Review: Vanicream Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50+

If you missed out on my thoughts on Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50 and Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 <<<

I did an update on Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 <<<

On to the next mineral sunscreen I tried…

It’s the Vanicream Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50+!

• Non-nano zinc oxide
• Prevents sunburn, protects from UVA and UVB rays
• Broad spectrum SPF 50+
• Decreases the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging caused by the sun
• Water resistant (80 minutes)
• Non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores)
• Dye-free
• Fragrance-free
• Lanolin-free
• Paraben-free
• Formaldehyde-free
• Botanical Extract-free
• Non-greasy
• Gluten-free

I was very excited to try Vanicream Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50+, since it provides higher sun protection. The sunscreen felt lightweight on the skin. It contains only 12% zinc oxide. Hmmm! Yes, it does contain Butyloctyl Salicylate. This ingredient is second on the ingredient list. So, it’s not a true mineral sunscreen. It’s a hybrid. Ugh! Not this crap again! I glanced at the ingredient list before purchasing. I was going to make peace with this ingredient if the product worked out. It had so many good reviews that I couldn’t pass up trying it!

Once again, it’s lightweight on the skin. It’s not a thick zinc-based sunscreen. It’s very light and smooths over the skin nicely. It does leave a bit of a white cast on my skin. If you have deeper, richer complexion, it may leave your skin with a very white cast. I’m pretty pale. I thought this sunscreen made my skin too white. It was unnatural-looking. I didn’t like it. The texture was nice, but it had some flaws as mentioned.

The sunscreen left my skin looking very shiny. Not glowly. Extremely shiny. How am I supposed to re-apply if it makes my skin look awful, lol. So after a day of using Vanicream Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50+, it gave my the worse type of acne. And that is, cystic acne. So much for the non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores) claim! Yeah, it didn’t work on my acne-prone skin. This sunscreen is pore-clogging from my own experience. I immediately rinsed it off and stopped using it. If you have acne-prone skin, do a patch test first. It was pore-clogging on my skin.

Here’s to another Vanicream sunscreen product that didn’t work on my skin. First it was Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30. Now it’s Vanicream Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50+. This is what happened. It’s time to move on…

Tried CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sheer Tint Again & Here’s My Experience

I stopped using CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sheer Tint months ago due to breakouts and whatnot. I can’t believe I’m here talking about CeraVe again. 😑 So once I finished Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer SPF 30. I mainly used it as a moisturizer or as a sunscreen for indoors. Too bad this product has been discontinued after years of being a dedicated user. I only used it because it didn’t cause major breakouts. But, I’m not going to miss it too much. It didn’t really help to protect my skin from intense UV rays. *ahem* I developed freckles while using it. BUT! Here I am with CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sheer Tint! I despised this sunscreen for a while. But why am I thinking about using it again after being traumatized by it? That’s right. I have too many bottles of this sunscreen. I went overboard and purchased them thinking that it was working for my skin! And it’ll be a waste to let them all expire. So let’s use them up.

I’ve used CeraVe for 4 days already. Here are my thoughts on the sunscreen!

1. The shade/color of the tinted sunscreen.

The shade/color of the sunscreen is darker than my natural complexion. In my opinion, this sunscreen will be more suitable for individuals with a medium complexion. I’m on the fair side and noticed my complexion became duller after application. My face looked really orange too. When I reapplied the sunscreen, it made my skin look even more dull and orange. I can’t believe I lasted this long using this sunscreen, lol. It’s so embarrassing thinking about it now, haha. The tint just didn’t work for me. I wish CeraVe had a wider shade range. Also, even when I blend in the sunscreen, it doesn’t provide much coverage but deposited some color in my skin. Hope that makes sense!

2. Burns a little bit.

The first application was odd. My skin burned a little bit. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m using an acne cream, or it’s the sunscreen burning my skin. The burning sensation disappeared after the first day. I noticed some redness in my skin too after removing the sunscreen as well.

