Skincare Discovery: Cleansing Part II - Cleansing Tools & Techniques

As I mentioned in Part I of my Skincare Discovery: Cleansing megapost (click here), cleansing is one of those things that people don't reflect on as much as their other products; you stick a soapy thing on your face, you rinse it off, and you proceed with your other products.

I know I ordered cleansers with abandon yet I'd research potential moisturizers to death before purchase, but like everything related to asian skincare, my perspective has evolved.

Can you believe these were just the products and empties I was easily able to find lurking in my bathroom?

Included in this megapost:

• Double Cleansing (Pt. I)
• Cleanser Types (Pt. 1)
• Cleansing Tools (Pt. II)
• Cleansing Techniques (Pt. II)
• PH-conscious vs non-PH conscious cleansing (Pt. II)

If you haven't read Part I, I definitely recommend doing so first for context, but if you're up to speed, read on!

Skincare Discovery: Cleansing Part I - Double Cleansing & Cleanser Types

Sometimes it's a good idea to reflect not just what you put on you face, but how you take it back off.   The last Skincare Discovery post was on layering products (click here for Part I, click here for Part II) to custom-fit your skin's needs rather than struggling to find something that tries to do everything at once and therefore accomplishes nothing.

Cleansing is one of those things that everyone does (at least, I hope they do) but few people really think deeply about.  Or it was possibly just me.  Derp!

Now that I've been obsessed with asian skincare for a few years, the way I clean my face has drastically changed.

Included in this megapost:

• Double Cleansing (Pt. I)
• Cleanser Types (Pt. I)
• Cleansing Tools (Pt. II)
• Cleansing Techniques (Pt. II)
• pH-conscious vs non-pH conscious cleansing (Pt. II)

This post will be a collection of tips and techniques I have gleaned through hours of watching korean beauty shows, videos, and consuming vast quantities of blog posts.

Skincare Discovery: Layering Multiple Products Part 2

In Part 1 we  talked about the techniques of layering skincare regardless of which products you use:

Part 1 contents:

• It's not always about the products you have, sometimes it's the way you use them
• Buy skincare, not makeup
• Application: pat, tap, or press to apply instead of rubbing
• Layer several different products, instead of an all-in-one product
• Layer 'fat over lean', like a oil painter

Onward to discussing products designed for layering so you avoid the pitfalls of over-moisturizing!

In this post:

• Sometimes more is more, when it comes to the number of products
• You can and should build your own custom lineup
• Examples of Brand lineups
• Example of a custom lineup

Shiseido Perfect Whip Cleanser Review

This week's review is of the best cleanser sidekick for my Clarisonic, the Shiseido FT Sengansenka Perfect Whip Facial Wash.  This cleanser is unlike anything I had ever encountered in western skin care, and on its own it seems gimmicky and unremarkable, but when paired with my trusty Clarisonic, it's a match made in skincare heaven.  I've also included how to make Perfect Whip foam, using two different methods.

Shiseido is a very widely recognized Asian luxury brand, but this particular product is from their 'drug store' line of products, so they are affordable but still considered to be decent quality.  I wouldn't dare use conventional drug store skin care like Neutrogena, etc, on my face (cue skin rage) but I've heard good things about Shiseido's drug store products and certainly my skin likes the Perfect Whip just fine.

Details:

Full product name: Shiseido FT Sengansenka Perfect Whip Facial Wash

Purpose: A foaming cleanser with a unique foam formation that resembles a very thick, dense shaving cream more than your traditional foaming cleanser.  It creates a thick cushion of foam on the skin, and is supposedly to be very gentle on the skin.

Texture: Starts as a pearly ultra thick cream and looks like toothpaste out of the tube.  It's slick and stringy at first, but when water is added and agitated with fingers, brush, or foaming net, it whips into a giant cloud of dense, superfine foam which resists pressure.  Almost like a mousse texture.

Scent:  Medium.  It has a sort of chemical smell, like Clearasil, Neutrogena, etc, but with a pleasant fruity/floral scent on top. Doesn't linger after rinsing.

Packaging: A squeeze tube, so be careful as a little goes a long way.

Quantity: 5oz, which is a large amount considering how little you need.

Availability: I bought mine from Amazon, also available various places online.  If you happen to live in Japan, it will be easily available.

Price: With shipping, it came out to about $9 from the above seller.  Compare that to the $33 for the ElishaCoy All-In-One BB cleanser that also has a place in my beauty lineup, it's a steal.

Rating:  5/5!  9/22/14 Update:  I have since learned that any cleanser over 5.6 actually damages your skin (click here for full post including scientific sources) so sadly this previously loved cleanser is no longer something I can recommend.  

Repurchase: You bet.  I have had a Clarisonic for years, and have always been hunting for the perfect cleanser to pair it with-- this foam is it.  As this cleanser is a stratum corneum-wrecking nuclear pH level of 8, no.  Never again.  I miss you, Perfect Whip, but you're destroying my ability to fight off acne bacteria every time you touch my face.

Onward to the review of this strange, but brilliant, little product!