February Skin Care Empties

Here’s my list of February empties! The list is pretty short this month. I slowed down on using my skin care products. I’ll try my best to pick it back up next month!

Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask:

I finished my last bottle of Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask. I tried using this moisturizer on my face so many times, but it never worked completely. I noticed that it would brighten my skin up at times (contains niacinamide and rice extract). The brightening effect did not last. My skin would revert back to what it was before. It never helped with acne marks either. My skin ended up breaking out due to the oils (sunflower seed oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil) in the product. It didn’t work for me in the end. I used several bottles too. I used the rest of what I have left on my body and hands. I’m glad I’m done with it.

Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer SPF 30:

I finished one of the two bottles of Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 this month. Yay! This used to be my HG sunscreen (or moisturizer with SPF). It was the only moisturizer/sunscreen product that didn’t break me out. It’s not the best. I noticed some burning and freckles while using it. Whatever. I couldn’t use anything else due to breakouts. This was my only choice. My experience with it this time was not like it used to be. It used to be decent. Now, I’m just not impressed anymore. I find it to be too moisturizing (makes my skin oily) and burns my eyes. I tried applying the product a little bit away from my eyes, but it seems to get in my eyes regardless. Since this sunscreen isn’t reliable or that effective, I don’t care much for it anymore. I experimented with it indoors (not outdoors). It is what is it. I have one bottle left and won’t repurchase again. I can’t anyways, haha. It’s been discontinued. I wonder why…lol.

RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream:

No more RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream! I’m done with it. I’m happy to be done with it. I used the rest of the product on my body, especially my feet. This eye cream was OK at first until my eyes started burning from it (new formula?). It irritated the crap out of my eyes and gave me an allergic reaction. My eyes were so swollen and puffy.

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum:

I was able to finish a bottle of Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum this month. I didn’t even realize I was running low until I finished it. So with this serum, I haven’t been using it on my face. It’s not a good facial serum for me. I remember getting blackheads and other breakouts from it, which is surprising because it absorbs quickly and feels very lightweight on the skin. I guess my skin just doesn’t like facial serums or maybe it’s just this one. I’ve been using this serum after my showers on my body. Honestly, I can’t tell if it’s making a difference, but I love how weightless and how fast it absorbs into the skin. Well, I have to use it for something. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m about to open a new bottle, haha.

For more skin care empties…

August Skin Care Empties! 

September Skin Care Empties 

November Skin Care Empties 

December Skin Care Empties 

More December Skin Care Empties!

January Skin Care Empties!

Update: 1 Week of Using Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 as My Sunscreen!

I’m back with an update on Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50! I stopped using this sunscreen last year. I thought I would try it again after eliminating so many products from my routine. Also, I was looking for a sunscreen that’s purely zinc to add to my morning SPF routine. This one popped in my mind. It contains 21.6% Zinc Oxide. Awesome!

So this is the Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50. For more information on this product, go here. My experience with this sunscreen before wasn’t good. I had issues, such as the product being too thick, difficult to spread across the face and blend, breakouts, pilling, dry skin, and the sunscreen leaving a white cast behind. Since my skin is doing so much better now, I’ll take the risk and try it again. Here are my updated thoughts on the Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50!

My 1 Week Experience with Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50!

The sunscreen comes in a 2 fl. oz. (59 mL) bottle. On the box it says that it’s a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 50. I will only purchase sunscreens that are SPF 50 and above from now on unless it’s a product I really like. I’m on the pale side and much prefer high protection sunscreens to prevent burning and freckling. I’ve started to notice a huge difference in my skin after using SPF 50 and reapplying often throughout the day. I haven’t developed any new freckles. This sunscreen contains 100% mineral active (21.6% Zinc Oxide). It’s hypoallergenic, oil-free, and water-resistant (80 minutes).

How I applied the sunscreen.

