Sunscreen Review: Giorgio Armani Beauty Maestro UV Skin Defense Primer SPF 50

Claims: Absorbs oil, softens the complexion and blurs imperfections, serves as a light weight make-up primer.

Ingredients (Good): Glycerine and Vitamin E.

Ingredients (Bad): Synthetic fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene and Linalool.

Ratings: Broad Spectrum SPF 50

Cost /Value: $64 (1 fl oz) / Incredibly expensive sunscreen.

It is Chemical Sunscreen. Its active ingredients are 3% Avobenzone, 5% Octisalate and 7.5% Octinoxate. 

It DOES smell. It has a bit of a classic sunscreen smell.

It DOES sting in my eyes. It took between 40-50 minutes to migrate to my eyes. At which point, it did start stinging mildly. It was only at around 2 hrs post application that I felt really uncomfortable due to the stinging. After that, the stinging sensation would ebb and flow over the next 5 hours or so, but wasn't incredibly problematic. After the 5 hours or so of wear, the stinging sensation did not come back. In my opinion, that's too much irritation to repurchase the sunscreen. If you have never reacted poorly to chemical sunscreens, this might work for you. 

It did NOT gather in my under eye wrinkles.

It did NOT leave a white cast on my skin. It is completely sheer. 

It did NOT dry down in 20 minutes or less. This has a thick oily finish that transfers off extremely easily and doesn't set or dry down at all. The first day I tested this, I wore it all by itself; it was not absorbed into the skin at all over the course of the day. It stayed thick and oily all day.

If you like priming with a layer of  facial oil before spreading out your foundation as thinly as possible, to achieve asuper dewy wet look finish, this could be a match for you. Even with the most matte drying foundations I own, this made everything look not just oily but wet-look.

Another reason why I don't like it with make-up, is because it absolutely mixes with the make-up. Even with the lightest touch and a flat brush, as you're spreading the foundation on your face, you can see the sunscreen finish mixing with the foundation. If you really over apply this initially, enough of it to may remain on your face to achieve the labelled SPF despite having mixed completely with your foundation. That said, I can’t see how you would end up with an even sunscreen film with this under liquid foundation.

One alternative I tried was mineral or powder foundation. I found this to be so oily, that it will give you a dewy finish even with a super dry mineral foundation. Over the course of the day, it will get more and more oily. Even with a mineral or powder foundation, you still end up with an oily finish that needs to be powdered. Honestly, this stuff is just too oily. 

It best suited for extremely dry skin. This is the only skin type I could see this working for. 

Texture and consistency: This comes with a dropper, it is a very liquidy texture. 

I would recommend this sunscreen to people with extremely dry skin. For anybody else, I don’t think it is worth of money, and even for people with super super dry skin, you can always buy a cheap moisturiser and cheap chemical sunscreen instead of buying this. 

Unfortunately, I do feel that this falls in the category of really careless subpar skin care sold under designer names for extravagant prices. Relying on our trust as customers that a name like Armani would only bring us the best and that is so unfortunate. I  would never repurchase this, but I get why people do.

Sunscreen Review: No Ad Baby Sunscreen Stick SPF 50

So I am shocked at how much I like this sunscreen! It's totally chemical, completely wax based, unwearable with makeup . . . yet it has its benefits. I think No Ad Baby Sunscreen Stick SPF 50 is a great choice for outdoor exercise if you just can't stand any white cast, and it's very water resistant.

Claims: Paraben free, water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, appropriate for children.

Ingredients (Good): Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Coco Seed Butter and Organic Beeswax.

Ratings: Broad Spectrum SPF 50

Cost/Value: $2-9 (18 grams) / if you get it between $2-6 it is a cheap sunscreen.

It is a Chemical Sunscreen. Its active ingredients are 3% Avobenzone, 10% Homosalate, 7.5% Octinoxate, 5% Octisalate and 5% Octocrylene.

It did NOT gather in my under eye wrinkles.

It did NOT leave a white cast in my skin. It is completely sheer even upon initial application. 

It did NOT dry down in 20 minutes or less. It stays thick, sticky and slightly shiny from the moment you apply to the moment you take it off. It doesn't change at all during the day.

