Even when I’m physically present in the country, I’m still travelling. In the last couple of weeks, I was in Korea with Laneige’s opening at Ion, and Belif’s workshop. I then crossed the sea to reach Japan with Pansonic’s Beauty of Empowerment workshop and now Shiseido’s Ma Cherie and Senka preview.
New brands in Singapore? Of course I’m there, even if it meant having to somehow find my way to Millenia Walk without the use of taxis – damn you, road closures because of F1.
The event was held at Octa Hotel, which I foolishly assumed to be an actual hotel. However, it’s actually a cafe of Japanese origins called Octa Hotel. Lovers of all things pink, girly and quaint, head on over here.
Pretty floral laced curtains are a perfect fit for Ma Cherie’s poster girl
Vintage and quaint decor on the walls
The cosy setting for the small bunch of bloggers who turned up.
At this point, the presentation started and I busied myself taking notes rather than photos.
- Ma Cherie is a hair care range while Senka is a skincare range, both of which hail from Japan.
- Senka products took 2 years and 4,000 respondents in order to fine tune their products to the current formulation – this is what I call listening to consumers and giving them what they want.
The Senka portion started first, and this Perfect UV Gel caught my attention. Time for testing!
Is that not amazing?! The product just melts straight into your skin, without the typical sunblock scent. What’s more, it actually leaves a velvety feeling on your skin. There are two versions – Perfect UV Gel SPF50 (in a blue bottle) 40ml, $16.90 and Pure UV Gel (in the white bottle) 80ml, $16.90. The only difference between the 2 are the UV levels – those who are sportier can go for the Perfect UV Gel SPF50. Office-bound cellmates like me can just go for the Pure UV Gel SPF27.
Meanwhile, there was a brave volunteer who put her face up for the challenge – to try the products administered by one of Shiseido’s interns. To be honest, he looked more like a baker than a skincare therapist. The foam he whipped up using the Perfect Whip would been enough to bake a pandan cake.
The Cleansing range from left to right: Perfect Oil, Perfect Whip , Perfect Liquid and Perfect Watery Oil .
What’s the difference?
- Perfect Oil (150ml), $16.90: Self-explanatory name – It’s an oil cleanser that not only removes makeup, but also unclogs your pores. The thickest consistency in the bunch. Suitable for troubled skin.
- Perfect Whip (120g) $12.90: A foaming cleanser that’s 5x denser than normal foams. Its foam particles are also tinier than normal foams, so it can penetrate the pores and pick up the dirt more efficiently. 2nd in terms of consistency. Suitable for all skin types.
- Perfect Watery Oil (230ml), $22.90: A watered-down version of the Perfect Oil. Can be used even if your skin is wet. Removes makeup and is suitable for normal to oily skin.
- Perfect Liquid (150ml), $16.90: Less oil, more liquid. This makeup remover is for those who prefer non-oil-based removers. Suitable for all skin types except dry skin.
After cleansing comes skincare, so commence my grubby pawing of their lotions.
From left to right: Senka Hoshitsu Lotion (Fresh), Hoshitsu Lotion (Moist), and Hoshitsu Emulsion
Testing the two lotions – Left: Hoshitsu Lotion (Moist) is suitable for normal to dry skin, while on the right, Hoshitsu Lotion (Fresh) is suitable for normal to oily skin. They bring about the same benefits though; they just differ in texture and finish to suit difference skin types and preferences.
Testing out the Hoshitsu Emulsion – it is absorbed ridiculously fast, without any residual feeling! I’m seriously amazed. Even some of the high end brands I’ve tried don’t give such a fast absorption rate, and it leaves my skin feeling slightlyyyy firmer.
Bringing the volunteer for hair products – who will be the administrator again?
andddd it’s the multi-tasking intern from Shiseido! muahaha. looks like he’s definitely getting an all-rounded experience interning at Shiseido.
Ma Cherie’s key ingredients are champagne and honey to help your hair retain its moisture and tame it. There’s also inositol, a vitamin B variant.
From L-R: Perfect Shower Wave, Perfect Shower Smooth, Perfect Shower Moist, Aqua Energy Mist, Hair Oil, and Air Free Treatment (lying flat).
What are they?
- Perfect Shower Wave (250ml), $17.90: For those with wavy or curly hair – spray it on your hair and say “bounce wid meeeee”.
- Perfect Shower Smooth (250ml), $17.90: To tame the frizz. Spray onto dry hair.
- Perfect Shower Moist (250ml), $17.90: To stop horses from eating your hay-lookalike hair and maintain your hair’s moisture levels. Spray onto dry hair.
- Aqua Energy Mist (200ml), $17.90: A mist leave-on treatment for frizzy hair. In terms of weightage, this is light, so it’s better for those who don’t mind slightly voluminous hair.
- Hair Fragrance (100g), $16.90: Finally, a decent hair mist that gets rid of hawker centre and Korean BBQ dinner odors.
- Hair Oil (60ml), $16.90: This oil leave-on treatment is the heaviest in terms of weightage, so it’ll be good for those who want sleeker hair with less volume. Apply onto towelled-dry hair. Try to avoid the hair roots cos you’ll just look like you didn’t bathe for 2 days.
- Treatment: Self-explanatory name – a treatment for your hair.
Here’re the cleaning maestros from Ma Cherie’s range – from L – R: Air Feel Conditioner, Moisture Conditioner, Air Feel Shampoo, Moisture Shampoo + Perfect Shower Wave again.
There are 2 ranges – Air Feel and Moisture – and they come in the 200ml and 500ml sizes.
- Air Feel Shampoo / Conditioner (200ml) – $10.90 each
- Air Feel Shampoo / Conditioner (500ml) – $19.90 each
- Air Feel Treatment (180g) – $19.90
- Moisture Shampoo / Conditioner (200ml) – $11.50 each
- Moisture Shampoo / Conditioner (500ml) – $20.50 each
- Moisture Treatment (180g) – $19.90
I love, love, love the range of Ma Cherie products. It’s love at first sniff. Superficially speaking, they smell so damn good that I don’t really care if they work or not.
Thankfully, I can vouch that at least this Aqua Dew Energy EX works. It works very well in fact. It’s a leave-in gel treatment for dry hair, and if you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know i’ve got hay hair. This makes my curls gather together with as much unity as Singaporeans lobbying for free curry sauce. Plus, it smells so good, makes my hair look less flammable AND doesn’t leave a sticky residue on my hair nor hands.
The cutest little buggers! Travel-sized Ma Cherie Conditioner and Shampoo set, comes in both the Air Feel and Moisture ranges, $8.90 per duo. I’m so getting these the next time I zip off somewhere.
Brand officer of Shiseido’s masstige products Charmian Choo looking all pretty with the standee that will be the points of sale. It’s called the Tokyo Selection Corner, so look out for it.
Ma Cherie is currently available at Kimage, but will be available at some 30 selected Watsons stores from 11 October 2012. Senka will also be available from 11 October 2012 onwards, but at about 50 selected Watsons stores.
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i love jap brands! thanks so much for the comparisons! 😀