SPIRIG Daylong Extreme SPF 50 Review and Ingredients

Daylong Extreme by Spirig is another sunscreen that I have tried this summer. My mother is a faithful user for years (she is extremely sensitive to sun because of the antibiotics she had to use).

Daylong comes in a 100 ml flip top tube and it retails for around $25. As far as I can see from the ingredients list, it is 100% chemical sunscreen.

The consistency is creamy and very sticky. It spreads easily, but approximately 10-15 minutes after application it sinks in and the stickiness is gone.

The scent is a turn-off (at least for me) – slightly medical with milky coconut undertone; but it disappears upon application.

When I used it underneath the make-up, it felt heavy on my face.

This sunscreen is extremely hard to wash off. It is probably the only sunscreen that I had to remove with double cleansing like I remove make-up. This signalled that it might cause the breakouts, but I didn’t get any. Another bonus is that it really moisturizes the skin – I have dehydrated oily skin, but this helped with battling the flaky skin.

In spite of the benefits, I’ll only use it as a beach sunscreen or during work-out, and not like an everyday sunscreen.

EUCERIN Sun Lotion Extra Light SPF 50 Review and Ingredients

Eucerin Sun Lotion with SPF 50 was one of mine everyday sunscreens this summer. I got a 10 ml tube as a sample with purchase and, since the pharmacist told me I shouldn’t use it on the face, I have forgotten about it. Unfortunately, I don’t have any info on the price (I suppose it is around $20-30) or the amount the full size comes in.

However, having gotten a nice reddish freckle caused by the sun on the side of my forehead (I wore SPF30, but I had to spend all day out in the sun), and having only Eucerin as a high SPF sunscreen, I decided to bit the bullet, thinking that it couldn’t do more damage. Here is the picture of the freckle. Since the photo was taken with flash, the colour is slightly washed out, but in reality the freckle is a bright pinkish red).

Eucerin Sun Lotion is a combination of physical and chemical sunscreen.

The consistency is, as the name says, very light. It spread easily and it sinks in quickly, without being sticky. It doesn’t leave whiteish cast.

The scent is fairly strong, alcoholic, but disappears upon the application.

Because of the alcohol inside, it is a bit drying. I have oily dehydrated skin, so it didn’t do much damage, but drier skin types should be cautious. I was the most afraid that it will break me out, but it didn’t.

It is possible to put the make-up over it, but I still prefer Bioderma Photoderm SPF 30.

OLAY Complete Daily UV Fluid Review

 

 

After being pretty satisfied with Olay Complete Night Cream, I have tried several more Olay products. I’m currently on my second bottle of Daily UV Fluid and I’m afraid it will be my last.

Daily UV Fluid for normal/oily skin comes in a 100ml bottle with a tiny opening on the top. It has SPF15

The consistency is a bit runny and it feels very light. A little goes a long way. After you apply it, you have to wait for several minutes (10 to 20) for it to properly sink in.

I have oily but dehydrated skin with enlarged pores. I’m normally NC15-20 and my skin tans easily without burning.

I have primarily bought it to use it as a daytime moisturizer/sunscreen during winter/early spring/late fall. I thought that this way I’ll get both – extra moisture that my skin is craving during those periods, and a light sunscreen (since the sun at that time isn’t as strong so I don’t want to use SPF50).

As a moisturizer it did its job pretty well. My skin was noticeably less dry while I was using it. However, I don’t advise to use it under make-up – it takes a long time to properly set and it can flake off from the skin when you try to apply foundation over it.

However, as a sunscreen it was a total fail. Usually during winter I loose that bit of summer tan I got and I’m super pale in spring. With Olay Daily UV Fluid, I lost almost none of the summer tan. The foundation I was using at that time was too light – usually it is a correct match or even too dark. I don’t think that SPF15 is too low – I used Lancôme Primordiale which had SPF15, spent the whole day on the March sun and my skin didn’t tan at all (my sister, on the other hand, got pretty good sunburn – she’s more sensitive to sun than me). I applied a huge amount, so this couldn’t be the cause too. I’m currently using it on my arms just to spend the bottle.

