Saturday, June 16, 2012

Shiseido Aqualabel White AC Line

Hey there! Today I wanted to do a mini review of some of the skincare that I'm currently using~ I'll do a full skincare routine post later! As you may know, I'm completely obsessed with Shiseido skincare. Hehe. You should have seen me in Japan. Everywhere I went there was so much Shiseido I couldn't even help myself! I'm completely under their spell! So anywho~ I wanted to talk about Shiseido's Aqualabel brand White AC Emulsion and AC Lotion specifically (there's also some other acne treatment that I didn't purchase because my acne isn't that bad :p ). This line promises to be good for acne control (hence the AC) while also whitening up any acne scars that you may have.

Here are some photos that I just took~! Kekekeke~ Sorry for the terrible quality.... I only have my iphone camera right now... ><;;

Front: 

Back: 

Hehe! Jiyongie in the back! :DDDDD My one true bias~ Sorry I'm a little obsessed with him too. ><

 They originally come in boxes, but I threw those out because it was taking up too much room in my luggage and was going crazy throwing out stuff to keep within my weight limit. But yea. The packaging is made of a pretty teal colored plastic material (it says Polyethylene and Polyproplyene). The color really sold me on the product.

Now for the review part! I'll start with the White AC Lotion. I bought this for about 12-1300 Yen so about $15-16.50 USD for 200mL of product. Not bad for some Shiseido brand product. It was more expensive than the blue and red lines, so I bought this thinking that it'd be the best because I could barely read the Japanese. LOL. Good for me it turned out to be for acne and whitening. But that's not the point.... -___-;; I fail at reviews~ Gihee~

Claims of product:



  • Hyaluronic acid, winter begonia, lasting stable vitamin c derivative.
  • Collagen, vitamin B6, CE maturation-promoting ingredient, glycerol.
  • Pre-empt acne and fade acne marks with this basic skincare step.
  • Multiple whitening essences are introduced to the skin for deep moisturizing and whitening effects.
  • Skin is always dewy soft and sheer.


  •  I've been using this as a toner twice a day, after washing my face for about a month now. What I normally do is put about 4-5 drops onto a cotton pad and wipe my face with it. After using this toner, it does make your face feeling squeaky clean, which I like, but it doesn't absorb instantly, which I don't like. I believe that the Hyaluronic acid in the product is what helps achieve this feeling. The slight acidity of the product helps to exfoliate the skin, leaving it softer while helping to alleviate some of the acne scarring. It seems to be pretty gentle on your skin as well, but I don't have sensitive skin so I can only say so much about that. It really reminds me of the Clinque 3Step toner that I was using in Singapore, except that this smells a TON better, and it's less harsh (pretty gentle if I do say so myself). I mean, the Clinque one smelled terrible! This one is more of an old lady smell... but it doesn't really linger so it's not a breaking point for me. I really like this product. It does seem to help moisturize my skin, and I have noticed a very, very slight lightening of some of my sun spots, but I don't really know how much it has been helping to clear up my acne. Amazing too since I've only been using it for a month!

    Next up is the White Emulsion. This was may 1460 Yen I believe? I find that the lotions were usally a little more expensive than the toners. This would be about $18-19 USD for 130 mL of product. Emulsions mean that this is composed of two main elements: oil and water, so should have a lighter texture than some other lotions. I found that it does indeed have more of a watery texture than most lotions that I have used, which is nice. Here's a swatch:


    See how runny it is? For application. I shake the bottle first to make sure everything is mixed up nice (this is not really necessary but I'm OCD like that c: ). Then, I pour some on the back of my hand. Dab some on the outer areas of my face. Pick up the rest with my fingers, rub it between my two index fingers to warm up. Then spread it around my face, making sure to pat in the excess product. Afterwards, I'll just press my hands against my face for a few seconds in various spots to allow the heat from my hands to further facilitate the product from absorbing.

    Claims of product:



  • Hyaluronic acid, winter begonia, lasting stable vitamin c derivative.
  • Collagen, vitamin B6, CE maturation-promoting ingredient, glycerol.
  • Deeply hydrating formula that strengthens skin’s natural shield and optimally conditions acne skin.
  • Metabolism is promoted.
  • Pigmentation and visible pores are significantly improved.

  • This product, I don't actually like as much as the toner. While it does leave the face feeling moisturized, it leaves a slightly sticky residue on my face that I don't really like. Make sure to only use a little bit! Only about 2-3 drops. A little goes a long way. The more you use, the more sticky your face will be. Spreading thinner layers will help the product absorb. BUT. It will always leave that sticky residue, I found, which really puts me off this product. It will absorb completely into your skin in about 5-10 minutes though, but for that long you're stuck with your face feeling kinda heavy. I also found that it doesn't really help that much with my pore size as well. My visible pores still suck. Especially on my nose. So I can't back up these claims. Overall. This product didn't really do it for me. :(



    Conclusion:
    Overall, I'd give the line a 3/5. I'd give the toner a 4/5 and the emulsion a 3/5. The toner works really well and leaves my skin feeling really clean. The emulsion is not bad as well, it does moisturize the skin, but it leaves a sticky residue on the skin that takes more than a few minutes to absorb into the skin. I have noticed a little whitening of some of my sun spots, but not too much of my acne scars tbh. It is pretty good for a drugstore skincare, though. Definitely better than the American drugstore skincare things imo. Because it is so difficult to your hands on though, I had to knock a few points on the overall score of these products. For the price (about $30 for us USA folks), I personally would think twice before re-purchasing this unless I was in Japan. ;D I think I would probably buy the toner again over the Clinque one, but I think I like the Clinque 3Step moisturizer better. But that's a different story~

    You can find this product in Japanese drugs stores in Japan (hehe~), Amazon, Ebay, or Yesstyle. I actually think it was cheaper on Yesstyle so be sure to check there first for international purchasing.

    I hope you found this helpful! Sheepy out~ <3

    You can find out more about the other lines here:
    http://slowbro-gal.blogspot.com/2010/12/introduction-shiseido-aqualabel.html
    http://www.yesstyle.com/en/shiseido-aqualabel-white-ac-lotion-green-200ml/info.html/pid.1030869685
    http://www.yesstyle.com/en/shiseido-aqualabel-white-ac-emulsion-green-130ml/info.html/pid.1030869684