3. Greasy on the skin.

The product claims to be lightweight and provides a non-greasy feel. That’s a lie. It’s not lightweight. It’s not non-greasy. The sunscreen is not lightweight unless you are under-applying it. On my skin, it felt pretty greasy, shiny, and felt heavy on the skin. This sunscreen isn’t good for reapplying throughout the day. I can’t imagine reapplying it due to the greasiness of it. Gross.

4. Not sweat-proof.

I didn’t use this sunscreen for outdoor activities. Honestly, I wouldn’t. It’s not meant for intense outdoor activities. I wouldn’t rely on it to protect my skin. Just a heads up that it’s not sweat-proof. If you’re a heavy sweater, it’s best to choose a sunscreen that’s labeled sweat-proof or water-proof.

5. Brightens the skin.

I noticed a brighter complexion after 2 days of using it. My skin tone was more even, and it helped to fade some acne scars just a little bit. I really liked this aspect of the sunscreen. It contains niacinamide to brighten the skin.

6. Breakouts?

So after 4 days of using the sunscreen. I developed a cyst and a tiny little pimple on my face. I’m still trying to get rid of the swollen cyst on my face that developed from using the CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sheer Tint. After my experience using the sunscreen again, it broke me out. I can’t believe I used this sunscreen for months! It was breaking me out the whole time! Ugh! But now I know that it did cause breakouts. I’m currently trying to use the rest of it on my body to get rid of it.

As with all of the other times, CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sheer Tint does not work on my skin. Just like all of the other CeraVe skincare products I have used…

My Week 2 Results With Tret. Changes I’ve Made.

I stopped using tret, lol. After last week’s results, I wasn’t happy with any of it. Using tret directly on my skin yielded better results, but it tore my skin up. The lower strengths of tret, from my experience, don’t have any positive affects on my acne. I tried buffering to lessen the side effects, such as dryness, redness, and any other skin irritations. My results buffering was so poor. My skin ended up so clogged. But It might’ve been the Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence clogging my pores. Or, Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin?? I get mixed results with this moisturizer. So I stopped using Cosrx Snail Mucin Essence and kept using Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer. It’s the only moisturizer that I have. I still can’t find another moisturizer that works without ruining my skin. Vanicream it is for now. Just for now, haha. That’s until I find a better moisturizer for my skin type. Just using the Vanicream moisturizer and leaving out the Snail Mucin Essence, my skin looked better and less clogged. But, my skin didn’t look that good. I could tell that I still had acne issues. It could’ve been better. I can just tell if my skin is improving or not. It just seemed stagnant. Since I stopped using tret, I started using a different retinoid instead. It’s time to switch things up again for another time. This time, it’s tazorac. This retinoid isn’t anything new to me. I’ve used tazorac with amazing results before. It actually cleared my acne up once before like tret. Let’s give it another try. I also started using benzoyl peroxide more frequently than I expected this week too. Here’s my experience and results for week #2!

My Experience with Taz & Benzoyl Peroxide this week!

I used taz 3 times this week. And I used taz 3 times in a row, back-to-back. That was a bad decision. It worked to help clear up some clogged pores, but my skin started to feel dry and started to sting. After using it 3 times in a row, I took a day off. After a day of not using anything but a moisturizer (which stung my skin), I decided to increase my application of benzoyl peroxide. My skin just looked so clogged even when using taz. After 2 days of using benzoyl peroxide, I noticed a dramatic change in my complexion pretty quick. My breakouts diminished. My skin looked cleaner and less clogged. It killed active acne blemishes on the spot. It helped to decrease sebum on the surface of my skin. I also noticed some skin peeling all over my face. Wow, this thing called benzoyl peroxide is amazing. It seems like I’m stuck using it for the rest of my life. It’s the only acne treatment that makes any changes in my skin in a short period of time. Since my skin looks pretty good right now after increasing my use of benzoyl peroxide, I decided to use benzoyl peroxide more often than taz. Taz helps, but I think benzoyl peroxide is where it’s at when it comes to clearing my skin. Every time I use benzoyl peroxide, my skin gets better. I have less closed comedones, less blackheads, less chances of pimples developing. I’ll figure something out in the upcoming weeks, but my skin looks clear at the moment because of benzoyl peroxide. So, by the end of the week, I took a break from actives and just moisturized my skin. I’ll restart when my skin is ready. It’s looking very crusty and dry. It itches too from the dryness, haha. I have no new pimples though!