This sunscreen has a strong chemical smell to it. At first, it was too much for me. I sneezed a few times after opening the bottle. I have a very sensitive nose. Fortunately, mid-week, it didn’t bother me as much anymore. I got used to it. Odd, I know, lol. When dispensed from the bottle, it’s a white creamy gel texture that feels soft and smooth yet sticky to touch. Honestly, this sunscreen was pretty difficult to apply to the skin for the first couple of days. To successfully apply this sunscreen, the key is to smooth the product out then pat it into the skin. I was using too much product at one point. It’s best to apply the sunscreen layer by layer to get even coverage that doesn’t look blotchy and messy on the skin. Also, while using this sunscreen, from my experience, it’s best to use it on clean skin without skin care products or very minimal, lightweight skin care products underneath. Nothing too moisturizing. It sticks better to the skin when there’s less, non-moisturizing skin care products underneath. I’ve gotten really nice results (easier application) eliminating products from my morning routine when using this sunscreen.

White cast? 👻

The sunscreen does have a white cast, but it’s not too bad like I thought it would be. All mineral sunscreens have somewhat of a white cast. This white cast has helped me get away with not wearing makeup because it sort of helps to even out the complexion, lol. So after about 10 minutes (around there), the white cast blends and sinks into the skin. But I wouldn’t recommend this sunscreen to individuals with richer, darker skin tones. The product is already difficult to blend into the skin as a pale person. On top of that, even if it blends into the skin, there’s still a slight white cast that’s noticeable. Remember, this sunscreen contains 21.6% Zinc Oxide. I have yet found a mineral sunscreen that doesn’t have a white cast.

It’s moisturizing. 🙂

Since the sunscreen has a silicone feel to it, it works decently well as a makeup primer. I tried applying makeup, and my makeup looked really smooth. It’s definitely not the best makeup primer out there due to the stickiness of the product, but it’s something. The stickiness of the sunscreen would make my hair stick to my face. But maybe it’s because it’s summer?? 🤔 It’s already super hot and humid out! This sunscreen feels very moisturizing on the skin too. I can just use this sunscreen without using a proper moisturizer underneath without drying my skin out. Even though it doesn’t dry the skin out, since it’s a mineral sunscreen, it can still accentuate dry patches on the skin. I’ve had my good days and my bad days with this sunscreen and dry patches.

Did it break me out?

As for breakouts, after a week of using this sunscreen, I didn’t break out in cysts or even small little pimples. But, I did notice some other acne-related issues like my pores filling up. I noticed more sebaceous filaments on my nose and other oily areas of my face like my forehead and mouth area. The sunscreen is on the thicker and heavier side. It leaves my skin looking very shiny and glossy rather than matte. Not ideal for my skin type, but that didn’t bother me too much if it didn’t cause acne. Unfortunately, it does cause some acne issues since my skin is very oily. Surprisingly, at the same time, I noticed that it helped to reduce the size of some blemishes. And it’s possibly due to the zinc oxide in this product. Zinc oxide is known to have anti-inflammatory properties and helps to promote healing in the skin. ✨ I think it’s the inactive ingredients that my skin has problems with.

How to remove the sunscreen.

It’s a water-resistant sunscreen. That’s a good thing, but this is one of the most difficult sunscreens I’ve had to remove from my skin. It truly does stick to the skin. I used an oil cleanser and micellar water to break down the sunscreen first. After that, I used The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser (still have it, gonna use it) to break down the sunscreen and oils even further. Next, I finish off with my main facial cleanser with a facial brush. That seems like a lot of steps, but it’s a must to remove all of the sunscreen, sebum, oils, dirt, and debris from the skin. That could be the reason why I haven’t had any breakouts like cysts from this sunscreen like I did before in the past. I made sure I removed every trace of the sunscreen product from my skin. For the sebaceous filaments, there’s not much I can do about it. I think it’s because this sunscreen is pretty occlusive on the skin. My skin just pumps out oil like no other, and it gets trapped underneath the sunscreen. It just builds up in my pores from there.

