More Sunscreens I Tried Again for Summer! 🙌🏻

Here are some more sunscreens that I tested out for summer! They’re sunscreens that I have and wanted to give them a try again. Here are my thoughts on them!

Purito Centella Green Level Safe Sun SPF 50+ PA++++:

I’ve been withholding myself from using this sunscreen. I’m just kidding. It’s been sitting there, and I forgot about it. So I only have a less than a quarter left of this sunscreen, so I decided to use it. Only on my body, not my face. It’s still good to go. I’ve kept it sheltered from the sun and kept it in a safe place. My first impression of this sunscreen is how moisturizing it is on the skin. Loved it! Super ultra moisturizing! The sunscreen feels soft, smooth, and supple on the skin. Very lovely indeed. The sunscreen says it contains SPF 50 PA++++. I believe it’s actually SPF 19 (from what I remember). Yeah, pretty low. I haven’t purchased a Purito sunscreen since after the whole controversy about Purito having the incorrect SPF then what is labelled on the bottle. Oh well. I wore the sunscreen when indoors. As I said earlier, I only had less than a quarter left of the product. The only thing that bothered me besides that it’s only SPF 19 is that it smells like lavender. I can’t see myself wearing this smell on my face every day. It just smells so strong and awful. I’m glad I’m officially done with it. Out it goes!

Differin Oil Absorbing Moisturizer with SPF 30:

I finally finished a whole bottle of Differin Oil Absorbing Moisturizer with SPF 30. I have a few left. haha. I was so ambitious that it would work for my face that I stocked up! Well! I stopped using it on my face and started using it on my body instead. This sunscreen is very moisturizing and lightweight on the skin. It absorbs into the skin well. No issues there! It’s supposed to be fragranced-free, but it smells like a bunch of chemicals. I didn’t like the smell of the product. 🤮 That just reminded me that this sunscreen burned my eyes when I used it on my face! Ouch! As a body sunscreen, it’s nice. I wouldn’t purchase it again once I’m done with my bottles. It only contains SPF 30. I prefer sunscreens that are above SPF 30. It’s quite easy to find a sunscreen with SPF over 30 for the body.

I almost forgot! This moisturizer is not oil-absorbing as advertised!

Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30:

Here’s another product that I only have a quarter left. I remember using this sunscreen on my face last year and the results were absolutely terrible. The sunscreen is really thick in texture and consistency. It doesn’t glide over the skin smoothly. It takes a good amount of time to blend the sunscreen into the skin. Also, the sunscreen leaves a very noticeable white cast that looks horrible for everyday use. I mean, it was literally impossible to use it in a single day without looking like a ghost. This time, I didn’t use it on my face but my body instead. I can’t imagine using this sunscreen on my face without going through what I went through before. On the body, the sunscreen still feels thick and difficult to blend into the skin. It still left a white cast after applying the sunscreen. The sunscreen smells like chemicals too. The finish actually looks really good on my legs, lol. But, I would not repurchase this sunscreen again. It’s just too much work for an everyday sunscreen. I need something much simpler and easier to use. This sunscreen is a mineral sunscreen with Titanium Dioxide (3%) and Zinc Oxide (10%).

Coppertone Defend & Care Clear Zinc 50:

I have a full bottle of the Coppertone Defend & Care Clear Zinc 50. I didn’t use it on my face. It feels more like a body sunscreen. That’s what I used it for. The sunscreen is a mixed sunscreen with chemical and physical filters. They are Octinoxate 7.5%, Octisalate 4.5%, and Zinc Oxide 9.7%. When I opened the bottle, it smelled like a bunch of chemicals and plastic. I really dislike that smell when it comes to sunscreens. As for the application, it works very well on my skin (body). It blends in well. It didn’t feel too heavy on the skin but not lightweight. I can feel that it’s sitting on my skin. I don’t think it’s too bad. I think this sunscreen is best for beach days. For me, I can’t use it every day. It’s great that it comes in a 6 fl. oz. bottle though!

Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 50:

I really wanted to like this sunscreen, but it’s been a disappointment. It’s a physical sunscreen with 12% Zinc Oxide. It feels very lightweight, since it’s a thin liquid that melts into the skin well. I thought that it would be great considering the texture, how lightweight it feels on the skin, and that it contains Zinc Oxide. But, I didn’t really like this sunscreen. It smells really bad. Like plastic. Once again, I can’t stand products that smell like this because I get really bad migraines from them. Also, I noticed when using this sunscreen that the application can be uneven. My skin looked patchy and dry with it on my face. I think this sunscreen is pretty much hyped up. It’s not that great. Pass.