Update on Sunscreens! 🧴

Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50:

How much I love the high UVB and UVA in this sunscreen. I simply cannot use on my face. I noticed clogged pores and whiteheads/blackheads on my nose, forehead, and chin area. The formula of this product is just not working for my skin. I wished it did. I stopped using it after noticing an increase in clogged pores. I guess I could use the rest of what I have on my body. This sucks because I really wanted it to work.

CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sheer Tint:

I’ve been using this sunscreen as my main sunscreen. I like it, but there are some things that I don’t like about it. First off, the tint of this sunscreen makes my face look super orange. Repplying the sunscreen makes my face look even more orange than before, lol. Other reasons I don’t like about this sunscreen includes it being only SPF 30, the fact that it feels a little heavy on my oily skin, and it stings my face when I’m using acne products that peel the skin. My skin literally burns with this sunscreen. But, yes, I’m still using it anyways, lmao. I’ll be on the look out for another sunscreen. That’s if I can find another one that works just as well as this one while being afforable.

Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40:

I picked up two new bottles of Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40. I missed it, so I purchased more. It’s also effective, has SPF 40, has a nice texture to it (silky, smooth, moisturizing, doesn’t burn my skin), is broad spectrum, and is very affordable. It costs less than the CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sheer Tint. Trader Joe’s SPF 40 is a chemical sunscreen though. I do prefer mineral sunscreens over chemical sunscreens. But, this chemical sunscreen makes my skin feel super elegant and nice. I’m loving it using so far after using it again.

That’s my 2 week update! Stay tuned for next week!

Check out my first week experience here!

Restarting Tret & My First Week Experience

Restarting Tret & My First Week Experience

I was going to switch over to Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum after The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution didn’t work for me. If you missed out on my experience with The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution, follow these links!

My Experience After 1 Week Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution + Other Skin Care Updates

2 Weeks Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. My Results!

3 Weeks With The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution + BP!

But, I moved in another direction. I was using benzoyl peroxide (which cleared up a ton of my acne!) when I decided to use tret again. It was so random. It was out of the blue. I thought, hey, let’s give this another try again. I’ve tried so many acne skin care products to get rid of my closed comedones and acne in general. I have acne-prone skin, so I need to keep my zits in check. I only have a select few closed comedones left on my forehead, upper lip, and chin area. They seem to be concentrated in these areas while my cheeks are extremely clear. I have no acne there. Benzoyl peroxide did a great job, but I needed to push it even further. Yes, I’m back to using tret. I’ve been on the lower strengths of tret for so long that I think it’s time to use the highest strength once again. I’ve had no results with the lower strengths. My acne did not budge. When I run my fingers over my facial skin, it feels bumpy. The bumps are not too visible to the naked eye, but I can feel them. I cringe every time I wash my face. I wish something as simple as 2% salicylic acid would work on my skin. Even a gentle salicylic acid face wash would be awesome. I’ve tried both of these and those darn closed comedones are still sticking around! So! Here I am using tret + benzoyl peroxide. I’m not using benzoyl peroxide at the same time as tret. I use it on my off days when necessary. If a pimple pops up or if I feel that need to use benzoyl peroxide all over, that’s what I’m going to do. I really do think benzoyl peroxide will always be a staple to treat my acne. It helps. But it seems like a combination of treatments would work better.

