Shiseido's Pureness Line Review

So you guys know I'm in love with Shiseido skincare :) White lucent is my staple, I'd have a freakin cow if they ever discontinued it, but I get asked a LOT about Pureness which is Shiseido's acne/mattifyiing line. This is completely understandable (1) because im a clear Shiseido lover (2) because many of my viewers are teens, helloooo puberty/hormones and acne prone skin :D and (3) I believe of all the Shiseido lines, it is the cheapest and most affordable.

My skin / experience:

I have incredibly oily skin but I've never had severe acne. A few occasional pimples but nothing bad- but keep in the mind the severity of your acne is irrelevant to how a product will work for you. You with a few pimples may find a product awful/useless while your friend with SEVERE acne may be totally cleared up by the same thing, I always stress that skincare is individual-but its always good to hear people's experience because skincare is an expensive gamble.

To answer your questions, YES I have and did use Pureness from the time I was 14-16. If anything in Shiseido sticks out to me as being not worth it, its definitely the Pureness line. You guys know im not crazy about Tsubaki haircare either-but at least MANY people are. Many of my friends have had great results with it- so I still think it has its merits. But with pureness- out of everyone I know that's used this it's pretty universal that this line does little to NOTHING

I no longer have any of these products (for obvious reasons), but I've used most this line. I don't want to do a video on it because I can't imagine how boring it'd be with me talking for [x] amount of minutes straight with no products to show LOL so for those of you that are interested, ill list em all here.

Cleansers: Out of everything from the set, the cleansers were my favorite. Keep in mind though that these cleansers have NO anti-acne properties, they contain no salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. [But even if they did, its generally agreed that acne medication put in to your cleanser is useless since it does not stay on your skin]

Pureness Foaming Cleansing Fluid- $21.00

This had a texture similar to Biore's ice cleanser or Neutrogena's fresh foaming cleanser (looks/feels just like it!). It's a creamy milky goopy fluid that foamed when mixed with water. I personally didn't like it because I like a bit of a deeper squeaky-clean feeling after I wash my face. But if you prefer VERY GENTLE cleansers that dont feel stripping then this one is a good choice- think Philosophy's Purity in terms of gentleness. Much like that but a little more foaming.

Pureness Deep Cleansing Foam- $21.00

This was my favorite of the two cleansers :) I think because I'm so oily, I prefer a cleanser that gives me a squeaky clean feeling =] So this was my preference. Definitely gives you a deep-down clean, but some people may find it to be too stripping (and a little harsh, it has these little blue microbeads) -you definitely should use a moisturizer after this one because your skin will feel tight.

Pureness Refreshing Cleansing Sheets Oil-Free Alcohol-Free $17.00 (30 sheets...only. -_-)

Another of my favorites :) Really light clean and refreshing- but keep in mind wipes are NOT meant to replace regular face-washing! I really loved these, but they're not worth 17 dollars for only 30 sheets, drugstore ones don't do any worse/better of a job so save your money (unless you're a baller and wanna feel sweet with Shiseido face wipes LOL)

Toners / Acne Fighters

Pureness Anti- Shine Refreshing Lotion- $23.00

One of the only two acne-targeting products in the entire line. This one was dual-purpose- it's supposed to be mattifying while treating acne with salicylic acid. However- I really, really didnt like it. One because EVERYTHING with mattifying properties in this line contains this weird white powdery stuff, I believe that when it comes to mattifying it is much more sanitary and makes more sense to remove or prevent the oil produced rather than just covering it up with blotting powder. Especially b/c this mattifying powder made me look like I was wearing face make-up when I wasnt. Also, it didnt clear my acne when I did have it. It'd be slightly better, but not gone. Useless. Oh, and id still be freaking oily -_____-' not even mattifying at all*shakes fist* I used this as a toner, and you have to shake it before you use it because that weird powder stuff settles to the bottom.

Pureness Blemish Clearing Gel- $19.00

Sucks. Useless. Doesn't even work. Next.

