Cle de Peau La Creme U vs Shiseido Bio-performance Advanced Super Restoring Cream

When I was in my late 10s to early 20s, I always dreamed to have CdP skincare or makeup products. I would save money for a long time to buy one CdP's product and felt so happy the whole day.

The more products I try, the more I understand that the more expensive does not mean the better. Everything depends on marketing and how a company present the products images to other people.

The higher end products does not necessarily mean the best ingredients inside, they may use better ingredients but it does not mean it can work wonders to everybody's skin.
   
   I used creme de lamer and cdp la creme and I do not think they are awesome. They are
   pretty good moisturizers, but it does not mean they can work better than medicines which solve      all types of skin problems.

   A moisturizer from Olay or Loreal Paris can work much better than other more expensive        creams. Paula Begoun has taught us a lot from her books.

  As everybody knows, drugstore cosmetics by Loreal can contain the same ingredients as Lancome's as they are from the same company. Same thing as Cle de Peau and Shiseido, both of them have the same mother-Shiseido.

Therefore, Shiseido has so many products to be the dupe of CdP, and the moisturizer is no exception.

CdP la creme retails at 550 CAD plus tax while Bio-Performance Advanced Super Restoring Cream is at $140 plus tax. The price difference is crazy and huge. Does a $600 moisturizer work better than $100 moisturizer? I am not sure.

The texture of both cream are almost the same. CdP is slightly oily while Shiseido is slightly sticky. If you have very dry skin, you may need to warm your shiseido cream with your finger tips before applying onto your face; with CdP, you can just apply it on without any problem.

Does CdP la cream work wonders? No. The claim is however so big. But when your skin is in a really bad condition, better not to use it at all. It will irritate your skin like nobody's business. Does it hydrates well? Well, when your skin is in normal condition, it's enough. When your skin is super dry, no way. You will end up waste lots of products and still feel dry and itchy on your skin.

The bio-performance advanced super restoring cream seems to have the same problem. It works only when skin is in healthy and normal condition.

Why do I need to spend lots of money on products which only work with my skin on certain conditions? I don't know. For the name? For the packaging? For that you can be bragging to your friends and relatives?  I really do not know.

Review: Yves Rocher Hydrating Cleansing Milk

(photo courtesy: yvesrocher.ca)

I seldom buy facial cleansers for I always get my cleansers in GWP. This cleansing milk comes with my online order with Yves Rocher as well.

I did not have high expectation with this cleanser as it's a gift. To my surprise it works very well.

It removes light makeup. I am not sure if it cleans water proof long lasting makeups. But it does a good job in removing the traces of makeup.

This cleansing milk does not strip the moisture on my skin, it leaves my skin hydrated.  My skin does not feel dry or tight if I do not put moisturizers on my face immediately after shower. As it claims on YR's website, the cleansing milk leaves skin soft and hydrated and it smooths skin well.

I highly recommend this cleansing milk to everyone.  It cleans well and make skin comfortable.

Review: Yves Rocher Hydrating Toner

What I like about Yves Rocher  is that it always have expiration dates on its products. I don't see it very often in cosmetics here in Canada. Even the higher ends brands such as EL or Dior do not put expiration dates on all the products. Who knows if they sell old (or very old expired) products to us? I do see expiration dates on products with SPF with almost all brands.

(photo courtesy: yvesrocher.ca)

This hydrating toner is for normal to combo skin. It is not as sticky as some Japanese toners. It is not serum like Estee lauder nutritious toner. It is water like. The texture reminds me of Yves Rocher's Micellar cleansing water.
(micellar cleansing water/ photo courtesy: yvesrocher.ca)


This hydrating toner can actually work as micellar water. It removes the traces of make up very well. Though it's not sticky, it's quite hydrating for my skin at this time of the year--late August in Canada.

It helps the following skin care routine goes on easily. The cream goes smoothly on my face after this toner. I can use less products than usual after this toner.

