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.