February Skin Care Empties

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Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask

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. πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈ 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!

December Skin Care Empties πŸŽ„

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The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%

Here are my December skin care empties! πŸ‘‡πŸ»

Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask:

I thought I finished my last bottle of Cosrx Ultimate Rice Overnight Spa Mask, but I still have one more left. *sigh* I’ve been using this moisturizer on my body (not my face). My face can’t tolerate this product. I tried it so many times, and it failed each and every time. It’s just not compatible with my skin type no matter how much I want it to be. I love the niacinamide for the brightening effect, but it clogs my pores. This product contains sunflower seed oil, palm oil, and palm kernal oil. My skin hates oils in general. If they made an oil-free one, maybe I’ll give it a try. This moisturizer just didn’t work on my skin as I had hoped.

Coppertone Defend & Care Clear Zinc 50:

I have 2 bottles of Coppertone Defend & Care Clear Zinc 50. I finally finished my first bottle after a year. Don’t worry, it hasn’t expired. I’m using it indoors anyways on my hands (to finish it). For the face, this sunscreen is way too thick, way too white (ghost-like, leaves the skin powdery white), and it’s too heavy on the face for daily use. I tried it on my face before. It clogged my pores. It contains beeswax, which my skin doesn’t like. On the body, it works just fine. But, it does have a sunscreen smell to it that I don’t like. So, either way, I won’t purchase again after I finish my last bottle.

Cosrx Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream:

I finally finished my fourth bottle (last one!!) of Cosrx Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream! Andddd I won’t purchase it again. It’s a nice moisturizing eye cream, but it didn’t do much for my the skin around my eyes. I can’t tell if it helped to boost radiance, reduce under eye circles, or reduce puffy under eyes. I definitely can say that it didn’t help with fine lines and wrinkles. It just provided good moisture. From my experience and results, that’s all I’ve seen from this product after going through four bottles. It’s time to move on to something else if there is something else out there that works for under eye circles, eye puffiness, fine lines, and wrinkles.

Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin:

I finished a bottle of Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin this month. It’s a good moisturizer that moisturizes, hydrates, heals, protects, and soothes the skin. But, it didn’t work for me in the end (face). I was using it because I have no other moisturizer, and my skin was feeling flaky and dry. But then I realize how terrible this moisturizer is for my skin. I love that it moisturizes. It really does. I’ve never experienced moisturized skin like this before. It’s just that, this moisturizer clogs my pores. I think it’s the squalane. I can’t even use pure squalane oil without it clogging my pores. Since I have a few left, I’m currently using it as an eye cream and on my neck to use it up.

Purito Centella Green Level Eye Cream:

One tube of Purito Centella Green Level Eye Cream down! One left to go! I’ve gone through plenty of this eye cream to say that it’s a pretty below average eye cream. Even though it contains ingredients like centella asiatica extract (49%), shea butter, peptides, sodium hyaluronate, madecassic acid, panthenol, hydrolyzed collagen, cholesterol, macadamia seed oil, and so much more, it didn’t do anything for my eye area/under eyes. It wasn’t moisturizing enough either. It did absolutely nothing to improve my eyes. In my opinion, this product is overhyped. A good moisturizer does the same thing and comes in a bigger bottle than this 30 mL (1 fl. oz.) eye cream. It’s best to save your money.

Benton Fermentation Eye Cream:

Here’s another eye cream I finished this month! It’s the Benton Fermentation Eye Cream. You know, I’m starting to like this eye cream. It’s thick, creamy, and very moisturizing. Maybe it’s because it’s been colder and I’m losing a lot of moisture from the skin around my eyes. My under eyes are getting really dry, but this eye cream has helped replenish the moisture loss along with my other moisturizing skin care products. This eye cream is very rich. Since the texture and consistency of the product is rich and heavy, it’s a bit difficult to spread. I love how moisturizing it is, but I would like it if it was easier to blend into the skin. I’ll keep using it for the rest of winter and see if I’ll repurchase or not. I currently have 2 tubes left. I think that’s more than enough until next year. One tube lasts for months anyways.

Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum:

Unfortunately for me, I purchased a bunch of the Purito Centella Green Level Buffer Serum, lol. I stopped using this serum months ago. I’m glad I did. I haven’t noticed a difference after dropping it from my routine since. My skin doesn’t miss it at all. It has centella asiatica extract (49%), niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, asiatic acid, madecassic acid, peptides, panthenol, and lots of other beneficial skin care ingredients, but it didn’t do anything for my skin. It provides temporary moisture and soothing effects, but that’s it. I didn’t notice a huge difference in my skin using it. It didn’t make my skin brighter, healthier, or even supple as it claims to do. I guess this serum could work if you’re searching for a basic serum and have sensitive skin. For me, it’s not for me. Seems like a waste of money for something that doesn’t improve my skin over time. It doesn’t really moisturize my skin either.

The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA:

One more The Ordinary Matrixyl 10% + HA down! I did an update on this product not so long ago. I tried using it as an eye serum instead of a facial serum. It didn’t work out. The serum didn’t help with fine lines or wrinkles. It dried my under eyes out and pilled under my other skin care products. It didn’t work underneath sunscreen either. I never saw results with this serum. I just stopped using it anywhere near my face.

The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane:

I haven’t been using The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane on my face. I’ve been using it on my body. This retinol serum clogs my pores (on my face). The other ingredients in this product are not compatible with my skin. It’s just way too oily. I have a few more bottles left of this serum. I’m glad I knocked one out by the end of the year. It’s a very moisturizing retinol serum. It’s gentle on the skin. I can’t tell if it’s doing anything for the skin on my body. I just can’t tell. I don’t have any skin issues on my body besides some dryness once in a blue moon (during the winter). This is another product I’m trying to finish up from The Ordinary, lol.

The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%:

One more The Ordinary serum I finished up this month! I’m officially on my last bottle of The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% Alpha Arbutin 2%. I’m ready to just be done with it. So this serum is still oily and greasy. I love the ingredients in it still. If it doesn’t work on my facial skin, I can’t do anything about it. It clogs my pores and irritates it to no end. I’ve tried it so many times with the same terrible results. It also turns my face orange. I walked around with a bright orange glow to my skin all year round because of this product. πŸ˜†

The Ordinary 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder:

It took me nearly a year to finish a jar of this vitamin c powder. It’s finally done, and I’m not purchasing another one. In my opinion, it’s not worth it. Ascorbic acid powder can be easily purchased at a much more affordable, lower price than what The Ordinary is selling it for. I love the tiny jar that it comes in, and I’m still using it for my antioxidant powders. But, I’m pretty much done with this particular product. Results were mediocre. I didn’t notice that much of a difference in my skin. I’m still trying to fade acne marks. It’s time to try another vitamin c product out!

The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%:

I finished The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5%! It’s the last bottle too! Yay! No more! The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% did nothing for my skin but left my skin feeling oily like a whole bunch of other The Ordinary products I’ve used. It’s so oily and greasy. It didn’t do anything for my skin either. It’s supposed to enhance hydration (nope!) and improve elasticity (nope!). Scavenge free radicals and recycle oxidized vitamin c (who knows if it did any of that). I just can’t tell. Is it doing anything?!! I’m over it. I’m glad I’m done with it. I won’t purchase it again. It took me soooo long to finish the last bottle.

It’s been quite a year. December seems to have the most empties. I’m just cleaning out for the new year! πŸ₯³πŸŽ‰ Merry Christmas everyone!!

