SPF | Kiehl's Super Fluid UV Mineral Defense SPF50+

As you can see it's one of those liquidy sunscreens

The tinted version in particular has a bit of a grey ish color on my skin. If I'm too pale during the year and I use this, it often comes out as bit of a darker pink-beige on me.

Since it is sheerly tinted it doesn't matter as much, but if you're very dark or very pale, it could be a problem.

I used this all the time for a while until I moved on to the Paula's Choice SPF moisturizer, which I can use without a moisturizer beforehand. I like that the Kiehl's is a mineral sunscreen, but I wish they would make a non-tinted version (although, it may be hard to not get a white cash, so that I understand). There's also a slight mineral odor, which isn't unpleasant but it's noticeable.

I stopped using this bc I noticed my t-zone gets extra oily when I use this product, compared to other sunscreens I own. I used to wear this without a moisturizer, but it dries in a way that shows your flaky skin or the dryness on your skin's texture, plus in the winter a moisturizer is ideal no matter what kind of skin you have.

Price 

$38 for 1.7 oz / 50 ml

This is quite an expensive sunscreen in my opinion. I mostly got this because Kiehl's was having a sale/deal. I generally don't buy beauty products unless it's on sale, considering I really don't need more beauty products than I already have.

Repurchase?

No.

Would I recommend it?

I feel like for the price you could do better.

SUN | Cotz SPF40 for Lighter Skintones

Pros

Fragrance free

Natural sunblock ingredients

Silky finish

Smoothies over pores

Seems help with oil control

Neutral

SPF 40

Cons

White cast

Might be drying for dry skin. Moisturize well the night previously!

Price

$20 for 1.5 oz / 42.5 g

Verdict

As I'm running out of my holy grail sunscreen (review here), I decided to try the same one but for "lighter skin tones" thinking it's a lighter tint. Low and behold it's white, and even though my skin is pale-ish I hate the white cast look. 

The "natural tint" is a bit orange/dark for me, but I still prefer that to a white cast. If you're in the market for a new sunscreen (and happen to have oily skin) I definitely recommend Cotz. I always use a moisturizer underneath.

Repurchase?

Only the natural tint

Would I recommend it?

The natural tint, yes.

SAMPLE | Elta MD Tinted UV SPF46 Facial Sunscreen

Pros

Helps with redness

Not drying

Good for acne prone skin

Neutral

SPF 46

Cons

Doesn't help with pores

Price

$34 for 1.7 oz / 50 ml

Verdict

I am almost out of my Cotz tinted SPF40 (review here) and while Cotz is great for oil control and minimizes my pores, it is a bit drying for me now when my skin is on benzoyl peroxide. My dermatologist had recommended the Elta MD untinted SPF to me previously but I wasn't super impressed by the sample (mainly bc my skin would still be really greasy a few hours in). Now that my skin is more adjusted to the benzoyl peroxide, I might try the clear version of this.

However, I noticed the Cotz still is better for oil control if I'm going to be out all day and won't really have time to think about blotting.

Edit: This might've given me two little spots after using it. I haven't really used anything different so... I guess I won't be getting the full size

Purchase?

No.

Would I recommend it?

If you have acne prone skin, this brand of sunscreen seems very popular. And the fact my dermatologist said she loved it gives me a bit of reassurance

REVIEW | Hello Kitty Mineral Sunscreen SPF45 (Australian Gold)

Drugstore.com description:

Safe and gentle mineral lotion formula that brings FUN to sun care!

Broad Spectrum SPF 45

• Fragrance free
• Extra gentle for delicate facial skin
• Yomogi Extract - Considered Japanese "wonder herb" helps beautify skin and reduce sun damage
• Butterfly Bush Extract - Native Chinese shrub with beautiful flowers provides photo-protective activity
• Water Resistant (80 Minutes)
• UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum Protection
• PABA free

Helps prevent sunburn.  If used as directed with other sun protection measures (see warnings), decreases the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging caused by the sun.

Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 4.5% (Sunscreen), Zinc Oxide 4% (Sunscreen)

Inactive Ingredients: Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Artemisia Princeps Extract (Yomogi), Buddleja Davidii Extract (Butterfly Bush), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ceteareth-20, Cetyl Alcohol, Dibutyl Adipate, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Hexyl Laurate, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Methylcellulose, Methylisothiazolinone, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Propylene Glycol, Stearyl Alcohol, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Water, Xanthan Gum, May Contain Citric Acid, May Contain Sodium Hydroxide

Pros

Mineral sunscreen = Better for sensitive skin

Fragrance free

Cons

Strong white cast

Very hard to spread on face

Price

$8 for 3 oz / 88 ml

Verdict

I love any useful Hello Kitty products, but this one went back to the store. The sunscreen was impossible to spread on my face (although, on my hand it seemed ok) and took some effort to blend in. The "extracts" it claims to have definitely add nothing to the texture if they do anything at all. 

It might be an ok body sunscreen if your skin is moisturized with a slippery lotion, but there are way better facial sunscreens out there.

