Japanese Market Cosmetics Haul (San Diego)

After trying out some Korean cosmetics I have been slightly (a lot, actually) obsessed with Korean beauty products. I have been buying all my products online which can be really inconvenient because of the waiting time. I finally decided to find a store here, in San Diego, which might sell some Korean and Japanese beauty items. Luckily, there are several good stores here, some high-end, some drugstore quality, which can satisfy anybody's needs. My last trip I bought a whole bunch of products at a Japanese store called Marukai Living.

The store has a variety of drugstore Japanese and Korean make-up and cosmetics. It is very entertaining to go there as the selection is so vast that I can sometimes spend 10 minutes staring at one shelf trying to make a choice. 

While I do believe in spending some money on make-up and high-quality sunblock and serums, I think cleansing products do not require a big investment. This haul mostly involved me buying cleansers, my favorite mask and  coconut oil (amazing!).

Here is a list of what I got:

1. Now European Clay Powder (one of the stars of my skincare routine and my favorite mask!) I reviewed it here.

2. Now Coconut Oil (to use for hair growth).

3. Shiseido Perfect Whip Foam (got great reviews as a foaming cleanser).

4. Xai Phyto Collagen Peeling Gel (rice powder exfoliating gel).

5. Ecopure Aloe Cleansing Oil (trying out a new cleansing oil).

6. Deve Moisture Whip Facial Wash (another Japanese drug store foaming cleansing).

All these items were very cheap compared to going to Sephora and having already tried all of them I think they are of similar quality to Westerns brands or may be even better.

Naruko Tea Tree Oil Out Targeted Treatment Review

Long time, no see, readers! I have been busy working and trying new products to make sure I gave them enough time to work. In the meantime, I used up almost a whole bottle of Naruko Tea Tree Oil Out Targeted Treatment, an acne spot treatment from my favorite Taiwanese brand, Naruko.  I love Naruko products because they are cheap, natural and effective.

This spot treatment has been a mild disappointment though. Ok, I am not going to get ahead of myself, but will review the product properly. 

I ordered it from Naruko US website and it arrived very promptly. I really recommend getting Naruko products from their official website. It comes in a small, 30 ml, glass bottle that looks very medicinal. 

This spot treatment contains 2% salicylic acid and sulfur, Snow Fungus Extract, Calamine Extract, and the exclusively patented Phytoferulin® Complex to restore the skin’s moisture level, to refine pores, and to protect the skin from harmful environmental elements. 

The treatment is of a liquid texture with pinkish suspended powder that needs to be shaken before use. The bottle is very convenient to use as it has a nice dropper allowing a perfect amount of product to be distributed.

I used this treatment on affected areas after my toner but before the serum in the evening. It causes a slight cooling and minty sensation, but after a few seconds the feelings subsides.

After using it for a few months I have come to the conclusion that I will not be repurchasing.  I definitely made me feel good psychologically that I was treating my skin and doing due diligence, but in reality I do not think it makes any difference. It definitely did not work over night and I certainly did not notice any improvement in terms of the speed of heeling.

I am coming to the conclusion that spot treatments do not really work (or at least I have not found one that does) and the best way to have good skin is to cleanse thoroughly and moisturize while using good overnight cream with active ingredients. Disappointment, I know, especially because I love Naruko in general.

OVERALL: Not recommended. Did not make any difference.

Ingredients (from Naruko USA website):

Active Ingredients:
Salicylic Acid 2%, Sulfur 0.025%

Other Ingredients:

Purified Water (Aqua), Phytoferulin® Extract [Kalanchoe Spathulata Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Alpine Skullcap (Scutellaria Alpina) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Masterwort (Peucedanum Ostruthium) Leaf Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Alps Wormwood (Artemisia Umbelliformis) Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract, Alpine Willowherb (Epilobium Fleischeri) Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Chamolmilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract], Snow Fungus (Tremella Fuciformis) Extract, Allantoin, Panthenol, Witch Hazel (Hammamelis Virginiana) Extract, Butylene Glycol, Menthol, Calamine, Zinc Oxide, Zinc PCA, Ethyl Alcohol, PEG-7 Olivate, Camphor, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Methylisothiazolinone, Phenoxyethanol, Iodopropynyl, Butylcarbamate, Essential Oils of Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia), Orange (Citrus Nobilis), Spearmint (Mentha Viridis), Lemon (Citrus Limonum), Lime (Citrus Aurantifolia), Peppermint (Mentha Piperita), Grapefruit (Citrus Paradise), Niaouli (Melaleuca Viridiflora)