All Entries Tagged With: "DHC"

Makeup from DHC Skincare: Moist Color Base, Q10 Foundation, and Q10 Powder

DHC skincare is a Japanese skin care and cosmetics company. I have been a long time fan of DHC skincare products, especially their Olive Oil cleanser (read previous DHC review), but until recently, I had not tried much of DHC’s Makeup. So I decide to change that and sent in an order.

I decided to try out a combination of DHC foundation and makeup products to see how well I could achieve a look using them that would hopefully lessen the appearance of my melasma, but without using a full coverage foundation. I found a good mix for that. These item also contain Coenzyme Q as an anti-aging ingredient. So you can get some double duty action out of them!

First off, I applied DHC Q10 Moist Color Base . This product comes in several varieties:

Pink: Lends a rosy glow to diminish yellow undertones
Apricot: Adds warmth to liven pale, dull complexions
Beige: Balances uneven tones for a natural neutral look
Yellow: Ideal for moderate redness and unwanted pinkness
Green: Helps conceal severe redness issues

I used beige, which was advertised to help even out the appearance of discoloration. I found that it worked fairly well for that. The base is a light beige tone that doesn’t really tint much, but does help lessen the look of hyperpigmentation. Despite the term “moist” in the name, It came out quite matte, which I liked since I was fairly oily at the time that I tried it. Because of its shade, I think it would work for fair to medium skin, but those with truly porcelain skin or with brown skin might not find it very useful. The base acts quite well as a basic makeup primer, but if you want a true silicon primer, try out DHC Velvet Skin Coat instead (read review). That one is also clear, so it works well with all skin colors.

Next, I applied DHC Q10 Liquid Foundation. This is a sheer foundation with Coenzyme Q10 to add anti-aging properties. I appreciate double duty products, so I liked the idea of this item before I even tried it. Once I did try it, I loved the product. DHC Q10 foundation is sheer and a bit moisturizing, making it very comfortable to wear. Coverage is sheer, so while this doesn’t cover my melasma well alone, I found that it worked well in conjunction with the moist color base. For those wanting just a bit of sheer evening of redness and such, this foundation would be a good choice. One downside though is that the container rather small for the price point.

My favorite of the bunch was the DHC Q10 Face Powder . In fact, this has become my favorite facial powder, replacing my previous and more expensive favorite, Laura Mercier powder. This powder has a wonderful silky feeling to it and it sits well on the skin without overly settling into wrinkles and pores. The container is also of a decent size. I love it and will be a repeat purchaser.

Items from DHC skincare are generally available only online or through mail order. You are allowed to select four DHC samples with each order and their catalog comes with samples included, so it is a good mailing list to be on!

Popularity: 6% [?]

November 18, 2008 | Carleenp | Comments 0

DHC Eye Shadow Palette and Eye Shadow Brush

DHC is a Japanese skin care and cosmetics company. I am a long time fan of DHC skin care products, especially their Olive Oil cleanser (read review) and White Sunscreen (Read Review), but I had not tried any of the DHC makeup. Having read some good things about various DHC makeup items, I decided to change that by ordering some.

My first review is of the DHC Eye Shadow Perfect Pro Palette in topaz, and the DHC Eye Shadow Brush . I am impressed with both. Below is a photo I took of the palette.

The first thing that struck me about the DHC Eyeshadow palette was the packaging. A little door opens up over the applicator, and then a mirrored door opens over the eye shadow. It is unique and attractive. The shadow itself is fine. The shades are rather light, and sort of remind of some of the Clinque light neutral shades. That is also fine with me, but if you like really dramatic eye shadow, this might not be for you. The shadow also generally wore well for me. I also like how it is packaged, with the largest pan being the base shade and the liner as the smallest. It balances out the use better that way!

DHC also makes a line of synthetic brushes and sells them at a pretty good price, so I added an eye shadow brush to my purchase. This turned out to be one of the best synthetic brushes I have ever used. Most cheap brushes will have some initial hair loss and might not feel all that soft. But the DHS brush that I bought was quite soft and not a single hair fell out of it. So I was left quite impressed with it, especially considering its $9 price tag.

DHC items are only available online and through mail order. You also get your choice of four samples with every purchase and each mail catalog comes with a sample or two (or sometime three or four) in it. So it is a good mailing list to be on!

Popularity: 27% [?]

November 03, 2008 | Carleenp | Comments 6

Review: DHC Sunsceens, White for Melasma, Q10 for Aging, and Dual Defense for Moisture

DHC makes some great skin care products, so it is no surprise that they have some excellent sunscreens as well. By incorporating DHC’s signature olive oil, the sunscreens feel terrific, and by adding in some treatment actives, a couple of the sunscreens are also rather unique.

One very unique sunscreen that also happens to be my favorite, is DHC White Sunscreen. With titanium dioxide 5% and zinc oxide 10% as physical blockers, this broad-spectrum SPF 25 sunscreen is a good choice for those concerned about melasma or hyperpigmentation. But there is more. By including alpha-arbutin, a good nonprescription skin brightener, and vitamin C, DHC has created a sunscreen that is also a treatment product. As with other DHC products, it also contains olive leaf extract, along with aloe leaf extract, and vitamin E.