Moisturizers

Pureness Matifying Moisturizer Oil-Free $32.00

So this is one of the generally more well-loved items from this set [people are pretty mixed about this one- but still the general consensus is it DOESNT work]. My roomate thinks it helps somewhat, I think it does diddly squat. I dont like the texture of this moisturizer (too watery/runny) and once again its plagued with that white powdery substance they insisted on putting in all their mattifying products. I don't like how it looks, and I don't like how it works. It did nothing for oil control and wasn't even moisturizing. HOWEVER since some (read: very few) people LOVE this moisturizer, i'd pick up a sample at a shiseido counter or sephora store first before jumping to invest in it and if you're lucky, it might work for you. Since like I said, a few people do seem to like it.

Mattifiers

(keep in mind the lotion above is meant to mattify as well)

Pureness Matifying Stick Oil-Free $25.00

Hated it. Once again, that weird powder crap! And this stick has a gross gritty consistency- and I imagine its pretty unsanitary to put a creamy stick all over your oil-stricken dirty face. I just don't like any part of it. And it doesn't mattify well. Next.

Oil-Control Blotting Paper - $17.00 (100 sheets)

Another miss. (1) because blotting tissues shouldn't cost almost twenty dollars. Also, I dont think blotting tissues should have more of that weird powder crap. I like taking stuff OFF my face, not caking on weird white powder when its already greasy. And I think the price is dumb. Dumb dumb dumb For blotting tissues. I use cheap 3 dollar asian ones and they work better, are cuter and bigger (i post pics below).

Overall: My favorite part of this line was the cleansers, but whenever I broke out this never ever cleared me up completely. It'd diminish redness and spots by about 50% or so. In addition to the acne-fighting properties being pretty poor, I didn't feel any of the mattifying products did a decent job of mattifying. Added up all these products cost almost 200 dollars. Granted this is on the CHEAP side for Shiseido skincare- but I believe high end products are worth it because they deliver the results they promise. White Lucent is an expensive addiction :x but it works and does what it promises so I think it merits the cost. For 200 dollars, this line does little to nothing, and I think for 200 dollars something out there in the big big world can get you the skin you want. But then again, you cant be surprised. Asian skincare is not a go-to for acne...whitening YES LOL we're obsessed with spots/discoloration/pale skin but acne...not so much. A lot of my friends have only good things to say about dermalogica, its expensive no doubt. But i think its worthwhile because i've literally not heard a single bad review. For pureness, i've heard ONE SINGLE good review. So don't do it, don't bother, save your money and try something else.

[In case you don't know, I use Proactiv, but my friends have had good success with Murad as well]

But since I brought it up, my favorite blotting tissues:

I buy all my blotting tissues now at Mitsuwa or Marukai :D you can yelp for a

japanese grocery store' near you, try to go to the biggest one =] youll have more selection if the stores bigger. I have no loyalty to specific ones..I just grab whatever and make sure it has no oil-absorbing powders- which you guys can tell by now I dont like LOL.

But I like the japanese ones because they're more affordable, cuter, and bigger (which my oily forehead/cheeks/chin appreciates)

These are the ones i'm using now, but like I said I have no preference

Notice the fobby english LOL. But they were around 3.50 for 80 sheets :) Much larger and more affordable, no weird powder stuff. I really love blotting tissues because since I don't regularly wear any face makeup, my face gets oily within less than an hour. These are a life-saver

BTW I don't read japanese either so don't worry if you don't! The general words above all these products on the price display is usually "Oil-off paper" LOL so its pretty self-explanatory. They also have these in some SUPER cute packaging with mirrors and everything, but they're all cheaper than the american DS brands even, let alone the high-end ones. I do enjoy high-end blotting tissues just so i can feel fancy sometimes HAHA but I always lose em, so there's just no point.

Oh shoot. and one more thing, the highly requested back of the head shot for those of you who'd like to show it to your hairdresser to achieve a similar style [you can click the pic to blow it up as well]

I posted this on my fb..."fan page" too...HAHA [which btw, is right here if you wanna "like" it LOL] ;] but I know you guys aren't all on that. So here's a back shot of my head

It doesn't look like I have layers because I flat iron the ends so the back of my head looks sleek and not choppy, but they're there. And it looks dark because...flash...and it was night time with no lights..lighting makes it look different. But in the sun its a medium brown

Okay so thats all phew! Btw if I didn't mention a product from Pureness here, I haven't tried it. So...I cant give my opinion haha! Hope that helps some of you =]

love, Jackie :D