Mineral sunscreens are supposed to be better for sensitive skin since the physical active ingredients block the sun rays instead of absorbing them (as chemical active ingredients do), something to keep in mind when you shop for sunscreens. My favorite mineral sunscreen is the Cotz SPF 40 (review here) due to its oil controlling qualities.

Repurchase?

No.

Would I recommend it?

No.

BB CREAM | Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery BB 3D Effect

Not to be confused with the Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery BB Water Base (review here)

Idk why they make the names so similar... 

I'm not a fan of using this on my face because it looks terrible on large pores

Pros

Light to medium coverage

SPF 50+

Lightweight

Cons

Doesn't look good on large pores

Only 1 color

Terrible for flaky/dry parts of your skin

Price

~$15+ on Ebay

Link here (FYI my Ebay links are searches, not a specific seller since I know Ebay sales changes every 2 weeks or less)

Verdict

Rating: C+

The texture of this feels great on my hands, but when it's blended on my face the color is a bit dark for me. The least attractive part is that it exacerbates my large pores and makes the skin around my acne spots look dry. If you like tinted sunscreens, is a bit darker than NC20 in MAC colors and don't have large pores, this may be a godsend for you. Otherwise... I'd say get another high SPF BB cream.

Repurchase?

No.

Would I recommend it?

No.

SUNSCREEN | Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50 PA+++

New version that you supposedly don't need to double cleanse

Pros

Lightweight

Dries quickly

SPF 50

Neutral

Doesn't control oil (it doesn't claim to do this so I put it here)

Cons

Seems to give me blackheads if I don't double cleanse

Dries out your skin if you don't use moisturizer prior

Not water resistant

Price

~$10 for 50 ml (1.7 oz)

On Amazon here

Verdict

I've tried really hard to like this sunscreen since it's so lightweight, but it is not my ideal facial sunscreen. With or without moisturizer underneath, this seems to give me blackheads because my skin still gets plenty oily during the day. My cousin bought me two of these from China so I've just been using it as a body sunscreen. I think this is an awesome body sunscreen if you don't want that thick sticky feeling a lot of water resistant American sunscreens have, the size is also small enough to toss in your purse. Keep in mind the Biore is not water resistant, so don't go swimming or to the beach with it.

There's a watery gel version (instead of watery "essence"), maybe I'll give that a try and report back.

Nivea Japan also makes a gel textured sunscreen sold on Amazon, so I will be trying that out some time.

Repurchase?

No.

Would I recommend it?

If your skin doesn't get oily

REVIEW | First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Mineral Sunscreen Moisturizer SPF40

Pros

Absorbs quickly

Semi matte finish

A little seems to go a long way

Mineral (not chemical) sunscreen

Minimizes pores a bit (or at least, doesn't make them look worse)

Cons

White cast initially

SPF 40 (lasts 6.67hrs)

Not moisturizing

Easily confused with the cream if you have both (see above)

Price

$30 for 2 oz / 56.7 g

Verdict

I purchased this sunscreen per Raeview's recommendation. I like that it's easily absorbed into the skin, but if you didn't moisturize your skin well the night before, this can be a bit drying after you put it on, so the "moisturizer" part of it probably only applies to oily-skinned gals. 

I once grabbed the cream instead of the sunscreen by accident (because they look SO SIMILAR, see above) and applied it - I noticed if you layer the moisturizer underneath, the sunscreen itself balls up. Surprising, considering I used the Ultra Repair Cream (review here) from the same line. 

I also noticed this isn't an ideal base for liquid foundation. I tried using the Make Up For Ever Face and Body (review soon) and it seems to accentuate the dry textures on my face. (Mind you, the MUFE Face and Body isn't supposed to be a drying/oil controlling foundation). I also tried the Laneige BB Cushion (review here) and it seems to do the same thing. 

I reach for this almost everyday that I'm not wearing makeup - despite its misgivings. But I think $30 is a bit expensive when you can get mineral sunscreens for cheaper, and I don't like that I have to apply more sunscreen or powder sunscreen at the 6 hour mark to avoid sunspots (where I am in California, the sun is basically up 7am to 7 or 8pm, so a 6.67hr wear of sunscreen is not going to cut it). Luckily, I noticed that the Shiseido SPF 36 powder seems to layer well on top of this after blotting.

Repurchase?

No.

Would I recommend it?

If you don't mind the price or touching up your sunscreen, yes.

REVIEW | SkinCeuticals Physical Matte UV Defense SPF50

Pros

Semi matte finish

Blends in easily

Physical sunscreen (see verdict)

Cons

Too slippery for makeup

Tint makes no difference

Doesn't help with my oily skin

Price

$34 for 1 oz / 30 ml

Verdict

Rating: C

This was in my dermatologist's office, so I decided to give it a try. The active ingredients are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which are physical/natural sunscreen products that blocks UVA/UVB rays instead of absorbing them, like most sunscreens out there on the market.

It says matte and oil absorbing but the sunscreen is only semi matte for me upon application initially. I notice that my skin becomes oily quickly with this on during the day, especially when compared to the Cotz sunscreen (review here). Unfortunately, since this is silicone based it's really slippery on my face - any face makeup I apply provides a lot less coverage and doesn't wear as well.

Repurchase?

No.

Would I recommend it?

If your skin works well with silicone based products