While shopping at Westfield Shepherd's Bush during my last visit to London, I was introduced to the skin care brand Onsen. I had never heard of the brand before but the beauty blogger in me was intrigued by the prospect of a new brand and curious to find out more, I let Danielle, the brand representative, show me some of their products.
While she applied a little of the Purifying Facial Peel on the back of my hand, she began explaining that Onsen means hot spring in Japanese, the healing properties of which are well known all around the world. However, the miracle cures of the onsen have been discovered during the 10th century by Japanese women to keep their skin looking healthy and youthful.
After a while, Danielle asked me to rub the peel and I was in awe at the little bits of dead skin that formed and she explained that the peel works by drawing out impurities and dead skin cells from the pores, hence the little bits.
I am a little apprehensive of harsh peels because 1, my skin is super sensitive and 2, with the sun that we get here in Malta, it is not ideal to impose such treatments on the skin then expose it to UV radiation. However, I was pleased to learn that Onsen Purifying Facial Peel is a very gentle type of peeling treatment and due to the nature of its ingredients, it is also suitable for sensitive skin.
Let's have a look at the product packaging first and then I shall relay my experience after using this product for a month.
Onsen Purifying Facial Peel comes in a metallic blue box which contains the pump dispenser bottle that holds ml of product. To open, you have to twist the silver cap part and the pump is exposed. I like this sort of packaging as it is very practical in terms of travelling as the product will not spill.
The product per se is a clear gel-like fluid that turns watery upon massaging it into the skin - the secret is the which I witnessed right before my eyes as Danielle applied a little of the powder on the back of my hand and asked me to massage it and see what happens!
I used the product religiously for this whole month (starting that same day I got it in our hotel room!) and I really like the results - my skin looked smoother, brighter and more refined from week to week. The only issue I had, which was expected is that I got a few spots after the first couple of uses as the skin takes the opportunity to get rid of all the dirt once it gets a chance (unluckily for us, the opportunity comes in the form of pimples); but other than that, I only have words of praise for the product and so does the boyfriend ;)
The downside to this product is the price - £99.99 which is plain expensive and in no way I am justifying it. On the day that I got it, they were selling the products for £59.99 which is still expensive for a product which I didn't know what to expect from but I got it just so I can try it. Then again, we spend a lot of money on useless stuff so might as well invest in our skin. The plus side is that you only need a small amount (I use two pumps to cover my whole face) so it will last you for a good amount of time.
Bottom line, if you are a skin care fanatic, this is a very good product to try out and I look forward to my weekly treatment with it.
