Lotion is a type of product that can be a little confusing - in Europe we mostly think about lotion as a light moisturising cream, in Asia depending on brand and line it can be either a light cream that we would use somewhere in the middle of our skin care routine or a watery product used on the beginning of skincare regime, just like essence. Lotions from Hada Labo are those watery products to be patted into skin just after cleansing. To help us identify type of product a lot of e-Bay sellers offering Hada Labo lotions are describing them as a "toner lotion", however they are not like our European toners. Western toners are more on the cleansing side of skincare, while Eastern ones are more on the caring side - they moisturise and prepare skin for better absorption of other moisturising products.
Kiwamizu is a new product, but it already has a limited edition with Hello Kitty. Unfortunately the cute kitty nearly gave me a heart attack. I saw pictures of limited edition bottles on this blog, but version there differs from mine - there we can see Hello Hitty on the left hand side of the droplet picture, and bow on the right side. My bottle has Hello Kitty on the right and some other kitty and a mousie on the left. I panicked! Is it a fake? Chiao from Green Tea Love blog setteld me down, as I was ordering from seller trusted and recommended by her. Apparently Japanese companies like to change products packaging a lot, lol. All I could do is take a deep breath I test the lotion out.
Product description: mineral amino lotion that balances and hydrates skin. It features a watery and non-sticky formula with blend of 6 minerals and 2 amino acids to balance skin's oil production. Very light and oil free, keeps skin hydrated and silky smooth.
Ingredients: Water, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat, Glycerin, Diglycerin, Copper Gluconate, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Calcium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Arginine, Betaine, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 20, Disodium Succinate, Succinic Acid, Methylparaben.
Ingredients analysis [HERE]
Product is a 180ml plastic bottle. There is no extra packaging to it, the sticker of the front of the bottle hides the cap a little bit, the cap itself is protected by foil wrap.
When I got it month ago, I couldn't find anywhere any info about how to use. All the other Hada Labo lotions are supposed to be gently patted into skin:
however presence of alcohol in this lotion ingredients list made me consider it more as a toner than lotion. So I tried out using Kiwamizu in two ways: patting into face and smoothing over face with cotton pad. Both ways performed well.
In the morning I'm delicate with my skin, I use only a gentle peeling gel and toner to freshen up my skin. In the morning then I use Kiwamizu as a toner, apply some on a cotton pad and wipe my face with it, to make sure my skin is free from any traces of my nightcream. Used this way Kwiamizu is refreshing and moisturising.
In the evening I cleanse my skin thoroughly with cleansing oil and foam. After this two, I don't need any more refreshment, just miniaturisation, so I pour a little bit of Kiwamizu on my palm and pat it in my face. It's lovely and moisturising, makes skin wonderfully soft. It's really not sticky and absorbs much quicker than my previous whitening lotion, so it'll do better for inpatient people.
Despite of alcohol content, Kiwamizu is very mild, it doesn't irritate or dry out skin, actually it surprised me with it's mildness. Actually you can not feel alcohol in it at all, not in the performance and not in the scent - it smells exactly the same as arbutin whitening lotion.
Unfortunately due to Kiwamizu's light nature it may be not moisturising enough for some dry skins. I like to moisturise my skin in the evening very well, so eventually I use Kiwamizu only as a daytime toner, in the evening I cam back to my arbutin lotion.
Product is efficient, I use it every day in the morning and from time to time in the evening from a month time, so far I only used up 1/4 of the bottle.
Price: from £9 on e-Bay.
Pros:
+ lightweight, it absorbs quicker than my previous Hada Labo lotion
+ applied with cotton pad is nicely refreshing
+ patted into skin it's moisturising
+ despite of alcohol in it, it's very mild
+ a little goes a long way
Cons:
- it is moisturising, but if you are looking for a lot of moisture, this may be too light
Overall this is a very pleasant product, I can definitely recommend it for people with oily or combo skin. Moisturising, lightweight, non comedogenic. I know that some people experience pore blocking with "classic" Hada Labo lotions, so I think Kiwamizu may be a good alternative for those who didn't like other lotions. For wintertime it's too light for me to use at PM, but as a daytime toner it performs very well.
