November 22, 2008

Review: Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleasing Oil

A while back, Kahani and I "walked by" a Shu Uemura outlet, which resulted in us walking out with two bags of Shu goodies. We had bought a makeup set together and then drew lots to see who got what.

(Oh fine, we didn't draw lots, we just agreed before hand.)

One of the items I landed with was the legendary, hugely raved about Shu Uemura cleansing oil. A little 50ml bottle, but I was more than eager to try it out.

And boy were the raves right.

Like all oily-skinned girls, I used to think it was madness to use an oil cleanser. I mean, I'm wired to do everything possible to keep my skin from getting oily. And you want me to slap on oil? *Gasps* What if I break out?

But oh well, judging from this oily girl's recommendation, I decided to take a leap of faith. And I converted.

This little baby packs a LOT of oil in one little bottle. Ingredients include Mineral Oil, Corn Germ Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Sea Water, Macademia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Canola Oil etc. And it's got a bit of fragrance too, by the way.

How to Use

1. Apply it to your face dry. This means before you wet it. And make sure you hands are dry too, as the oil will emulsify the moment in comes into contact with water. Be a little generous with the oil. Too little and you'll feel like you're spreading too little butter on too much bread.

2. Massage the oil into the skin with gentle wide strokes. I personally find this works best for me. Rub too hard in small sections and you might end up as I did - with hot and bothered skin. Slightly inflamed too, for a short while.

3. Work on the eyes last and be gentle with them. Too much pulling and stretching results in wrinkles *grin*, or worse yet, you could have oil get into them. (In the event that does happens, clean your hands, and start washing your eye with clean water pronto!)

4. Wet your hands and apply a bit of water to face and continue massaging gently. The oil should have emulsified by now, and what you'll get is white milky liquid.

5. Rinse your face thoroughly. I personally prefer to double cleanse and so I'll finish with another round of cleansing with this beloved Himalaya Herbals cleanser.

The end result is clean, supple, smooth and almost baby soft skin. Lovely.

Verdict

This cleansing oil, I find, works great as a deep cleanser. So I wouldn't recommend it for daily use. But it works great when I've got heaps of makeup on - foundation, concealer, liner, etc etc. That super waterproof, budgeproof, smudgeproof mascara you've got on? This cleanser can take it all off.

I'm loving it very much. But for RM99 for 150ml and RM260 for 450ml (it's a massive bottle), I'll be thinking very hard about whether I'll be buying it again.

It's never broken me out, which is absolutely thrilling. But at RM260, it just might break the bank.

14 comments:

AskMeWhats said...

This was my first Shu Uemura Cleansing oil :) And you are right about not using this daily, I use this only if I have a lot of make-up on. After you finish this, you can try the Green Version, the one for anti-aging :) I love the green version!!!! Well hopefully you can get mini samples! My friend loves the Pink one! :)

Anonymous said...

Shu Uemura breaks me out if used regularly so I use any number of cheaper options and I'm always fine :) Kanebo Freshel is about the same (same light yellow colour too!) and retails for about RM30+ or sometimes RM26+ or so.

Kahani said...

Hey Nikki & ParisB: I use Shu Uemura daily actually and I believe it SAVES my skin from breaking out because it gets every scrap of makeup off. But I hear you on Kanebo's Freshel! Cheaper is always better. ^_^ Do you buy it from the counters?

Syen said...

Nikki: Ooh.. the green one you say? Ok, I might look into that when I'm done with THIS one. Even a tiny bottle's lasted me pretty well. I don't use it all that often after all. But the price! Oh the hefty price!!! =(

Nikki: I think I came across a review on Kanebo's cleansing oil on Tine's blog. For a fraction of the Shu's price, it does sound teeerribly tempting. =P

Kahani: Since when did you start using cleansing oils? I didn't know you were into it as you once lamented that you would NOT risk slapping oil on your diligently protected skin! *tee hee*

Kahani said...

Syen: Who are you, and what have you done to my best friend? I've been raving about cleansing oils for YEARS. I even wrote an article about them in theSun when I was an INTERN!

Anonymous said...

Kahani: Cleansing oils save my skin by getting rid of the makeup and dirt but Shu Uemura and DHC break me out. Cheap works well for me so I just stick with Cheap. Freshel is available at Sasa and Watsons

Engmin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I have super oily skin too, but double cleansing with an oil cleanser works wonders, especially in removing stubborn makeup.

Shu Uemura is expensive. Haven't had the chance to try it yet, despite the rave reviews. I'm still very satisfied with my oil cleanser, Kanebo's Freshel C. But I'd still love to try out the Shu Uemura some day. Hmm I wonder if I can snag some samples :p

Anonymous said...

Bad news girls :( The Kanebo Freshel C line has been pulled out from Malaysia. No more in Sasa, no more in Guardian....
**Major SIGH**

Syen said...

YZ: WHAT?!?!?!

Nooooooo!!! Just when I thought it would be a great replacement for my Shu when mine runs out!!! MAJOR MAJOR BOO. Btw- how did you found out, girl?

Kanebo, bring IT BACK! *pouts*

Kahani said...

*echoes Syen*
NOOOOOoooooooOOOoooo!!

Quick! Someone find a replacement!

Anonymous said...

I found out about 2-3 months ago when I noticed Sasa was bringing in some new Japanese brands eg. Juju Aquamoist & Sexy Girl. Then I noticed that the Kanebo Freshel line was on clearance, so I asked the salesgirl & she confirmed my worst fears :(
I went hunting for it in larger Guardian stores but they seem to have stopped carrying the line too. *ARGGHHH....*
I'm on my one & only bottle of Freshel Cleansing Oil & believe me, I'm treating it like liquid gold!! :p
Well, if it's of any condolence, Kate's Cleansing Oil is a pretty good buy as well. You can check out the reviews on makeupalley (incl. one which I wrote!)
No prizes for guessing which is my review, as there are only 2 atm :p I think it's such an overlooked & underrated product....

Janine Falcon . BEAUTYGEEKS said...

I'm so glad we're all oiling up together! Kinda sexy, huh?

*giggle*

Syen said...

Janine: Oooh... Hehe.. *giggles*