Banana Boat Ultra Sport Sunscreen Stick Broad Spectrum SPF 50+:

Out of all of the sunscreen sticks I have tried, this one was the most convenient and very easy to use. It glides over the skin easily, blends into the skin well, doesn’t leave a white cast (it’s a chemical sunscreen, by the way), and contains SPF 50+! I love how simple it is to use this sunscreen. It moves over my skin without pulling at my skin. I really love that! Unfortunately, it’s way too sticky and pore-clogging for my facial skin. I ended up using it on my body instead. Still, it felt sticky on the skin. Formulation-wise, I’m not a fan of it. The only thing I like about this sunscreen is that it’s mess-free, portable, and very easy to apply on the spot if I needed a re-application. I most likely won’t purchase it again because it’s not a well-rounded for me in this case.

If you missed out on my updates on sunscreens, don’t forget to go here! 👈🏻

Review: Neutrogena Sport Face Oil-Free Lotion Sunscreen SPF 70+

Hey everyone! I’m back with another review on another sunscreen. This time it’s Neutrogena Sport Face Oil-Free Lotion Sunscreen SPF 70+! I’ve used this sunscreen before in the past. I thought I would give it another shot again. It could work out this time. Who knows. This is a sport sunscreen. It’s sweat and water-resistant (80 minutes). It’s oil-free, broad spectrum SPF 70+ (Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 15%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 10%), formulated with helioplex, oxybenzone-free, and won’t clog pores. Oh, really? That sounds pretty good, but I don’t know. It didn’t work for me in the past (obviously). If it did, I would still be using it. haha. But it’s not going to hurt to give it another chance again. The high SPF in this sunscreen is very attractive. I’ve been using SPF 50 sunscreens, and my skin isn’t burning or freckling as much anymore. The change is very noticeable. I would like to improve and maintain the results I have too. But before I purchased this product, I checked the ingredients. The ingredients in this product is not the same as before (in the past). I glanced over the ingredients online beforehand, and it said that it contains these ingredients:

Saccharomyces/Calcium Ferment, Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment, Saccharomyces/Potassium Ferment, Saccharomyces/Sea Salt Ferment, Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment

Umm, fermented ingredients. And I know how my skin reacts terribly to fermented ingredients. Like Benton Fermentation Essence & Dear Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop 👈🏻 Don’t forget to check out my reviews on these skin care products!

Apparently, that’s the old ingredient list. The new version does not contain fermented ingredients. The actual ingredients of this product is listed on the official Neutrogena website, which matches the ingredient list on the product I have. I’m very happy that there’s no fermented ingredients in the new version! I was a bit worried about it at first. It would have prevented me from using it. Since everything is good ingredient-wise (I hope), I proceeded to use the product. This is what happened…

My experience

This product comes out the tube very nicely. I love dispensing it, haha. It comes out easily and smoothly. It’s not messy at all. It comes out very clean. I have a couple of sunscreens where the cap gets super messy with product each time I use it. It’s just not a pleasant sight. The product itself is soft, and it feels (and smells) like your typical sunscreen. Mmm, chemicals. It glides on the skin nicely and smoothly. It’s very easy to apply to the skin. It just glides over the skin effortlessly. But it does make the skin look a bit shiny after application. I didn’t mind this, since it settled into the skin after a few minutes leaving my skin looking smoother than before. This is coming from someone with excessive oily skin. Honestly, it didn’t bother me at all that it made my skin a bit shiny, lol. As long as it works, right? The sunscreen feels like it sticks to the skin pretty well without budging. So where I applied the sunscreen, it stayed put. It didn’t run or pill. I actually liked that. But, all good things must come to an end. On to the bad parts…yeah…I know…

After a day of using this sunscreen, yes a single day (lol), I noticed clogged pores. I scanned the list of ingredients once again. It says beeswax. Yep, I think that’s the culprit. It must be the beeswax. I try to avoid beeswax as much as possible, but I had hope for this sunscreen because it contains SPF 70+!! So it looks like this sunscreen is too occlusive for my skin. It traps oil, bacteria, dirt, debris into my pores and makes me break out. Also, I think it’s because it’s sweat and water-resistant too. It sticks to my skin too well. My skin needs to feel free and can only tolerate lightweight sunscreens and other skin care products that aren’t too heavy on my skin most of the time. Well! I really wanted this sunscreen to work. It didn’t work as I had hoped for. It contains SPF 70+. No oxybenzone. Oil-free. Is sweat and water-resistant. Formulated with helioplex. Won’t clog pores? Boooo, it actually did. It didn’t work on my oily, clog-prone skin. I’ll use the rest of it on my body but not my face. My face hates it, apparently.

This is what Neutrogena Sport Face Oil-Free Lotion Sunscreen SPF 70+ looks like. I loved the texture of this sunscreen so much! It’s tamed! It’s soft, creamy, and feels smooth on the facial skin. I enjoyed applying it to my face, but my face rejected it. ha!