Final thoughts

It’s only been a week, but my experience so far with Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 has been OK. I thought I would get a massive breakout (mainly cysts) and itchy skin, but it’s been quite the opposite. It has actually helped heal some of my acne, so it’s not just a sunscreen. It’s also very beneficial for acne-prone skin! That only applies to big bumps on the skin like cysts. Sadly, I feel like this sunscreen is just too occlusive for me for everyday use. It definitely fills up my pores with gunk. I continued to use it to make sure I wasn’t seeing things, lol. My pores kept filling up over time. It was pretty much out of control. Other than that, this sunscreen left my skin feeling very moisturized. Since it’s occlusive, it seals moisture into the skin very well and leaving the skin feeling hydrated. I really wanted to like this sunscreen due to the high percentage of zinc, which does amazing things for my acne-prone skin, but I’m not sure what to think about it anymore after noticing more sebaceous filaments. I think I’m going to take a break from it for a while and see what happens.

Check out my current sunscreen — La Roche-Posay Anthelios Body & Face Mineral Sunscreen Gentle Lotion SPF 50. I took a break from it when I started using Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50. I guess I’m back to it now after this experience, lol.

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

I picked up a box of Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 over the weekend. I’ve been searching for a new sunscreen that’s more affordable and convenient to purchase. I haven’t purchased a new skin care item in so long. I made an exception for SPFs, since I go through bottles of this stuff very quick. So this sunscreen is supposedly a dupe of the Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40. I haven’t used the Supergoop before, but I’ve seen it. I’ve never had the urge to buy it. The Supergoop is $36 for 1.7 fl. oz. (50 mL) of product. That’s way too much for a sunscreen for me. The amount of sunscreen I use in a day…that would eat my wallet up so fast! IMO, it’s just not worth it. Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 is $8.99 for 1.7 fl. oz. (50 mL). It’s way much less expensive compared to Supergoop at the same size. I can see what the fuss is about! Similar product and better price, why not?! Let’s try it out!

The product comes in a pretty tannish color (box and tube). The tube is sealed (see photo). That’s awesome. I love products that are sealed, so I know it’s new, unopened. The product itself smells like plastic vinyl. Looking at the ingredients, I’m not shocked. The first three ingredients are isododecane, dimethicone crosspolymer, and polymethylsilsesquioxane. They’re silicones. Here’s the full ingredient list if you’re interested:

Active Ingredients: Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 12%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 6%

Inactive ingredients: Isododecane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Polyester-7, Isohexadecane, Jojoba Esters, Silica, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tocopherol.

The ingredients are short and simple. It’s a chemical sunscreen. It’s oil-free, invisible gel formula, fragrance-free, water and sweat-resistant (40 minutes), and has a broad spectrum of SPF 40. That sounds really nice, especially the sunscreen being an invisible gel formula and is water/sweat-resistant. I’ve been trying to find a sunscreen that is invisible on the skin (no white cast) and stays on the skin well. This could be the one if it works.

The product claims to be fragrance-free. In fact, it is. But I’m able to pick up smells easily. This sunscreen smells too plastic and too chemical-like to me. In saying that, I would be able to let this aspect of the product go if the sunscreen actually works on my skin. The product when dispensed is a gel. It looks and feels like a primer (if you have used any of those). That’s exactly what it felt like on my skin. It’s soft, smooth, silky, and glides over the skin nicely. Blends into the skin without leaving a white cast behind. The sunscreen simply just vanishes into the skin. It’s truly invisible. It settles into the skin comfortably. It has a smoothing effect on the skin. My skin looked pretty good with this sunscreen on. It makes a good makeup base too due to it being a primer as well. I loved how it felt on the skin and how it looked on my skin. All was well…until…

Unfortunately, I had issues with this sunscreen. I noticed breakouts after using it the first day. I developed some closed comedones in random places. Also, I wasn’t able to use this sunscreen around my eyes. The product burned my eyes and made me teary. The smell of this product is irritating on my skin (face only). I’m able to use it on other parts of my body without any issues. I think it’s because it’s a chemical sunscreen. The sunscreens I’m using on my face right now are hybrid and physical sunscreens. They seem to work better for my eyes that get irritated and red easily. Even though I like how convenient this product is, meaning that I can go to Trader Joe’s to pick it up when I’m shopping for other essentials. It’s not something I would repurchase again. It didn’t work on my skin that is oily and acne-prone.

