Summer Sunscreen Reviews: Kiehl’s Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50 & Vital Sun Protection Lotion SPF 30

Summer is almost over but that also means you should head out and absorb as much sun as possible before it actually ends. I received Kiehl’s Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50 and the Vital Sun Protection Lotion SPF 30 from the Kiehl’s media event a few weeks ago.

Kiehl’s Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50

What it claims (from Kiehls.com): Prevents up to 90% of skin aging, including lines and wrinkles, uneven texture and tone, breakdown of collagen and elastin, brown spots. Oil-free, ultra-lightweight texture delivers a synergistic UV filtering system combining patented photo-stabilized technology with long-lasting broad-spectrum protection to deliver outstanding efficacy against UVA & UVB rays on the skin’s surface. Kiehl’s Insider Tip: Layer over your moisturizer on clean skin for optimal UV protection and to help prevent skin aging.

Price: $34USD/$36CAD for 50mL from Kiehl’s online and in store

Texture/Scent: Viscous milk; smells like sunscreen

The good: This sunscreen has a high SPF of 50 which offers really good sun protection. It is very moisturizing, which means you can wear this on its own without any moisturizer underneath. It is also gentle; sensitive skins can also use this even though it has very high SPF.

• High SPF protection
• Moisturizing
• Gentle

The bad: It smells like sunscreen, which automatically writes it off my books (especially if the sunscreen scent lasts pretty much the entire time you’re wearing this). It is also somewhat greasy as it doesn’t dry down to a matte finish (which I prefer my sunscreens do), whether or not I wear a moisturizer underneath.

• Smells like sunscreen
• Greasy

Overall: When I first tried it in store, maybe because I only applied a little bit on the back of my hands, it seemed very light and milky, however when I wear this on my face, it is a little too greasy for me. I also don’t like that it smells like sunscreen. I feel that because it is more greasy, it would probably be better for the winter months. Also you would have to be someone who doesn’t really care about what your products smell like…

Product: 14.5/20
Packaging: 4.5/5
Value: 3/5
Overall: 22/30 | B
Repurchase? Likely not

Kiehl’s Vital Sun Protection Lotion SPF 30

What it claims (from Kiehls.com): A lightweight, non-greasy lotion providing UVA and UVB broad-spectrum sunscreen protection. Formulated with Aloe, Vitamin E, Soybean Oil and skin conditioning ingredients, which nurture and help to soften dry, parched skin. This very water-resistant formulation, protecting up to 80 minutes in water, is suited to help meet the year round sun protection needs of active adults.

Price: $19.50USD/$27CAD for 150mL from Kiehl’s online and in store

Texture/Scent: Viscous milk; smells like sunscreen

The good: This sunscreen is light, which makes it a good choice for body. It is moisturizing, which is good for people with drier skin. It is supposed to be waterproof and sweatproof though, so it would be a good choice for athletes.

• Light
• Moisturizing
• Waterproof and sweatproof

The bad: Again, this smells like sunscreen. This is also too greasy and slightly sticky for me, even though I didn’t use very much of it. My entire body becomes sticky and I usually need to shower immediately after I get home and out of the sun as I just couldn’t stand the feeling.

• Smells like sunscreen
• Greasy

Overall: This would be a good sunscreen for someone with drier skin, or who doesn’t care about the scent of their skincare products. I like that it offers high SPF protection, but I really can’t justify the high price point when to me it doesn’t really feel any different from the drugstore sunscreens.

Product: 14/20
Packaging: 4/5
Value: 2.5/5
Overall: 20.5/30 | C+
Repurchase? Likely not

I will be reviewing more Kiehl’s products in the next few weeks, so watch this space if you want to learn more!

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Review: Estee Lauder Cyber White EX Extra Intensive UV Protector SPF 50/PA+++

Estee Lauder Cyber White EX Extra Intensive UV Protection SPF 50/PA+++

I had been looking for a high-end, high-SPF sunscreen since forever. I didn’t want to spend too much on it because you usually don’t get a lot of volume in high-end sunscreens, so I wanted it to be worth the amount I paid for it. For months I deliberated between Diorsnow, Estee Lauder Cyber White EX and Lancome Blanc Expert. From the title of this post you can probably see EL Cyber White won that battle. I picked this up in Duty Free on my Air China flight when I flew from London to Beijing. They actually had all of the three brands I was considering but with this you get more product per dollar.

What it claims (from EsteeLauder.com.sg): Our highest level UVA/UVB shield. Super sheer. Extra gentle and fast-absorbing. Ensures a brighter, flawless future for your skin. Empowered with anti-oxidant protection and anti-irritants.

Damage: $75USD for 2 tubes (100mL in total), which means $37.50 per tube of 50mL. (For comparison’s sake Diorsnow was $45 for 30mL and Lancome Blanc Expert was $40 for 30mL)

Instructions (from the tube): Smooth on face and throat to protect skin and provide a perfect base for makeup Apply AM after your CyberWhite EX Extra Brightening Moisturizer. (Or you can use any moisturizer; basically after your skincare regimen and before makeup)

Estee Lauder Cyber White Ex Extra Intensive UV Protector is white in colour and milky.

