Review: Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+/PA++++

Di sini, di mana pake lotion nyamuk dianggap lebih penting, pemakaian sunscreen seringkali dinomor-sekiankan. Iyaaa serius beneran. Coba kalian tanya ke temen yang bukan penyuka skincare/makeup, kemungkinan besar wajah mereka itu polos tanpa lapisan apapun. Padahal pemakaian sunscreen itu adalah kebutuhan, bukan buat genit-genitan.

Sinar matahari punya banyak dampak positif buat keberlangsungan hidup manusia, tapi efek negatifnya untuk kulit pun ada. Sinar matahari terbagi menjadi tiga menurut panjang gelombangnya, yaitu UVA, UVB, dan UVC. Sinar UVC memiliki ukuran gelombang yang paling pendek sekaligus paling merusak, tapi untungnya sudah 'diblokir' duluan oleh ozon bumi. Sedangkan UVA dan UVB tidak.

Review: Althea Petal Sunaway

I was receiving this Althea Petal Sunaway as one of the items of my welcome gift from Althea. This is a new addition to their very ow makeup line (there are some more products as I'm writing this. LOL).

Review: Banana Boat Ultra Protect Faces Sunscreen Lotion with SPF UVB 50 PA+++

I bought this like a year ago as a result of compulsive shopping disorder. At the time I was still using my Melanox Sunscreen and as months passed by I kept on buying the same product and forgetting that I still have this Banana Boat stashed inside my drawer, still fresh and unopened, and the price tag was still there.

Okay, talking about my previous Melanox Sunscreen first (review here), as I mentioned that cream was awfully sticky and thick, but I didn't dare to move on since my skin reaction was okay towards it. It didn't cost me acne or any other forms of skin breakout. But I think it's time for a new product, and I already bought this anyway.

The packaging is some soft tube with typical Banana Boat style design. When it's brand new, you can tell by the extra tape on the cap, make sure it is not broken. But I don't think it has extra alumunium seal inside. The tube size is actually pretty bulky.

This cost me IDR 108K in Planet Sports (or Sports Station?) for 60 ml.

Claims as stated on the box:

Banana Boat Sunscreen Ultra Protect Faces Lotion protects your face from the sun's UVA and UVB rays. Oil free, fragarance free, and water resistant. It is formulated not to clog pores and contains Aloe Vera and Vitamin E, all combined providing you high facial protection.

The claims on the tube that attract me most are: hypoallergenic, oil-free, and very water resistance. The last claim means that this product is best for hot days and sports (read: beach) because it's less likely to drip into eyes when I sweat. 

Despite my fear of its stickiness, the lotion is actually felt very light and doesn't sticky at all. It feels better than my previous Melanox Sunscreen. It's white, odorless, and absorbed well onto my skin, and fast! Feels like I was wearing my daily moisturizer rather than a sunscreen lotion. It's even less greasy than my moisturizer. The claim hypoallergenic also proven since I don't experience any breakout.

I don't find any difficulty of wearing makeup after applying this lotion. Feels sooo lightweiht and non-greasy. I have been wearing this for a month now, and I think this will be my current holly grail sunscreen lotion.

Review: Melanox Face UV Protector SPF 30 PA++

To be honest, wearing a sunscreen, especially on my face, is not my favourite activity. They felt greasy. But thanks to many health and beauty articles I read, now I consider this as an important item other than my eye concealer. Before, I only wear sunscreen on my body when I wanted to take my swimming lesson as a child. LOL.

My skin type is normal to oily combination, so it's really important to find a sunscreen with oil-free formula. I used to wear Loreal face UV protector for about a year, really liked the matte formula, but still it felt sticky. So I decided to try other sunscreen products. This is what I grabbed 6 months ago from a local drugstore in my area.

It comes in a small white tube packed in a carton box with the same design as the tube. This product was lined along with other face sunscreen brands, but the word oil-free formula and non-comedogenic catched my eyes. Many sunscreen would cost you with black pores in long term usage. So I grabbed it and kinda surprise to know the brand was Melanox. As far as I know, this local Indonesian brand is famous for its whitening ointment (yes, ointment, not cream) with a very dull-looking tube. More like a presciptioned ointment. 

The SPF 30 PA ++ is more like an average or medium protection a sunscreen could over, so I don't mind with that. Moreover, SPF above 40 have more risk in skin irritation.

And so I bought it. The price was around IDR 50K, almost IDR 60K (USD 6). The content was only 25 g.

The cap was swiveled shaped. Not very practical. I dropped the cap a lot when I wanted to apply this, especially when in hurry. 

The ingredients:

When reading the ingredients one by one (I'm very carefull about this one, paranoid maybe) I noticed that some of them are still among controversies in health and beauty products. So, for a couple a months I doubt whether to use it or not. It took a lot of courage for me to wear this. But my final verdict is like consuming MSG in instant noodles, right? It is actually dangerous if you consume it in a very large amount, isnt't it?

This is the application on my hand. The bottom picture is my hand after the application. And just like all sunscreens, it will give you that white cast appearance, especially under camera flash.

The cream was odorless and in a fleshtone color, it was actually pretty thick and dense, looks like BB cream, but very, very thick. Oh, don't worry, although it's fleshtone, but the result on your face is colorless.

Wearing this on my face, it felt very sticky. Gosh, how I hate this feeling! You need a lot of product to cover your whole face because of its thickness, so I think 25 g is not generous enough. I waited for about 5 minutes to let my face absorbed it, before setting it with my other makeup routines. And although I hate its stickiness, it actually gives you that matte look for the next 4 hours after the application. Of course I also wear this along with other oil free formulated makeup and skincare for its maximum performance. I've been wearing his for 4 months and so far it doesn't give me breakout whatsoever. And as for its protection effectiveness against UVA and UVB, well I guess it'll take further medication research in long term usage, so I'm not able to provide you with that information.

Oh, by the way, don't forget to apply this at least 30 minutes before leaving your nest. ^_^

Remember, sunscreen contained in your BB Cream or cake powder is not enough to protect your face from sunburn. Use a freaking sunscreen, kay.

Verdicts:

Matte look up to 4 hours after the application, more or less

Good staying power

Sticky feeling on your face

Thick cream

Odorless

Fleshtone cream, but colorless result on your face

SPF 30 PA ++

Price: IDR 50-60K (USD 6)

Where to buy: supermarkets, drugstores

Repurchase?

IDK. I just bought this non-local Banana Boat face sunscreen. Can't wait to try it out once I finish this tube!

Have you ever tried this sunscreen before? What's your experience with this?