This is what the sunscreen looks like. It looks and feels like a typical makeup primer.

A quick recap on my thoughts. 🙂

✅ Pros

• Oil-free
• Invisible gel formula
• Water and sweat-resistant (40 minutes)
• SPF 40 (Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 12%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 6%)
• Works as a makeup primer
• Feels silky smooth on the skin
• Easy application
• Affordable ($8.99) compared to Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 that is $36 for the same size!

❌ Cons

• Can cause breakouts if skin is sensitive to silicones
• Burned my eyes
• Says it’s fragrance-free but the product itself (smell of it) irritates my eyes and nose

Those are my thoughts on Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40. I hope this was helpful! Have a nice day! 😊

Trying Out Sunscreens Again! 😎

I have a bunch of sunscreens that I wanted to try again. Most of them broke me out in the past, but ya know, let’s give them a go! Let’s start off with the first one I tried! 🙂

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

I wanted to try Neutrogena Sport Face Oil-Free Lotion Sunscreen SPF 70+ once again. It has a high SPF (70+), broad spectrum, water resistant (80 minutes), and is very affordable, especially for daily wear. The sunscreen feels a little thick. At the same time, it absorbs and blends into the skin well. It doesn’t leave any white cast behind. This sunscreen is a chemical sunscreen. After a few days of using this sunscreen on my face, I had to stop using it. It didn’t break me out in that short period of time, but it gave me bad headaches. This sunscreen smells like a bunch of chemicals. Kind of like plastic too. I couldn’t tolerate the sunscreen any longer. I stopped using it on my face.

Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer SPF 30:

This sunscreen was once my HG sunscreen. I haven’t been using it much once I switched to another sunscreen (Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++). I still have a tube or two left. It’s more moisturizing than what I’m using now, but I’m really liking the higher SPF much more. Also, Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 tends to ball up too sometimes. I do miss the brightening effect it had on my freckled skin. It didn’t help fade my freckles but made my overall skin look brighter. Maybe I’ll just use the rest as a moisturizer in the morning. I’m not too big on sunscreens that are SPF 30 since I’ve found other sunscreens that work on my skin that contains a higher SPF.

Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen Stick Sensitive SPF 50+:

I tried using this sunscreen stick on my face. It contains shea butter, coconut oil, candelilla wax, sunflower oil, sunflower seed wax, and other oils and waxes. It’s thick and greasy. It felt very moisturizing on the skin. A little difficult to blend into the skin. Once the product melted, it gets much easier but not by much. I love that it contains 20% Zinc Oxide and doesn’t irritate my eyes, skin, lips, and face. It smells like coconut. Mmmmmmm! But since it’s a mineral sunscreen, it accentuated dry skin all over my face and made them look more apparent. This sunscreen made my overall skin texture look softer and smoother though! It’s just that, I can’t deal with a product that makes my dry skin more obvious. Also, it made my face whiter too. I really wanted this sunscreen to work, but the application was too difficult and the results were poor visually on the skin. I guess I can use this sunscreen stick on other parts of my body.

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

I really liked the texture of this sunscreen. It’s lightweight, gel-like, smoothing, and glides on the skin oh-so-nicely. It feels cooling on the skin too. Also, it’s SPF 50+ PA++++!! That’s pretty awesome! Unfortunately, this sunscreen contains alcohol (possibly the cooling effect it has on the skin), and it also broke me out. I used the rest of the sunscreen on my body with great results! It’s non-sticky and non-greasy too. It’ll be amazing if this sunscreen worked on my facial skin. Too bad it doesn’t! I most likely won’t purchase again due to it being high priced and comes in a small tube. I have plenty of other options for a body sunscreen that doesn’t cost that much!