The good: The first and foremost thing is that it has very high SPF and PA protection (SPF is protection against UVB and PA is protection against UVA, UVB is what causes sunburns and UVA is what causes hyperpigmentation). With this on I don’t have to worry about my skin tanning as much, at least not for the first few hours. It is relatively light and milky, which is unusual for such a high-SPF sunscreen. I also really like the packaging of this sunscreen. Its sleek and looks more luxurious even though all three of the brands of high-end sunscreen comes in a plastic tube…

• High SPF, good protection for both UVA and UVB
• Light and milky texture
• Sleek packaging

The bad: It smells like sunscreen. That is the one of the biggest turn-offs for me in a sun-protection product. I cannot stand the smell of sunscreen, which is one of the reasons why I like ZA’s high-SPF sunscreen because it smells really soft and floral-like. Also despite its milkiness, it doesn’t really absorb that fast, it does absorb after maybe 20-30 minutes but its definitely not fast-absorbing like the description says, unless I’m wearing too much, which is good because you’re supposed to wear 2 teaspoons of sunscreen on your entire body anyways. Also it does somewhat leave a little bit of a greasy film on top of my skin. It could be because it is really humid here and my skin doesn’t need as much oil/moisture, or it could just because it is slow absorbing.

• Smells like sunscreen
• Slow absorbing
• Somewhat greasy

Overall: Honestly I haven’t tried enough SPF 50 sunscreens to compare to this one, I used to have one thats by Aveeno and it was a lot thicker and greasier than this one. So I guess for an SPF 50 sunscreen this is pretty good already. Also because I haven’t tried it in my home environment, aka Canadian weather, I have no idea how it performs in a drier environment. I can say for sure though, if you live in Asia and its hot and humid, I will not recommend this sunscreen for you (which is ironic, because this is only sold in Asia). If you live in a drier climate then maybe. Or if you have normal to dry skin. This product can apparently double as a makeup base and I have tried this with the ZA compact foundation. I haven’t noticed any improvements in look or wear with this as a base though, so to me its just a sunscreen.

Product: 8/10

Packaging: 5/5

Value: 3.5/5

Ease of Use: 5/5

Overall: 21.5/25 | 86% | A | ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ 1/2

Repurchase? Unlikely. I’ll probably end up trying the other two brands mentioned just to compare, but keep in mind I do have another tube.

Review/Swatch: Biotherm White Detox Corrective Make-up Base (my HG!) in Green

I recently did a mini haul of my HG makeup primer as well as one my favourite night creams. I purchased the White Detox Corrective Make-up Base in the anti-redness (green) and brightening (white) formulae. The one that I already have is purple, which is anti-sallowness.

I really love the formula of this primer because it goes on smooth and easy to spread, but not oily/greasy and does a really good job at keeping my foundation fresh all day. It claims to contain peony extract, which means there should be some skincare going on when you’re using it. There is silicone in it, but you can’t really feel the silicone, unlike some other primers like Smashbox Photo Finish primer (too greasy for me).

Today, I tested out the one with an anti-redness effect because I have some redness in my cheeks which I want to neutralize. It comes out of the tube quite thick, but it is still easy to spread out.

I applied it to my right cheek (please excuse my messy hair). You can see that there is some difference between the two sides. The one with the base is a little bit less pink but not fully neutralized. Originally I was worried that it would turn out too green, which means I won’t be able to wear it on my forehead because it would make it look green, but the colour disappears once its blended into the skin, which is good.

Ingredients list to the side (click to enlarge). I still really like the formula of this primer and will continue using it. You can also use it as a daily sunscreen because it has SPF 25 and PA++ in it. Overall I would recommend it to everyone because it is the best base I’ve tried so far that is not too expensive (at about $40-45ish for 30mL).

My score? ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Review/Swatch: Paul & Joe Protective Foundation Primer UV (comparison pics)

The first thing I did when I got here in UK was make an offer off ASOS.com. That sounds pretty sad I know, but I had been checking this website for so long but couldn’t make myself to pay the shipping fees (after you get to know me, you’ll find out that I despise shipping fees). I bought a pair of flats that was too long, the conversion chart on the site is completely off, it said that I am a UK size 7 but actually I’m a UK size 6 (I’m US size 9, yes huge feet I know). So I need to get them exchanged but I haven’t found the time to do that yet.

Anyways, enough random stuff, here is my review of Paul & Joe’s Protective Foundation Primer UK. I currently also use Paul & Joe’s Moisturizing Foundation Primer which I love when I am using powder foundation. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the UV version of it, which basically just has higher SPF (the regular one in the bottle has SPF 12-ish, but this one has SPF 40).

The primer itself is nude/beige coloured and is very light. I found that it doesn’t spread very easily though because it sticks well.

It doesn’t dry very quickly though, after you’ve spread it around so you might need to fan it out a bit. It does dry to look quite dewy, similar to the regular one without such high SPF.

I applied a thin layer of Jill Stuart Smooth Silk Powder Foundation over top and the result of the differences between the two layers weren’t that much. You can barely tell if you used primer or not, which isn’t that great. Also, I find that it doesn’t actually “prime” the skin. My idea of the perfect primer should cover all nooks in the skin to prepare for a very smooth foundation application but this didn’t really do that.

Ingredients list is to the right. I purchased this for £15.25 off ASOS.com. Would I purchase again? Probably not. I do like it but it doesn’t really serve its purpose.

If you are looking for a good primer with high SPF, I recommend the primers in Biotherm’s whitening line, whatever it is called now (they change their name quite often, can’t always remember…). It comes in 5 or 6 different shades, kind of like MUFE HD Primers, but with lots of SPF in it. It can be harder to find in North America, but if you can get your hands on it, it is totally worth it. It makes your skin super smooth and really works with your foundation to make your skin look flawless. I just bought 2 more in green (anti-redness) and white (brightening) along with my current purple (combats sallowness).

My score? ❤ ❤ ❤