DHC White sunscreen is a joy to wear. It is a very light lotion that moisturizes slightly and absorbs quickly with no white residue. I find it to be one of the most comfortable sunscreens around. I have also found arbutin to be a fairly effective melasma treatment. By inhibiting melanin production, it is perfect to combine it with a sunscreen to make going out in the sun feel just a bit extra safe for those like myself who worry about what melasma spot just might be waiting to come out. The only downside is that
at $23/ounce it is a bit expensive, although I tend to prefer the higher cost sunscreens anyway, so that price is fine for me.

For those with aging skin, DHC Suncut Q10 Sunscreen SPF 30 combines full spectrum sunscreen with coenzyme Q10. The entire DHC Q10 line is pretty popular and the products feel quite nice. So if you are a fan of the Q10 line or like coenzyme Q products, you might want to give this one a try. It is also a bit more affordable at $15/ounce. The Active sunscreen ingredients are octinoxate 5.0%, oxybenzone 0.1%, titanium dioxide 5.8%, zinc oxide 20.0%

For a kick of moisture from your sunscreen give DHC Dual Defense Sunscreen a try. This one contains DHC’s signature olive oil and rice germ oil. Nicely moisturizing, this one is perfect for those with normal to dry skin. The active sunscreen ingredients: octinoxate (4%), and titanium dioxide (3.3%). $27 for 3.5 ounces.

Interested in other DHC Products? See my other DHC reviews:
DHC Velvet Skin Coat
DHC Skin Care Reviews Part I
DHC Skin Care Reviews Part II
DHC Lip Conditioners at GirlGloss

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Popularity: 10% [?]

December 13, 2007 | Carleenp | Comments 6

Two Foundation Primers: DHC Velvet Skin Coat and Smashbox Photo Finish

In Part II of my DHC skin care reviews, I promised a look at Velvet Skin Coat. I do so here in comparison to a similar product.Smashbox Photo Finish foundation primer is one of those products that has cult status. The magazines rave about it and so do plenty of others. It is not without its fair share of people who dislike it though. On Makeup Alley it has gotten quite mixed reviews. I was always happy with it, but now that I have tried DHC’s Velvet Skin Coat, I have a new foundation primer.

Photo Finish is a decent product. A small amount patted onto the skin feels nice and provides a nice surface for foundation. I don’t feel that it fills in lines and pores to the extent that it advertises, although it does work nicely under the eyes as a base for concealer. I have been happy with it, but have never considered it a necessary product. More often than not, I am happy to simply rely on a bit of moisturizer and sunscreen and then skip the primer. For those who try Photo Finish, proper use is important. A little goes a long way and it will be come a sticky mess if you try to pack it on. Trust me, I have used too much before and it was not pretty!

I like Velvet Skin Coat much more. In fact I like it so much that I plan to start using it instead of Photo Finish. Like the Photo Finish, Velvet Skin Coat feels quite nice on the skin, but it is also more forgiving. It does not turn sticky or messy if a bit more is used. Second, I felt that the Skin Coat did actually work at filling in some lines and pores. It is a bit thicker in consistency than Photo Finish, which I think makes it both fill in better and easier to handle. My makeup went on nicely after use. I also had no problems using it over moisturizer and sunscreen. It advertises that it absorbs oil, which can be a bonus for those with oily skin. The only downside for me is that it does not contain sunscreen. Smashbox does have a sunscreen version of Photo Finish. That is not a deal breaker for me since I religiously wear a separate high SPF sunscreen, but I like to get extra wherever I can.

DHC makes a number of other products, and I love their oil cleanser. For my reviews of some of their other products look at Part I and Part II.

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Popularity: 21% [?]

March 27, 2007 | Carleenp | Comments 4

DHC Skin Care Part II

In the first installment of my DHC review, I looked at the Olive Essentials Set. In this installment, I review some of the other DHC products: Rich Moisture, Extra Nighttime Moisture, Concentrated Eye Cream, Eye Bright, Facial Scrub, and Q10 Cream. I will look at Velvet Skin Coat in a final installment later this week.

DHC Rich Moisture is a standard moisturizing lotion. I liked it fine, and don’t have much to say about it, other than I am not sure it justifies its $27 price tag. It simply was standard for me.
I liked DHC Extra Nighttime Moisture a bit better. This is a rich overnight cream with olive oil and sodium hyaluronate. With its $30 price tag, it moisturized for me just as well or even better than some much more expensive products. I would consider buying this after my current products run out.
DHC Concentrated Eye Cream is another one that I liked quite a bit. This thick eye cream did a great job moisturizing the under eye area, and my skin there looked and felt wonderful the next morning. This is another product that I might purchase.
DHC Eye Bright is a light gel with cucumber for cooling, caffeine for depuffing, and licorice for brightening. It felt nice on the skin and absorbed well. I am kind of a sucker for eye gels, so this adds yet another possible purchase to my list.
The DHC Q10 Cream seems pretty standard to me. I have never seen any real effect from using products with co enzyme Q, which advertises antioxidant and anti-aging properties. Obviously from a sample, it would be hard to say much about this one either. It felt fine, but whether it works or not would take much more time to decide. If anyone out there has tried it long term, I would be interested in hearing your results.
Finally, there is the DHC Facial Scrub. This is an apricot scrub that is pretty effective, but not quite as harsh as some other apricot scrubs that I have tried. It was OK for me, and I think fans of apricot scrubs would like it. But I still prefer the L’Oreal and the Spa Sciences products that I have been using for exfoliation.

