i've been to japan numerous times and even though i said i wouldn't buy much, i ended up buying a lot. but last time was very different. i walked around but found almost nothing that piqued my interest. i almost didn't buy anything new aside from a bottle of foaming face wash that i need, sunscreens (a must for japan), a mascara that i mistook as eyeliner and a moisturizer from kose sekkisui (the one i found in the drugstore). i've been buying stuff from japan for quite some time so i know roughly what kind of stuff they're good at. i won't go looking for serums there and their moisturizer is a hit and miss. their face was is cheap as well as their cleansing oil, but local brands are good too so i won't go the extra mile to buy them. but sunscreens and eyeliners are unbeatable. anyway, i mainly saw shiseido brand's products there but their price range are out of my budget so i ended up only buying this one set. i picked the balance care because i thought it would suit me best. let's see how it goes.
this is the description from one of the reseller's website: shiseido d program balance care lotion seeks to sooth, restore and balance the skin. this japanese skin care lotion for delicate skin works by soothing skin inflammation, restoring and promoting the skin's moisture and finally balancing the sebum and excess of skin's oil. this medicated lotion penetrates into the stratum corneum and makes the skin smooth, soft and radiant. d program is a skin care line from shiseido specifically developed for delicate and sensitive skin. shiseido d program series aims to defense and protect those skins.
the packaging: it comes in a plastic pouch. there's a transparent window at front so i can see the products inside. there's description at the back in japanese like usual. there are several types of the sets and each has different color. for the balance care, it's aquamarine blue. both the lotion and the emulsion comes in the same blue bottle, but the lotion one is bigger. the design is quite simple, the name of the brand and the product at front and description at the back. there's a spout covered by a white plastic screw cap to secure the product. the lotion is 23 ml which is a weird size for a toner sample and way too little.
the pouch |
the scent: honestly, since i've finished the product, i forgot if it was scented or not. if it was, i didn't have any problem with the scent, or else i might remember about it.
description at the back |
the product: this is a watery type toner that's easy to spread around and quickly absorbed. this feels similar to kose toner. it doesn't leave slippery afterward feeling either. it's hard to measure how much i use for my whole face and neck because usually i just squirt some and then tap it on my face and add more if i feel that it's not enough. however, usually i only use one layer and it's enough for my face and neck.
the bottle |
the result: even though this one is watery, there's a punch of hydration that i can immediately feel after applying this toner. this one is definitely hydrating and a bit moisturizing.
i can say that this one feels similar to kose toner? but a bit lighter compared to the kose one. however, i still think that it'll be suitable for all skin types. the full size one is quite expensive for a drugstore brand, but i think considering the performance, this one is worth the money. as for me, even though i like this one, i don't think i'll repurchase this because there are other toner out there that performs similar to this one with slightly cheaper price, so yeah.. it's nice to try it, but it's not super wow that i'd consider to repurchase it.