It does have a light scent but it does not bother me. It has a nice fresh smell which relaxes you. But if you are sensitive to fragrance you'd better to try it in the store or ask for sample when you order it online.

It does not sting my eyes.

Overall, it's a very good hydrating toner/ micellar cleansing water.

Review: Estee Lauder Perfectionist CP+R serum

(image from esteelauder.com)

This serum is supposed to do something for people with wrinkles. I am in my 20s and do not have wrinkles, but I like to try any product anti-ageing.

Actually I am little bit disappointed with this product. It's so expensive. It retails at $110 for 50 ml. Basically it did nothing on my skin.

It has some light waxy texture to it and with a silicone feel, which I feel it's more for makeup products not for skincare. I suppose it is the texture that blurs lines so that people feel it works dramatically and instantly to reduce lines.

In my view, any cosmetic effect in skincare products is cheating. This serum is simply a primer with fancy skin care ingredients to me.

Review: Shiseido Super Refining Essence

(image from http://www.ca-e.shiseido.com/sc/product/view.asp?S=11304)

I like shiseido's airless pump packaging for serums. It's more sanitary to use.

This essence is categorised as serum. The texture is between liquid serum to cream. It's more towards to light gel cream texture.

The cream feels very emollient on the skin and it's absorbed quickly. I can use it either alone or with cream. When my skin is not dry, I use it alone and it works well for me. Non greasy at all so I use it before my Clarins sunscreen.

It has some ' shiseidoish' floral fragrance in this product. I am not fond of this smell not do not hate it either. Just wish it was fragrance free.

It makes my skin smooth and radiant as it claims. I am not sure if it reduces the wrinkles because I do not have any. It keep my skin hydrated whole night and I wake up with glowy skin.

It retails at $88 CAD plus tax for 50 ml. As a department store serum the price is quite reasonable. But it works nothing fantastic on my skin, (actually there's no skin care products work that way so far) I think I will find something else works the same way with cheaper price.

Review: CLINIQUE Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector

(photo from thebay.com)

Some people say this serum can be a dupe for EL ANR, well, for me it may be not the case.

The texture is slightly less thicker than EL ANR. If I do not apply any moisturiser right after this serum, my face feels tight and dry.

It claims to reduce wrinkles, sun damage and lines in 4 weeks. However after finishing the whole bottle I do not feel any difference. Maybe I do not have wrinkles yet and cannot see any result. But I don't even feel my skin is moisturised or in a healthy condition after this.

I would rather to spend on something else than buying this.

Review: SHISEIDO The Skincare HydroNourishing Softener

(photo credit to thebay.com)

I got this in a gwp. It's in average not bad toner. It's hydrating and can be used like light serum when my skin is not dry. It has a nice scent to it. But nothing fancy. It's very similar to lancome tonique confort. This one is more expensive, 140 ml for$44 CAD plus tax while lancome has 200ml for $35 CAD.

Review: SHISEIDO Eudermine Revitalizing Essence

(photo credit to thebay.com)


After trying so many lotions (toners), this is nothing special to me.

It may be a great product in 19th century--Shiseido claimed it to be introduced in 1897.

It is not a revitalising essence to me, it's just pure lotion with hydrating function. It does not dry out my skin, but does not work wonders like other toners that I reviewed in my blog.

It has a scent which I am really fond of. But that is the only thing that I like.

It's on the pricey. The essence toner retails at $78 plus tax for only 125 ml.

Dupe for Estee Lauder ESTEE LAUDER Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex- New ESTEE LAUDER Nutritious Radiant Vitality Energy Lotion review

(photo credit to thebay.com)


This is the dupe for EL advanced night repair serum. In fact, it's much better than it.

Let's compare the price first, the EL advanced night repair serum is $96 CAD plus tax for 50ml while this nutritious lotion retails at $55 for 200ml.

You may say it's not fair to compare a serum to a lotion (toner). But to me they work in a similar way.

This nutritious lotion claims to infuses skin with  moisture and energy for a look of radiant vitality. It does help my skin look radiant. I usually put it on before sleep, next day I wake up with hydrated, refined glowy skin.