It did NOT sting my eyes. Normally my eyes can get pretty sensitive with Avobenzone and Homosalate; with this sunscreen stick it did not happen. I suspect that's because the sunscreen filters are suspended in this thick solid beeswax stick base, it doesn’t migrate to the eyes, unlike other lotion or gel chemical sunscreen.

It DOES smell. It has a slight chemical odour but it doesn’t linger.

It really looks lousy under make-up. I tried it with every single brush type. Flat paddle foundation brush, synthetic airbrush foundation, natural goat hair blending brush, I tried it with every type of foundation from tinted moisturiser to super dry matte to powder and mineral foundations. It is completely unwearable with anything other than a powder or mineral foundation. It's too thick, too sticky it will make whatever you trying to put on top of it; it's incredibly shiny, oily, wet look, streaky, impossible to correct.

This is not intended to be worn with make-up. If you are desperate, you can put a powder or mineral foundation over it, as long as you really stamp it on with a flat type brush and don’t blend it too much. That will both maintain the sunscreen film and give you the coverage that you're looking for. When I say the coverage you are looking for, I mean 20 times the coverage. We are talking about wax combined with mineral powders, that's like full coverage is understatement  for the finish you end up with. 

It DOES stay throughout the day. It is really water-resistant. I wore this on a rainy day, it did not affect the sunscreen film. Water pretty much beaded off of my face. 

It is fine for anybody who doesn't intend to wear make-up and doesn't mind a super shiny and oily looking finish. It is best for people with super dry and super dehydrated skin, because it doesn’t highlight any sort of texture on the skin and it is completely sheer. In fact, you can sort of moisturise any dry scaly or patches that you might have. It serves as an incredible occlusive. This is beeswax, if you are spending lots of time every morning trying to moisturise your skin and seal that moisture, this sunscreen will do all the sealing in for you. Anything you put under this, will be completely occluded from the environment. So it will either be absorbed into your skin or sit on top of it. But it won’t evaporate or degrade in any way.

Texture and consistency: After its application, it is completely sheer. It is shiny but it is not as shiny as most chemical liquid sunscreen I've encountered which tend to have a very oily, shiny finish. Beeswax based has a relatively more natural finish to it. Although on the face, it does look super dewy.

I highly recommend this sunscreen, because this is one of the few chemical sunscreens I've encountered that doesn't bother my eyes. Stays in place throughout the day amazingly. It's perfect for outdoor activities, it reapplies on top of itself very sheerly. You can layer this on 2 or 3 times during the day without looking the worse for wear. It is very reasonably priced.

Sunscreen Review: Naris Up Parasola Illumi Skin UV Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ (Cream)

Claims: To correct sallow olive or yellow skin to a neutral bright tone, "blue + pink equals to lavender", "make-up to slim times clear equals beautiful skin".

Ingredients (Good): 3 forms of Vitamin C (Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, VCIP-known as Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate and Trisodium Ascorbyl Palmitate Phosphate), Arbutin (reduces melanin production), Hyaluronic Acid, Jobs Tears extract (soothes inflammation), Raffinose (a great skin barrier strengthening ingredient that increases lipid synthesis and regulates keratin production, helping to prevent symptoms of psoriasis, dermatitis and rosacea), Licorice Root extract (helps lighten pigmentation and soothe inflammation), Chamomile (anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory), Hydrolysed Collagen, Placental Protein and Vitamin E.

Ingredients (Bad): Lavender Oil (which can be irritating to some people) and contains Alcohol.

Ratings: SPF 50+ PA++++

Cost/Value: $25-30 (2.8 oz) on Ebay / Good Deal.

It is a Combination Sunscreen. Its active ingredients are Octinoxate, Tinosorb S, Uvinul A Plus and Titanium Dioxide.

It did NOT sting my eyes.

It DOES smell. It has a light fruity or floral fragrance.

It did NOT gather in my under eye wrinkles.

It DOES leave a white cast in your skin, depending on how you use it. This is a light grayish purple colour sunscreen. Depending on how much you use, it will stay opaquely that shade. If you wear quite a bit of it all by itself, you will have a slight grayish purple cast to your skin. If you don’t apply it evenly, you could get a streaky grayish purple cast to your skin.

