Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Hadalabo Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturising Lotion review


Yes, I bought 3 bottles of toner from Sasa. Don't judge me -__-
In my defence, they were labelled as "lotions", and to my poor pirate mind, lotion = moisturiser. It doesn't help that this particular one was called "MOISTURISING" lotion.
I'm well familiar with the Western concept of toner - horrible smell, stinging feeling, leaves face oddly tight and greasy at the same time. To this day, I'm still unsure as to what exactly toner is suppose to do to your skin, it claims to shrink your pores but seems to have absolutely no effect on my crater sized pores. Hence, it is no surprise that I haven't used toner for the past 6 years.
Hadalabo, in case you didn't know, is a collaboration between Rhoto Japan, and Menthalatum USA, however, their products only appear to be available in Asia. The advertising on the bottle claims that a bottle of this lotion is sold every 4 seconds in Japan.
Unlike their Western counterparts which mostly have a clarifying function, Asian toners in general have a moisturising function. As in, it's a moisturiser you use before your moisturiser - capiche?
According to Google, Japanese women have gorgeous skin because they use a double moisturising routine - Google also told me that there are many single Japanese women just waiting to meeting me.

What they say:
"One drop locks an Ocean…
Instantly hydrates skin and helps preserve its optimum moisture balance. 
Replenishes and locks-in moisture for complete hydration. 
Skin feels significantly soft and supple. 
Helps improve dry and dehydrated skin, leaving it silky smooth. 
Skin pH balanced. 
Low irritation. 
Free of fragrances, mineral oil, alcohol & colorant."
Ingredients: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Disodium Succinate, Methlyparaben, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Succinic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

What I say:
Le sigh, I'm starting to see the first signs of age. My once chip basket skin has now turned into a combination of a chip basket and the Kalahari desert. My T-zone would drip grease, but my under eyes would be wrinkled like a prune from dryness. I guess one could always spread the oil around for even distribution - I had an ex who would wipe his forehead on his wallet, he said that the oils would keep the leather from cracking, but that's neither here nor there.
This lotion contains SUPER Hyaluronic Acid, as in, it's not Clark Kent, it's Superman! Hyaluronic Acid is some kind of chemical that occurs naturally in the human body, in your connective tissues n whatnots, but is lost every day. There is a reason why my brother is the chemist. I just know that it's the main constituent of injectable skin fillers, and that it works by increasing cell hydration so that your skin appears plumped up, and less wrinkly.
So I've been using the lotion morning and night for the past 3 weeks, and I must say I'm impressed! The lines underneath my eyes are no longer deep and visible and my skin is definitely plumper and bouncier to the touch! As an added bonus, it has also balanced out my combination skin to the point where I hardly need to blot!
The product itself is slightly viscous, colourless, and fragrance free.
The way that you apply this lotion is quite different to the way you'd apply a traditional toner. Instead of wiping it onto you face with a facial cotton, you simply pour out 2-3 drops into the palms of your hands, rub your palms together, and proceed to slap the product onto your face. Continue slapping until the lotion is fully absorbed and skin is no longer sticky to the touch.
Yes, I meant slap in a literal sense, observe:

So twice a day, I can be found slapping myself silly in the bathroom. The first time I did it, the bf ran into the bathroom and ask me if I was "shot jor" (crazy), I told him I was busy slapping myself pretty.
Before: 








After:




Damage:
$11 for 170ml from Sasa.com
Verdict:
Great for people with combination and dry skin! Will get rid of those pesky dry patches. Gives bouncy, baby bum skin! Some might find this lotion too bothersome as it does take a while to be fully absorbed, and in that in-between stage, skin feels weirdly sticky to touch.
Unfortunately, this product does contain parabens, and this might not bode well with everyone's skin.

Edit: My apologies for not clarifying this point, but I use this lotion after cleansing and before moisturising. The "After" photos were taken after using the lotion alone - without moisturiser.

15 comments:

  1. ooooooOooo..I really wanted to try this! Thanks for the review. So I am guessing that you are using this as a lotion and not layering anything else after it? Have you tried anything else from their line?

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  2. oh i have this before, its pretty nice but a little too sticky for me. nice review!

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  3. this is my current savior... i would die if I didnt have it for 1 session of skincare

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  4. I just received this product in the mail the other day, but haven't tried it yet. According to your review though, I'm in for a treat :) I'm trying out the Ole Henriksen first to see how it goes. Have you purchased any of the other products in the line?

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  5. The after picture already convinced me! lol But since it's summer right now I think I'm going to wait until Fall/Winter sets in before I go hunt it down in Chinatown lol

    Thanks for the review :]

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  6. wow! I need to get some of this stuff! I have those lines under my eyes too! *shame face*

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  7. Nice review. I really want to try this.

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  8. Haha, shot jor! I actually lol-ed. Thanks for the review. I'm using the Hada Labo cleanser and I like it a lot so I might pick this up for my next Sasa haul :)

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  9. LMAO at the "shot jor" comment! XP The before and after pics are pretty awesome. Darn, it has parabens? =\

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  10. That shit is amazinnggg!!! And....I was going to buy that also from my last Sasa haul and I also thought it was a lotion. *sobsob* But at least it seems to work well for you! I'll give it a try the next time I order some stuff from Sasa. :D Oh, and wallet comment: disgusting. I should tell my boyfriend to try that with his as well. muwahahha

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  11. You are so silly :D $11 is pretty good! I bought the Shiseido toning "lotion" and it was way more. Your eyes have improves significantly! That is for sure. I can't wait to order this on Sasa when i'm done with mine! I wrote it down :p

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  12. MAC Nu Nu! I missed your blog and all your great reviews/awesome cooking lessons. Eee this toner sounds great and your before/after shots are amazing. Your review basically sold me and after I finish my Shu Uemura depsea water, I'm buying this one. :) Your descriptions of your skin/aging are funny but not true I'm sure LOL. I want plump and bouncy skin too! haha I just found about moisturizing Asian toners this year as well.

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  13. haha this was one of the funniest reviews I've ever read! That video is quite funny too. The before/after pics totally sold me - this stuff looks great! How much was shipping from Sasa?

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  14. You make me wanna try my whitening one from HL...but I need to finish my other products first!

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  15. Oh wow! I love how you include before and afters so to show the results.

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