Review: Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant

 

I've been using Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant for the past month. I was looking for a product that would help with congested skin. This was it. I had a bottle of Paula's Choice BHA Liquid and thought I would give it a try again. Here are my thoughts on it.

I started off using the product on a cotton pad. I eventually moved on to just rubbing the product into my skin. I didn't want to waste product on a cotton pad, and I found that rubbing it into my skin worked just as well. This product is supposed to be drying. It contains 2% bha. On my skin, I thought it was moisturizing. Maybe it's because it's summer. The product does have a slight greasy feel to it. But I thought it was moisturizing on my skin. I could skip moisturizer when using this product.

As for the results...

Did it work for acne? The first week of using the product, my skin was breaking out in my congested areas. It did work for some of my acne. It also improved my skin texture. My skin was smoother and clearer. My pores were tighter. They appeared smaller. I enjoyed using this bha liquid. It helped balance my oily skin. My skin liked it. But it didn't get rid of some acne (blackheads, acne deep under the skin). I had to incorporate benzoyl peroxide in my routine to clear that up. So, from my experience with the bha liquid, it's a good product. My skin improved. It looked better. I'll continue to use it because it balances out my skin and helps to maintain smooth skin. I love the way my skin looks in the morning after using it at night.

Review: CARENEL Sleeping Lip Care Berry Lip Night Mask

 

I finished CARENEL Sleeping Lip Care Berry Lip Night Mask. It took forever to finish this product. Finally...

So this night lip mask contains rich berry extracts, macadamia seed, and olive oil. 

The texture of the product is thick. It smells of artificial berry. It's pink. I used it every night as much as possible. It feels sticky when applied to the lips. I packed it on. The stickiness turned me off from liking the product, but I kept using it anyway. I already have the product, so I continued to use the product.

My results? It wasn't the most moisturizing night lip mask. It sometimes left my lips feeling a bit dry. It didn't hydrate or moisturize that much. I wasn't amazed by the results. Since it wasn't moisturizing my lips that well, I started using CeraVe Healing Ointment on top of the lip mask. This helped to prevent dry lips much better. And it costs less. I've stuck with the basic CeraVe Healing Ointment since.

Review: La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion

I've used plenty of bottles of La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion over the years. I decided to try it again. Here it is again. It contains 5% titanium dioxide and 15% zinc oxide. It also contains Senna Alata, vitamin E, and lipo-hydroxy acid (LHA).

The texture of the sunscreen is a soft lotion. I didn't have any issues with the texture and consistency. It was easy to use and apply to the skin. It blended in nicely. It does have a white cast. A very, very white cast. It is not tinted. I knew it wasn't, which is okay. If you have sensitive skin, it's non-irritating. No redness or itching. It's also fragrance-free and stays on the skin very well. 

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to continue to use this sunscreen. I'm not sure why I went through several bottles. I was very hopeful that it could work again. This sunscreen is not compatible with my facial skin. It dried my skin out and caused some breakouts. It made my skin appear aged, accentuated fine lines and wrinkles. I've been using the rest of this sunscreen on my body. It works great as a body sunscreen. But will I purchase again? No. There are plenty of more affordable body sunscreens out there.

Review: Neutrogena Invisible Daily Defense Mineral Face Liquid SPF 30

This is my review of the Neutrogena Invisible Daily Defense Mineral Face Liquid SPF 30. 

The Neutrogena Invisible Daily Defense Mineral Face Liquid SPF 30 contains titanium dioxide (4.9%) and zinc oxide (21.6%). It's a liquid sunscreen that feels lightweight on the skin. It feels a bit sticky upon application. I wasn't a fan of the texture or how it felt on my skin. My hair would stick to my face after applying it to my skin. It has a light tint that isn't orange. It blends into the skin, but it can appear streaky if applied improperly. It took me a little more time to make sure the product was applied evenly across my face and neck. 

The sunscreen has a smell to it even though it states that it is fragrance-free. It smells like ginger and feverfew. Yes, it contains those ingredients in the product. I didn't like the smell of it. I prefer skin care products that are truly fragrance-free. If you're allergic or sensitive to any of these ingredients, don't bother with this product. If you dislike fragrance, I wouldn't recommend this sunscreen.

Also, the sunscreen has a silicone texture. That was a problem for my skin. The first few times I used it, I noticed breakouts. I developed a cyst on my chin and a few more pimples. It clogged up my skin. I wasn't impressed by this sunscreen. It's not a sunscreen that I would purchase again. I haven't been impressed by Neutrogena sunscreens for a while now. 

Review: La Roche-Posay Anthelios Tinted Face Sunscreen SPF 50

This is my second bottle of the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Tinted Face Sunscreen SPF 50. I've also tried the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral Zinc Oxide Sunscreen SPF 50. I finished two bottles of that as well. I can do reviews on both.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Tinted Face Sunscreen SPF 50:

This is a liquid sunscreen. It is titanium dioxide-based (11%). It's lightweight. It has a silicone texture to it. It glides over the skin smoothly. The texture of the sunscreen is very elegant. Yes, it's tinted. I didn't like the tint of this sunscreen due to it being too orange on my skin. When I reapplied the sunscreen, my skin just looked extremely orange. The tint transfers onto clothing easily too. The collar of my shirts would be stained with the tint.

One thing I liked about this sunscreen is that it smooths out the skin and leaves it feeling soft since it has a silicone consistency. It makes the skin appear smoother. But I noticed that it clogged my skin. Maybe my skin just disliked the silicones in this product. I had to stop using it on my face for that reason. Another reason why I stopped using it is because of the tint shade too. It doesn't look good on my complexion. The retail price for this sunscreen is $39.99 for 1.7 fl. oz. It's not affordable either. I really thought it would be a higher-quality sunscreen, but I guess not. It just didn't work for me.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral Zinc Oxide Sunscreen SPF 50:

The zinc oxide version of this sunscreen isn't pictured because I've already finished them. 

This sunscreen is the non-tinted version. It contains 6% titanium dioxide and 5% zinc oxide. It is a liquid sunscreen. The texture is very similar to the tinted version. It has a silicone texture to it as well. It glides over the skin smoothly. The tinted version feels slightly softer on the skin compared to the non-tinted version. Also, the zinc oxide version is a lot more drying and patchy. It would leave white streaks on my face, which I used makeup to cover up. After a day of using the sunscreen, I noticed that my skin felt drier and clogged. I thought this version was worse. I knew I was not going to repurchase after finishing two bottles. I purchased two bottles the first time I tried it, by the way. I wasn't impressed. This sunscreen was $39.99 for 1.7 fl. oz. It was not worth it.

Vitamin C Serums: L'Oreal Paris Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Face Serum & Melano CC Vitamin C Serum

I have two vitamin C serums that I've been using: L'Oreal Paris Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Face Serum and Melano CC Vitamin C Serum.

I've been using L'Oreal Paris Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Face Serum for over 6 months. I've been using Melano CC Vitamin C Serum for years. I've lost count. All I know is that I'm on my last tube.

L'Oreal Paris Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Face Serum:

L'Oreal 10% Vitamin C Serum contains 10% vitamin C (ascorbic acid), as the packaging states. The serum feels silicone-like. It glides over the skin and blends into the skin well. Just make sure to shake the tube a bit. This will allow the contents of the product to be dispensed uniformly.

My results?

I've been using this vitamin C serum for over 6 months. I have yet to see any results from it. No brightening. No evening of the skin tone. My acne marks are still there. My freckles haven't budged, but I'm not expecting it to, but it could happen. It just didn't happen with this vitamin C serum. The silicones in this product did give me issues sometimes. I would notice some clogged pores here and there. I didn't think much about it because it didn't give me cystic acne. It was just something I noticed. I didn't like the texture of the product. If your skin can handle a silicone-heavy product, it shouldn't be a problem.

Since it didn't work on my face, I'm using it on other parts of my body (hands, feet, elbows). It seems to feel so much better in those areas. But will I repurchase? No. It didn't do anything for my skin. I used the L'Oreal 10% Vitamin C Serum years ago. I just gave it another chance. The results are still the same. That is...no results.

Melano CC Vitamin C Serum:

I have another vitamin C serum: Melano CC Vitamin C Serum. The concentration of vitamin C? No idea. It doesn't say on the packaging or ingredients list. The source of vitamin C is ascorbic acid. It also contains vitamin E and licorice. 

This vitamin C serum is lightweight, but it's a tad oily. It absorbs into the skin, but it doesn't leave a clean feel. I was hoping that it would brighten my skin. It didn't. It didn't even out my complexion either. It didn't help with acne marks or lighten my freckles. What it did was oxidize on my skin. It made my face appear tanner. So I didn't like this vitamin C serum much. It didn't really do anything but make my skin look worse. I developed some pimples using it too. Currently, I'm on my last tube of the Melano CC Vitamin C Serum. I've been using it on other parts of my body to finish it. I won't repurchase after I'm done. I think this vitamin C serum is overhyped. Another vitamin C serum that gave me zero results.

Review: Naked Sundays Collagen Glow 100% Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+

I've been searching for a new sunscreen. I purchased Naked Sundays Collagen Glow 100% Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+ to try out.

It's a mineral sunscreen. It is broad spectrum, vegan, cruelty-free, fragrance-free, no white cast, phthalates-free, sulphate-free, and paraben-free.

So this sunscreen comes in a 50 ml tube with pretty packaging. The sunscreen is very thick. It has a dense, primer lotion feel to it. I thought it was too thick for my skin. It felt moisturizing on the skin but way too heavy. It does feel like a primer. I love how primers make the skin appear more silky and smooth. This product? I didn't like it one bit. It felt heavy and cakey on my skin. It looked greasy and shiny. I guess that's what they mean by 'collagen glow'. I didn't care for it. It looked awful on my skin. The sunscreen was very sticky. It wouldn't sit on my skin properly. My hair would stick to my face. There wasn't a white cast because it's tinted. The tint was much better compared to other tinted sunscreens I've used. It didn't appear orange on my skin. Even though the sunscreen states that it is fragrance-free, it has a smell to it. The sunscreen smells horrible. I didn't like the smell. My eyes didn't like it. It gave me headaches. I quit using this sunscreen quickly. It's not worth it for the price. It was $24.99 for 1.7 fl. oz. (50 mL). I was hoping that it would work! Nope, on to the next...

Review: Bliss Block Star Daily Mineral SPF 30

I've been using Bliss Block Star Daily Mineral SPF 30 on and off. This is what I think about it...

My first impression of this sunscreen is that the texture is very silky and smooth. It glides onto the skin and blends in effortlessly. The texture is amazing. It's also tinted, but I thought the tint was too dark or even orange on my skin. I continued to use it anyway with makeup on top to get rid of the darker, orange tint. I haven't had success with tinted sunscreens. All of them I've used so far have been orange, except for the CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30. CeraVe has three shades to choose from (light, medium, deep). Bliss? It's only available in one tint.

This sunscreen contains 4.1% titanium dioxide and 11.5% zinc oxide. The texture of this sunscreen is extremely dreamy. I've had no issues with the texture, and the sunscreen is very easy to use. It makes my skin appear silkier and acts great as a base for makeup. It leaves a matte finish.

The downside to this sunscreen would be the tint shade and the scent. The tint oxidizes into a richer shade. My face looked extremely tanned after a day's use. I didn't reapply the sunscreen either. If you're sensitive to fragrance, it has a lavender smell to it. The first time I used this sunscreen, my skin was irritated by the essential oils (lavender oil and chamomile flower oil). I thought my skin could get used to it. No, these essential oils irritated my skin. That's worth mentioning. I wish it was free of essential oils and fragrance-free, but it's not. 

Overall, I like the silky texture and the matte finish. It smoothes out my skin. My makeup stays in place nicely with this sunscreen. But I won't repurchase due to the tint shade, essential oils, and fragrance. The essential oils were the major offender to me. I don't even have sensitive skin, and they made my skin feel so dry that it was uncomfortable. I can't imagine making this sunscreen my daily SPF.

Review: PanOxyl Oil Control Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30

Here's another sunscreen review. I've been trying out a bunch. Today I will review: PanOxyl Oil Control Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30. 

This sunscreen is advertised for oily, acne-prone skin. It's also a moisturizer and sunscreen in one. I'm okay with moisturizers with sunscreen. With my skin type, I'll take what works because many sunscreen products are just not compatible with my skin type. I have yet to find one that I love.

The key ingredients in this sunscreen are hyaluronic acid, caffeine, vitamin E, and zinc oxide (17%).

My experience:

I haven't finished this product yet. I've been using it on and off, especially when my skin is oily or to tone down shiny, greasy skin.

Well...this means that the sunscreen did not work for me, unfortunately. I was hoping that it would be the one. It wasn't. The texture of the sunscreen is a thick cream. It doesn't smooth over the skin easily. It also doesn't blend into the skin well. On some parts of my face, it would roll off. It doesn't behave well with many products I use. I couldn't apply makeup over this sunscreen. It has a white cast too. I wouldn't have a problem with the white cast if it smoothed over and blended into my skin well. I can always apply a makeup tint over it to rid of the white cast. So I thought the quality of this product was pretty bad. It's a PanOxyl product. I was hoping for a high-quality product. I experienced a burning sensation when applying it to my skin. That burning sensation goes away after a few minutes. But, that's not good that it burns my skin. 

What's good about it? It didn't cause acne and helped with absorbing oils on my skin, which is amazing, but that's about it. I really wanted to like this one because it didn't leave my skin shiny. I liked the mattifying finish since I have oily skin that gets oily throughout the day. Otherwise, there's not much going for it. I won't purchase it again. Possibly one of the worst sunscreen products I've used.

Review: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 70

This is a new mineral sunscreen from Neutrogena. I picked up a bottle and tried it out.

I was excited to try this sunscreen because it contains SPF 70 (6.6% titanium dioxide, 14.4% zinc oxide). I've only been using sunscreen products from SPF 30 to SPF 50. Also, it's supposed to be a sheer mineral sunscreen. Here we go. Here are my thoughts on this sunscreen product.

The sunscreen was easy to dispense. The texture was a thick liquid. Applying it to the skin was not simple. I thought it was too thick. It was difficult to blend into the skin. It left a tacky feeling behind too. Left my skin looking shiny. It felt heavy. I didn't enjoy the application at all. I'm really disappointed. The experience was just bad. 

The sunscreen is advertised as being ultra sheer. It's not. It left a horrible white cast on my face. I could deal with the white cast by applying makeup afterward only if the texture was not tacky and blendable. Too bad, it's not. Even though it's hydrating, the texture ruined it for me. This sunscreen feels like glue. I noticed my skin clogging up too. The only good thing about this sunscreen is the high SPF. But that's it. It's not worth the try. It's terrible. I can't wait to be done with it. I guess I'll finish the rest on other parts of my body. I can't recommend it. It's an awful product. Definitely overhyped.

Review: Cetaphil Everyday Sunscreen Tinted Face Lotion SPF 40

I think it's time to review the Cetaphil Everyday Sunscreen Tinted Face Lotion SPF 40. I've lost count of how many of these sunscreens that I've gone through...

Cetaphil Everyday Sunscreen Tinted Face Lotion SPF 40 is a mineral sunscreen. It contains 7.8% zinc oxide and 10.1% titanium dioxide. It also contains vitamin E to help defend against surface free radicals.

The sunscreen has the perfect texture, at least for me. I really liked the lotion texture instead of gel-based sunscreens. It adheres to my skin very well. It was easy to blend into the skin. I loved how the sunscreen soothes the skin and calms my skin down. If you have sensitive skin or skin that becomes irritated easily, this works. That's a major reason why I kept using it. Many sunscreens are too heavy and irritate my skin. This doesn't. It's also moisturizing enough for my skin. It doesn't dry it out. Most mineral sunscreens I have used settle into fine lines and wrinkles.

But one thing I didn't like about this sunscreen is that the shade is orange. I'm put off by the orange tint. I wish there were more choices when it comes to the tint. Even though I've gone through many tubes of this sunscreen, it's making me want to try other sunscreen products. If I'm going to use it every day, I should enjoy using it. I'm just not feeling the orange tint. I can't go about my day looking orange. It's embarrassing. I've been using makeup to tone down the orange. I prefer to just find a sunscreen product that's not orange. I'll keep looking.

Overall, Cetaphil Everyday Sunscreen Tinted Face Lotion SPF 40 is a decent sunscreen product. I didn't get breakouts wearing it. I just wish they would come out with more shades. It doesn't match a variety of skin tones as it claims. This would've become my favorite sunscreen if there were more shade options. This is one of those products that could've been good.