as you probably knew, i always do a big haul when in japan. mostly because most of the products there are affordable. so when i went to daiso, i couldn't believe that they sell serum with just 100 yen tag, so i grabbed 3 of them. i've read about them on amabie website, but no review on them yet, so i was intrigued to see whether they work or not despite the price.
this the description from alphabeauty website: an anti-aging moisturizing essence/ serum contains coix seed extract for skin nourishment and helps avoid dryness. this is the best choice for value among those moisturizing essence with similar main ingredient.
i also found a bit description from goodlucktripjapan website, which is not similar at all to the one that alphabeauty wrote. this is description from the second website: this HM lotion contains job's tears extract. job's tears has anti-inflammatory properties, so it can help prevent acne and whiten skin. we recommend this product for both oily and dry skin types.
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| the packaging |
the packaging: it comes in a plastic pump bottle, each type has different color, and for this type, it's green. let me remind you that the triple collagen is pink, the royal jelly is yellow/orange, the horse oil is dark blue and the hyaluronic acid is light blue. there's also a transparent plastic cap to cover the pump. every serum comes in 30 ml size, which is a normal size for a serum/essence. at the back, there's a sticker label that contains description and instruction in english and japanese. quite surprising considering this is a cheap product. even bigger brands like biore and hada labo don't bother to put english translation on their products.
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| the bottle |
the scent: i believe it's scentless as usual, but the first time i tried it i detect a hint of alcohol scent. then i looked at the ingredients list, and i saw that alcohol is the second on that list.
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| the cap and the pump |
the product: it's a clear essence. the consistency is more viscous than most essence i've tried, but runnier than most serums that i've tried. the few first times i used it, i feel cooling sensation the moment i put it on my skin. i suspect it's because of the alcohol in it, but lately i don't feel that cooling sensation anymore. compared to the collagen serum, this one is runnier but it takes the same time to get it absorbed.
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| close up look at the pump bottle and the cap |
the result: i've been using this serum for about a month, and i see that this is as hydrating as the collagen one. i can see that this serum calms my skin, reducing the redness on my cheeks. as for preventing acne, i don't think it works. i still got acne, although i can't say that it's entirely the serum's fault. i got acne twice during using this serum. the first time, i was using full makeup and i think i didn't wash off my makeup completely, so perhaps it was the culprit. the second one, we were going away for about 3 days and i didn't bring my whole arsenal with me. and during both flight i didn't bring any mist to hydrate my skin, so definitely breakouts afterward. as for whitening the skin, since i already use another brightening product as well as vitamin c serum in my routine, i can't see additional brightening effect on me.
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left: the serum consistency
right: after blended |
i have to say i didn't have any expectation from this serum, mostly because it's so cheap. somehow i can't believe that it will work as well as more expensive ones. i have to say that this one works better than the triple collagen one. i can see the hydrating effect and the calming effect, although the rest can't be seen or not yet proven effective. but for that price, i'm not complaining.
ps: okay.. i've just bought naruko raw job's tears essence, which is similar to this serum. and i plan to use them side by side to see the difference. are you guys interested?
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