August Skin Care Empties! πŸ§΄

September Skin Care Empties πŸ˜Ž

November Skin Care Empties πŸ¦ƒ

Review: Australian Gold Botanical SPF 50 Tinted Face Sunscreen Lotion (Fair-Light)

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Australian Gold Botanical SPF 50 Tinted Face Sunscreen Lotion Light to Fair

I picked up Australian Gold Botanical SPF 50 Tinted Face Sunscreen Lotion in Fair-Light. I’ve been hearing about this sunscreen for so many years. I thought, maybe I should just try it out. What put me off from trying this sunscreen out in the first place is that it contains red algae (Porphyra Umbilicalis Extract). And my experience with algae in general in skin care products have not been good. It clogs my pores. But, anything can clog anyone’s pores. It really depends on how the person’s skin reacts to the ingredients/overall formulation of the product. So, I’ve read so many reviews raving about this product! Am I missing out on something?? Hmmm! Now, here I am, with a tube of this stuff. Here are my thoughts on it!

My Experience with Australian Gold Botanical SPF 50 Tinted Face Sunscreen Lotion!

Texture & Application

The texture of this sunscreen is a mousse-cream. It’s a very different type of texture and consistency that I didn’t expect from a bb cream/tinted lotion. It’s soft, lightweight, and souffle-like. It glides over the skin very easily and smoothly. It was very easy to use this product. Very easy to blend into the skin without tugging at the skin. I didn’t have any problems with application. It was a simple process that didn’t take a lot of time. I loved using it around my eyes. It didn’t burn my eyes. But, the sunscreen looks a little greasy and shiny upon application at first. I used the required amount for sunscreen too, which is a lot of product. After about 30 minutes, the product looked matte on the skin. The next 15 more minutes, my skin looked even more matte. It is truly a matte sunscreen as it states on the bottle (matte finish).

Fragrance-Free?

The product is fragrance-free, but it does have smell to it. When I first opened it and sniffed it, I thought it smelled like tanning lotion. After smelling it again just now, it smells like plant extracts. Maybe a combo of both? I’m not too fond of the scent, but it didn’t bother me too much.

Shade (Fair-Light Skin Tones)

I wasn’t impressed with the shade of this product. It says it’s for fair to light skin tones. The color of this product is literally orange when dispensed from the tube. On my skin, it was orange if I used too much. πŸŠπŸ˜‚ I didn’t like that at all. πŸ‘ŽπŸ» If I use it as a makeup product rather than my main sunscreen, it works out pretty well. It doesn’t turn my skin extremely orange, but there is an orange tint to the skin. That tint eventually fades away a little bit, so it wasn’t too bad. There is no coverage. It seems to work very well as a makeup primer. It seems to coat my eyelashes too. Eyelash primer as well? lol. So this product works out if you’re searching for a mineral sunscreen that is tinted (no white cast). I actually used it on top of my mineral sunscreen (that gives a white cast) to eliminate the white cast. Worked very well. Cast begone! πŸ‘‹πŸ»

Great for oily skin!

Since the sunscreen is matte, it works amazingly on oily skin. I have very oily skin, and this sunscreen was perfect on my skin when it comes to taming excess oil. It makes my face appear very clean compared to the dewy, oily look, haha. If you have dry skin, you might want to apply a good moisturizer underneath. This sunscreen is definitely aimed towards people with oily skin. I’m not saying it won’t work for dry skin. It’s truly a matte lotion sunscreen. I didn’t think it was drying at all on my skin.

It stays in place.

Most sunscreens swish around my face when I reapply. That might be the reason why I was developing more freckles! When I went in for a reapplication, I can feel that this sunscreen did not shift at all on my face. It stayed in place. Reapplying was not a pleasant experience since it felt like I was applying on top of more product. The sunscreen feels lightweight when applying, but it leaves a layer, film of product on the skin. I can feel that there’s product sitting on my skin. It’s quite annoying.

Breakouts? Clogged pores?