My Experience – 1st Application

I started using tret at the end of last week. I applied it directly to my skin and moisturized with Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin. I woke up the next morning with flaky skin. Skin looked a bit red. My face didn’t burn. Yay! No crazy signs of irritation. Then bam! The next day, my skin started to burn, itch, it looked darker compared to the rest of my neck/body. Ugh! It’s a tret burn! I knew I should’ve sandwiched! My skin burned when I applied Vanicream Facial Daily Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin or any other skin care products to my face. None soothed my red, irritated, burned skin besides CeraVe Healing Ointment. I used this product to heal my skin. I didn’t use it to slug. I used it more like a face mask. This worked to help diminish some redness, itchiness, irritated skin. My skin softened, looked silky smooth after I removed the CeraVe Healing Ointment from my skin (when using it as a face mask). It took about 3-4 days for my skin to heal. I gave my skin a rest for 4 days before starting tret again. My skin started to peel and shed during the rest days. I noticed new pimples popping up in my acne-prone areas. Tret gave me a big nodule on my chin. It’s the biggest pimple I have had in a long time. It’s red, swollen, and hurts upon touch. 😭 When will it go away? Who knows, lol. At night, I stuck to using La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer for Oily Skin. It’s not the most moisturizing moisturizer. I eventually had to add Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence to add moisture to my skin. La Roche Posay Matte Face Moisturizer works better as an occlusive rather than a moisturizer. It dried my face out at times when used alone. With all that has happened after the first application, there’s good news. Tret removed all of the closed comedones on my forehead and most of the closed comedones on my upper lip and chin area. My skin looks so clear with some blemishes that will purge soon enough.

My Experience – 2nd Application

After 4 days of giving my skin a rest, I started using tret again. This time, I sandwiched. I used Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence and Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin before applying tret. After applying tret, I applied Cosrx Snail Mucin and Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin once more. This application seemed like a good idea at first, but with this method, I didn’t notice any changes in my skin like I did with the first application besides some redness and tenderness in my skin. No peeling. I took 3 days off for my skin to settle down even though my skin felt fine the next day. I’m pretty disappointed in the sandwich method because I just didn’t see an improvement in my acne at all. I actually noticed more acne (not from purging). I noticed random blackheads (on other parts of my face and nose) and more sebaceous filaments on my nose. Could it be the Snail Mucin Essence or Vanicream that’s breaking me out? Possibly. My skin didn’t look better or feel better after using these moisturizers with tret. I might try the Vanicream moisturizer alone or try out another moisturizer. I need to move on from this Vanicream crap, lol. These products (Snail Mucin Essence and Vanicream) may be messing up my skin. I also stopped using La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer for Oily Skin. It’s not moisturizing. I didn’t see the point in using this product anymore. Terrible product if you’re looking for a moisturizer that actually moisturizes. I’m done with it for now once again, lol. I tried to make it work, but I’m left disappointed each time. It just doesn’t do anything for my skin. I rather just not using anything on my skin if it doesn’t improve my skin and doesn’t provide any moisture. It even dried out my skin. I really think it’s time for a new moisturizer after this experience. My skin’s just really picky when it comes to moisturizers, which makes it very difficult to find one. Hmmm, what to do… 🤔

