thought that... nah... I left my facial wash and I had no other alternative.

To avoid dryness, you can also use the Shiseido make-up remover which I will talk about next time. You can use this product to remove the waterproof sunblock. This is oil-based so this is not for those with oily skin and you must wash again with facial wash after using this product lest you want to look like buttered fish. :)

Squeaky Clean

Rating: 3/5

I am a big fan of Estee Lauder but I am not a big fan of Perfectly Clean Splash Away Foaming Cleanser because I think their main objective is really to give you perfectly clean face. I feel like it cleans my face too much that I end up with a dry face. I was never a fan of squeaky clean skin. I do not like my skin to make the sound a plate makes when it is very clean.

It has only been two days since I switched back to Shiseido the Skin Care Gentle Cleansing Foam and my skin has improved. I just tried this facial wash because it came free with my Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrate. I have another tube which I gave to my husband because he was getting a breakout for a reason still unknown to us. I asked him to try this for the night and then I applied him some Shiseido SPF 50 PA+++ and the following morning all bumps were gone. Why the sunblock? I heard that this dries your skin too. So I figured without a moisturizer it should help him get rid of the bumps. It might have been a fluke but the following day all bumps were gone!

In any case, the tube is still with him but I have no idea if he uses it still. I will have to ask him later.

Another thing I do not like about this is that you have to use a great amount just so you can have a nice lather unlike with the Shiseido, just a little amount makes a nice lather already.

The plus of this product though is the wonderful scent. You can choose to try it, who knows, the formula might have been made for you. The price of this facial wash is cheaper than the rest of the other Estee Lauder products.

Fee, Fi, Fo, Foam

Raing: 5/5

Shiseido Pureness Gentle Cleansing Foam is very effective for those who tend to have oily skin and even those who tend to have pimples and other blemishes caused by oily skin. This has worked for me in my oiliest of years. I only wished my mom could have discovered this earlier in my life *haha*. My skin was never extremely oily however, it did have its way of making my face shine like an oily pan.




I have used Shiseido Pureness Gentle Cleansing Foam for years until that fateful year when I went to a Shiseido bar in Hong Kong. The sales associate told me not to use the Pureness line anymore as my face is absolutely dry already. I attributed the scaling from the cold winds of March but the woman refused to sell me the Pureness line! (I was shocked and was forced to believe her!) She gave me the samples for the Skin Care line after I also bought the SPF 50 Sunblock (yes the one that I have admitted to being addicted to!) After I tried the Shiseido Skin Care Gentle Cleansing Foam, there was no turning back. I even got to a point where I saved all my points in the SM Advantage Card so I can get myself some of this product for free! Of course the price of this product does not come cheap too. *hehe* Darn these cosmetic companies! :)

The texture of this facial wash is so nice when you lather it up, the bubbles are so small and soft to the skin! I know you might say, aren't all bubbles? But you have to try this to believe it. The scent is really nice too! I am still using this and I really drain the tube up to its last drop because I do swear by this gunk.

And yes, this was my facial wash in the one year that I was preparing for my wedding. :)