beauty

Dr:Ci:Labo Super-Review

11:03 PM


Skin care goody bag - yay!

A while ago I posted my skin care routine.

There wasn't really anything wrong with it but it was just a lot of products jumbled together as I bought them.

So I had my eye out for a set worth investing in and, hopefully, something that would make my face less tired looking.

Plaza is a great shop, every time I go in I find a new beauty product to try.

A couple of months ago I picked up this Dr:Ci:Labo promotional pack.


6 products for 5250yen, which is very reasonable I think.

Dr:Ci:Labo is a very popular, well-respected brand in Japan and the US website gives some of the company history.

My boyfriend sniggered and said that's what his mum uses, but I think these kinds of brands are popular with so many people because they actually work.


                                         The first step in the routine is the Super Cleansing EX.

It contains marine collagen, hyaluronan, ceramide and vitamins H, P, E, B6 and C.

It's a gel that goes on to dry skin (i.e. don't wash first with water) and heats up. It reminded me of the oil going on when getting a brow wax, actually. It spreads very easily and, after being left to sink in for a while, washes off just as easily. I found it great for general make up, like BB cream. It wasn't so strong against my KATE eye shadow but maybe that was just me being nervous with product around my eyes.


Next, Super Washing Foam EX

You only use the cleanser above if you are removing a full day's makeup, but the Super Washing Foam EX can be used morning and night for a general, thorough wash. It has the same beneficial ingredients as the gel so it's not too stressful for your skin if you use them together. Just a little bit applied to a wet face results in a big soapy lather that really gets into your pores. This gets rid of everything and is especially helpful when eyelash glue is getting in the way. It stung my eyes a little bit but left me feeling so fresh and clean that I can't complain.



Next, Aqua-In-Derm DN-Essence

Don't ask me what the name means because I haven't a clue. This is in a "push down" dispenser like shaving foam and that small novelty appealed to me before I even used it! This is another gel-type product that can be used anytime during the day. It's function is to soften your skin and make it easy for you to absorb any other products that you use. It clears away rubbish like dead skin cells and gives you a blank canvas to work with. To be honest, it seems like a bit of a luxury. I really like it and how it makes my skin feel but I never heard of this kind of product before. I wonder is it really necessary if you're on a budget?


Next, Super White 377.

Now, the last thing I really need to do it whiten my skin. I'm as pale as they come. But since this product was included in the set and I was curious, I decided to give it a go. That was two months ago though and I haven't used it since so I can't really remember what it felt like. The reason for this is that Hana warned me about the chemical peeling effects that whiteners can have. I did a bit of googling and decided that it's not something I want to put my skin through. I can definitely understand the appeal of using a whitener and Dr:Ci:Labo's one is probably as safe as you can get, but I'll leave you all to make your own decisions about that.

                                     

Next. Aqua-Collagen-Gel Enrich-Lift-EX

This is definitely my new favourite skincare product! It seems like collagen is all the rage in beauty treatments these days so I wasn't initially too excited by this. The change in my skin after 2 months of use has been incredible though. I'm 23 and I have clear skin so I didn't have a lot of problems to begin with. But the Japanese working environment really takes it's toll on you. The bags under my eyes that I had gotten used to - gone! Furthermore, my whole face seems brighter and fresher. This really is a miracle gel! The only issue with it is that it leaves my skin quite shiny after use. Although Dr:Ci:Labo say you can use it at any time of the day, I would only use it before bed.



Finally, UV Protect Spray

Ok, here's the thing. I really hate aerosols. I know they're bad for the environment, but I also hate the feel of using them. It's just a personal preference. So for that reason I'm not a fan of this product. Of course UV protection is great and it holds your makeup together in the heat but I really don't want to spray stuff on my face. There are plenty of BB creams that have UV protection so I really don't see the need for something like this.

So my final ranking based on result and importance is:

1 - Aqua-Collagen-Gel Enrich-Lift-EX
2 - Super Washing Foam EX
3 - Super Cleansing EX
4 -  Aqua-In-Derm DN-Essence
5 - UV Protect Spray
6 - Super White 377

I helped my friend pick out some of these today and was shocked at how expensive they were, although Amazon is even worse. I was really lucky to find the trial bag. There are regular trial kits available though they are much smaller. A good way to try something new though. Personally I think skincare and haircare are really worth spending money on. If you agree, go for Dr:Ci:Labo!

You Might Also Like

19 comments

  1. First time commenter!
    I really liked this review! Now you have me considering trying some out. I found a sample pack on ebay for $20 so maybe I'll try it!

    I hate aerosols too, mostly for the environmental factor. But I didn't know they were good for your makeup in the heat! :o hah

    have a good one :]

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some of the products sound really interesting but others (the whitening & UV protect spray, for me) are kind of scary! XD
    I liked that bit about the Super Washing Foam helping to get rid of eyelash glue though~ I would def invest in that product just for that, haha!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have been interested in the Aqua-Collagen-Gel for awhile, I'm always interested in collagen gels actually haha! So I really appreciate the review you did for it, and I'm happy that it works well! I want to try it for sure now XD

    ReplyDelete
  4. So much thanks for the review on the collagen gel! (as I told you on twitter hehehe)

    "But the Japanese working environment really takes it's toll on you."

    I couldn't agree more. My skin is looking dreadful from jetlag and stress and the collagen gel sounds like a great pick-up.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ooh, have fun pampering yourself, collagen scares me though. I tried a lip plumper once and it looked like I had some bad botox for a week! or that I had a fight with a bee and lost :( haha!

    ReplyDelete
  6. PLAZA is LOVE! Love love XD Wish they had a good equivalent of Plaza in the US but nothing really stands up to it.

    OMG I've gotten a bunch of these products as free sample (tiny tiny samples) but I haven't used them yet. I really appreciate you reviewing so many!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oooh I've heard that this brand is quite good. I had a friend who bought me an eyecream by them from her trip to Japan and I quite like their products!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm glad you like it! It's a shame that amazon charges so much :(

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yep, I can't think of anything that compares to Plaza *sigh* I guess it's lucky for my bank account that it only exists in one country, haha.

    I have some small samples to but I almost never use them. I don't like disrupting my regular skincare routine and those samples are so small it's hard to get a clear impression from them :/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh no, that sounds awful...but a little bit funny, haha. I don't really understand collagen but I kind of imagine it smoothing out my skin or filling in little cracks. Who knows though?!?!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Well, one week later I hope your skin has recovered! I know Japan is crazy for beauty products but they are necessary to a certain extent. Sendai isn't toooo bad but you Tokyo girls have to take good care of yourselves!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Glad you liked it! It's always hard to choose new skin products because if they go wrong it's impossible to decide. Maybe you can get some of this the next time you're in Japan!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you for commenting, welcome! $20 seems a bit expensive but if you get a lot of samples then I guess it would be worth it. Especially if you found out that you really liked it! Let me know if you try it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yeah, eyelash glue can be such a pain! In fact, I blame glue for the fact that my tube of the wash finally ran out last nigh ToT Gotta wait til pay day to buy more!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yes, exactly! I wish samples were bigger so you can get a GOOD idea plus I'm ultra paranoid about breakouts and recovery time.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I really need to start taking better care of my skin now that I'm doing sports! >w<

    ReplyDelete
  17. Yep, yep! Don't neglect yourself! I think it's the hands that suffer the most from sport but I guess it depends what you're doing.

    ReplyDelete
  18. tats a great price for CiLabo cos they are usually quite high price so u were def lucky!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I know! They're all gonna run out soon so I'm dreading buying them again at full price ><

    ReplyDelete