I was dreading using this sunscreen on my face because of the red algae. The other ingredient, shea butter, is a hit or miss on my skin. I thought this sunscreen was a tad too rich on my skin, which is odd because I thought it would be drying (from the reviews I’ve read). It leaves a sticky residue on my skin and just feels too moisturizing. I noticed closed comedones, some blackheads, and milia in my breakout-prone areas. That’s when I stopped using it. Could it be the red algae? Shea butter? Who knows. My skin didn’t like it. It feels very occlusive on the skin, especially when reapplied. By the way, I started noticing breakouts by day 2, but I didn’t stop by day 3. By day 3, it became more obvious that my pores were getting clogged.

How to remove.

This is one of the most difficult sunscreen products to remove from the skin. It does not come off by simply cleansing with a face wash. To remove this product, oil cleanse (leave on for a few minutes) and wash with a facial cleanser. I do have a facial brush too to help remove the sunscreen off of the skin. If the product does not budge, oil cleanse, oil cleanse, oil cleanse some more. Just make sure the sunscreen is all off. If you do not remove the sunscreen off properly, you’ll in up with residue on your face, which can lead to clogged pores. I removed the sunscreen off properly and made sure my skin was squeaky clean, so my breakouts were from the ingredients in the product. It’s not compatible with my skin type.

Final Thoughts

I was so excited to try this sunscreen out. It’s affordable, comes in a 3 fl. oz. tube, has SPF 50, and it’s a mineral sunscreen (4% Zinc Oxide, 4% Titanium Dioxide). The smell of the product isn’t too bad. I got used to it after a few uses. The shade of the product could be better. I wish it wasn’t orange. πŸ˜‚ Fair to light isn’t fair to light. I could see the drastic difference in my skin color when using this sunscreen. Too bad that it clogged my pores too. I wished my skin didn’t react the way it did, but it did. *sigh* I wanted it to work. It would’ve work well for outdoor workouts, hikes, pool days, and going to the beach. It sticks to the skin like crazy. If you want a sunscreen that stays on your skin, this will do it. For everyday use? It’s not for my skin type. Like I said before, it feels too heavy, sticky on the skin. It’s weird because the sunscreen feels lightweight when applied to the skin. After a few hours, it takes on this sticky texture, film that I dislike. I don’t like it and my skin doesn’t like it. It gets in my hair. It’s difficult to remove. The breakouts killed it for me. All in all, I won’t repurchase. This sunscreen has been hyped up so much that I thought it would be amazing. It’s a nope for me.

What Australian Gold Botanical SPF 50 Tinted Face Sunscreen Lotion in Fair-Light looks like:

It looks more orange in person. It has a whipped-mousse texture to it.

Australian Gold Botanical SPF 50 Tinted Face Sunscreen Lotion Light to Fair

This sunscreen was sealed when I purchased it. πŸ‘ŒπŸ»

Australian Gold Botanical SPF 50 Tinted Face Sunscreen Lotion Light to Fair

Review: Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30

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Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30

I picked up a new sunscreen for the face. It’s the Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30! This sunscreen is supposed to be a lightweight mineral sunscreen formulated with ceramides and non-nano zinc oxide to provide broad spectrum SPF 30 protection from UVA/UVB rays. It says it’s non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores) and non-greasy. It’s free of dyes, fragrance, lanolin, parabens, formaldehyde, gluten, and botanical extracts. I was very excited about this sunscreen since I’m searching for a more moisturizing sunscreen for the winter. Here are my thoughts and experience on this product!

Texture & Application

This product is a moisturizer with sunscreen. It was way heavier and thicker than I expected. It claims to be a lightweight mineral sunscreen. It’s a mineral sunscreen (19.5% Zinc Oxide) alright, but it’s nowhere near being lightweight. I used the recommended amount of sunscreen, and it was so difficult to blend into the skin due to the thickness of the product. The product is a cream that melts into the skin. It feels super soft, and I was super ecstatic about using it, but the finish was awful. It left my skin looking super oily, shiny, and greasy. My face looked like it was smeared with oil. There was a subtle white cast. I didn’t think was too bad. I could tolerate the white cast, but I couldn’t tolerate the greasiness of the sunscreen. It just wasn’t a good look. My skin is already oily. Using this sunscreen made my skin look even more oily. It took so long for the product to absorb into the skin. It just sat on my skin. I really don’t have the time for a sunscreen to take hours to set in the morning. 5 minutes? 10 minutes is OK. 30 minutes to 1 hour? No. I don’t have the time for that. I have other responsibilities and obligations to take care of. It feels like the sunscreen shifts around on the face too, so I’m not sure if I’m getting an even coverage or protection. Applying this sunscreen was a pain in the butt.

