Good day readers,
In this post, I will talk about my beauty products from Japanese drugstore brand. They have unique design, great quality, soft, nice smell, and expensive. But it will worth the quality too. It isn't that long since I tried a few of them. But now I am in love with Japan's beauty & cosmetic products. Let's see what I uses in daily life from Japan. Be it the imported product nor the made in Indonesia with the quality of Japan's technology.





SHAMPOO 
Shiseido Ma Cherie Shampoo

Did you know about Shiseido Ma Cherie? This is their website with pink-ish color. It is a brand from Shiseido that takes care of hair. Product range from shampoo, conditioner, hair fragrance, hair oil, hair treatment, hair spray, hair cologne, body shampoo, etc. It has sweet scent from Valencia Orange, Ruby Red Grapefruits, Mixed Berry, Pineapple, Peach, Magnolia, Pink Peony, Lilac, Musk, Sandalwood, and Amber Cedar. But mostly, I smell the tropical fruit like mango or citrus? It have the most beautiful & sweet scent shampoo I've ever used (But I just have tried 3 Japanese brand shampoo and Western brands?). Bottle is the cutest I've seen for a shampoo. It looks classical with golden bottle cap and cute pink body color.

I'm using Shiseido Ma Cherie Moisture Shampoo because my hair has been drying from chemical. I used to color my hair with brown (though my original hair is not too black) back after I graduated high school and from smoothing. But it has been more than a year after the last smoothing. My hair tip wasn't branched, but they're too dull. I used Pantene Smooth & Silky Shampoo before, but it didn't do any good. I used that for about 10 years and gets disappointed. You see, I wash my hair every day and it also damaged my hair, but then the formula of the shampoo doesn't fulfill my needs. The reason? It's because my country is good for polluting air and I don't like the smell of smoke by cigarette, exhaust, and many more. Indonesia has been known for the pollution by vehicle, especially public bus. This shampoo also claims that it will erase the smoky smell on hair, though every shampoo does that, right?


The first time I bought, it's from an online shop that sell beauty product for Indonesian. But it only sells the 200ml bottle. I felt satisfied by the product so I asked my sister (she sells anime/manga figurine and keychain on FB) and her supplier to import the 500ml bottle. And so, I have used half of the 500ml one. I'm a simple person and because of that, I don't use the conditioner and many hair products. I tried Etude House's Silk Scarf Moist Repair Hair Essence. It works like vitamin for hair and the texture is oily, but it makes my pimples comes out too. I will use it rarely, despite it hurted my face skin, 'coz it really work (I mean the Silk Scarf really works good). Use the Silk Scarf Essence today and my hair will lasts soft for 2-3 days.

Ma Cherie is the most favorite shampoo for me but its costs the most expensive too. 200ml bottle costs around US$ 9.17 and the 500ml costs around US$ 17.50.


Kracie Ichikami Shampoo
Kracie is mostly known as Kanebo in the previous years ago. So it is also a credible name in Japanese beauty products, similar to Shiseido. Its product also ranges from shampoo, conditioner, treatment, hair mask, oil, and other similar products with above. I think Kracie just have one type of shampoo in my country, the white in rice extract, despite I saw their website and found there were 2 types, the white and pink bottle. I bought it in Carrefour supermarket for around US$ 6.30 for the biggest 530ml bottle, the cheapest I got from Japanese shampoo. Though my online seller also selling it. The bottle is simple white and feels light despite the size, but also the sakura stamps are making it Japanese-feel. Quite boring overall.


The function is similar to Ma Cherie, makes my hair straighten up. But sadly, it also makes my hair very stiff that it almost hard to comb, similar when I used Pantene. I guess price and quality won't lie. It smells like floral (coz it also used sakura fragrance) and the scent lasts longer than my other 2 Japanese shampoos. I have never smell the real sakura so I don't know if it's that scent. The quality is quite useful if you want shampoo with longer scent, because Ma Cherie won't last until after my hair got dry. Though it also won't last as much as Pantene or Herbal Essences Japan Series Touchable Smooth. I bought the biggest one and it's still 3/4 bottle until now. I wished there's a small bottle because it isn't that satisfying.


Shiseido Tsubaki Shining Shampoo
After trying Kracie, I will stick to Shiseido brand from now on. This is Tsubaki website. I've got the red one, Shining series by reading some review that said it's smells nicer than white bottle for Damage Care. But I guess I will also try the white one after running out of my 3 bottles. The fragrance? I think it's floral (tsubaki is camellia flower) and scent lasted longer than Ma Cherie. It makes my hair smooth, very smooth so it won't get curly or messy! The quality is nicer than Ma Cherie in overall because I can feel my hair is lighter and easy to comb.

I tried it 3 times and it's a satisfaction experience. Though I must finish using Kracie first or my mom will get mad at wasting money.. The cost for 220ml bottle is US$ 5.83, almost the same as bigger 530ml Kracie, but with higher quality. So comparing it to Kracie isn't worth the discussion.

Packaging wise, it isn't the best. Just a slim bottle in red color and very easy to dent. See my bottle after delivery:

Look at the bottom left. It is dented by delivery service to my house. It is also very flexible. If I touch with little strenght, it will dent a bit also. I think it's not a problem if I don't bring it while travelling.


