SKINCARE REVIEW: Shiseido Haku Melanofocus 3D
I usually don't do skincare/makeup review since 1. I am not an expert and 2. Most of the time, I read other beauty bloggers review before getting the actual products. But this time, I found that the review for the Haku line is very limited, and seems like not many people know about this product. Quite understandable, given that this product is only for sale in Japan (at least that's what the sales person told me), and a blogger said that although they have it in Taiwan, she is not entirely sure if it is actually made in Japan. So, as far as I am concern, this product is only available in Japan. Description about the product from COSME.
During my last Japan trip, I bravely purchased the Haku Melanofocus 3D - without doing any research on it. I mean I use Shiseido products for my daily routine (Ibuki and White Lucent), so I thought nothing could go wrong with trying a different line right? To my shock, after checking COSDNA (the product is for discontinued Melanofocus CR not the improved Melanofocus 3D), the product contains Myristyl Myristate, which rate 5 for acne. I was contemplating whether I should use this or ditched it, but in the end I did give it a try. I use this product after my cleanser and softener, followed by my moisturiser. I've been using it day and night (1 pump during the day and 2 pump during the night) for my entire face. Some use it just for their dark spot or acne scar, but I thought I should just give it a go for the whole face. 1 pump is about enough to cover the entire face very lightly. I know Shiseido products are very slow when it comes to seeing result, and by slow I mean months before you can see significant changes to your face. But I'm quite surprise that I can see my skin becoming very bright after using it for 2 days. I've been using it for a week, and thankfully my face hasn't give any negative reaction to it yet. In fact my cystic acne that I got from using Lancome Energie de Vie sleeping mask (thanks Lancome!) became smaller and I notice that the redness around my cheek is reduced and my face has become evenly toned. I personally think this product fares better than the White Lucent range - although texture wise I prefer White Lucent. Despite the acne and irritant agent, I think this product still fare really great :)
The packaging is quite nice, although I feel like its lacking the luxury touch that the White Lucent line has. But bare in mind that this is the drug store brand (although not that cheap), so it is understandable that they made the packaging very simple. You can also purchase the refill for 300yen cheaper and since I don't like wasting thing, I purchased the refill instead of another bottle.
It has a milky lotion kind of consistency. At first I wasn't sure if this is indeed a serum due to its texture. The serum I've been using so far has a gel like consistency. But this is marketed as serum/milk moisturiser, which kinda explain the texture. Though it is easily absorbed into the skin, it does leave a bit of stickiness on my face. A lot of my other serum actually does this too, so its not a big deal for me. I do wear another moisturiser on top since this doesn't feel very moisturising enough.
Product: HAKU Melanofocus 3D 45gPrice: 10,000 yen (around AUD125) - refill is avaible for 9,700yen. This exclude tax (since I was a tourist, I got tax free)
Texture: It a little bit thicker than my other serum (namely White Lucent Total Brightening Serum - DISCONTINUED) and it takes a while before it is completely absorbed by the skin. Whilst the White Lucent serum is very soft, the Melanofocus is a tiny bit greasy after application, which I'm OK with and actually not too bothered by it to be honest. My skin is a little dry at the moment, so I've been incorporating it both to my morning and night routines, but during summer I think I'm just gonna use it at night.
Buy Again? Yes, if I go to Japan. I just don't think its worth the effort to purchase it online (with jacked up price) and wait a month for the product to arrive. The white lucent MicroTargeting Sport Correcting is retail for AUD145, and whilst I think the Melanofocus is way better in terms of result, I think I am pretty happy to use the white lucent serum when I run out of this product. But if you are in Japan, do give this product a try. They do have a 7 days sample set, selling for 1,500yen - which include the Active Melanoreleaser (toner/softerner) and Inner Melanodefenser (moisturiser). I purchased the set and got a couple of sample which I haven't try yet, so I think its a good starting point if you want to try this line.
