SHISEIDO Facial Cotton

I think the first time I bought the sadly now discontinued Shiseido Mascara Base, I got a packet of 50 as a gift. Love them. So soft, don't shed, perfect for applying my Biologique Recherche P50V. I stock up on Sephora VIB or on the rare times when other department stores that carry Shiseido have 20% off.

Since I have oily skin, I've always had some type of cotton pad to use for applying toners. I purchased these from Sephora online in an attempt to get to free shipping. I like them, but not enough for repurchase. First of all, I don't find them to be that much better than other cotton pads stocked at drugstores. Secondly, they are expensive. Because of that, I used to limit myself to using them in an attempt to make the pack of them last longer. However, I have found ways to make the package last longer by either cutting them in half or separating the pad into two halves. While browsing through CVS, I discovered the dupe that others here have found. They are very similar. In my opinion, the quality is the same if not better. Better in the fact that they are more tightly woven and therefore stay intact. They don't break apart or thin out like Shisiedo. Here's the link:

https://www.cvs.com/shop/beauty-360-extra-thick-premium-cotton-squares-150ct-prodid-2200116?skuId=362110

They are not restocked often or in a large quantity at the CVS store. When I found them, there were only 2 packages left which came to a total of $7.00 US. CVS often has sales on their brand so these can be purchased for even less than what I paid. I will definitely repurchase CVS' brand of these squares.

For removing eye makeup these are fantastic - because the texture does not pull at the fragile skin around my eye area. Never before had I imagined that normal drugstore cotton pads were not adequate for this purpose until I purchased myself a pack of these. Now I only use these to remove mascara, eyeshadow and eye SPF and have absolutely zero redness or irritation which I used to experience quite often with normal pads. I don't use these for the rest of my face as they soak up a lot of the micellar water I use and I can find myself going through a bottle much faster. For other areas I just stick to regular drugstore cotton.

The other use I have for these is when I have a troublesome patch - rough/dehydrated area or acne mark. I simply cut the pad down to size required to cover the area, soak it with the right serum for the purpose (always the more watery type i.e Missha or SK2, even plain old rose water) and place it over the area. The pad adheres well so long as I'm not moving about and by the time I've removed it 10 minutes later I've had an intensive spot treatment that no amount of layering products would have achieved. It's why I'm a big fan of sheet masks as they literally 'hold' the liquid against your skin until it is absorbed, however they can be awkwardly shaped especially the Asian brands that are not really designed with Latino features like mine in mind! When I don't have time for sheet masks and have a small area to tackle, these are just perfect!


Selena x


~ My HG list ~

(As I've sampled many 100s of skin, hair and m/u products over the last decade and a half, I thought it might be useful to share my top 10 must-have products, subject to change if and when I come across something more effective. I love constantly trying out new stuff - usually sample sizes via e-bay, also plenty courtesy of a friend who works at Sephora)


1. Hair Loss Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ - Hair Oil
2. Lip Balm: 'Nuxe' - Reve De Miel Lip Balm
3. Pigmentation + Anti-Ageing Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ - Facial Treatment Serum
4. Cleanser: 'Paula's Choice' - Skin Balancing Cleanser
5. Concealer: ‘Mac’ - Studio Finish Concealer
6. Lash Growth Serum: ‘Divine Herbal’ - Divinelash
7. Foundation/SPF: ‘Juice Beauty’ - Stem Cellular Repair (warm glow)
8. Face Scrub: ‘Sisley' - Botanical Gentle Buffing Cream
9. Moisturizer: ‘Antipodes' - Rejoice Light Day Cream
10. Hand Cream: 'Origins' - Make A Difference Rejuvenating Hand Treatment

I used these pads while I was living in Asia. This is one of the most popular pads brands over there and it isn't expensive.
I don't like them at all.
They are indeed super soft, they eat up any product I put on really fast. The border of the pads is not sealed, so the pads tend to separate. I don't like the way they're packed, I prefer the tubes. I don't like the rectangular shape, because I don't ever use their separating corners.
I prefer premium cotton rounds from Target that are for the same quantity cost about 50% less.

This is a great facial cotton, but not quite what I need. The pads are so soft and can’t compare to anything else on the market. However, and this is a big con for me- I need to use so many cottons to remove my makeup/sunscreen with micellar water. I prefer large oval drugstore pads that I get at target because I only have to use two of those. For these shiseido pads I use at least 5. I also feel like they soak up a lot of the micellar water and I end up going through it a lot quicker. And considering I use pads/micellar water every day, the cost adds up just too quickly. I have repurchased the facial cotton but have decided to not repurchase for the time being and stick to my up and up brand pads.

Yes, it's just facial cotton. But it's totally worth it. I finally caved and bought it. I saw the reviews over and over again, and I was so curious about what could make cotton worth spending more on. I ordered it from Sephora, and I won't be without it now. It is so amazingly soft, it just feels luxurious to use. No roughness at all on my face or eyes. (I didn't even realize how rough my cotton rounds felt until I tried this.) I use my old cotton rounds for nail polish remover now, and occasionally I will try one on my face, just to see if it was really that big of a difference, and that's enough to make me keep reordering it. But really, I spend $10 on the package, but it really does last a long time. It's not like it's something you go through that quickly. There is a lot in the package, and it's truly totally worth it. Try it once, and you will most likely be hooked.

I read many reviews on these cotton pads and to be honest, my experience is that their flaw is that they’re great ‘super soft lil squares’. I prefer the large oval/square quilted drugstore pads. I find these lil squares to be super absorbent, they soak up product, loosing their billowy-down thickness quickly into flat square sheet that barely gets half a face cleansed. Which leads to using 4-8+ squares per night not to mention micellar water product waste. Then, there’s the softness issue. Now I don’t have sensitive skin, but when I cleanse, I cleanse! I don’t ‘gently’ rub the micellar water soaked pad, in hopes that the pad picks up all debris and oils accumulated from the day on a gentle sweep. I am quite assertive in my performance to cleanse and get the days gunk out. For the record I don’t wear heavy full-on makeup during the day, more so on evenings out. But environmental exposures, facial oil/sweat and all day skincare needs to come off at the end of the day. The larger drug store quilted pads may not be super soft but get the job done at less the waste. And they’re not that rough on my face. To be frank, I use these Shisedo squares to remove my nail polish, I prefer them over cotton balls... lol

If I hadn't won a pkg of these in a gift basket, I would never have made the initial purchase due to price. But OMG these are the most incredible cotton squares for removing v long wear eye makeup. My lids are easily irritated and these are amazing. Well worth the price!

Fun fact: this facial cotton is popular in vaping circles - a friend told me this is because it's 100% organic and not processed with a particular chemical that you wouldn't want to inhale when the cotton soaks in the vape juice. OK done.

These pads are a godsend - these Shiseido ones, the layered ones from Cotton Labo, any Japanese face cottons really. They're so silky and durable and don't thread apart like some of the ones I've gotten from Walmart, and they retain so much of the product when I use these in lieu of a sheet mask. Normally I pair this with a toner or serum and have myself a relaxing night of pampering - these are so versatile that these should be in anyone's makeup cabinet.

I used to wonder what the hype was regarding the Shisedo Facial Cotton pads.....well I tried and now I know. These are super cushioned and soft on the skin. They are thicker than most facial cotton which means they hold more product and do not "shed" like other store brands do. I really do enjoy using these with my facial toners and essences. They make the skincare process a more elevated experience and since they hold more product you do not use as many cotton pads.