Review: Inoue Seikoen Olive Oil Skincare
Today I'm reviewing several skincare products from a relatively new brand lnoue Seikoen which was launched in Singapore Takashimaya late last year.
Here shows some of the products I've received from Inoue Seikoen. They are actually a trial/travel set and a Beauty Olive Oil and I have used some of the products. Read on to find out more about Inoue Seikoen and my reviews. ^_^
Here shows some of the products I've received from Inoue Seikoen. They are actually a trial/travel set and a Beauty Olive Oil and I have used some of the products. Read on to find out more about Inoue Seikoen and my reviews. ^_^
About
Inoue Seikoen beauty products are free of artificial colouring, fragrance and preservatives. The active ingredients in their products derive from olives and citrus fruits which are harvested from its farm in Shodo Island (Shodoshima), Japan. Shodo Island is the second largest island on the Seto Inland Sea with a population of about 30,000.
Inoue Seikoen is founded by Tatsuji Inoue who planted a single orange tree on Shodo Island in 1940. Son of Tatsuji, Katsuyoshi Inoue, later learnt the process of olives after his first olive harvest in 1950s. The 1st cosmetic product from Inoue Seikoen was the Beauty Olive Oil, which was created after Katsuyoshi witnessed how olive oil made the skin of his own hands become smoother and more supple even after all the farm work.
Today, Inoue Seikoen is home to about 2500 olive trees and 15 varieties of citrus trees, and is currently headed by the third generation master farmer, Tomohiro Inoue. The Inoue family believes in delivering only the best products that are both delicious as food and good for the body.
Every drop of Inoue Seikoen contains only natural cleansing, healing antioxidant and moisturizing properties. Inoue Seikoen uses zero preservatives, fragrance and artificial colouring.
Skincare Steps
Inoue Seikoen skincare works simply by step 1 to step 6, which is to Remove, Wash Off, Clean Up, Hydrate, Protect & Supply/Condition and lastly...
...to Moisturise. ^_^ Their skincare regimen is very basic as there's mostly only one product catered for each step. This way, it would not confuse their customers or the users.
Why 6 steps?
It would be less confusing if we follow these 6 steps with 1 product to pick from for each step.
1. Remove all makeup and impurities using products such as the Cleansing Olive Oil.
2. Wash off the cleansing oil (and any makeup or impurities left on the skin) with products like the Olive Soap.
3. Clean Up using Facial Mild Peeling Gel to brighten, detoxify and renew the skin so it can absorb the goodness from the skincare products better.
4. Hydrate and tone the skin using none other than Seikisui Face Lotion. It is to also prep the skin for the next skincare step.
5. Protect & Supply/ Condition the skin by using skincare products like the Beauty Olive Oil. It acts as the essence or serum that most people would use after toning and before moisturising their face.
6. Moisturise face by using products like the Milk Moisturiser. Other alternative to that would be Uroi Suhada (Moisture Skin) Gel as it has a dual function that covers both the Hydrate and Moisturiser steps.
Products
Trial Sets
There are several Olive cosmetics trial sets that are available for new users. They are in travel size so they are good for you to bring it overseas as well. I super love travel size skincare, so I won't need to pour out my own skincare content into empty bottles or carry the whole product out when I go travelling. Save time, and save space in my luggage bag. ^,^ These trial sets can last for a week (with daily use).
It would be less confusing if we follow these 6 steps with 1 product to pick from for each step.
1. Remove all makeup and impurities using products such as the Cleansing Olive Oil.
2. Wash off the cleansing oil (and any makeup or impurities left on the skin) with products like the Olive Soap.
3. Clean Up using Facial Mild Peeling Gel to brighten, detoxify and renew the skin so it can absorb the goodness from the skincare products better.
4. Hydrate and tone the skin using none other than Seikisui Face Lotion. It is to also prep the skin for the next skincare step.
5. Protect & Supply/ Condition the skin by using skincare products like the Beauty Olive Oil. It acts as the essence or serum that most people would use after toning and before moisturising their face.
6. Moisturise face by using products like the Milk Moisturiser. Other alternative to that would be Uroi Suhada (Moisture Skin) Gel as it has a dual function that covers both the Hydrate and Moisturiser steps.