That’s my first week experience! Stay tuned for next week to see what happens! 🙂

3 Weeks With The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution + BP!

It’s the 3rd week using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. I’ve only used it once this week. This product really makes my skin glow. I love it for that, but I think it’s time for me to move on to other skin care products for my acne. This toner isn’t cutting it. As I said, it helps to brighten my skin. I just haven’t noticed a drastic difference in my acne. It helped to unclog some pores, but I think it has created more pimples. Every time I use it, I feel like I get new pimples (not from purging). My skin isn’t liking an ingredient or ingredients in this toner. I love liquid-based skin care products. I love that it’s affordable and feels very nice when applied to the skin. It helps to remove excess sebum and debris too when used with a cotton pad. This glycolic acid toner just isn’t working for me. I’m not going to drag it on using it when I don’t feel like it’s right for me. Alpha Skin Care Intensive Renewal Serum seems to work better on my skin. It’s soft, gentle, and doesn’t clog my pores or irritate my skin. I’ll try this serum out by itself instead. It’s a higher percentage of glycolic acid, but it hasn’t caused my skin issues like The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. Maybe my skin just doesn’t like The Ordinary skin care products. They seem to work better on my body though! Just not my facial skin. It’s time to switch things up!

I added benzoyl peroxide in the 2nd week. I needed an acne product that’s anti-bacterial. Yes, I’m back to using benzoyl peroxide. I used it once during the first week. During the second week, I used it as often as possible. I’m still trying to transition my skin into using benzoyl peroxide. Currently using moisturizer first then applying benzoyl peroxide. The results have been pretty good. After this week, using it more often compared to the first week, my skin has improved drastically. My acne (mainly closed comedones) are not completely gone, but my skin has changed for the better. I’m getting results very quick. I wish I could use it in the morning to get faster results. It’s just too difficult to apply benzoyl peroxide, let it dry on the skin, and apply other skin care products afterwards in my morning routine. I don’t have the time to let it dry on the skin. I just can’t. Since I need an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial in the morning to help with acne, I started using Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid again. I know! It’s back! I don’t use it every morning. I’ve only used it twice this week. This has been working for me so much better. I might’ve been using too many salicylic acid products before (face wash and a leave-on product). This is working for me right now. Just a few times a week to help unclog pores and for its anti-bacterial properties. Let’s see what happens in the upcoming weeks!

I tried some moisturizing skin care products this week too!

My Thoughts on Moisturizers…

La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer for Oily Skin:

This is a lightweight, mattifying moisturizer. It’s not the most moisturizing moisturizer. It moisturizes a little bit. It doesn’t keep the skin moisturized throughout the day. I’ve been using it for nearly a month now, and I’m not too impressed. It should work on my skin because I have oily skin. But, it’s not doing much for my skin. I need something that actually moisturizes my skin a little bit more. After I stopped using this moisturizer, I noticed some breakouts vanished. I wonder if it’s breaking me out? 🤔 I’ll try it again when I’m ready.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence:

I tried using Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Essence for extra moisture this week. I didn’t think it was moisturizing enough for my skin. It lightly hydrates the skin, but the hydration doesn’t last. My skin started to feel drier throughout the day. Honestly, I think it caused my skin to dry out more. I noticed more gunk in my pores too while using it. I stopped using it on my facial skin because of this.

Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence:

I wasn’t going to use the Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence on my skin again, but I have a few bottles of this left. I’ve been using it on my body to use it up. I thought I would try it again on my facial skin just to see if it’ll work or not. This essence (like the Snail Mucin Essence) ended up drying my skin out. I used the Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence on damp skin too. It just didn’t work. It made my skin look worse. I noticed my pores filling up too. Clogging my pores? I guess it doesn’t work on my skin. Back to using it on my body.

Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin:

I was in need of a moisturizer that moisturizes my skin that I started to use Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin again. This moisturizer left my skin feeling moisturized and soothed my skin. It helps with dryness and skin irritations. I stopped using my other moisturizers and just stuck with this one after trying the other moisturizers. I prefer to keep my routine as minimal as possible instead of using a bunch of moisturizers all at once, lol. And this moisturizer did a better job at moisturizing. I’m currently just using Vanicream (once again) as my moisturizer. I don’t use it every day though. Only when my skin needs to be moisturized. Hopefully it works this time around since I’m using benzoyl peroxide, which is helping a ton with my acne.

Catch up on what happened right here:

My Experience After 1 Week Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution + Other Skin Care Updates

2 Weeks Using The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. My Results!