It's a real high-performance treatment lotion that works like serum. The texture is similar to advanced night repair serum, but less thicker than it. To my surprise, I only need 2 drop of it to put on my skin while with the night repair serum, I usually put more than 3 drops of it.

The first after I bought it, I use only drops of this lotion after washing my face. My skin did not feel tight even I did not put the moisturiser on immediately. It can stay more than 20 minutes on my skin alone without making my skin feel dry.

I have not finish this bottle yet and I believe it can stay quite long time if I use it as a serum. Will update later and say how long does it take for me to finish this 200 ml serum like lotion.

Review: Clarins Daily Energizer WakeUp Booster

(photo credit to thebay.com)

Toners have many nicknames. Cosmetic companies call them lotion, softener, and booster......

This wakeup booster is supposed to be a morning toner. But of course I do not use it in the morning only.

It claims to enhance skin radiance. Since the toner is hydrating, it makes me feel that my complexion is radiant and luminous.

 

Clarins is famous for plant extracts ingredients, and this is no exception. I am not sure if there's any natural ingredients there, but I can be sure that there's artificial smell in almost all Clarins' products.

 

I prefer fragrance free products in general. But this smell does not bother me that much.  It does not break me out but make my skin healthy and hydrating.

 

This is a rather cheaper department store toner. It retails at $15 CAD plus tax for 125 ml. Very good value. Because some drugstore toner can cost this much or even more ( if you buy toners at shoppers.) ......

 

Review: Lunasol FUSING POWDER FOUNDATION spf 20

(photo from adambeauty.com)
It's one of my favourite powder foundation. Sadly it's only available in Asia.

Lunasol is a department store brand, it belongs to Kanebo's higher end products.

This powder foundation has a very creamy and silky texture. When I apply it on I do not feel it's powder on my face. The powder does not suck the moisture or oil out from my skin, instead, it keeps the moisture inside of it. So it's best for dryer skin types.

The coverage is superb. Really good coverage, yet the face does not look flat after applying it on.

The shade I use is yo02, it matches my skin tone perfectly.

The longer I apply it on, the more beautiful my skin looks.

It has a similar finish as Albion's powder foundation, but the lunasol powder stays longer and better on me.

I wish there's kanebo counter available here.

Review: SHISEIDO Revital Cream Science AA Ex

(photo from thebay.com)

This cream retails at $260 CAD plus tax for only 40 ml!!

One of the most expensive creams I have ever had.

It works as it claims--filling skin with rich moisture. It supposed to make you look younger. It's targeted at 30+ customers. I am in my mid- to- late 20s so I do not know if it boost the collagen ( I know we lost it everyday). But it does work wonderful as a moisturising night cream.

I do feel the texture better than bio-performance ones. So do the scent. The packaging is as elegant as most Japanese skin care products.

However I do not think it's worth the money to buy a night cream for such high price.  Benefiance wrinkleresist 24 works the same way and is about 4 times cheaper!

Review: SHISEIDO White Lucent Brightening Serum for Neck and Decolletage

(photo from thebay.com)


This serum retails at $75 CAD plus tax with 75 ml.

For me it's a waste of money to buy this serum. It does nothing like it claimed.

It clams to reduce the apperance of age and sun spots, but it does not. It does not even even out skin

It claims to provide generous moisture. No, it does not do it at all. After applying the serum, my neck and palms start feel dry.

Actually I doubt if it's skin care. To me it's more like makeup than a skincare product because it has some sparkle in the serum (they call it as 'light diffusing properties' ). I mean it's better to put this serum before going out for party.

However, I cannot even use it as a makeup primer because it does dry out my skin.

Thoughts on Japanese toner (softener, lotion) and other higher end toners

Japanese toners are more than toners.

Most toners work as a cleansing lotion after washing face, but Japanese toners seem to be doing more than that.

Most of the Japanese toner I have tried are very hydrating. Some of them are in light serum consistency such as Shiseido nutriperfect and future solution softeners.