Products
Trial Sets
There are several Olive cosmetics trial sets that are available for new users. They are in travel size so they are good for you to bring it overseas as well. I super love travel size skincare, so I won't need to pour out my own skincare content into empty bottles or carry the whole product out when I go travelling. Save time, and save space in my luggage bag. ^,^ These trial sets can last for a week (with daily use).
Facial Mild Peeling Gel
Mild Peeling Gel is one of their best-selling product and it contains citrus and whitening extracts to greatly benefit those with dull skin tone. With gentle cleansing properties that make it suitable for use every other day, the Mild Peeling Gel promotes skin renewal, detoxifies the skin and rids impurities which often cannot be removed by washing, and implements a brightening effect to enhance the complexion by treating discolouration and uneven skin ton.
For this Peeling Gel, I had used a couple times as I was given the trial pack so I'm going to give a short review here. Sorry for lack of swatch pic hence I'm gonna describe the usage of this product. ^.^ Mild Peeling Gel is in gelish liquid form. It will form residues after it's lightly rubbed onto skin. The rubbery gel-like residues will pick up deadskin cells and other dirt or impurities and remove them when you wash the gel residues off with water. Washing the residues off is a breeze, however a bit of them got sticked to my baby hair and sideburns. I used fingers to feel them and pick them out when water can't wash them off.
After using the mild peeling, my skin felt so super smooth! I couldn't feel any bumps at all on my face (even though there are actually some small bumps on my face) when I run my hands over my face. It's... just... super... smooth. And not forgetting to mention, the hand I applied the gel on during the demo session, looked so much brighter than other one! *o*)
Moisture Skin Gel
Another product which I almost immediately fell in love with was (Uroi Suhada) Moisture Skin Gel. It is a gelish liquid moisturiser. It has dual functions as it acts as both a lotion and a moisturiser, thus could be used right after the Wash Off step (in the mornings) or after the Clean Up step (at night). It is recommended to be used during periods when you find you have less time to spend on applying skincare. However I feel that this could still act as a normal daily moisturiser just like the Milk Moisturiser. I myself would prefer to use the gel than the milk as my skin would usually turn oily when I use milk type of moisturisers since I have combination skin. This Moisture Skin Gel is so watery and lightweight and spreads out easily like water hence that's the reason I love it! ^_^
Pure Olive Squalene
Next is the Pure Olive (Scwaran) Squalene which contains natural moisturising essence 100% extracted from olive fruits. This kind of moisturising essence is extremely rare. (You can google squalene if unsure why)
Usage for the Squalene is to apply a few drops and spread over face, focusing around eyes and mouth areas where fine lines and wrinkles can be found. Use this after Lotion (Hydrate step) and Olive Oil (Condition step) as it will lock in all the previous skincare applied onto the skin. Lastly, finish up the skincare routine by applying moisturiser.
When I swatched this, I felt that it was oily initially (since it's olive oil so it's no surprise that it'll definitely feel oily) but it gets absorbed by my skin fast. After which, no layer of grease was felt when I ran my fingers over the skin. To add on, my hand became so so so SO smooth. At that time I wasn't too sure was it due to applying too much of products onto my skin and when I topped it with the squalene, it made it even smoother or was it because the squalene alone could already make the skin feeling so smooth.
Extra Virgin Oil
Extra Virgin Oil differs from the previously mentioned Beauty Olive Oil. Beauty Olive Oil is more of a multi-purpose oil (see review below) while Extra Virgin Oil is made from 100% fully-ripened Japanese olives, easily absorbed by skin without clogging the pores.It helps to supply nutrition to skin and prevents formation of fine lines and spots. It can be used for both day and night.
When swatched, it again felt oily but true enough as it said, it is easily absorbed by my skin. The skin feels supple and hydrated after application.
Review
Cleansing Olive Oil
Someone swore by this product as it can remove waterproof makeup very easily. And so I went, hmmm..... really?!
Of cos, I gotta test it myself to know if it's true. And you know what, this is my answer:
YES IT'S TRUE.
