Hello darlings! Happy Monday! As such, January is halfway over already. Where has all the time gone...? Certainly not doing anything productive I'm afraid o_o Nothing but skincare matters at this time of the year, right? We all want to have a good skincare regime to follow and
pray to god on our knees hope our current one is
the one. That works, of course.
So here I am, after months of fickling and fumbling, testing or otherwise... I have come to the conclusion that Shiseido White Lucent has some good products but the overall line is just average.
L-R - Balancing Softener, SPF 15 moisturizer, emulsion lotion, and cleanser
The Cleanser
What it is: Brightening cream cleanser that lathers up generously
Claims: Brighten skin, remove impurities
Packaging: Plastic twist cap tube; practical
Texture: Creamy texture; lathers up quickly
Scent: Lightly scented soap smell
Strengths: I love cream cleansers and I love how it lathers so generously without much effort. It also feels very concentrated. My skin feels very clean afterwards - no oily residue feeling
Weaknesses: A bit drying at times. For me it depends on the weather but I follow up with a rich softener/emulsion
Availability/Price: $35.00/4.7 oz/139ml - Sephora, Department Stores, Shiseido
Ingredients: Water, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Sorbitol, Dipropylene Glycol, Lauric Acid, PEG-60 Gyceryl Isostearate, PEG-32, PEG-6, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Fragrance, Trisodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Limonene, Serine, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Tocopherol
Overall: This cleanser is quite nice and surprisingly not harsh. It's not the gentlest of cleansers, but it does make my face feel very clean. It can wash off a face full of makeup, but I don't recommend it. It tends to dry out skin if you're removing makeup with it... but other than that, I think this cleanser is nice and something I would buy for that "deep cleaning" feeling.
Protective Emulsion SPF 15
What it is: Moisturizer with SPF 15 sun protection. To be used after balancing softener.
Claims: Preventative care from sunburn and aging
Packaging: Glass bottle with hygienic pump.
Texture: Lightweight gel-like texture; easy to spread, thin; absorbs to skin quickly
Scent: Lightly scented soap smell. No sunscreen smell!
Strengths: Absorbs amazingly! I love that it's a moisturizer first. It's very thin but feels amazing on skin!
Weaknesses: The SPF is not high enough. I just use it for moisturizing and add on a sunscreen if I need to
Availability/Price: $54.50/2.5 oz/74ml - Sephora, Department Stores, Shiseido counters
Ingredients: Octinoxate 4.9%, Octocrylene 5.0%
Overall: I love the texture of this moisturizer soooo much. It's absorbs so well and the "greasy" feel is non existent. I just wish it had at least spf 30 to back its claim in preventing sunburns and aging!
The Emulsion
What it is: Facial emulsion that gives an extra hydration boost to dry skin; to be used after softener
Claims: Brightens skin, moisturizes
Packaging: Glass bottle with hygienic pump
Texture: It's watery and thin, gel-like texture - moisturizes fairly well but leaves a little trace of residue.
Scent: Lightly scented soap smell
Strengths: Very hydrating, thin texture and spreads evenly very easily/not thick; refreshing on skin
Weaknesses: Leaves some residue, a bit oily
Availability/Price: $59.50/2.5 oz/75ml - Sephora, Department Stores, Shiseido counters
Ingredients: Contains tranexamic acid, multi-target vitamin C, Super Hydro-Synergy Complex and other key ingredients (could not find the entire list of ingredients)
Overall: The formula is very lightweight but moisturizes intensely. My skin felt smoother upon weeks of usage and rough spots on my skin have softened out or diminished entirely. I can't say my skin has "brightened" but it is certainly less dry.
The Balancing Softener
What it is: Balancing softener/toning lotion
Claims: Lighten dark spots, even out skin
Packaging: Pretty glass bottle with a nozzle to pour the liquid onto your hands.
Texture: Watery and a bit tacky/sticky to pat on face or to saturate in cotton pad
Scent: Lightly scented soap smell
Strengths: Easy absorbency on skin; hydrating and feels refreshing. I just pat this on my face after cleansing to hydrate it back.
Weaknesses: There is a bit of alcohol
Availability/Price: $48.00/5oz/150ml - available at Sephora, Department Stores, Shiseido counters
Ingredients: Could not find online! =/ ...Features Tranexamic acid, Erythritol, apricot extracts, and Super Hydro-Synergy Complex normalize cell turnover to retexturize skin (taken from Sephora.com)
Overall: There is a bit of alcohol so those who are sensitive to it should avoid this. It dries really quickly (because of the alcohol), and my skin feels nice and refreshed after cleansing. I haven't seen drastic improvements in my skin, but it hydrates well enough. Because of the alcohol, I probably won't repurchase this.
Overall, the entire line is mediocre. To be honest, it is a bit overpriced and I don't like I can't easily find the ingredients online. Separately the products have their own good features but together as a skincare regime, it may be too rough on skin. My skin hasn't improved significantly because of this regime alone but it's an adequate choice for people who favor brightening products because it seems to focus on lightening age spots and preventing future ones.