Overall, I have been impressed with the DHC products that I have tried. They also have many other products that look interesting. Take a look at their website
for more information.

I also tried the Velvet Skin Coat and will cover that later this week in a post comparing it to Smashbox Photofinish.

Update: The Velvet Skin Coat review is here

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Popularity: 14% [?]

March 21, 2007 | Carleenp | Comments 0

Product Review: DHC Skin Care: Part I

DHC products are interesting. Based on olive oil (in fact one product is solely pure olive oil), a common first thought is: Won’t this cause break outs? But the general reports from both the company and from consumers is that the products, even the pure oil, do not clog pores. Instead, olive oil helps to dissolve the gunk that can sink into them.

The use of olive oil for skin care can be traced to the ancient Greeks, who used it for its moisturizing properties. Extra virgin olive oil from the supermarket can be used on dry skin, put in the hair as a treatment, added to the bath, and more. When used as a cleanser, it dissolves makeup quite well, including waterproof mascara.

So it is not surprising that DHC, a popular Japanese company focusing on skin care, does well with its olive oil products. I found myself with eleven different products to try when I purchased the beauty buyble. Now that I have used them, I am reviewing them in two parts. Today I will cover what DHC calls “The Olive Essentials Set.” The next installment will look at some of their other items.

DHC has a variety of cleaners, moisturizers, and other products. But they focus their advertising on a basic regime consisting of an olive oil cleanser, soap, toner, and pure olive oil.

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil is my favorite of the bunch. I had tried this in the past and had forgotten how much I loved the stuff. It looks like oil, and initially feels like oil, but it quickly turns into a moisturizing lather that dissolves makeup quite well and rinses clean without feeling drying. It has pretty good reviews at MakeupAlley, where one reviewer noted the seeming inconsistency with an oil that rinses clean. Yet it does just that. I too am fascinated by it and I love how it works and feels. I am definitely buying this stuff.
Another basic product is the DHC Mild Soap, whose ingredients include olive oil and honey. Why a soap when there is already a cleanser? The DHC literature states that the cleanser is best for people who wear makeup or have oily skin because the cleanser breaks up makeup and oils, while the soap gets rid of “finer impurities.” The soap certainly feels fine and I suppose the extra step doesn’t hurt, but I don’t know that it really is all that necessary. I felt perfectly clean using just the cleanser and rinsing well. I also tend to be lazy and hate extra steps. So for me, the soap is not a necessary product. However, people who don’t like the idea of an oil cleanser or who prefer a bar soap will find that the soap cleans efficiently without an oily feel.
The next step in the process is toning with DHC Mild Lotion. This is an alcohol free toner with cucumber and glycerin. I found it to be a pretty standard toner: Nothing wrong with it, but I found no reason to rave about it either. It worked as it should and tingled appropriately. It didn’t seem particularly drying. In reality, I just am not a big fan of any toners and don’t tend to use them. I don’t find that extra step necessary, nor do I buy arguments that it is required to properly prepare skin for a moisturizer. So, I wouldn’t buy this item, but fans of toners might be perfectly happy with it.
Finally, there is DHC Olive Virgin Oil. This is pure olive oil that DHC states is in one of the purest forms available. I have read of many people who are happy using pure olive oil on their face, whether it be the DHC product or simply extra virgin olive oil bought at the store. I know that it can be a great skin softener, that it has antioxidants, and it can help lock in moisture. But it just isn’t for me. I love the cleanser because it rinses clean. But the oil sits on the face. Yes, it absorbed after a bit, and to be fair, my skin felt quite soft the mornings after I tried the oil. But I still didn’t care for the oil on my hands, oily feeling on my face, and oil on the towels. Also, I use several specialty products that really need a different kind of moisture over them. DHC suggests that when other products and moisturizers are used, the oil can be put over those to “prevent hydration from evaporating from the skin.” But I don’t want more goop on my face at that point. So, despite the good press and my knowledge that many people are very happy using pure olive oil as a moisturizer, this one just isn’t for me.

The upshot is that I will be buying the cleanser, which I just adore, and passing on the rest. From reading other DHC reviews I suspect that my thoughts about the other products are due to my own proclivities. Plenty of people like the other products.

For those wanting to test some of the products themselves, DHC provides a Catalog upon request that includes 4 samples. The literature I was provided states that those are the Deep Cleansing Oil that I reviewed here and the Velvet Skin Coat, Q10 Creme, and Concentrated Eye Creme, all of which I will review in other installments. DHC also allows customers to choose up to four samples with each order.

Update: once on their mailing list, you will continue to get catalogs with different samples each time.

Update: Part II is available here. The review of Velvet Skin Coat is here.

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Popularity: 32% [?]