The toners I have tried with serum feel are Lancome tonique confort, Estee lauder re-nutriv softening lotion and Estee lauder nutritious energy lotion.

Review: SHISEIDO Future Solution LX Concentrated Balancing Softener

(photo credit to thebay.com)

This softener is more than a softener.

It feels like a light serum. I normally apply it without cotton pads. It's very hydrating. In summer time I do not even need a moisturiser afterwards.

However it has a very strong scent. Though I do not hate this smell, I do not enjoy it either.

It retails at $98 CAD plus tax for 150ml. If you use it as a serum, it cost less than other moisturising serums. However you can find a dupe for it. Shiseido Benefiance nutriperfect softener has the same function, cost a lot less and with less scent.

The body shop nutriganics softening cleansing gel-dupe for clinique take the day off

This is probably one of my favourite the body shop skin care products.

The cleansing gel is with thick gel consistency. When I am lazy to use eye makeup remover, I use only this to remove everything on my face. It works wonders.

It can be the best dupe for clinique take the day off cleansing balm. The only problem is that I use up this very fast, while clinique cleansing balm stays long with me.

Shiseido Ultra Sun protection Lotion spf 50

(photo credit to thebay.com)

I wish I could like this sunscreen, because it's so affordable comparing to other higher end sunscreens, it retails at $49 CAD plus tax for 100 ml!

The sunscreen is like it claims, very water resistant. Except being affordable and water resistant, I cannot find other pros in it.

First, the scent is so overpowering that I can still feel it before I remove my makeup at the end of the day. I do not mind some smell in cosmetics when I apply it on my face. But I do not want to feel it whole day. The scent makes me feel sick.

Second, it seems not compatible with any of my powder foundations. I normally do not use makeup base. I apply sunscreen and powder as my everyday base makeup. If I apply any powder foundation right after this sunscreen, the powder foundation becomes cakey and not easy to blend; if I apply powder foundation sometime after apply this sunscreen, it makes my foundation look a lot more thick than it should be.

So the best way to use this sunscreen, is to apply it alone on the body instead of face (or neck).

I really wish to like this sunscreen, because it has bigger size than other (department store) sunscreens. But it always makes problem for me when I apply it on my face. Otherwise it has such good value and sometimes I can get bonus with buying it.

Review: Olay complete spf 30 daily moisturizer

This is a sunscreen with very good value. It's around $16 CAD plus tax at walmart for 75ml.

I use it mostly in winter time. I would not use it in strong sunlight. Because of its hydrating and very affordable price. I think it's the best dupe for the new Estee Lauder day wear SPF 50.

Clarins uv plus hp multi-protection spf 40--dupe for Chanel sunscreen

(photo credit to thebay.com)

It's the dupe for Chanel sunscreen. A lot cheaper than other department sunscreens who have only 30ml available. Not the cheapest choice of course. It retails at $40 CAD plus tax for 50 ml.

It's a very light liquid sunscreen, much lighter than Chanel's. It reminds me some Japanese sunscreens. I cannot say it's not hydrating in the winter time, but it can be slightly dry for me in very cold days. So I always put a lot of cream before applying for this sunscreen. But it works wonders in the summer time.

To my surprise, it holds my powder foundation as good as Chanel's sun screen. The powder foundations stay very well over 6 hours without touch ups.

Though it has scent in it, it never breaks me out.  I have been using more than 5 bottles of this sunscreen and will keep using it until I find a better and cheaper dupe--a sunscreen that can protect my skin from UV rays and hold my powder foundation well.

Chanel UV essentiel spf 50

This sunscreen retails at $57 CAD plus tax for 30 ml only, it is probably the most expensive sunscreen I have ever had.

The sunscreen is in a light liquid formula, yet not drying for my skin. I can wear it in the winter time without feeling uncomfortable. It has the most beautiful scent in it. It's with white cast, but once I put powder over it, it's disappears.

I like the feeling with this sunscreen on my skin. But it's too expensive. Clarins UV plus is the dupe for it.