Shiseido Hydro-balancing Softener

Shiseido Hydro-balancing Softener is one of my favorite softener. It provides a light hydrating effect without overwhelming my oily skin with extra moist that it cannot afford. It is a liquid product that is packaged in a glossy clear container with a cap. A pump is used to dispense the product.

What it is: a liquid skin softener

Treatment: adds moisture to skin + helps serum/moisturizer absorb into the skin better

How to use: The product suggests applying the product with a cotton pad to the entire face. I use only half of a pump. I think one pump is way too much product and a waste.  I also bought Shiseido cotton as the SA suggested to apply the product with. This cotton is special in that it's super thin and soft. It does not take much product to soak the cotton pad up, which will help by not wasting the product. Yeah, you're saving on product but the cotton is also expensive too. Is the cotton worth it? I'm not too sure.

My Thoughts: Shiseido Hydro-balancing Softener at first appears to look like a toner, but it is entirely different. A toner cleans and remove the dirt and debris left behind wash. Shiseido Hydro-balancing Softener does not so much as remove dirt (it does but much less in comparison to a toner) but rather delivers a moist softening effect to your skin that will help your moisturizer soak in better. The softener is suggest for use after cleansing and before moisturizer. Because the softener is in a liquid form, once applied to the skin it leaves behind a wet effect that help your moisturizer glides on easily. It has a pleasing mild scent that quickly fades once you apply it to your skin. Shiseido's philosophy is clean, soften, and moisten. I use Shiseido Hydro-balancing Softener after a toner. Afterwards, I apply my serum, and if I need a bit more, lastly my moisturizer. But to be honest I use Shiseido Hydro-balancing Softener in place of my moisturizer, especially on days that I have an acne outburst.

Pros: 

• add moistness to your skin
• helps moisturizer absorts easily and better
• reduce the amount of moisturizer you would traditionally need
• nice scent

Cons:

• expensive
• an extra step in your skin care
• you don't necessarily need it 

Overall, I am satisfied with this product. It delivers a light moistness to my oily skin. If you don't have oily skin, trust me you don't need this at all. Any moisturizer is better than using a softener. I use it in place of a moisturizer most the time because it's lighter than a moisturizer. Other than that, it also help your serum or moisturizer absorb better into your skin. But really before I use this softener-my serum and moisturizer worked just fine by themselves. I would only recommend this it if you have oily skin or your serum or moisturizer is super expensive and you want to save on product usage.