It DOES dry down in 20 minutes or less. It sets into a transfer resistant finish. It sheers out somewhat but not much. If there are purple streaks when you initially apply this to your face, there will be purple streaks on your face when it dries. You really have to get this even and thick upon initial application, which can be time consuming and has a learning curve.

This is one of those textures that for some reason sucks up foundation. Wearing this as a base, required the use of perhaps double the amount of application I would otherwise ordinary use. This sunscreen didn’t seem to affect the longevity of my makeup and it's thick enough and stiff enough that it really holds its own during make up application. I felt very comfortable applying liquid foundation on top of this. I felt very confident that an even sunscreen film had been maintained. 

In terms of its lavender shade making you lighter and brighter, it definitely works. I personally don’t have yellow or olive skin, I have very red skin. I tried this under both a serum foundation and tinted moisturizer that are  both too dark and too yellow for me to see if it would lighten up the shade and neutralize that golden undertone. It definitely did lighten them by a shade or so and also neutralized yellow undertones. And that effect was further emphasized once the foundations were powdered. Although I only used translucent powder, the combination of sunscreen and foundation looked even lighter, even rosier and slightly blurred once powdered. I really did get a porcelain finish wearing this sunscreen underneath foundation and powder.

For testing purposes, I wanted to try it under a sheer serum foundation and tinted moisturiser to see if the purple would show through at all. And yes, it will work under tinted moisturiser but only if the initial application is absolutely even. Otherwise, an inconsistent application of this sunscreen, will show through the tinted moisturiser or super light coverage foundation. 

For that reason, I wouldn't try to colour correct with this. It's already a lavender sunscreen; it's not a great idea to try throw peach, green and other colours on top of this, plus foundation and concealer on top of that, and expect it to look even and good. 

It works best under light to medium coverage foundation. A totally full coverage foundation will negate any effect this might have on your skin tone. With light to medium foundation, you get all the neutralizing and brightening benefits without having to worry about perfect initial application, as you must if you wear it under a sheer foundation or tinted moisturiser.

This is a solid sunscreen that stays put all day long. 

This is NOT good for dry skin. It looks fine at first but alcohol is too high on the ingredients list. The finish is too dry and matte for me to recommend it to somebody with dry skin. 

Texture and consistency: After the initial application, I spread it out as even as I can. It shows, it has lavender cast to it. After 20 minutes, it is completely matte. It is transfer resistant proof. It still has soft lavender cast. I think, it really depends on what is your complexion is like to start with. I am pale enough, for me wearing this alone would really truly make me look like a zombie ghost. But perhaps, if you are sharing out with the complexion that's a little bit darker, a little bit more olive; you could wear this all by itself as long as you applied this evenly. 

I would recommend this sunscreen. It's a reasonable price, it has lots of skin care ingredients and it will lighten your complexion, not permanently but cosmetically in the same way that any white casts sunscreen featuring titanium dioxide would. Except, I think the lavender tint of this makes it more appealing and easy to work with under make up. 

Sunscreen Review: Bioré UV Aqua Rich Whitening Essence SPF 50+ PA++++

Claims: Actively treats hyper-pigmentation and protects from the sun

Ingredients (Good): German Chamomile extract (anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, inhibit melanin synthesis), Squalene (moisturiser), Vitamin E (anti-oxidant), Glycerine (classic humectant), Oleate Acid (Humectant), Fatty Alcohols (moisturising) and Hyaluronic Acid.

Explaining the efficacy of German Chamomile: The substance in the extract that inhibits melanin synthesis is called bisabolol. There are lots of sunscreen that contains bisabolol without making whitening claims. The German Chamomile extract in this sunscreen is not fermented, distilled, or otherwise concentrated in any way. It is definitely not the most effective way to lighten skin. Using a sunscreen like this in will no way compare to laser or bleaching treatments overseen by a dermatologist. On the other hand, if you are already using a hydroquinone or niacinamide in your skincare, this product won't interact with them or impede them in any way. That is a benefit in and itself.

Ratings: SPF 50+ PA++++

Cost/Value: $9-14 (33 grams) on Yes Style and Ebay / Fair/reasonable/average price and a good deal.

It is a Combination Sunscreen. Its active ingredients are Zinc Oxide, Octinoxate, Uvinul A Plus and Titanium Dioxide.

