Fail Product: Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate! I bought this Serum at the ridiculous price of $118NZD because I was given a free facial treatment by the Shiseido ladies and felt obliged to purchase something.

This serum comes housed in irritating metalic packaging, which reflects the light when I try to photograph it *shakes fist*. The packaging of the serum is actually glass, which helps with the longevity of the serum. It's very heavy, and I'm frightened that I might drop it onto the bathroom floor and shatter it.

"Powering skin’s beauty now, and over time.

Like your body, your skin has an immune system that functions less efficiently with time, environmental exposure and stress. Ultimune helps boost skin’s multi-defensive powers while helping to strengthen its resistance to day-to-day damage and signs of aging. Over time, skin looks smoother and more resilient, making wrinkles less noticeable as your complexion begins to glow.
 
* Shiseido’s exclusive Ultimune Complex* is formulated with a unique blend of Bulgarian Rose Water, Aqua In Pool and Yeast to protect, strengthen, and maintain healthy looking skin.
* Formulated with a unique botanical power blend with Gingko Biloba Leaf Extract, Shiso and Thyme.
* For women of all skin types and all ages.
* In 4 weeks: firmness and resilience are improved, making wrinkles less visible.
* To use: Apply two pumps morning and evening after cleansing and balancing skin. Apply Ultimune before using targeted serums." (1)

The claims of this  serum are pretty high, basically claiming to to give your skin a better immune system (or this is how the lady sold it to me!). The serum leaves my skin feeling silky soft, but after I wash my face in the morning that silky feeling also gets washed away, which indicates to me that it's not really helping my skin at all.

I then read this review on Paulas Choice which slightly shocked me.

"We wish we could say that Shiseido was kidding with this serum, because the formula is not only amazingly boring but also front-loaded with denatured alcohol, one of the most pro-aging ingredients known! Fighting signs of aging gets a lot harder when so much alcohol is present (you'll smell and feel it)—and, shockingly, despite all the statistical hype, this serum contains barely anything of true value for aging skin. It's mostly water, alcohol, glycerin, silicone for a silky feel, film-forming agent, and preservative." (2)

I'm not sure if this serum is actually bad for my skin, but it certainly broke my skin out really badly, and I didn't see any positive results from using it.

What I Love

- Makes my skin feel silky and soft

- Nice glass packaging

What I Don't Love

- Breaks my skin out really badly

- Costs an arm and a leg

- Doesn't feel like it does anything good to my skin

Final Thoughts

I'm certainly irritated that this fail Serum cost me so much money, but of course I can't say that it's a terrible product for everyone because I obviously have no scientific reasoning behind that claim. I don't trust Paula's opinion entirely either, because of course she would want to promote her own skincare line. The bottom line is that I've used half a bottle of this skincare, and I've had better results using one sample sachet of other skincare products (that are about 3% of the cost of this serum).

Have you tried the Ultimune Concentrate before? Did it break you out too?