Sunscreen

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

Paris B 29 Comments

loreal uv perfect 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:4.5/5]

Important Tip: Use Sunscreen!

Paris B 9 Comments

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.

Sunscreen: Sunsense update and L’oreal UV Perfect Review

Paris B 16 Comments

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:4.5/5]
Sunsense gets a [rating:0/5]

Review: Skincare: Sunsense Daily Face Sunscreen

Paris B 5 Comments

UPDATE: This one no longer works for me. Please read my update. However, this post was written when it did work and maybe it’ll help you.

I used to use L’oreal’s UV Perfect sunscreen on a daily basis and in fact, used to stock it up in case I ran out. I liked that it was SPF50 and was easy to carry around. Then, a dear friend suggested I try Sunsense Daily Face instead. I resisted for a while, while I finished off my L’oreal, but during the recent Guardian sale, I decided to see what all the hype was about.

We get one that’s SPF60 here so I bought it. It comes in a 75g tube which is quite handy, and is lightly tinted. However, there’s no need for concern over the tint as it disappears on your skin. The great thing about this sunscreen is that it leaves a matt finish on your skin. This mattifying effect also serves as a great makeup base as you don’t have to be afraid of your foundation slipping off your skin. I found that happening a lot with the L’oreal UV Perfect, which left my skin feeling a bit oily.

When I apply this sunscreen on my face, it immediately sinks in but my skin doesn’t feel like there’s a layer on it. Anyone who avoids putting on sunscreen because they don’t like the greasy feeling should give this one a shot. Remember, sunscreen is probably the best anti-aging product you can have in your skincare regime – prevention is better than cure!

The SPF rating on mine is 60 which cannot be found on the website. I’m told this is because in Australia they don’t rate anything higher than SPF30 as there is no evidence that anything higher will screen more effectively. I do find that even out in the sun, my skin doesn’t feel like its burning, which is a good thing as it means that the UV rays are being screened out.

The information on the official website states that Sunsense Daily Face is ideal for use as a protective daily moisturiser, all year round. The oil free base also makes it suitable for acne prone skin. Blocks UV-A and UV-B rays. Screens infrared and visible light. Does not contain PABA, PABA derivatives or lanolin to reduce the risk of sensitivity reactions to those people who are already sensitive to these ingredients.

It retails for about RM39.90 for 75g which is an excellant deal, and can be found at Guardian or Watsons or other pharmacies. L’oreal UV Perfect is about RM30 for 30ml only. I can see myself stocking up on Sunsense Daily Face from now!

Sunsense has a whole range of other Sunscreen products for the body which are worth checking out. They are an Australian brand and I trust the Australians best when it comes to making sunscreen, due to the high incidence of skin cancer there possibly because of the hole in the ozone layer which lies just over Australia.

Sunsense recommends that you:-

  • Use SUNSENSE everyday, particularly on your face and the backs of you hands to help prevent dry, leathery skin, wrinkles, mottling and other premature ageing as well as more serious problems such as skin cancer.
  • When out in the sun apply SUNSENSE to all exposed areas of the skin, wear a broad rimmed hat and a t-shirt of closely woven material.
  • SUNSENSE should be applied to clean, dry skin, 15 minutes before exposure to the sun. This allows the sunscreen to bond to the skin.
  • Sunscreens wear off the skin with normal usage, so re-apply SUNSENSE at least every 2 hours and after swimming, exercise, heavy perspiration and towelling dry.
  • Apply SUNSENSE even when sitting in the shade, surfaces such as sand, water, snow and concrete can reflect the sun’s rays onto your skin even though you are in the shade.
  • Apply SUNSENSE on overcast days. The sun’s rays can damage you skin on cloudy days too.
  • Don’t just wear SUNSENSE in summer. The sun shines all year round and can damage your skin even during winter.
  • A broad-spectrum sunscreening preparation of SPF 20 or greater. Can aid in the prevention of skin cancer, solar keratoses, sunspots, premature skin ageing.

This applies for any brand of sunscreen, not just Sunsense.

Its Ingredients are (for those who understand chemical terms):

Butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.0%
Oxybenzone 2.0%
Octyl triazone 1.0%
Titanium dioxide 2.6%
Methyl hydroxybenzoate 0.25%
Propyl hydroxybenzoate 0.15%
Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate 0.02%
Phenoxyethanol 1.0%

Pros: Matt, screens UV rays, Makes a good makeup base

Cons: Tube can be bulky

Disclaimer: This review is purely my opinion based on my own experience with the products reviewed. I do not vouch for the ingredients in the products nor do I hold myself out as an expert. I’m just another consumer like you. As with all skincare and cosmetics, do check ingredients or test for allergies and reactions.

[rating:5/5]

 

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