It DOES sting my eyes very slightly. 

It DOES smell. It is advertised as having a fresh fruit fragrance, and it does have fragrance to it , but it is not particularly strong and it doesn't linger on skin.

It did NOT gather in my undereye wrinkles.

It DOES leave a soft white cast on my skin. If you blend it out perfectly evenly, it is wearable but not necessarily flattering by itself. It will make you a shade or so whiter without being really obvious the way some sunscreens are. 

It DOES dry down in 20 minutes or less. It dries really quick to a transfer resistant finish. Working from the top of my face downwards, by the time I was applying this sunscreen to my cheeks, my forehead had already dried. 

It DOES look good under make up. I did not see that it made any substantive difference in the colour, texture or wear time of my foundation.

 It stuck around as long as my foundation did. 

This will work for any skin type. Despite its ingredients, it's not particularly moisturising nor is it mattifying. If you have normal or combination skin, this will absolutely work for you. If you have dry skin, it shouldn't pose a problem. I can’t speak to very oily skin, but I think it is worth a shot. It didn't break up on my T-zone which gets oily for me over the course of the day.

In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this sunscreen. It is reasonably price, completely unobtrusive, a high SPF and PA ratings and it gives the freckles and hyper pigmented people like me a little bit of hope.

Sunscreen Review: Supergoop Play Everyday Sunscreen SPF 50 PA +++

Claims: Cellular Response Technology (This technology helps protect skin not only from UVA and UVB rays, but also infrared radiation), very anti-oxidant rich formula and water-resistant for up to 80 minutes.

Ingredients (Good): Syringylidenemalonate (serves to stabilize the UV filters in the formula not scavenge free radicals on skin), lots of fatty acids, Allantoin (soothing), Thermus Thermophillus Ferment extract (enzyme with anti-oxidant properties activated by heat), Candle Brush extract (also known as Ringworm Bush-a strong antifungal), Beta-Glucan (a soothing sugar than can decrease irritation and redness) and Vitamin E.

Ingredients (Bad): Phenoxyethanol, Rosewood Oil, Orange Peel Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Eucalyptus Leaf Oil, Basil Leaf Extract, geranium Extract, Patchouli Oil and Synthetic Fragrance (Geraniol and citralool).

Ratings: SPF 50 PA +++ 

Cost/Value: $19 (2.4 oz), $32 (7.5 oz), $48 (18 oz) / Pretty Cheap Sunscreen

It is a completely Chemical Sunscreen. Its active ingredients are 10% Homosalate, 7.5% Octinoxate, 5% Octisalate and 3% Avobenzone.

It DOES sting my eyes. It migrated into my eyes between 40-50 minutes after application. It became absolutely unbearable over the course of the next hour. It is one of the few sunscreens that I actually had to remove from around my eyes just in order to keep my eyes open and see straight.

It DOES smell. It has a semi-strong herbal fragrance.

It did NOT gather in my undereye wrinkles.

It did NOT leave a white cast on my skin. It is completely sheer.

It DOES dry in 20 minutes or less. It set in a thin completely sheer somewhat shiny finish. It actually resembles the look of a dry oil on the skin, but unfortunately transfers off quite easily.

For being so thin, this stays put very well under makeup. It doesn’t change the texture of your make up or its finish.

Applying an appropriate amount of sunscreen, this stays for an average amount of time, approximately 5-6 hours. That said, it is completely chemical, and so should be reapplied more frequently than that.

This is not suitable for sensitive skin and sensitive eyes. Otherwise it could work for any skin type because it has such a thin consistency and a totally sheer finish. 

Texture and consistency: Initially it is not watery or runny at all, it is a true lotion. Spreading it out, it has a very slight white cast. After 20 minutes, it's completely sheer and it has rather more sheen than shine to it. It's a rather subtle finish as far as chemical sunscreen go.

In conclusion, I don’t think it is a great idea to put this sunscreen on your face. 

Sunscreen Review: Privacy UV Face Mist SPF 50+ PA++++

Claims: Good touch-up sunscreen for the middle of the day, appropriate for body, hair and face.

Ingredients (Good): Castor Oil, Glycerine, Hydrolised Collagen, Hyaluronc Acid, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. 

