As you’ll no doubt know by now, I have completely redesigned the site. It’s long over overdue — I haven’t re-structure it for more than 5 years! (Did you know I wrote my first post back in 2009?!) I do all of my website myself — including CSS and HTML — and learn from various bits on the internet, so please bear with me if you see something weird with a page or some functions don’t load properly. Anyway, I just wanted to add this “announcement” to this drafted post while it’s still relevant. Now back to the review.
Big half-litre sized lotions are getting more and more popular — lots of Japanese budget brands have added one to their skincare line. Besides being more economical, they are also more watery and lighter-weight than your normal lotions — making them ideal for stifling muggy summers. I’ll be honest, most of them don’t really do that much – they are simply fancy waters that freshen and tone skin. They may claim to do a whole slew of things and contain some nice ingredients, but in effect, they’re no different to your run-of-the-mill toners you find in Western pharmacies.
The popular Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewing Skin Care Lotion ticks all the important large-format lotions boxes — freshening, toning, and hydrating. Additionally, it soothes, mildly brightens, feels weightless, absorbs quickly even during Japan’s muggy summer days, and it does all of this for the price of a Starbucks venti-sized Frappuccino. Some of these lotions seem to be rather drying once the effects have worn off, while others don’t absorb well and feel sticky in hot, humid climate; Kiku-Masamume version is lightly hydrating and keeps the skin nicely freshened. (This also comes in an alcohol-free High Moist formula that’s a lot more hydrating. I can see why some people might prefer it, but it doesn’t freshen the skin nor absorb well in hot weather. Not my cup of tea, I’m afraid.)
This smells of sake, but it should come as absolutely no surprise to you as 1) it’s produced by a famed sake brewery, 2) it contains dry sake, and 3) it’s in the product name! For those who are worried about smelling like a drunkard, the sake smell has a touch of floral and it doesn’t linger once the lotion is applied. I use a saturated cotton pad and very gently wipe it all over, taking it across the face and neck in the morning as a “cleansing water” and lotion in one. It’s soothing and replenishing and provides the refreshment that I need in this muggy summer season. It also refreshes and rehydrates extremely well if you spray it over makeup (decant it into a small spray bottle).
The Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewing Skin Care Lotion comes in a whopping 500ml pump bottle and it retails for ¥740 at drugstores across Japan. You can also get it from Amazon.com for US$14.99+ HERE.
What’s the difference between this and the Cezanne Skin Conditioner that is one of your Best Picks too? Do you prefer one over the other?
This feels a lot more refreshing and lightweight on the skin.
For some reason I can’t right-click on anything. So if I’m reading a post and you link to another I can’t open it in another tab while finishing the first.
You want to open a link in a new tab? Command key + click to open. I don’t know Windows equivalent though.
oh hey! That works great. I usually do right-click, open new tab but that’ll work instead. Thanks!
I’m using this I really love coz I leave in japan,I like the smell
Does this contain pig placenta?
It contains placental protein but where it is derived from is not specified by the company. Nowadays, most placental protein found in (budget-priced) Japanese beauty products are either plant or swine-derived as they’re the cheapest. Equine-derived placental protein is considered the most potent and safest (among the animal-derived), but it’s also the most expensive so it’s usually only found in supplements.
I have a question about the use of the product: after you apply it on your face, do you need to rince it of with water? Is it also a brightening/whitening product? Thank you 🙂
This is a toner/watery lotion — you don’t rinse off.
I don’t like the high moist type due to oil content. How would you compare this one with Magiabotanica Hatomugi, hydration wise? Also thank you for redesigning the site!
I feel this one perhaps feels a smidge more hydrating.
I also prefer this version over the high moist one. I love the smell of sake so I love using this. I mainly use it as a pack.
Even though I bought both versions of this, it’s still hard for me to completely switch over from imju hatomugi toner. My skin has been looking sort of dry lately though, so maybe I’ll try this out for a week as it is more moisturizing to me.
Loving the redesign! Looks really fresh, and since I mostly browse with my phone, the redesign makes it easier for me to browse latest posts based on category. I recently got two bottles of the high moist version. I live in a tropical climate, and it works as a hydrating body “lotion” minus the tackiness. On really humid nights I even rely on the high-moist lotion to serve as moisturizer, hehe. When it comes to skincare I tend to stick to a few brands, but I can definitely play with new stuffs when it comes to lotions. Glad to see… Read more »
congratulations to the redesign, it looks really fresh and clean! I just have one point, I miss right under a product the summary of the ingredients, tags like “alcohol-free” or “collagen”. I hope you understand what I mean
Thanks so much! The code I used to add them in didn’t work in the site’s new structure. I still have to figure out another way, hopefully one that’s more aesthetically pleasing as well.