Review: Skin care: Kanebo Blanchir Day Conditioner SPF29

I’d been recommended the Kanebo Blanchir Whitening Day Conditioner SPF 29 ( Medicated ) by the girl in the Kanebo salon when I went for my last facial. I was itching to try something new and this was new (to me). The medicated element I’m given to understand is merely the Japanese way of labelling the item because it is supposed to have whitening/lightening effects.

Anyway, this is the moisturiser cum sunscreen by Kanebo Blanchir. The texture is very fluid and light and it comes in a slim pump bottle. It does feel slightly sticky on the hand but once you apply it and let it sink in, you won’t notice it at all. I liked that you only need one pump to cover your face because of its fluid texture.

Living in the tropics however, I find that SPF29 just doesn’t cut it for me. So, I use this as moisturiser and then apply another layer of sunblock over it. However, if you are living in temperate zones, then this might work better because the sun isn’t so hot.

I think it cost RM168 for a 30ml bottle. Not super expensive for a department store brand but pricey for a sunscreen.

Pros: Fluid, light, pump bottle makes it easy to dispense

Cons: Pricey, not enough SPF for the tropics

Rating:

Review: L’oreal UV Perfect Fluid Protector sunscreen - anti-dullness

I’d reviewed the L’oreal UV Perfect Fluid Protector sunscreen before in a separate review. Anyone who knows me would know how paranoid I am about using sunscreen. Sunscreen truly is the best anti-aging cream out there simply because it blocks UV rays from damaging your skin thereby preventing aging at its root.

All that aside though, I had been curious about the anti-dullness formula for a while and I also noticed that the L’oreal UV Perfect sunscreen had been repackaged. So, I was wondering if they had also reformulated it.

So when my current tube was on its last legs, I took a gamble on this anti-dullness formula. It comes in the usual box and tube except there is little purple square at the bottom with the words “anti-dullness”.

The texture of the sunscreen is the same, creamy but there is a purplish tint to the cream. This purple tint, although looking impossibly ghastly, actually serves to counteract yellowness and dullness. The minute I apply it on, my skin colour actually looks quite radiant and even. So, I don’t even really need foundation on some days. Awesome or what? When they say it makes a great makeup base, they aren’t kidding.

I’m not sure if it has been reformulated but I find that this sunscreen is slightly less greasy in that it doesn’t cause my skin to get oily after a while. The previous one I used (transparent) did tend to get a little greasy after a couple of hours. But this one doesn’t leave any shine.

I’ve noticed that the price of this L’oreal UV Perfect sunscreen appears to have dropped because most places are selling it at under RM30 now. This sunscreen works the best thus far for me and I’m happy that its cheap and effective and I’m never using another!

Pros: Does what it promises, skin looks more radiant and even toned

Cons: None

Rating:

Important Tip: Use Sunscreen!

As the picture shows, it is never too early to use suncreen on your face and body. Now, I’d be the first to admit that I’m not always as religious about using sunscreen on my arms and legs but for my face, its a top priority every single day.

Its a fallacy that if you refrain from going out into the sun, you don’t need sunscreen. Or, that if you stay home with all the windows and doors closed, you don’t need sunscreen. Closing your windows and doors and staying indoors doesn’t prevent the UV rays from reaching you. So yes, maybe you won’t tan, but your skin isn’t protected from UV rays either.

And for anyone who indulges in anti-aging creams and cures, its best you start now with sunscreen. That is the best anti-aging cure you can hope for because it is a fact that the sun’s rays and UV rays damage the skin and causes skin to age and in extreme cases, skin cancer. Sunscreen blocks or filters these harmful UV rays thereby reducing the skin damage and therefore acting as an anti-aging measure.

I found this very helpful article about sunscreen and what kinds of sunscreen one should look out for. This other article about sun protection too is very insightful. In gist:

• Use a sunscreen that blocks or filters UV-A and UV-B rays. These are broad spectrum sunscreens.
• Use a sunscreen that is SPF15 and above. According to reports, there is no evidence that very high SPF will actually protect your skin more but here in the tropics, SPF 50 is the norm. The Japanese have their own system of rating sunscreens with PA+++ for the highest and PA+ for low ratings.
• Reapply often especially if you are going to be out in the sun. However, for practical purposes, I can only see this reapplication for the body for most of us who work will have our faces made up and thus, reapplying sunscreen isn’t much of an option.
• When applying sunscreen do not forget areas like your neck and ears. Men or women with short hair tend to forget the back of the neck and the tips of the ears which can burn easily.