Ingredients (Bad): Synthetic Fragrance, Ylang-Ylang Extract, Rosemary Leaf Oil, Lavender Oil and Orange Peel Oil.

Ratings: PF 50+ PA++++

Cost/Value: $6-18 (1.35 fl oz) in Ebay and Amazon / Great Deal.

It is a 100% Chemical Sunscreen. Its active ingredients are Octinoxate, Avobenzone, Ensulizole and Tinosorb S.

It DOES sting my eyes, when spread in your eyes or accidentally rub it. It did not migrate into my eyes.

It DOES smell. It has a very fake fruit smell and features a lot of synthetic and natural fragrance.

It did NOT gather in my wrinkles. 

It did NOT leave a white cast on my skin. It is a completely sheer sunscreen.

It DOES dry down in 20 minutes or less. It dries very quickly, in just 5 minutes or less, to a sticky rather shiny finish.

Wearing it under make up, requires the use of more liquid foundation that I would otherwise typically use. I also found that it very slightly emphasized skin texture in an unflattering way, though nothing that couldn’t be corrected with powder and concealer. It didn’t have a flattering or priming effect as some sunscreens do. I think this is a good choice for wearing under sheer dewy foundations and tinted moisturizers, because it is completely sheer, and shiny. It also sets firmly and is very sticky. It stays in place, and doesn’t whiten or mattify a sheer foundation or render it streaky and unworkable. 

This sunscreen will add a pretty dewy sheen even over a matte foundation. However, it doesn’t serve any purpose to set or preserve make up. In fact, it does the opposite, encouraging make-up to crease and separate faster than it otherwise would. Over powdered make up, it would also give a dewy or shiny look, with a serious caveat. The droplets of this sunscreen mist, even once dry, shine visibly against the powdered face in a light application. If you spread this pretty heavily, of course your entire face will be shiny. But if you spread it rather lightly, you'll see the individual droplets contrasting against your finish. 

It DOES wear well throughout the day. I found this to be a very tenacious sunscreen.

This is NOT good for sensitive skin or to anybody who hates fragrance. There is SO much fragrance in it, natural and synthetic. I also don't think it's appropriate for congested skin. This is so sticky and quite difficult to remove from the face. I wouldn’t suggest this for anybody who has issues with clogged pores, blackheads and whiteheads.

Texture and consistency: To create a fully protective sunscreen film with this requires between 20-30 spritzes. Touching up over make-up requires between 10-15 spritzes. 

I honestly like this sunscreen a lot more than I expected to. If you aren’t planning on wearing make-up, exercising outdoors, or just running around in the sun, yet require a completely sheer sunscreen, this is really a good choice. I am not convinced of its utility over make up. On the plus side, even a huge amount of this can be applied without a mirror. On the downside, this is an entirely chemical formula and entirely chemical sunscreen filters work best when applied directly to the skin, not over a bunch of other stuff. 

In conclusion, I would recommend this, just because it's so tough to find cosmetically appealing touch-up sunscreens. And it is very reasonably priced. 

Sunscreen Review: Vanicream Broad Spectrum SPF 50+

Claims: No sensitizing chemical filters, water-resistant for 80 minutes, Non-comedogenic, free of dyes, lanolin, fragrance, masking fragrance, parabens, formaldehyde, other potential irritants and dermatologist recommended.

Ingredients (Good): Synthetic Fatty Alcohol, 1, 2 Hexanediol (Proctor and Gamble Patented Humectant), Castor Oil, Squalene, Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10) and Magnesium Chloride (to calm inflammation in skin).

Ratings: Broad Spectrum SPF 50+

Cost/Value: $18 (4 fl oz) / Cheap sunscreen.

It is a completely Physical or Mineral Sunscreen. Its active ingredients are 5% Titanium Dioxide and 7% Zinc Oxide.

It did NOT sting my eyes.

It did NOT smell.

It DOES gather in my undereye wrinkles.

It DOES leave a medium-strong white cast on my skin.

It did NOT dry down in 20 minutes or less. It did not dry down or set at all. It did not change at all after initial application. It stays oily, it moves around easily and it transfers off easily.