I'm not exaggerating (maybe sometimes.. many times.. hehex.. ^^"). It DOES clean off all traces of makeup really easily and that includes the most stubborn waterproof, smudgeproof, rub resistance eyeliner and mascara. Believe it or not, it is really up to you. I'll be stating the facts down and let you decide if you would want to try this product too! ^o^/~
- the oil feels really oily (of cos) but it is not in a very thick consistency
- it's easy to spread onto the skin and to other areas such as the neck
- the product texture & consistency looks and feel kind of similar to Extra Virgin Oil
- it emulsifies easily by adding a little water to it
- makeup, be it foundation, concealer, waterproof mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow etc, are removed REAL easily by the oil
- it takes zero effort to remove makeup like foundation and eyeshadow, and it take only a few seconds to melt the waterproof ones (no rubbing needed, just slightly swipe down my fingers along the lashes for few times)
- wash off is a little hard as the oil when wet feels slightly thicker than the usual cleansing oil I'd used
- there are times I may need to double wash my face (with water only) as the oil still sticks to parts of my skin
- after washing off the cleansing oil thoroughly with water, I use the cleansing soap and then all traces of oil and impurities are gone (though the oil consistency is thick, it CAN still be totally washed off, just that it may take a little while longer)
- my skin does not have any reaction to the cleansing oil (no sensitivity issues)
- my skin feels clean and a little soft at the same time as the cleansing oil provides some hydration too
How to use?
The way to use this cleansing oil is to pump a few times (about 3-4 for face with makeup, 1-2 pumps without) onto one palm, spread it onto dry face with makeup. Remember hands must be dry, not wet.
After spreading and massaging the cleansing oil onto face focusing on point areas like eyes, nose and lips, then wet your hands and continue to massage further. Make sure all the makeup are removed especially those at the corner of the nose and lashline. Lastly, wash the emulsified cleansing oil off with water. And feel your skin all over again to see if the oil has washed off. If not, wash it again. No hard rubbing is needed when washing off.
After using the Cleansing Olive Oil, I too swear by it. hehhex~ ^_,^ I understand that most products have their own pros and cons even for products we often say that are VERY GOOD and that we love them. Just like this Cleansing Olive Oil, I really love how fast it can remove all my makeup but then again, the oil doesn't come off that easily from my skin. But seeing how easily it removes my makeup and how clean it does that, I close one eye. I'll say, GO FOR THIS. I would highly recommend this cleansing oil to people who often use thick makeup or waterproof, smudgeproof makeup as well as people who have combination to oily skin type. Oil cleanses better than other kind of cleansers for oily skin because the oil dissolves sebum in the pores.
Olive Soap
The Olive Soap is enriched with natural glycerine and squalene to retain moisture and lipids, and produces a rich lather that removes dead skin cells, excessive oils and impurities.
This soap that I tried is in travel size and apparently, it doesn't look as black as the picture shows. When I took it out from packaging, the soap looks a little transparent black and when I run it through water, it look more olive. Well, it's olive! Of course it gotta be in olive. Lolx~ ^,^")
When using the Olive Soap, I feel....
- the soap lather up easily and foams quickly
- alot of foam can be created by rubbing the soap between 2 wet palms and more foam created if I keep adding water
- the soap is pretty slimy when wet so I need to be extra careful not letting it slip off my hands
- because of the amount of foam it can create, I find it's easier to wash my face with it
- my skin becomes squeaky clean after washing
- skin feels soft and not taut
- skin still feels soft after I'm out of bath
- skin appears slightly brighter
Overall, I find this soap real easy to use. Since the one I have is in a smaller size soap, I find it even easier to use, just by holding the mini soap in one of my palms and lightly run it over my face, lathering it and wasing my face at the same time. It is simple, quick and easy to use, just like any conventional soap you would use on your body. The skin appear pretty clean after washing with Olive Soap and all the unwashed oil leftover from the Cleansing Oil are washed off too.
Beauty Olive Oil
This product contains 100% pure natural olive oil and is rich in antioxidants, Vitamin E, as well as squalene and oleic acid. Aside from being applied to the face and body to hydrate the skin and boost its elasticity and texture, the multi purpose oil can be also used to restore and condition the hair.
