Match made in Heaven

Is anyone else out there scared of using the famous Clarasonic skincare brush? It works into your skin quite vigorously while vibrating your skin. I pictured horrible things like the brush ruining the elasticity of the skin or leaving little lines on my face ( sort of how people say st ive's apricot scrub can do to your skin) or even giving me wrinkles. But of course this is all just THOUGHTS IN MY HEAD. I have no proof, just paranoia. ( My one experience came from when a lady at a makeup counter tried it on my hand)

So I still needed a product that could take my cleanser to the next level and that's when I discovered the Shiseido Cleansing Massage Brush. It is actually the first facial brush to come into the skincare market. The brush is small but a perfect size for the face. It has small soft bristles with a few massaging rubber points. Its very gentle on the skin but thoroughly cleanses your face. At first I thought maybe it would be too gentle, but it wasnt. I think too many people (myself included) associate clean with rough scrubbing on our face. Plus, Sales Associate at the Shiseido beauty counter told me she had hers for 13 years!

Shiseido Cleansing Massage Brush, $23 at Sephora

She used the brush with a cleanser called Extra Gentle Cleansing foam that works AMAZINGLY well. Shiseido has several different cleansing foams to suit your skin type. But because I only have the Extra Gentle Cleansing foam, its the only one I will be doing a review on.

My face was clearer and so much softer after a few days. Although it is extra gentle, it still manages to thoroughly clean your face without stripping all of your natural moisture. The biggest surprised for me, is that it kept blemishes away. I can honestly say that this is my new favorite cleanser and the brush is part of the experience.

Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam, $30 at Macys

There's a certain way to use the Cleansing foam so here's a quick guide.

Step 1:

Wet the Massage Brush and add half a pea size into a bowl or cup. I'm using only the side of a cup beacause
its easier to mix.

 Step 2:
Mix your Cleanser together in a circular motion with your brush. The point of this is to turn the cream into a foam. It takes a few minutes but this step is crucial for the cleanser to work properly. If you do not turn it into foam, the cleanser is basically useless. Heres how it will gradually look:

once in a while, scrap the side of the brush onto the rim of the cup because the formula tends to run to the bottom of the brush

You should end up with no little bubbles, the consistency is light and fluffy

 Step 3:
Its now ready to use! Massage onto your face in a circular motion with your brush for at least 30 seconds. Rinse well and follow up with toner and moisturizer and your done!

Rough & Burnt-Tan To Smooth-Clearer & Light Skin

Most of us want lighter clearer flawless skin right? Well I definitely improved my skin byyy a longgg shot!
how do you go from rough & burnt-tan to smooth & much lighter and clearer?
Ill give you some tips that I use while incorporating it to my 5-step Routine (Refer back to 5-step Skincare Blog)


During Step2.Mask/Massage - You can replace the mask you are using now to a natural mask to lighten skin.There are plenty of natural mask you can make yourself but my favorite would be
1.The Mint&lemon Mask.
To Make - Take a hand full of mint leave enough to cover your face + a quick squeeze of lemon juice, leave in refrigerator for a couple mins first for a more cool effect before use.
Apply for 15-20min damp fingers and use a circular motion to rub off.
2.Rice Powder Mask.
To Make - Grind Clean organic DRY rice with a food processor then add milk/rice water/or water to create a paste.
Apply as a mask for 15-20 then glenty rub off with water.

(keep coming back to check the blog for updates on more lightening/whitening mask)

During Step 3.Tone (Emulsion)- For a Toner you can use rice water (using regularly for a long period of time will result in lighter & clearer skin) or Japanese Sake.
Whether it is rice water or Sake just take a
cotton ball dip into the liquid and apply on your face.

& for step 4.Essence/Serum & step 5.Moisturizer - There are many products which provide a whitening effect to go along with the product (try Shiseido, Doirshow, Mioggi, Laneige, ect..)

Just cleansing & exfoliating can help keep a lighter healthy glow. (:

Its also important to ALWAYYYYSSS put sunblock on 20 mins. before you leave your house it makes 192481092x the difference ! (: (Shiseido's sun protection line is my fav.)



My Before & After Results

Before : After :yess I was wayyy dark before. haha
I hoped you enjoyed & come back for more !

5-Step Skincare

What I said about the room tour...well lets just skip that for now (:

Q:How do you get beautiful skin like Japanese & Korean (Asian) Women?
A:THE 5 Step Skincare routine !

Sounds like a long process right? actually not really I do it every night & morning & in the end i feel super refreshed! It's the best feeling before going to bed. haha Ever since i started the routine my face has stayed clear, smooth, and had drastically gotten lighter !! (: so just follow these steps...(& yes this looks like a lot to read but trust me its worth it !)

First tie your hair up or just make sure your hair is out of your face.

STEP 1. Double Cleanse (Double is used to say to make sure you cleanse your face twice a day, Morning & Night.)
I usually use Shiseido's Ultimate Cleansing Oil
If you want to buy this i suggest you buying the Shiseido Fun In The Sun Kit, from sephora instead. It not only comes with the cleanser & shiseido's super greatttt sunblock (i highly recommend) it comes with a sun protection eye cream which I LOVE to use as an eye primer.



but currently I use The Ginza Creamy Cleansing Foam because i got a free sample pack after buying Shiseido's Elixir white emulsion back in Japan.
another great product I used is Cetaphil's Gentle Face cleanser

Massage the cleanser in a circular motion while applying & washing it off.

STEP 2. MASSAGE&MASK (Used 2-3 times a week a massage cream or facial scrubs then a mask)

Currently I use Bodia Jasmine Rice & Rose Facial Scrub (to be completely honest I have no idea where you can pick this up unless you live in Cambodia :/ but its an amazing product & if I can find a way to sell it myself I will DEFINITELY tell you guys ! & since its pretty strong i use it both as a mask and massage.)

Other Products: St. Ives Apricot Invigorating Scrub (one of the cheapest & best scrub i have used) & for masks I like to create my own(i sense another post coming up haha (: ) or use elilanto skin care mask which i got in cambodia also when i find a link to buy it ill post it!

STEP 3. TONE
This one is simple just after cleansing or your mask use a toner
for a more organic feel & whitening effect i use fresh rice water or japanese sake.(any question about these please comment or just wait ill post up all the information youll need to know about it.)
after this i like to add I use Shiseido's Elixir White Whitening Clear Emulsion, an emulsion just a light moisturizer although not necessary I recommend it.

STEP 4. ESSENCE/SERUM
this is a concentrated treatmeant to correct whatever the product you bought is for you can get these at almost any higher end brand (shisedo has plenty) & dont forget to wait 5-10 to put on a moisturizer after applying the essence/serum

STEP 5. MOISTURIZER
Last but not least MOISTURIZER ! never skip out on this !
I use The Ginza Energizing Lotion but one of the best lotion I have tried is Olay it's in a baby pink bottle with a black cap haha (: EDIT ITS CALLED OLAY ACTIVE HYDRATING BEAUTY FLUID (ORIGINAL) LOOKS LIKE THIS





BAM! & your done (: I hope you found this useful & comeee back to support me & my sister. Also, please comment on what you think about this post. =)
<3 Stephanie