It did NOT work with any texture, liquid or cream foundation. It mixes with the make-up, ruins the sunscreen film and makes the make-up look white and streaky. It will work with mineral foundation or a loose powder foundation if applied with a dense flat brush and not really blended in. This sunscreen is so wet, if you apply a mineral foundation to it in that way; you actually end up with an attractive dewy finish. I was very surprised and pleased to find an attractive make-up solution for this sunscreen.

It did NOT last throughout the day. It transfers off very easily even with mineral foundation and setting powder on top. 

It is suitable for sensitive skin as long as you are not sensitive to silicones. There are several types of silicone in this formula. Also because of the Castor Oil, this is not particularly good for acne prone skin regardless of being non-comedogenic. If you ever applied Castor Oil to your hair or skin, you know how thick, sticky and poor clogging really is.

If you wear mineral foundation anyway and you’re looking for a great high SPF sunscreen to wear beneath it, and you prefer to stick to a tight budget when it comes to sunscreen, this is a great choice for you. I personally love to wear Bare Minerals mineral foundation and I definitely plan on working my way through this sunscreen.

Sunscreen Review: Coppertone Sensitive Skin Face Lotion SPF 50 Sunscreen

Claims: Hypo-allergenic, fragrance free, won't clog or cause breakouts and water-resistant for 80 minutes.

Ratings: Broad Spectrum SPF 50.

Cost/Value: $11 (2 fl oz) / Cheap sunscreen.

It is a Combination Sunscreen. Its active ingredients are 7.5% Octinoxate, 5% Octisalate and 14.5% Zinc Oxide.

It DOES smell. It has a bit of classic sunscreen smell.

It did NOT sting my eyes.

It DOES gather in my undereye wrinkles.

It DOES leave a white cast on my skin. You can spread this out pretty evenly, so the white cast is relatively inoffensive.

It did NOT dry down in 20 minutes or less. It dries down within 30 minutes and sheers out somewhat. It never sets, it stays soft and it transfers off of your skin very easily. It is very easy to accidentally wipe this off.

It did NOT wear well under make-up. This slides around too much. Unless you apply an absolutely absurd amount of it and perhaps even if you do, you'll end up with uneven and probably inadequate coverage. If you do try to wear it under make up, it will mix with your foundation as you apply it and whiten it considerably.

If you don't touch it, this will stay throughout the day. However, any little touch or accidental scratch of your nose, holding your phone to your ears, wiping away a strand of hair; anything, can easily remove this from your face. 

This is not good or bad for any particular skin type. I just would NOT recommend this to anyone because it's very mediocre. Even for $11, there are simply more attractive better wearing options out there. At least it did not sting my eyes which is more than I can say for many of the sunscreens that I've tested.

In conclusion, I wouldn't recommend this sunscreen  to anyone because it is just so mediocre. But I don't think it is a bad choice if you are bringing the entire family to the beach and you just want something that doesn’t sting anyone's eyes and doesn't cost any money. In a situation like that, this is actually a pretty good choice. 

Sunscreen Review: NOV UV Shield EX SPF 50+ PA++++

Claims: Appropriate for sensitive skin.

Ingredients (Good): Glycerine, Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid. 

Ingredients (Bad): Has many types of silicones.

Ratings: SPF 50+ PA++++

Cost/Value: $27-51 (1fl oz) in Ebay / Very expensive sunscreen.

It is a 100% Physical Sunscreen. Its active ingredients are Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide.

It did NOT smell.

It did NOT sting my eyes.

It DOES gather in my undereye wrinkles.

It DOES leaves a white cast on my skin. It does sheer out a bit as it sets, but leaves a strong white cast.

It DOES dry down in 20 minutes or less. It sets to a very slightly sticky finish in between 20-25 minutes. 

It DOES look good under make-up. It doesn't do your skin any favours but it doesn't create any texture either.

It DOES stick around throughout the day. 

It is best suited for sensitive skin, as claimed. 

In conclusion, I would recommend this sunscreen. I would rank this sunscreen somewhere between just okay to pretty good. There is nothing outstanding going on here. Because it is middling sunscreen, the price comes into play for me. I absolutely would not spend $50 on this or even $27 is a bit of stretch. However, if you are super sensitive and you truly can only wear mineral sunscreens, give it a go and see if it works for you.