It’s very moisturizing.

Since it’s a moisturizer with SPF, it moisturizes the skin very well. It helped with dry patches and flaky skin. Reapplying the recommended amount is not ideal with this product, lol. I can’t walk around with a glistening, greasy face + letting the sunscreen absorb into the skin takes too much time. Don’t even bother reapplying with this product with makeup on. It’s not going to work. It’ll smear your makeup. But this product is really good for touch-ups on dry areas. For example, the skin around my eyes get really dry sometimes. This sunscreen works to keep them moisturized. It kept my skin moisturized throughout the day and didn’t irritate my skin. It soothed my dry skin. It makes an amazing moisturizer that contains SPF. Yeah, it only contains SPF 30, but it’s better than using a plain moisturizer. It’s a moisturizer and sunscreen in one, which makes it a better choice for mornings when the sun’s out. The ingredients in this product aren’t too bad either. It contains ceramides and squalane. I’m not a huge fan of squalane, but I like my ceramides. I can’t get over how moisturizing this sunscreen is. πŸ₯°

Breakouts??

Sadly, after 3 days of using this sunscreen, my skin started to get clogged. I noticed hard sebum within my pores. There were lots of them. I noticed some other breakouts too on my nose, forehead, and chin. I’m glad I stopped using it on time before it made my skin worse. Once I stopped using it, my skin started to look better, clearer. So, it looks like this sunscreen wasn’t made for acne-prone skin. It claims to be non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores), but it’s too heavy and greasy. Even though it’s a moisturizer with SPF, it’s very easy to tell that it’s a sunscreen. The texture of the product is thicker. It sits on the skin like other sunscreens I’ve used. It’s just more moisturizing. It’s a no-go if your pores get clogged easily. Maybe it’s just me, lol. My pores get clogged veryyyyy easily, and I have skin that’s very acnegenic. It didn’t work for me.

Final Thoughts

I was hoping that Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 would work. I was looking for a moisturizing sunscreen. It’s very disappointing that I can’t use this on my face due to it being greasy, oily plus breakouts. But, I can use it as a moisturizing SPF for the eye area and neck. I really enjoyed using it around my eyes since it’s super moisturizing and doesn’t irritate or burn my eyes. My skin is getting a little more dry and this product could help lessen the dryness on that part of my face. The skin around my eyes is one of the first areas that dry out too. It would be nice if it was at least SPF 50, so I’m not sure if I’m going to purchase it again for this purpose. I’ll have to keep using the product to see if I like it enough to keep it. Another sunscreen I have — Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 makes a good moisturizing sunscreen for the eye area too. It just doesn’t contain ingredients like ceramides. Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 smells kinda revolting, while Vanicream has no fragrance or smell to it. So it’s not going to hurt to use Vanicream just for the moisture, ceramides, and SPF. πŸ˜€ I didn’t mention this yet, but Vanicream is not sweat or water-resistant. All in all, I don’t think it’s a terrible product. I just can’t use it on my face.

What Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 looks like:

This is what Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 looks like. It’s not as lightweight as advertised. It feels thicker, and it’s very moisturizing on the skin (love!!). The product came sealed. I’m really loving Vanicream products, since the ones I have were all sealed. πŸ‘ŒπŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»

Vanicream Mineral Facial Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30

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

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Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

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? πŸ‘»

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. πŸ™‚

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?? πŸ€” 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.

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