- the soap lather up easily and foams quickly
- alot of foam can be created by rubbing the soap between 2 wet palms and more foam created if I keep adding water
- the soap is pretty slimy when wet so I need to be extra careful not letting it slip off my hands
- because of the amount of foam it can create, I find it's easier to wash my face with it
- my skin becomes squeaky clean after washing
- skin feels soft and not taut
- skin still feels soft after I'm out of bath
- skin appears slightly brighter
Overall, I find this soap real easy to use. Since the one I have is in a smaller size soap, I find it even easier to use, just by holding the mini soap in one of my palms and lightly run it over my face, lathering it and wasing my face at the same time. It is simple, quick and easy to use, just like any conventional soap you would use on your body. The skin appear pretty clean after washing with Olive Soap and all the unwashed oil leftover from the Cleansing Oil are washed off too.
Beauty Olive Oil
This product contains 100% pure natural olive oil and is rich in antioxidants, Vitamin E, as well as squalene and oleic acid. Aside from being applied to the face and body to hydrate the skin and boost its elasticity and texture, the multi purpose oil can be also used to restore and condition the hair.
For this Beauty Olive Oil, I received the full size so I was able to use it for a longer period. The packaging is in paper cardboard type like shown below.
The bottle is pump type and the oil is contained in a glass bottle to prevent content degradation. The transparent cap is made of plastic and I feel that sometimes it's quite hard to cap it. It would take a little bit of force to push it down.
When using the Beauty Olive Oil, I feel....
- the oil consistency is slightly thick
- the oil does feel pretty oily/ greasy
- the oil consistency is slightly thick
- the oil does feel pretty oily/ greasy
- the product gets absorbed quite fast when applied on back of my hands and doesn't show up glossy on the surface
- the product takes a little longer to get absorbed by the skin on my face and skin looks quite glossy
- my face look quite greasy after application and remained so after sometime
- my face look quite greasy after application and remained so after sometime
- the skin has a frictional after-effect when I run my fingers along the surface but it is not sticky
- the oil can only be used at night for my skin type (see About section for my skin type) as it would be quite greasy looking if I use it in the daytime
- the product can still be used in the day only at certain parts of my face like my laugh lines or very dehydrated areas
- the product can be used together with other essence or serum
- the product can be used together with other essence or serum
- my skin starts breaking out a little, some bumps inflamed, some not, on areas like cheeks, chins, jawlines during the first 1-2 weeks and I stopped using the product for awhile
- after my skin recovered from the bumps, I returned to using Beauty Olive Oil and amazingly, my skin did not have any bumps anymore and remained smooth and zit free
- I can continue to use the product both day (half a pump or lesser and on targeted areas only) and night (1 pump on whole face avoiding eye area) and skin appear clear and smooth
- skin is hydrated but not optimum
- laugh lines are slightly plumped but they still appear to trap foundation whenever I make any facial expression
- there's no problem using it with other skincare products
- my skin does not have any reaction to the cleansing oil (no sensitivity issues, just bumps at initial stage)
Sometimes it is hard to explain why my skin have certain reaction towards a product and then later not. From my observation, I can only assume that the breakout at the begnning stage might be due to a new product addition to my daily skincare regimen.
Before deciding if this product is good for you, you would need to know how I usually use my skincare products. I have entirely 2 different sets of skincare products for day and night and I alternate 1 or 2 of my skincare products from each set every week or sometimes every few days but eventually I'll still be using that few even when I rotate. I usually use different products based on my skin condition on that day but I have a set of 'safe' skincare regimen to fall back on should I face any problems like major breakout, very oily T-zone or very dehydrated skin.
Anyways, I was using the same 2 sets of products (day & night sets) throughout the time I used Beauty Olive Oil, and no doubt I was still changing a couple of skincare (for eg, changing an toner/lotion or moisturiser) every few days. At first my skin was still fine, just that the product made my face look glossy thus I skipped using it during the day. And then some bumps appeared and started to turn inflamed, I continued for sometime and stop rotating skincare products as well. Few days later I decided to stop using the oil.
After the bumps are cleared, I went back to using Beauty Olive Oil and continued for a month and was surprised that my skin remained clear. Since my skin was cleared for sometime already, I began rotating ther skincare products again and still no more bumps.
I thought back and wondered if it's because the product is natural (maybe some parts organic?) thus it made me breakout? I know products that are organic or of slightly lesser percentage could cause breakout because skin is working to balance itself after long period of chemical-laden product usage. This transient process is also known as the acclimation period.
