Sometimes I do a ton of research before I buy a product and there are moments where impulse grabs me. This is one of them.

When I bought a large bottle of Kose’s Junkisui Emulsion, my skin was very tight from the dry, wintry air. I normally use Dove’s Essential Nutrients Day Cream SPF15 and when my face felt like it was being pulled backwards into my hairline, I slathered on two layers but it was still uncomfortably dry.

I have oily/combination skin so it bewildered me that I needed something heavier. So I thought, “I just need a hydrating serum!”

I stumbled around at my local Tomod’s and found this:

I wasn’t sure what emulsion meant and the tester seemed like a very watery milky lotion. There was a 20 per cent discount on all Junkisui products so I got this bottle at a mere 2,250JPY. It was the cheapest among all the medium budget ranges (where serums and moisturizers could go as high as 7,000JPY and these are pharmacy brands!) and it seemed like it had a good reputation.

After two weeks of using this, I’m pretty happy with it except that it’s a bit greasy. When I put makeup on, it gives my face a less powdery effect, which is more natural looking in my opinion. But I must say, it’s not a very sexy bedtime look because of the extra shine.

I googled the product and I was surprised to find very negative reviews at Makeup Alley. The general consensus is that it’s supposed to be a moisturizer for acne-prone skin but the skin doesn’t absorb it well so it feels overly greasy. Also, you have to shake the bottle hard (there’s no pump) and dab your fingers on the opening, so some women find this unhygienic.

I also found a list of ingredients that looked very mysterious to me: Chinese Lovage Water, Moutan Bark Extract, Peony Root Extract, Fennel Extract. It all sounds very exotic but their magic must’ve been lost in translation despite the fact that Japanese brands do try to explain what’s in their products.

It’s ironic that this lightweight moisturizer is actually quite heavy so my conclusion is it’s for really cold weather where the air literally sucks your skin dry. I probably wouldn’t use this in summer or would reserve it for freezing hotel rooms or airplanes where you need all the moisture you can get.

Another plus point is it smells lovely and you have a whopping 120ml to last you for a long time. Would I buy this again? I’m not sure I will because of the greasiness but it doesn’t make me break out and it does the job.

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