Hello! Summer is in full swing and sunscreen is more important than ever! Sunscreen is necessary for helping prevent skin cancer and for anti-aging. For my body I stick to Sun bum but I always struggle with what sunscreen to use for my face. I've tried countless sunscreens and I always run into the same issues. They tend to break me out OR they don't work well under makeup. I was using Neutrogena clear face sunscreen for a while, I started using it during the pandemic and its made specifically for people who break out when using sunscreen. And It didn't make me break out ! which is amazing ! However since I started using it during the pandemic I was using less foundation and the mask messed up my makeup anyway... so I didn't realize that that sunscreen didn't wear well under makeup. So my search for the perfect face sunscreen continued!
I used to love a Shiseido one... if you look back far enough on my blog I did a review on it years ago! However they changed the formula a couple of years ago and it no longer worked for me (why does this always happen!!). I started my search for the perfect sunscreen within that brand but I didn't find anything that worked. They bottles were also smaller and prices were higher than they used to be. Which is frustrating... I don't want to have to limit the amount of sunscreen I can put on my face. I'm not wasteful when it comes to products but I want to make sure my face is protected. so I wanted to find something in the mid price range.
REQUIREMENTS
1. Mid price range $20-$30
2. Doesn't break me out
3. Wears well under makeup (Not greasy)
I went to shoppers drug mart because they have a "higher end" skin care section with some of my favourite brands including Nuxe, Vichy, La Roche Possay, Embryolisse etc! I LOVE the brand Nuxe I use their products daily, but they don't sell their sunscreen in store here (hopefully one day they do!) . So I turned to Avène! This is the Mineral Fluid sunscreen in SPF 50. It has very high protection and its a chemical filter free sunscreen made for sensitive skin. You can read a bit more about the ingredients here.
PACKAGING
Ok I'm going to start the review with the packaging. I'll admit I'm a bit of a packaging snob... I will totally buy a new product if I love the packaging... and I will also refuse to buy a product if I don't like the packaging. I think its because I love vintage so much and in the past they used to make beauty products very feminine and beautiful and now things look more "commercial" if you will. Now, this sunscreen.... I wouldn't say the bottle is something I would display on the counter but I like that the bottle is white. I'm not a huge fan of the cap I feel like its a bit too small compared to the rest of the bottle it almost looks like the lid cover is missing? the plastic on the lid is also a bit thin and comes off a bit flimsy. But overall it doesn't bother me too much so I'm fine with the packaging.
FORMULA
I've been using the sunscreen for a few weeks now and I have some conflicting thoughts on the formula. Since its a fluid sunscreen I thought it would be thinner but it's actually quite thick and dense? I use a dot of sunscreen for my entire face (less than the size of a penny) and its almost too much! It also leaves a white cast... its a cool toned white cast and comes off almost blue? very strange because its bright white. My skin tone is very pale so once I layer my foundation on top you can't see it... however if your skin tone is a bit darker than mine this might be an issue if you want to wear it under makeup. I wouldn't wear this sunscreen on its own at the beach because it looks like I put white paint on my face. However! I will say that it wears surprisingly well under makeup, given how thick the formula is it doesn't really interfere with my foundation as much as I thought it would. However I would still prefer something more matte, this one is still a bit dewy and I like my makeup to be matte. Another note is that it doesn't run! if its hot outside some sunscreens will start to melt and get in your eyes, this one stays put! so thats great!
DID IT BREAK ME OUT??
NO! it didn't break me out at all ! I had not problems wearing every days for a few weeks which is a huge plus!
PRICE
This is a mid price sunscreen at $29CAD for a 40ml bottle. It seems small, but like I mentioned a little goes a long way! I always wonder if I am using such a tiny dot of sunscreen is that enough protection?? I can see that my while face is covered (white cast) but I still wonder. I always see that you should be using 2 finger lengths of sunscreen for good coverage, but if I did that with this sunscreen my face would be completely white with a thick layer of sunscreen (Think Mrs Doubtfire with the cake lol)
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I don't dislike the sunscreen but I think I can find something that woks better for me. I will be finishing this bottle because it hasn't negatively affected my skin. I've bought some sunscreens in that past that broke me out so bad I had to throw out the bottle even if it was still 3/4 full. If you have very pale skin and you are going to wear it under makeup (and also like a more dewy look!) this will be great for you! I prefer a more matte look so my search for the perfect sunscreen will continue! If you have any suggestions let me know!
I have been using biore uv aqua rich since Lisa Eldridge recommended it a few years ago. It is the least oily one i have tried.
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