If you missed out on my thoughts on Canmake, here it is:

Review: Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++

An Update on Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++!

Trying Out Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ White For The First Time! Here’s My First Impression!

Update on Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++! Which One Is Better? Clear or White??

Review: Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

Here’s another sunscreen that I used earlier on this year! It’s Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50! I was searching for a sunscreen that was a physical sunscreen and stumbled upon this one. This sunscreen contains 21.6% Zinc Oxide. It says it’s a gentle formula that protects the skin against UVB and UVA rays. Good for sensitive skin, fragrance-free, paraben-free, phthalates-free, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, oil-free, won’t sting eyes, water-resistant (80 minutes), and doesn’t contain irritating chemicals. It’s specifically formulated for the face. Contains antioxidants and layers invisibly underneath makeup. Easy to apply with a lightweight, non-greasy finish. The product claims sound really good. Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 had really good reviews too. I thought I would give it a try to see if it works or not. Here’s my experience with this sunscreen!

My experience

This sunscreen is very thick. It looks and feels like a thick, white paste. Goopy in texture. Neutrogena claims that this product is easy to apply to the skin. It’s far from the truth. It was very difficult to apply. The sunscreen just doesn’t blend into the skin. It was so hard to move it across the facial skin. Patting it into the skin didn’t work too well either. It took so much time to apply this sunscreen in the morning. What a waste of time! So, the application wasn’t pleasant. The product is labeled sheer, but it’s definitely not sheer at all. lol. It left a horrible white cast on my face. At first, it wasn’t a big issue, since I’m not that tan, but it became very annoying since I didn’t like the whiteness that it left behind on my face. I wanted something that blends into my skin and looks natural on my skin. This sunscreen didn’t give me that. It was just a terrible sunscreen.

The first day of using this sunscreen was mostly disastrous, but there were a few pros to this sunscreen. It left my skin matte and less oily. Since I have oily skin, this was a good thing. It also helped dry up some pimples. I didn’t get any breakouts on the first day. The next day, I had issues with it. The product pilled under my eyes. It dried out my skin. My skin felt extremely dry. I noticed dry patches on my chin. After I removed the sunscreen thoroughly (cleansing oil, micellar water, face wash with facial brush), I noticed closed comedones on my forehead, chin, and on the sides of my face. They left marks behind too. So let’s take a look at what’s in this sunscreen…

It’s pretty heavy in silicones and some wax. It contains some antioxidants. It’s nothing out of the ordinary or special. I’m not too fond with the ingredients, especially the silicones. I can use products with a little bit of silicone, but this product was just too dense and heavy on the skin. It felt like the sunscreen just sat on my skin and trapped sebum within my pores, which can lead to breakouts! And it did! It makes a really good makeup primer though! My makeup went on silky smooth, and my skin looked smoother. But it’s not worth it. It clogs my pores! I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone with acne skin.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Contain 21.6% Zinc Oxide
• Affordable
• Works as a makeup primer

❌ Cons

• White cast. Looks like a mask, lol.
• Too thick in texture
• It’s not easy to apply
• Tugs at the skin when applying
• Feels like silicones
• Breakouts
• Dries the skin out
• Pills

Conclusion

I didn’t like this sunscreen. It’s way too thick, pore-clogging, too many silicones. There’s absolutely nothing special about the antioxidants in this product. It’s so overhyped because it contains zinc oxide to protect the skin from UVA and UVB rays. There are other sunscreens that do the same without making the skin look terrible. This was just a horrible sunscreen. I wouldn’t recommend it. Save your money.

Go here for more reviews on Neutrogena skin care products

Go here for more reviews on sunscreens