I think I'll stick to Tsubaki for awhile, though I might buy Ma Cherie, my favorite, if I have extra money. The online seller also provides KAO's Asience shampoo but I have yet to try it. There are 3/4 530ml bottle Ichikami, half of 500ml bottle Ma Cherie, and 95% of 220ml bottle Tsubaki Shining left in my bathroom. So many shampoos and my sister is blabbering about getting crowded of bottles. I wish someone will tell me if Asience is good enough brand than Shiseido... Please give me your thoughts on your favorite drugstore shampoo. I will gladly receive suggestion.



BODY SOAP

Continue for my beauty products from Japan, I will write about drugstore body soap. It is one of my must have item because I goes to bath twice a day (Indonesia is in summer all day). And wrong soap makes my skin peeling off since I have dry skin.
Cow Brand Bouncia Body Soap
It is the brand from Cow Soap, already founded May 1909, but I heard just recently. Try their website. Their soap is produced for either baby, children, or adult. The texture for Bouncia is watery, almost similar to 30% milk and 70% water? The smell is plain milk flavor and very soothing. I like how it smells like baby soap because the mild white color and the milk scent.


I don't take picture of body soap, so I use commercial picture. The quality is good enough than I've expected. There were dry skin on my leg and would peeling off when it's too dry. But now, it won't be a problem. Bouncia is also easy to wash off and won't leave any oily feeling to skin. The cost is US$ 6.08 in 550ml and US$ 3.04 in 430ml refill. I love this product more than the other I will review below.


Cow Brand Milky Body Soap Relax Floral Scent

This comes in Cow Soap brand, same with Bouncia. Has mild milk scent with a little floral (very little). But I like Bouncia better because to make bubble in Milky, it need more liquid. I think Bouncia is more generous with the texture and bubbles. The price for Milky Body Soap is US$ 5.08 for 580ml bottle.


These were my soaps for a while, after changing from solid to liquid soap. I like Bouncia for its easy to wash bubble and it can make more bubble in little pump. It is worthed the money because of its texture. I think it needed 3-4 months to finish 550ml Bouncia. I wish the refill will be more easy to get in drugstore like Guardian, but it seems they just sell the biggest bottle. I'll keep buying from online shop that requires only 3 days to get delivered.



FACEWASH
It wasn't until last year that I used face wash. For 23 years I had lived, I only used water to wash my face because I just used compact powder on face daily. I tried Biore face wash, but it wasn't that great. It is only the same face wash as other brands. Now that I've tried Japanese brand face wash, I will use it forever.

Rohto Hada Labo Gokujyun Moisturizing Facewash
The website is here. Hada Labo's specialty is Hyaluronic Acid ingredients within (but most Japanese skin care product also used it, to maintain hydration). I am using Gokujyun series, for moisturizing, and the other function is brightening. I don't need brightening ability in a facewash and I don't want to get whiter than this (I am too pale, even my legs are very pale).

What I've got from the facewash is clean and smooth! It is really affected my face's skin and hydrating. But you will know that the effect of a facewash is just for an hour. Though I feel very impressed by the ability of this facewash and it's an easy cleansing with water. It also cleans up my make up (Really, I'm the person who don't use makeup remover). Just a tiny bit of the cream, about my ring finger nail) and it will create more foam. It's refreshing and the smell... I think it's kind of acid scent, but not too strong/ almost nothing. I feel there's no smell at all for my nose's problem (look here, I don't like wearing perfume and got dizzy by it). It doesn't hurt my eyes if it gets in a bit. Texture is very light and creamy, but not pale white. Instead, it has bright white for the liquid.

There are two size of the tube. The little size is around US$ 1.08 while the bigger tube is around US$ 2.04. It's a little pricy rather than another brands like KAO's Biore. It is usually in bigger size but the price is the same as Hada Labo's small size tube.


Rohto Hada Labo Shirojyun Ultimate Whitening Facewash
This is the brightening / whitening (I will use brightening since there won't be any effect for more white on skin) type from Hada Labo. The tube is transparent blue and I think it's energizing. Tried this after using the moisturizing one and didn't feel any different rather than the liquid is more water-y. I think I like the moisturizing type more, because my skin is very dry.


Kracie naive Facial Cleansing Foam Peach
The website is here. It has many kinds of product, Peach is for soft & moist, Aloe vera for hydration, green tea for oily skin, etc. I bought Peach because my skin is rather dry than oily combination. My tip of nose, around eyebrows, and spreading towards cheeks are dry and peeling off. I can see it when I'm using my powder, it looks horrible, like I'm changing skin.


I tried it this morning and like it. My sister also tried before me and then she knew it's the best product she have used. She loves it more than Hada Labo. As for me, Naive is a bit pricey than Hada Labo. It costs US$ 3.00 (at discounted price, while actual price is USD 4.00) at local Carrefour in 110gr size. And when the foam touched my eyes (it went in unnoticed), it hurted my eyes a bit. Oh well, I won't budge by it, but it's just a precaution. The foam is rich, easy to wash off (more than Hada Labo), and scent with soft peach. A soothing aroma and it won't hurt my nose.  I'll try using it in few days more because I tried it just once this morning.


That's all my review for facewash. I don't use any other product at bathing than this. Really, there is no space to use anymore than this items. For me, if I haven't go anywhere, I'm too lazy to use facewash. Especially if I'm not wearing makeup. The quality for Hada Labo and naive is similar, though I feels naive's foam is heavier. Though it's heavier, it spread nicely on face and cleans dirt. I will try more products in the future, so I wish my review will be useful.