Update (27/10/2016): After wearing it for about a month now, I actually really love this serum. It doesn't have the anti aging property since it is focussing on brightening/whitening, but I feel like my skin has improved a lot after wearing this. My face looks a lot brighter, although not glowing but I can see the difference in its radiance and texture. Sometimes I add my anti aging serum (I use Lancome genefique) before putting this on, and they seem to work well together. I was a bit worried with the acne triggered in the ingredients, but maybe it doesn't react on my face :)
During my last Japan trip, I bravely purchased the Haku Melanofocus 3D - without doing any research on it. I mean I use Shiseido products for my daily routine (Ibuki and White Lucent), so I thought nothing could go wrong with trying a different line right? To my shock, after checking COSDNA (the product is for discontinued Melanofocus CR not the improved Melanofocus 3D), the product contains Myristyl Myristate, which rate 5 for acne. I was contemplating whether I should use this or ditched it, but in the end I did give it a try. I use this product after my cleanser and softener, followed by my moisturiser. I've been using it day and night (1 pump during the day and 2 pump during the night) for my entire face. Some use it just for their dark spot or acne scar, but I thought I should just give it a go for the whole face. 1 pump is about enough to cover the entire face very lightly. I know Shiseido products are very slow when it comes to seeing result, and by slow I mean months before you can see significant changes to your face. But I'm quite surprise that I can see my skin becoming very bright after using it for 2 days. I've been using it for a week, and thankfully my face hasn't give any negative reaction to it yet. In fact my cystic acne that I got from using Lancome Energie de Vie sleeping mask (thanks Lancome!) became smaller and I notice that the redness around my cheek is reduced and my face has become evenly toned. I personally think this product fares better than the White Lucent range - although texture wise I prefer White Lucent. Despite the acne and irritant agent, I think this product still fare really great :)
The packaging is quite nice, although I feel like its lacking the luxury touch that the White Lucent line has. But bare in mind that this is the drug store brand (although not that cheap), so it is understandable that they made the packaging very simple. You can also purchase the refill for 300yen cheaper and since I don't like wasting thing, I purchased the refill instead of another bottle.
It has a milky lotion kind of consistency. At first I wasn't sure if this is indeed a serum due to its texture. The serum I've been using so far has a gel like consistency. But this is marketed as serum/milk moisturiser, which kinda explain the texture. Though it is easily absorbed into the skin, it does leave a bit of stickiness on my face. A lot of my other serum actually does this too, so its not a big deal for me. I do wear another moisturiser on top since this doesn't feel very moisturising enough.
Product: HAKU Melanofocus 3D 45gPrice: 10,000 yen (around AUD125) - refill is avaible for 9,700yen. This exclude tax (since I was a tourist, I got tax free)
Texture: It a little bit thicker than my other serum (namely White Lucent Total Brightening Serum - DISCONTINUED) and it takes a while before it is completely absorbed by the skin. Whilst the White Lucent serum is very soft, the Melanofocus is a tiny bit greasy after application, which I'm OK with and actually not too bothered by it to be honest. My skin is a little dry at the moment, so I've been incorporating it both to my morning and night routines, but during summer I think I'm just gonna use it at night.
Buy Again? Yes, if I go to Japan. I just don't think its worth the effort to purchase it online (with jacked up price) and wait a month for the product to arrive. The white lucent MicroTargeting Sport Correcting is retail for AUD145, and whilst I think the Melanofocus is way better in terms of result, I think I am pretty happy to use the white lucent serum when I run out of this product. But if you are in Japan, do give this product a try. They do have a 7 days sample set, selling for 1,500yen - which include the Active Melanoreleaser (toner/softerner) and Inner Melanodefenser (moisturiser). I purchased the set and got a couple of sample which I haven't try yet, so I think its a good starting point if you want to try this line.
Update (27/10/2016): After wearing it for about a month now, I actually really love this serum. It doesn't have the anti aging property since it is focussing on brightening/whitening, but I feel like my skin has improved a lot after wearing this. My face looks a lot brighter, although not glowing but I can see the difference in its radiance and texture. Sometimes I add my anti aging serum (I use Lancome genefique) before putting this on, and they seem to work well together. I was a bit worried with the acne triggered in the ingredients, but maybe it doesn't react on my face :)