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Contains SPF 70+ (Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 15%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 10%)
• Sweat and water resistant (80 minutes)
• Doesn’t contain oxybenzone
• Sticks to the skin very well
• Soft and smooth texture
• Glides on the skin very nicely
• Nice packaging. Product comes out smooth and clean.
• Affordable
• Comes in a 2.5 fl. oz. tube

❌ Cons

• Too occlusive for oily, acne-prone skin. Clogs pores.
• Leaves the skin looking a bit shiny. It didn’t bother me much, but I’m sure most people would not like it.

Conclusion

Another sunscreen down. If it didn’t work in the past, it’s not going to work now. Even with the new ingredients, my skin didn’t like it either. haha. Neutrogena Sport Face Oil-Free Lotion Sunscreen SPF 70+ goes straight to my body. This sunscreen had a lot of good benefits, but it just had to feel too occlusive on my skin. I can’t imagine reapplying this sunscreen throughout the day. All of that oil on my skin plus bacteria and gunk from the day being trapped in my pores. Ugh, breakouts! I don’t think this is a bad sunscreen. I think it’ll work better for people without any skin issues like acne. This isn’t something I would purchase again even though I’m using the rest on my body. The bottle is only 2.5 fl. oz. It’s more of a facial sunscreen than a body sunscreen. It’s just too expensive for the body alone for that size. Well, it’s time to move on to something new…

For more reviews on Neutrogena skin care products go here.

For more reviews on sunscreens go here.

Review: Kose Suncut UV Perfect Essence Super Waterproof SPF 50+ PA++++

I’m still on the search for a sunscreen that offers a higher SPF and longer lasting protection. I can’t seem to find one that works on my skin. They all seem to dry my skin out or break me out. This one had really good reviews even though it contains alcohol. I’m not a fan of drying alcohols in my skin care or makeup. It dries my skin out from my experience. But with so many positive reviews saying that it doesn’t dry the skin out at all. Well…let’s see if that holds true. It looks like a promising sunscreen. I would love a sunscreen with a higher SPF due to my skin being prone to freckling and something that would last on my skin. Let’s check out what this product is about first.

Product claims

• Light and adherent
• Resistant against sweat, water, and sebum
• Long-lasting protection against UVA and UVB rays
• Doesn’t dry out the skin
• Keeps skin moisturized
• No white cast
• Can be used as makeup base

My experience

The first thing I noticed about this sunscreen is that it smells of alcohol. The alcohol smell is pretty overwhelming. It’s like taking a whiff of liquor. It’s a gel-cream. It’s very easy to apply this sunscreen to the skin. It glides on smoothly. Spreads on the skin easily. It feels soft and elegant. Possibly one of the most cosmetically elegant sunscreens I have encountered so far. It absorbs quickly into the skin without pilling. Feels cool, soothing, and refreshing. I haven’t used a sunscreen like this before. It’s a huge change from what I’m used to. This sunscreen also feels lightweight and sets on the skin nicely. It feels a tad sticky after application, but the sticky feeling goes away in a few minutes. After it does, it feels like I’m not wearing any sunscreen at all. Even with the alcohol content in this product, my skin felt soft and smooth. Moisturized. My makeup went on wonderfully. It works very well as a makeup primer. I was really happy with how this sunscreen performed on my skin.

Unfortunately, after a few days of using this sunscreen, the alcohol content in this product irritated my skin and dried my skin out tremendously. I have oily skin, and it wiped out all of the oil from my skin. It left my skin feeling and looking tight, dehydrated. The dryness was very noticeable. My skin peeled and flaked. It accentuated fine lines and wrinkles. It was awful. My forehead and neck area was extremely red, irritated, and itchy. On top of that, it gave me acne. I noticed blackheads, whiteheads, and closed comedones. I stopped using it immediately. This sunscreen is way too harsh on my skin. I wish it wasn’t because I didn’t burn or develop new freckles while using it. It stayed on my skin the whole day without having to reapply (I had makeup on). But this was just a terrible experience. It just didn’t work out for me like I wanted it to.

