Tuesday 25 June 2013

Za Total Hydration Amino Mineral Refreshing Gel review

Dear Beauty Diary,
I'm going to review one of the most famous products from the Za skincare line. Many of you may not have heard of Za, so here's a little background story. Za is a drugstore brand, and their products can be found in most Watsons stores. They are very famous for their 2-way compact foundation, and I personally love it! Its the best compact foundation I've ever tried. Its so soft and the powder so fine, and gives amazing coverage. Ok maybe I'll do a review on it if I have time in the future. Or if you are interested in it, just drop a comment below and I'll do a review.

Now back to topic. Za has many skin care lines, targeting whitening, anti-aging, hydration, etc. I think their Total Hydration line is the most famous. All the products in this line are in a girly pearly pink shade, and I find the products very attractive. Plus its quite affordable too. I picked up the Total Hydration Amino Mineral Refreshing Gel for only $10.90 ($8.55 USD). The gel comes in a set, and there are a total of 2 sets to choose from. The first set comes with a free Deep Moist cream, and the next comes with a free 30ml Fresh cleanser. Since I have oily skin, I chose the second set.

This Gel is raved about, and has appeared in magazines and has even been featured in a Japanese best beauty buys website. So I bought it to try it out.

Here are some thoughts!

Packaging wise, the gel comes in a regular squeeze tube, design is simple but chic.



Product description:
This gel minimizes stickiness and thoroughly replenishes moisture to give the skin a clarified glow and vibrancy.
Spreads effortlessly with a dewy, pleasant sensation to form a water veil that instantly restores, flaky, sticky skin.
For skin that tends to feel: flaky yet greasy.
Clarified Radiance Complex
Amino-Mineral Complex
Sebum-holding Powder
Prism Enhancer
Dermatologist-tested. Non-clogging to pores.

This gel is supposed to be used as the last step of your skincare routine after moisturizer. I don't have flaky or sticky skin, so I can't vouch that the gel can restore flaky, sticky skin. As for the extra moisture part, I don't think it actually gives extra moisture, but it does a splendid job of locking in all your previous skincare products that you applied, so that it won't slip or slide off your face. On the Za blog, it says that the gel will sink in within 10 seconds, but I don't think it totally sinks in. I apply it on at night before I go to bed, but the next morning when I cleanse my face, I can still feel that dewy, smooth texture of the gel on me. Hmm. At least it works really well with my other skincare products and let them sink into my skin better.

This gel feels exactly like a gel. Its supposed to be a gel anyway. Its not very watery, it holds its texture very well. After pinching the gel between my index finger and thumb a few times, the gel still holds together.


This gel smells like any other product in the Za Total Hydration line. It has a strong, sweet floral smell when you sniff it from the tube. But after applying it on my face, it smells like rubbery plasticine, sighs. At least it smells nice from the tube. By the way, this plasticine smell only applies for the gel, as the other Za Total Hydration products do not have this smell. 

This gel has an ok amount of 50ml. Its just right, not too much or little. However, it can last for such a long time! I've been using it since around March.

Wrapping up, I think this gel does not really provide moisture or improve the condition of your skin, but it has a really nice texture and retains in your moisturizer really well. After applying this gel, my face looks really fresh and dewy, nicely prepped for foundation or BB cream. After applying BB cream, my face looks very healthy and radiant, and I know its the result of the Za gel, as my moisturizer alone cannot achieve such results. From everything I've written about so far, I feel that this gel works very much like a sleeping pack, since it helps seal everything in your skin. Well then, this makes the Za Amino Mineral Refreshing Gel a super affordable and great sleeping pack! I myself use it like a sleeping pack, in fact.

I am most impressed with the fact that this gel can retain my moisturizer that well, and gives my face an extra healthy and dewy glow. ^_^

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