Another huge “no” is the fact that Daily UV Fluid is perfumed. This is not the problem per se, but if I apply it too close to eyes, or even if I only wave with the hand I was applying the fluid with in front of the eyes, they start to water. My eyes usually are not sensitive, but something in the fragrance irritate my eyes.

I can recommend it as a moisturizer, but don’t count on it to protect from sun – use something else with it as a sunscreen.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the ingredients, since I’ve thrown the box away, but I’ll update if I find out.

BIODERMA Photoderm AKN SPF30 Sunscreen Review

HG! HG! HG!

Words cannot describe how happy I am that I have found this.

I’ve been looking for a very long time for a good sunscreen that I can put under make-up. I can wear literally everything for beach or when I’m out just doing sports, but I need something matte and non-sticky underneath my make-up. The closest to the ideal so far was Chanel UV essentiel, but its smell is way to disgusting, so I never purchased the full size, plus it was too expensive, since 30ml would lasted me for less than a month.

After trying a small sample, I was hooked and recently I have purchased the full size. Bioderma Photoderm AKN SPF30 comes in a 40ml tube and in my country it retails for about $17. It is intended for oily skin.

The consistency is relatively thick and this certainly is not one of those products where a little goes a long way. This is actually good for sunscreen as you need to use approximately 1,4 ml of product to get the protection stated on the box.

Upon application, it feels very thick and sticky, but just wait for a couple of minutes – it immediately transforms to a lightweight matte texture and it stays matte for the whole day.

I have oily, but dehydrated skin and it hasn’t made my skin any shinier, nor it dehydrated it.

The make-up goes like a dream over it – I do not need a primer at all. The sunscreen doesn’t rub off when you are blending your foundation.

As far as I can see it leaves no whiteish cast.

It hasn’t clogged my skin and so far (2 weeks of using it) there are no breakouts.

This is truly like a dream coming true. It is (relatively) cheap, matte and with decent sun protection. As far as I know, Bioderma sunscreens have very high amount of UVA protetction. I only wish that they would made SPF50 version of this.

LANCASTER Tan Deepener Review

Lancaster Tan Deepener promises to help faster you tan faster, as well as prolong the tan after summer.

What distinguishes it from other similar products is that it contains SPF6 (which doesn’t mean much, but it is still better than no SPF). 200 ml costs for around $40

Lancaster Tan Deepener comes in a jar and has a jam-like texture. It is very sticky and greasy. The consistency is very thick and you need a lot of it. I have spend half the jar only applying it once per day for two weeks.

It smells weird, but not bad.

Tan Deepener is tinted (dark reddish brown). It WILL STAIN, but unlike the stains made by Attiva Bronze, the stains made by Lancaster are possible to wash off (although your experience might differ, so don’t take my word on it). I suggest you to test it on a small piece of fabric.

As for the efficiency, I didn’t noticed that I tanned any faster. The only difference I cold notice was that I’m not as orange (yes, I’m one of those unfortunate souls who are orange when they are tanned).

The only real benefit I could find is that Lancaster Tan Booster is very moisturizing. This is probably related to the fact that it is very difficult to wash of – I can scrub all I like, but it still leaves a thin film on the skin.

Honestly, I don’t think it’s worth the money.

Overall:

 

EVELINE Sun Protection Face Cream SPF50 Review

I’m finally back and, as promised, my first review is Eveline Sun Protection Face Cream. The cream is very cheap – it costs around $5 for 50ml. It is a combination sunscreen – it contains both mineral and chemical filters to assure good UVA and UVB protection. Since one of the filters is Titanium Dioxide, it will leave a whiteish cast.

The cream itself is very thick, but as you spread it, it becomes greasy. I don’t think I would recommend it as an everyday sunscreen, underneath the makeup. I don’t believe that any makeup would stay long on such a greasy base. In spite of the greasiness, it feels really comfortable on the face. It is not drying – it is probably one of the most moisturizing sunscreen I’ve had chance to use.

The cream protects well – I’ve been exposed to sun every day – from morning to evening, and my face got darker just for one shade – from NC15 to NC20 (my body, where I’ve been using Lavozon SPF30, is NC35).