This is what Kose Suncut UV Perfect Essence Super Waterproof SPF 50+ PA++++ looks like. Gel-cream products feel so nice on my oily skin. A perfect combo of lightness and moisture.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• High SPF, contains SPF 50+ PA++++
• Waterproof. Great for sweaty, hot summer days.
• Prevents tanning and freckles! I didn’t see any new freckles!
• Feels lightweight and clean on the skin
• Feels soothing when applied to the skin
• Absorbs into the skin quickly
• Moisturizing when first applied to the skin
• Works as a makeup primer
• No white cast

❌ Cons

• Contains alcohol
• Irritates and dries out the skin over time
• Breakouts

Conclusion

This would’ve been an awesome sunscreen if it didn’t contain alcohol. The formula is so close to being perfect. It was lightweight, soft, smooth, and absorbs into the skin quickly. It held my makeup in place and made it look better! I didn’t have any issues reapplying this sunscreen when I had to. No pilling. No white cast. All was good. And it didn’t feel like I was wearing sunscreen when I am. I didn’t burn, tan, or freckle while using it. Perfect! 🙂 But the alcohol eventually got to my skin. It irritated and dried my skin out. My skin became so itchy that I couldn’t stop scratching it. It also broke me out. Once I stopped using it, the itchiness and acne subsided. Instead of using it as a facial sunscreen, I tried using it on my body. It worked. But it’s way too tiny (60 grams) for me to repurchase just to use on my body. Oh well. It was nice to try it out. On to the next. Not recommended for dry skin, skin prone to dehydration, acne-prone skin, or sensitive skin. I don’t have sensitive skin, but it was too harsh on my skin.

Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide Sunscreen Lotion + Review

I have a new sunblock! ? I’m trying to up my sunblock game. I need to. I went out and purchased Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide Sunscreen Lotion. This sunblock is zinc-based. It contains 20.5% zinc oxide. More about the sunblock below.

• Broad Spectrum SPF 40
• UVA/UVB Protection
• Water Resistant (40 minutes)
• No added Fragrance
• Hypoallergenic
• Mineral based sunscreen
• Rubs in clear
• Non Nano Technology
• Paba Free
• Vegan
• Ultra-lightweight formula
• 5 oz (142g)

My experience the first time using Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide Sunscreen Lotion:

Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide Sunscreen Lotion comes in a sealed tube. The texture is between a gel and a cream. It’s white. It absorbs into the skin pretty well, but it takes some time to rub it into the skin. Since the product feels somewhat thick, it leaves the skin feeling sticky and tacky. I wouldn’t recommend using this sunscreen on the face. It feels like it would leave the face shiny, greasy, and clog the pores. Otherwise, I love how that this sunblock has a SPF of 40, no added fragrance, rubs in clear, and is VEGAN!! ? This sunblock would work great if you’re on vacation, out in the sun all day long. I’m not sure if I would purchase again. The stickiness really gets to me. But, we’ll have to see. Maybe I’ll get used to it when I use it more often. I’ll make an update on this sunblock when I can. Stay tuned!

Have you used Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide Sunscreen Lotion before? Do you like it? Share your experience with everyone!

082819 UPDATE: I updated this post with a swatch of the sunblock (see above). It simply looks like any other white cream out there. You can see that it appears thick. I am currently still using Trader’s Joe’s Zinc Oxide Sunscreen. Only on my body. This sunblock is definitely not for the face. I haven’t tried it on my face, but the ingredient list appears to have pore-clogging ingredients. ~~

WATER (AQUA), ISOPROPYL PALMITATE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, HYDROGENATED METHYL ABIETATE, GLYCERIN, SORBITAN LAURATE, OCTYLDODECYL CITRATE CROSSPOLYMER, POLYHYDROXYSTEARIC ACID, SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL, PHENOXYETHANOL, AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VP COPOLYMER, SODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE, METHYLCELLULOSE, SODIUM LAURYL GLUCOSE, CARBOXYLATE, POLYGLYCERYL-4 LAURATE, LAURYL GLUCOSIDE, XANTHAN GUM, DILAURYL CITRATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, SODIUM PHYTATE, LEUCONOSTOC/RADISH ROOT FERMENT FILTRATE, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE, LONICERA JAPONICA (HONEYSUCKLE) FLOWER EXTRACT, LONICERA CAPRIFOLIUM (HONEYSUCKLE) FLOWER EXTRACT, POPULUS TREMULOIDES BARK EXTRACT, TOCOPHEROL, GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) OIL, GLUCONOLACTONE, GINKGO BILOBA LEAF EXTRACT, CAMELLIA SINENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, BAMBUSA ARUNDINACEA STEM EXTRACT.

If you’re going to use it on your facial skin, use it at your own risk, especially if you have skin that is prone to acne. I still love how it’s zinc-based with SPF of 40. The only thing that bothers me about this sunblock is that it feels sticky on the skin. I would much prefer a sunblock that doesn’t leave my skin feeling sticky and tacky. When I wear shorts, it feels weird. My skin stick to seats (if that makes any sense, lol).

From my own experience, I don’t think I would repurchase Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide Sunscreen Lotion again. I’m really not liking the formula. Love how it’s vegan, cruelty-free, and zinc-based. The overall feel of the lotion isn’t cutting it for me. I’ll finish the rest, but I’m onto the next best thing! I hope this updated review helped! 🙂

Love, Jen