The new Shiseido Ibuki - skincare that promotes inner strength

Shiseido has launched the much coveted Ibuki range. From 2 months back when I was looking up for reviews on this particular range, I could sense the excitement of many bloggers worldwide who were eagerly awaiting the entire range to be unveiled and how it would fare.

I was one of the lucky few who managed to get my hands on these beauties at their unveiling event. Ibuki apparently refers to the Japanese word which means inner strength - a sort of buried resource that can endure all kinds of adversities yet still emerge in a beautiful condition. This line is basically able to withstand environment/climate changes to bring an optimal condition of the skin, even when skin naturally weakens and deteriorates due to work and personal life demands.

Basically it promises you smooth and trouble-free skin, correct imperfections and resist future problems.

There were many strong promises to the range which I'm usually pretty cautious about. However, we're talking about Shiseido here, a brand that's been in the market for the last 140 years. I would say that they're probably the expert of experts in the skincare line, particularly in the understanding of Asian skin.

This range replaces their The Skincare line and they consider it a total reformulation from the former. I did use The Skincare before but unfortunately even the lightest formulation didn't work well with my very oily skin at that point in time. And I thought the prices were quite high then.

The entire line is probably a much slimmer version from the former The Skincare. Slimmer, as in, less complicated. From left - right: 2 types of cleanser (gentle and purifying) 125ml, softening concentrate 75ml and 2 types of moisturiser (refining enriched that comes in a 50ml jar and refining that comes in 75ml bottle). Placed in front of the softener is the eye correcting cream 15ml.

The range is targeted to women in the 25-34 age group. Though I am not within the target age group, I'm still quite hopeful with the range. It's reformulation seem to feel nice, I especially like the scent (well, it is pretty fragranced, in case you have sensitive skin) and I quite like the new packaging... They look almost consistent to their White Lucent range which works very well with my skin.

According to their media release, Shiseido developed Ibuki based on comprehensive research of this particular age group on their lifestyles and skin physiology.

- skin problems that occur after several nights without enough sleep

- hormone-related breakouts that occur every month

- skin that becomes severely dry in the office environment, oiliness and visible pores after a night out

- skin instantly appears rough when balanced nutrition is not maintained.

The para above sounds all too good to be true, right? And hence why I am hopeful. Basically, you can do whatever you wish and your skin will look as if you've given it enough nutrition and rest.

I especially love the luxurious feel of the tube. The packaging itself feels expensive. The gentle cleanser retails at only RM115. It is quite creamy yet foamy too, and supposed to wash away the impurities and excess surface cells without stripping away skin's essential moisture. And since it is so creamy, a little can go a long way.

When I first tried the toner, I thought that it was a little more strong scented than the rest of the items in this range. For a retail price of RM160, I also thought that it is a little pricey as it only comes in a 75ml bottle. I mean you would usually find toners of 150ml - 200ml on an average. The toner can feel a little oily when you try it on your hand but apparently, it shouldn't add any "oily feel" when applied to the face. The concentrated formula is supposed to penetrate quickly and deeply into the skin's surface, spreads easily giving you a dewy feel.

As it can feel a little thick, it is also suitable to be used as a hydrating mask either by soaking a cellulose face mask piece into it or simply soaked on cotton pads. I thought that is ingenious, eh.

Now the moisturiser intrigued me the most. I'm a sucker for choice of words and the word, "Refining" scores well with me. I love refining. In fact words like brightening, exfoliation and hydration would score very high marks when choosing products for my sensitive-combination-easily congested skin. 

There are many strong claims to this particular product and they basically target multiple skin concerns like visible pores, the appearance of breakouts/blemish marks and roughness. I think it understands my concerns the most when it comes to their promises :)

While it helps to improve the appearance of visible pores and prevents breakouts, its retexturising formula is an optimal combination of humectant oil that would help maintain a 24-hour moisturising effect which in the long run, will improve skin roughness.

The moisturiser retails at RM175 and since it comes in a 75ml bottle, I feel that it is quite a fair deal.

Other products in the range like the moisturiser with SPF and the eye cream retail at RM170.

As I've been distracted, I've only tried the range about a week back. So, reviews will be done in due course.

Have you been curious yet about the range? For such simple steps, nicely packaged, luxurious feel and better formulation, I would say they are quite promising.