Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Eye Treatment $50

Woot! Woot! The Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Eye Treatment just won the CEW 2009 Award for Best Eye Treament! It really is a great product and I've been using it for about 6 months.


Like all other products in the White Lucent line, this eye treatment is formulated to address dark circles by boosting microcirculation and reducing melanin.

The Verdict: B+
I really like the creamy but light texture of the product and it does not irritate my eye area one bit. The product is dispensed from a pump and just 1 pump is enough for both my eyes. You can apply both morning and night, but I only apply this at night. In the morning my eyes look energized and awake! I don't get that zombie look from sleep deprivation.

The one complaint I have is the bottle itself. Since it's opaque, I can't tell how much is still left and also the pump sometimes dispenses the product unevenly if there's an air bubble in the tube.

Shiseido The Makeup Lifting Mascara

I probably wouldn't have tried this out if I hadn't been given a sample size of this from a very nice SA at the Dillard's Shiseido counter at the Collin Creek Mall. Shiseido has several mascaras in their The Makeup line but this one is specifically for curling lashes.

The brush is quite small as the bristles are fairly short. I love this type of brush because I feel like I can get down to the roots of my lashes without blinding my eyes. It was a spiral wand that is set very orderly and tightly.

The Verdict

I did not notice any fumes from this mascara and it did not irritate my eyes at all. The mascara stays put all day and does not flake. I was amazed by the curl power too! I was not expecting it to really "curl" for some reason but 5 minutes after applying my lashes touch right below my brow line! I find if I just apply this in strokes it will clump, but if I start from the roots of my lashes and wiggle the brush left and right there are barely any clumps. I would purchase this but at the moment there are too many mascaras out there that I still want to try! I have to say that this mascara just makes me love Shiseido even more than I already do!

Shiseido The Skincare Purifying Mask $29

I use this mask about once a week after cleansing and steaming. It's a Marine Mineral Clay mask that you smear onto your face for 5 minutes and it absorbs the impurities and sebum from your pores. After rinsing this off with warm water, I follow it with a toner and finally moisturizer.

The Verdict
I like how the mask does not harden or dry so you can still make expressions easily. My skin is a lot more supple after this and my pores look clearer too. I feel like this is gives a deep DEEP cleanse and I really like the results I get.

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Mask 6pc $68

I LOVE facial masks. I dunno why but it's this obsession I have. I think it's because since I was a little girl I watched my aunt (she's the girly girl of the family) put on masks as part of her beauty regimen.

Anyways I was given a sample of 2 of these by a Shiseido SA last spring. I really loved the results and I've been using them ever since. The mask has a pleasant calming scent (I dunno what it is) and it is soaked in the White Lucent brightening liquid. The liquid kinda reminds me of an emulsion lotion but richer. The liquid contains Asian plant extracts to help with moisture balance and a high dose of Vitamin C to brighten dark spots and even skin tone. I always cleanse and tone before putting this on. I like how the mask has little flaps so that you can use them on your eyes too. It feels cool when applied and you just let the liquid soak in for 10 minutes. After that just remove and you're done. You don't have to rinse off this mask and I never apply any additional moisturizer after this as my face gets super saturated from the mask.

The Verdict
I love love love this mask! It mask is so hydrating and it really diminishes any dark or dull areas and gives you a radiant look and even skintone. Since you don't wash off the mask, I feel like it leaves a bit of a dewy film that is a little bit sticky as it dries but I don't mind it. I treat myself to this once every 2 weeks and before any special event.

Shiseido Skincare

I use the Shiseido skincare line for my daily 3-Step cleansing regimen. All their skincare products have a light fragrance that I find calming and pleasant. I can't place it but they smell wonderful!

Cleanse

The Pureness Deep Cleansing Foam $21 is my all-time favorite cleanser! It really deep cleans gently without making your skin feel tight. All you need is a little dab of this mixed with water. As you wash your face there are little blue scrubbing beads that dissolve once the cleanser has emulsified. I use this as a sign that it's time to rinse this off. I like to just splash my face with warm water until all the cleanser is completely rinsed off. I find this cleanser really washes away all traces of dirt, oil and makeup.

Tone

I follow with the Pureness Balancing Softner Alcohol-Free $23. I love how this is alcohol-free and doesn't dry out my skin. I used to think that a good toner draws out ALL the oil from my face - boy was I wrong! The toning step has 2 purposes: it removes any traces of residue from your skin that your cleanser may have missed and it preps your skin to soak up moisturizer fully. I like to soak a cotton pad and wipe this all over my face. I use 1 side of the pad for half of my face, then I use the other side of the pad for the other half of my face. The important thing is that you always wipe in 1 direction and not back and forth (you'll just wipe any residue that is picked up back onto your skin). I also tone before putting on any kind of mask that doesn't require rinsing off.

Moisturize
I use 2 different moisturizers: one for daytime and one for nighttime because during the day I look for a moisturizer that contains SPF or will help mattify my skin. At night I usually want something more hydrating.

I started off using the Pureness Matifying Moisturizer Oil-Free $32 during the day and the Pureness Moisturizing Gel-Cream $32 at night. Both these products are really great for oily skin but I found that they weren't moisturizing enough for my temples and cheeks as I have combination skin (oily T-zone and dry cheeks).

The great thing about Shiseido products is that you can combine the lines to customize for you own needs. This being said, I started using moisturizers from The Skincare line. The Skincare Day Moisturizer Protection SPF 15 PA+ regular $39 and The Skincare Nighttime Moisture Recharge regular $41. These are also wonderful and fast-absorbing.