Review: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Mousse Cleanser, Mask & Gel SPF30 PA++

Today I'm doing a review on 3 products from the Neutrogena Hydro Boost range and they are:
- Hydro Boost Mousse Cleanser
- Hydro Boost Mask
- Hydro Boost Gel SPF30 PA++
For those who follow me, may know that I have combination oily skin and is prone to mild acne. Some may wonder if I really need hydrating products even though I have oily skin. Well, I feel that everyone needs hydration regardless you have dry, normal, oily or even very oily skin.

While I may have a lot of sebum to spare, my skin surface is actually rather dehydrated. Moisture (water) and sebum (oil) are totally different thing altogether, so it doesn't mean that oily skin won't be dehydrated. I often experience both oily and dehydrated skin at the same time and it looks really awful when I put on makeup. Besides sebum pumping out constantly on my T-zone & cheeks, there are also visible lines under the eyes and my smile lines 'crack' when I smile. Not only that, my T-zone looks dry underneath all the oil that's floating on the surface too.
To prevent skin from becoming dehydrated and at the same time less oily, we have to balance the water & oil on our skin. With both side evenly balanced, we'll achieve more hydrated and supple looking skin.


Neutrogena Hydro Boost Mousse Cleanser
This self-foam cleanser pumps out bubbly foam immediately when pressed, really good for lazy me! lolx~

Product is Oil-free. Ingredients listed on bottle.

The pump outlet is huge!

Here shows 1 pump of the cleanser and I tilt it upside down, it didn't bulge at all!
However 1 pump of cleanser is  too little for me to cleanse my face. It disappeared into nothing in seconds when I spread it between my palms.

And so, I usually use about 4-5 pumps of mousse cleanser to cleanse my face. When spread out between 2 (damp) palms, there are still some lather left.

Review
- Pretty strong fragrance with a bit of alcohol scent in it
- pumps really easily
- mousse lather is not dense
- the mousse feels very watery
- while cleansing, the lather turns into soapy water quickly leaving not much lather/bubbles after that
- skin feels hydrating during cleansing
- skin feels smooth and soft after cleansing
- skin don't feel taut after the cleansing
- skin only feel a little dry on targeted areas (laugh lines, eyes..), while other parts feel quite hydrated
- doesn't strip moisture from skin
- doesn't feel harsh on skin
- still experience little spots on my temples
The cleanser feels a little bit too light for my skin as I find it doesn't cleanse that well if I use it after removing my makeup. Thus, I only use it in the mornings to remove just slight sebum & dirt from my face. Hydration level is still alright, good thing it doesn't strip moisture from my skin but the areas that are often dry are still a little bit dehydrated. I would recommend this to those who seldom makeup and for dry to slightly oily skin types.


Neutrogena Hydro Boost Mask
A box of Hydro Boost Mask contains total of 5 sheet mask inside it.

Same as the Mousse Cleanser, the product is non- comdegenic.

Mask ingredients

Sheet mask with the expiry date stamped at the back.

Review
The sheet mask is quite thick yet flexible enough to adhere to my skin evenly like shown here.

Besides the nose bridge area (my nose is quite flat between the eyes.. ^_^"), the mask pretty much fits well all over.

Including my jawline.

- when the mask is taken out from the packaging, there wasn't much essence left inside the pack.
- mask is evenly soaked with the essence and it doesn't drip (I usually press the mask while it's inside the pack to have the mask absorb the essence evenly)
- adheres to my skin nicely and fits very well
- the mask that touches my lips kinda stings a little
- no stinging for other parts of my face
- during masking, my face has this firming effect as the mask wraps & grabs onto my skin
- after 15 mins, mask starts to become slightly dry (I remove it while it's still damp)
- my skin immediately becomes a shade lighter (it goes back to normal after a few hours)
- skin feels quite hydrated all over including areas like my undereyes, forehead and laugh lines (which are usually dehydrated)
- after patting the remaining essence onto my skin, it feels supple and pretty smooth too
- no break outs
A quick 15 mins of mask can immediately quench my skin's thirst. It plumps up my skin in an instant too. I find that it doesn't overly replenishes my skin with moisture like some mask do, as well as not making my skin look glossy and oily.
However if I have very dehydrated skin (like eg, skin exposed to sun for many hours which causes very dry skin surface), I may find its hydration power not enough.
It is good for day to day usage (can even be used daily) whenever I feel that my skin needs a little pump in moisture level.


Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel SPF30 PA++
Hydro Boost gel is pretty new and it has sunblock effect with SPF30 and PA ++. It is Oil-Free and non-comedogenic.

It contains some active ingredients too.

Pump type bottle.

Pump with a pretty small outlet. That is to prevent product from deteriorate since it contains active ingredients.

Swatch
Gel is in light watery blue, after spreading it out it turns colourless and then water droplets formed on top of the gel. Once the water disappears, it leaves my hand looking glossy. And after patting it, the glossiness disappears as well.

Close-up of the water droplets that form when I spread out the gel.

Review
- pretty strong fragrance
- easy to pump product
- usually I use 3 pumps or more to cover full face (less the neck area)
- can be used alone, or use before or after moisturizer
- I apply the gel daily at least 30 mins before sun exposure
- easy to spread out 
- hard to get it absorbed entirely into skin (takes quite a long time due to water particles forming)
- leaves my face looking a little glossy when used alone, and quite glossy when used with other skincare products
- non-greasy
- doesn't interfere or crash with other skincare and makeup products
 - provides enough SPF to my skin daily (I'm mostly of the time indoors)
- my skin doesn't appear anymore darker or lighter than before (no difference in skin shade)
- T-zone especially nose area still shows about the same amount sebum everyday
- cheeks & chin on the other hand don't look oily as before
- skin feels pretty hydrated on cheeks and down
As I am using a moisturizer together with the Hydro Boost gel, thus I may not get enough sun protection due to the little amount that I pumped out. Even though sometimes I use the gel alone, I still apply only 3 pumps of it on my face. That's because I find it takes quite a long time for the gel to fully absorbed by my skin. The water droplets keep forming as I spread out the gel and work it in circular motions. Thereafter I just pat it and then leave the rest for my skin to slowly take it in while I do other stuff.
Regardless of the absorption problem, I am still using it daily as I find it's really lightweight and it feels like I'm applying a hydrating moisturizer on my skin, instead of a thick creamy sunblock.


Where to buy?
Available at all leading personal stores and pharmacies.

Websites
Neutrogena Singapore
Neutrogena Singapore Facebook