For myself, I use L’oreal UV Perfect sunscreen for my face because thus far, it has worked best for me and it blocks both UV-A and UV-B rays. Biotherm Sunfitness isn’t bad too as its non-sticky. My foundation too has SPF. For my body, I use the one by the Australian Cancer Council. Its only available for purchase in Australia.

This post was actually prompted by my discussion with a friend about using sunscreen. I was appalled that anyone would not use sunscreen because I’m a great proponent and advocate of using sunscreen if not for beauty, then for health reasons. I’ve read some articles that say that sunscreens may not be all that good for you because of the chemicals, but in general, the pros have thus far outweighed the cons.

So, slap on the sunscreen. When you are 50, your skin will thank you for it!

Edit: This tip applies equally for both men and women. If you don’t use any other skincare on your skin, use sunscreen. It does make a difference.

Picture courtesy of vamcmag

Sunscreen: Sunsense update and L’oreal UV Perfect Review

I am a strong believer in the use of sunscreen protection for face and body. For my face, I used to use L’oreal UV Perfect sunscreen with SPF50 protection.

I then switched over to Sunsense by QV, an Australian brand. I loved it because it felt nice on and had mattifying properties, so it made my skin look matt nearly the whole day long. I reviewed this sunscreen and gave it a glowing review. I thought it was perfect - good sunscreen, mattifying, great price.

UPDATE: After about 2 months using it, I found that I was having worse than normal breakouts on my face. I was breaking out in places I never used to break out before. Also, I found that my skin was very uneven as there appeared to be many clogged pores. Again, something I haven’t had for a long time.

I pondered the reasons for this and looked at all the skincare I’d been using. Slowly, I cut out each of them from my routine. Yet the problem persisted. In the end, on a whim and a hunch, I decided to cut out the Sunsense sunscreen and revert to my L’oreal UV Perfect.

In 2 weeks, my skin cleared up. Its no joke! I still don’t have perfect skin, but all the clogged pores are gone, and my skin is much smoother now. The culprit was the Sunsense sunscreen.

So, although it works amazingly for my friend who looks flawless and has no problems with it, I’m afraid it caused me problems and for that, I’d advise anyone wanting to try this to be careful as there is a potential problem of it clogging pores.

So now, I’m back to my L’oreal UV Perfect Sunscreen with SPF50. It comes in a slim 50ml tube which makes it very travel friendly. It has SPF50 and PA+++ which is a very high sunscreen rating and good for our tropical weather.

It contains Meroxyl which is a chemical sunblock that is patented by Loreal. It claims to block both UV-A and UV-B rays which cause aging. This sunscreen used to retail for about RM32.90 but I’ve noticed that the price seems to have dropped recently to under RM30. It often goes on sale for 10% or 15% less which is a good time to stock up on it.

The texture is a lotion and you don’t need very much to spread all over your face. It spreads easily and has a slight fragrance that isn’t very strong. I find that it does help protect my skin from the sun. When I use this and am out in the sun, my face doesn’t feel like its burning. That makes it a great sunblock.

However, I did find that throughout the day, it did make my face oilier. I used to use it under makeup and does cause my makeup to slip a bit which is a bit of a drawback.

I have been using this sunscreen for about 3 years now and didn’t experience any adverse reactions to this sunscreen including blocked pores or breakouts so I do highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good facial sunscreen that is a handy size. It comes in 3 types for now. Transparent, tinted and anti-dullness. I only use the transparent ones.

This particular item is now only available in Europe and Asia. Meroxyl isn’t approved by the USA FDA (Food and Drug Administration) so they can’t bring it into the USA. I’m not quite sure why.

Budget Tip: L’oreal owns Lancome and this sunscreen contains the same ingredient as Lancome’s UV Expert 50SPF sunscreen. The one by L’oreal costs a lot less though! So, its Goodbye Sunsense and Hello again, L’oreal UV Perfect!

Pros: Good sunscreen, slim packaging, did not cause blocked pores or breakouts on me

Cons: Skin gets oily, quite expensive for its size

L’oreal UV Perfect gets a Rating:
Sunsense gets a Rating: