Foam cleansers are one of the basic steps of the Asian Skincare Routine
(Read my Masterpost here), and also one of my
favourites. There's something about creating bubble foam beards which just
appeals to the inner child in me!
The Shiseido Perfect Whip cleanser is one of the most popular
products I saw when I was in Japan. Even in my cousin’s home there were a
couple of tubes of it on the shelf. It has a legendary youtube advert . As
soon as I saw that I knew I had to try it out and see if I could get as much
foam as promised! So I purchased this in a conbini (convenience store) and took
it home to England to try out.
Shiseido is a widely recognised brand, and most people associate
it as a luxury brand, however they do have a line of skincare products which
are great for the budget conscious. This foam is one of them and you can get it
without breaking the bank.
Brand Statement:
A rich foam cleanser which can dissolve makeup and
draw out impurities from the pores. Contains hydrating agents, including amino
acid, for smoothing and maintaining the natural moisture of the skin. This
cleanser forms as a soft and rich peak, acting as a "cushion" to
protect the skin from harsh cleansing motion. Meanwhile, it penetrates into the
pores to clean impurities and excess sebum. Skin becomes clean, soft and
hydrated.
Simple blue tube. I like products which are in tube packaging as
I just feel that they’re more hygienic if I’m not dipping something into it
everyday.
Product & Scent:
This is super fun to use. While it doesn’t create the mountain
of foam that there is in the advert it does lather up nicely. It’s a white
cream with a stringy texture which lathers up into a soft creamy foam.
A clean scent. Sorry that that’s not super descriptive! But it
kinda smells like I imagine clean does, a little bit chemically and floral.
Directions of Use:
First wet whatever beauty aid
you’re using, foaming net or konjac sponge. Squeeze a pea sized amount onto the
foaming net or konjac sponge to lather up. You do this by rubbing the net
between your two hands, gradually adding drops of water as needed. With the
konjac sponge you give yourself a grip workout! Keep squeezing until foam
appear. I find the net works better when you’re creating your marshmallow
mountain. You can try to lather it up with just your hands but this is more
effort and takes longer to do. Massage gently onto face and splash of with
water.You can try to lather it up with just your hands
but this is more effort and takes longer to do. Massage gently onto face and
splash of with water.
For those with a clarisonic Snow has a rave review on using this product with
her brush:
I use to use this as my second cleanser. By itself the Perfect Whip is
not super effective at removing make up/suncream, like most foaming cleansers,
so to ensure I have a clean face I always double cleanse as a matter of course.
This is one of the better foams in terms of texture that I’ve tried, its super
soft and feels good on your skin. It left my skin feeling clean but not tight
which was great. There was only one issue I later discovered… the pH. Now
there’s still debate in the beauty community on how important the pH of a
product is and if it actually does make an impact. Personally I used the
Perfect Whip without knowing about the pH and was pretty happy with it. My skin didn't seem to have any negative effects. But essentially the reason that pH matters is because acne and bacteria don’t
thrive in an acidic environment, and your natural pH is between 4-6 (acidic).
Skin and Tonics has a great explanation on the acid mantle here: The importance of the acid mantle.
As a precaution I stopped using it on my face. But I don’t like
wasting products so I re-purposed this into my shaving foam, and my legs have never felt smoother! I've actually since bought more of these solely for my legs.
Pros
+ Great Lathering Action
+ Softens Skin
+ Effective
+ Affordable
Cons
- High PH
Rating:
Rating System: 1/5 = Should be taken off the market \and the product designer sent to the corner 2/5 = Does not live up to it's claims and would not buy or recommend 3/5 = Decent product, no miracle worker but a closet placeholder until a better one is found 4/5 = Now we're talking! Lives up to it's claim and would buy again 5/5 = We have a Holy Grail people. This is not a drill. Will buy till the end of time.
Final Thoughts:
I really enjoyed using this as a foaming cleanser. I found that
it was effective and really did lather up, it really brought out the kid in me
whipping it up. Sadly the high pH means that it couldn’t become my HG cleanser. However what it has now become is my HG shaving foam for my legs! I find it really
helps hydrate my legs and makes the shaving experience a lot more stress-free.
I received those two lovely tubes from my mum for Christmas, so my legs are
going to be super smooth for a year J