Skin Lotion & Milk Lotion
Swatches of the Beauty Olive Oil, Seikisui Skin Lotion and Milk Lotion.
Skin Lotion is suitable for skin type that are more towards oily and Milk Lotion for dry, dehydrated skin types. Both are to be used as the Step 4 which is Hydrate.
I have tried also the Skin Lotion and Milk Lotion and I prefer Skin Lotion because the milk makes my skin look pretty greasy and I thought it kind of floats on my skin surface but it work super good on dehydrated or dry areas like my hands. I do use Inoue Seikoen's products on other parts of my body as the olive oil ingredients are really good for my dry hands and legs!
While for the Skin Lotion, I like to use it as it is which is a lotion, or as a pre-essence which is applied right before another light essence/serum. Regardless the method, Skin Lotion is always lightweight and hydrating, can also be added into other serum/creams and makeup foundation! I like this lightweight moisturising lotion. ^,^
Where to buy?
Takashimaya Singapore Ltd
The Gift Box Level 3
391 Orchard Rd
Singapore 238873
- laugh lines are slightly plumped but they still appear to trap foundation whenever I make any facial expression
- there's no problem using it with other skincare products
- my skin does not have any reaction to the cleansing oil (no sensitivity issues, just bumps at initial stage)
Sometimes it is hard to explain why my skin have certain reaction towards a product and then later not. From my observation, I can only assume that the breakout at the begnning stage might be due to a new product addition to my daily skincare regimen.
Before deciding if this product is good for you, you would need to know how I usually use my skincare products. I have entirely 2 different sets of skincare products for day and night and I alternate 1 or 2 of my skincare products from each set every week or sometimes every few days but eventually I'll still be using that few even when I rotate. I usually use different products based on my skin condition on that day but I have a set of 'safe' skincare regimen to fall back on should I face any problems like major breakout, very oily T-zone or very dehydrated skin.
Anyways, I was using the same 2 sets of products (day & night sets) throughout the time I used Beauty Olive Oil, and no doubt I was still changing a couple of skincare (for eg, changing an toner/lotion or moisturiser) every few days. At first my skin was still fine, just that the product made my face look glossy thus I skipped using it during the day. And then some bumps appeared and started to turn inflamed, I continued for sometime and stop rotating skincare products as well. Few days later I decided to stop using the oil.
After the bumps are cleared, I went back to using Beauty Olive Oil and continued for a month and was surprised that my skin remained clear. Since my skin was cleared for sometime already, I began rotating ther skincare products again and still no more bumps.
I thought back and wondered if it's because the product is natural (maybe some parts organic?) thus it made me breakout? I know products that are organic or of slightly lesser percentage could cause breakout because skin is working to balance itself after long period of chemical-laden product usage. This transient process is also known as the acclimation period.
Though Inoue Seikoen did not state that their products are organic but I believe this particular product may be 'somewhat' organic. This product consists the ingredient squalene which is an organic compound and can be found in human sebum, so perhaps this ingredient helps make the product 'somewhat' organic? I also thought about the time I stopped using the Beauty Olive Oil, my skin might already trying to adjust itself to accept the new natural skincare that I implemented. Hence when I started to use back the oil, my skin was totally ready to take in more.
Last but not least, the Beauty Olive Oil works well on my body, nail cuticles as well as hair with no problems (anyways since they are all dry to begin with). ^_^
Last but not least, the Beauty Olive Oil works well on my body, nail cuticles as well as hair with no problems (anyways since they are all dry to begin with). ^_^
Skin Lotion & Milk Lotion
Swatches of the Beauty Olive Oil, Seikisui Skin Lotion and Milk Lotion.
Skin Lotion is suitable for skin type that are more towards oily and Milk Lotion for dry, dehydrated skin types. Both are to be used as the Step 4 which is Hydrate.
While for the Skin Lotion, I like to use it as it is which is a lotion, or as a pre-essence which is applied right before another light essence/serum. Regardless the method, Skin Lotion is always lightweight and hydrating, can also be added into other serum/creams and makeup foundation! I like this lightweight moisturising lotion. ^,^
Where to buy?
Takashimaya Singapore Ltd
The Gift Box Level 3
391 Orchard Rd
Singapore 238873
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