What makes this cream inappropriate for the beach (and every other activity which includes getting your face moist) is that the cream goes off in contact with water. I’m aware that nothing can be 100% waterproof, but if I would drink a glass of water, the cream above my upper lip would disappear. This means you will have to reapply it even more often that other sunscreens. On the other hand, it will be easy to remove, so it is less probable that it would cause breakouts or clog pores.

Overall:

 

SUMMER Haul (Lancaster, Avene, L’Occitane)

Summer has come (finally!!). As I’ll finish my exams soon, I’ll be spending more and more time outside (riding bike, exercising or just purely enjoying being out on the fresh air). However, summer is the season when the sun is stronger than ever. Taking this into account I’ve decided to treat myself with some products which will help me prepare my skin for sun exposure.

Now, I’m aware that tanning is bad for skin. When I’m out of the house, I’m using at least SPF 30 on the body and SPF 50 on the face (if I’ll be staying on the sun for longer than half an hour; otherwise I use SPF 15).

My skin type is a bit tricky. I am very pale (NC15), with blue-grey eyes and dark blond hair, but I tan easily and rarely burn. Until two days ago, I’ve been wearing long sleeves (in spite of being 30 celsius), plus SPF 30 sunscreen and my neck and decollete still got tan (now they are NC20).

In order to prevent even bigger difference between the rest of the body and hands, neck and decollete (which looks really bad and ridiculous once you are in the bikini), I start with sunbathing. This means that in the middle of July, my skin has even colouring.

OLAY Total Effects Day SPF 15 Moisturizer Review

I’ve received a big sample (15ml) of Olay Total Effects Day Moisturizer together with my Beauty Fluid purchase. The regular version of this moisturizer comes in a jar, which isn’t the best solution as the UV filters will lose its effectiveness more quickly.

I use this moisturizer primarily as a sunscreen. While SPF15 would not be enough for a whole day of sun exposure, from my experience, it is enough for me during the most of the year, as I don’t spend a lot of time in the sun.

Olay Total Effects is not as lightweight as Olay Beauty Fluid (my favourite). It is much greasier and it takes more time to sink in. I can apply foundation immediately after applying Beauty Fluid, but when I use Total Effects, I need to wait for at least half an hour for it to sink in. Since Total Effects is, to my understanding, an antiageing line, I can understand that it is not very appropriate for oily skin.

What I really like about this moisturizer is, that in spite of being a bit too heavy for my skin, it is amazingly moisturizing. I’ve been using it in the combination with Avene Diacneal, which is a retinol-based cream and which very often dries my skin out.  However, this time this wasn’t the case. As long as I use this combination (Total Effects + Diacneal), my skin doens’t have dehydration problems.

Overall impression:

DUCRAY Melascreen Crème Solaire SPF 50 Review

I wanted to get a good sunscreen, since so far I’ve been using only moisturizers with low SPF. I’ve only used sunscreens on beach and these were heavy, greasy and they were leaving a whiteish cast. My favourite sunscreen so far is Chanel UV Essentiel (I’ve only got a sample, but this is the most perfect sunscreen ever) but it is expensive (over $50 for 30ml) and it smells horrible.

Instead I’ve decided to pick some sunscreen from pharmacy brands. I got this since it seemed to offer a great value for money (around $15 for 40ml). I know how difficult is to find a good sunscreen and when I first tried it, I thought that I’ve got a HG. Unfortunately, after a month of using this, I have to say that I don’t like it.

The sunscreen has SPF50 and PPD is 1/3 of the SPF so this means PPD is around 16.

The product comes in a tube with a pump. I like that the packaging is very hygienic. The instructions say to use 5 or 6 pumps for the whole face. Although I’m aware that it decreases the degree of protection, I’m using only 2 pumps.

When I first put it on my face, it feels lightweight and it’s very easy to spread. A minute after, it becomes sticky and uncomfortable. It doesn’t give a whiteish cast, but my face feels greasy for the whole day. Even when I put a foundation and a loose powder over it, my face is still shiny. Not to mention that it breaks me out (nothing horrible, but my skin is much clearer when I do not use it).

I’ll finish this sunscreen on the vacation, and find a new one for the next season.