The Sunscreen Project, Part 10 (last part)

Hey guys and gals,


This is going to be the last part on my Sunscreen Project series. If you've been following my posts so far, you'll know that for the past few months, I've been searching for a great sunscreen that is affordable, non-comedogenic, and provides full-spectrum protection with at least SPF 30. After going through 9 sunscreens, I've found the one I like the most:

Coppertone Oil Free Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30

If you guys look on my review for this sunscreen here, you'll see that this sunscreen fits all of the qualifications listed. I highly recommend this sunscreen for anyone with oily, combination, acne-prone, or sensitive skin. This is a pretty great sunscreen that retails for $10 on drugstore.com, but you can buy it on Amazon for $7.87. Great deal for 8 oz of sunscreen - even if you apply it daily, it will last a long time!

I hope this series has been enjoyable for you all. I will post the past posts (that's a mouthful) at the bottom of this post. Please stay safe this summer under the hot sun and apply sunscreen on!

<3

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Past posts:

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Vanicream SPF 30

Part 3: Solbar Avo SPF 32

Part 4: Pur~lisse Essential Daily Moisturizer SPF 30

Part 5: Coppertone Sport SPF 30

Part 6: Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 15

Part 7: Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream SPF 32
Part 8: Clean & Clear Finishes Oil-Free Pore Perfecting Moisturizer w/ SPF 15

Part 9: Coppertone Oil Free Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30

The Sunscreen Project, Part 9

Coppertone Oil Free Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30

I ordered this sunscreen online off of Amazon.com for about $9. $9 for 8 ounces of sunscreen. Nice!

The first interesting thing that I noticed was that this package did not have an expiration date. Hmm. In order to avoid any problems that this might potentially have for me in the future, I wrote the date I received the sunscreen and the earliest expiration date (1 year from then) on the spine of the sunscreen bottle in permanent marker.

A few days after I got this sunscreen, I decided to try it. Adding it into my daily morning routine, I applied about 1/4-1/3 ounce of it onto my face, behind my ears, and the top of my neck.

And hence, my review begins.

Here are the factors that I will look for:

1. Good coverage of UVA and UVB rays
2. SPF of 30+
3. Oil-free, or noncomedogenic (note that what is noncomedogenic for one person might not be for another person - it all depends on your skin type and the sensitivity of your skin)
4. Hypoallergenic
5. Affordability

Ingredients list:



Active Ingredients: Avobenzone 2%, Homosalate (13%), Octisalate (5%), Octocrylene (2%), Oxybenzone 4%


Inactive Ingredients: Water, Sorbitol, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Triethanolamine, Stearic Acid, Sorbitan Isostearate, Benzyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl 3 Diisostearate, Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Carbomer, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Disodium EDTA


With a quick glance at the ingredients list, I am pretty happy with this sunscreen. It covers both UVA (avobenzone) and UVB (homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, oxybenzone) rays, so it is a broad-spectrum sunscreen.

The sunscreen applied on readily onto my skin. It was pretty easy to smooth out as well, and absorbed well into my skin. It took only a few minutes to dry onto my skin, and afterwards, my skin did not look shiny or feel sticky. Excellent.

This sunscreen did not make me break out, even after about 2 weeks of continuous use. I guess it lives up to its reputation of being noncomedogenic, after stating in its name that it is "Oil-Free"?

Also, this sunscreen did not give me a rash. Good. And, it has a SPF of 30, which is pretty good.

Pros? Affordability, Easy to apply, Fast-absorbing, Hypoallergenic, Good SPF, Broad Spectrum
Cons? None - that I can think of.

Would this be a repurchase for me? As of right now, probably yes. However, it probably will take me awhile to finish it, so I will most likely not buy this again until I am almost done with this bottle. However, so far, this one has been the best I've seen - matching just about all of my qualifications. Nice.

I think this is an excellent sunscreen for all skin types, especially oily skin types or combination skin types.

Have you guys/gals tried this before? Any other sunscreens (hopefully affordable ones) that you guys/gals might recommend me to try? Lemme know and leave a comment!


Source: 1


Past posts:
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Vanicream SPF 30
Part 3: Solbar Avo SPF 32
Part 4: Pur~lisse Essential Daily Moisturizer SPF 30
Part 5: Coppertone Sport SPF 30
Part 6: Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 15
Part 7: Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream SPF 32
Part 8: Clean & Clear Finishes Oil-Free Pore Perfecting Moisturizer w/SPF 15

Review: GUD Natural Body Lotion Orange Petalooza

A few weeks ago, I received a sample of GUD's Natural Body Lotion in Orange Petalooza in the mail. I believe GUD is a new line from Burt's Bees that is sold at Target. This company is selling skincare-related products including lotion, body butters, body washes, body mist, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc. This line was meant to be a part of Burt's Bees that focused on scents and brought in fun into their products.

So I decided to try it, since it seemed pretty interesting. Hmm... was it "GUD", or rather, "good"?

Well, first, here is the ingredients list.


Taken off directly from website (www.gudhappens.com):
Ingredients: water, cetearyl glucoside, fragrance, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), cetyl alcohol, tapioca starch, caprylic/capric triglyceride, glycerin, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, phenoxyethanol, hyssopus officinalis extract*, juglans nigra (black walnut) leaf extract*, melissa officinalis leaf extract*, rosa canina fruit extract*, rubus idaeus (raspberry) leaf extract*, tocopherol, cetearyl alcohol, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate, citric acid, glycine soja (soybean) oil, alcohol denat. *Organic.


Just from reading the ingredients list, one can see that this product has several types of oils, including sunflower oil, cetyl alcohol (fatty alcohol), soybean oil, glycerin, capric triglyceride, rose caina fruit extract, etc. This product also has shea butter, which is supposed to be good and moisturizing for the skin.

The packaging also says that the product is paraben, phthalate, and petrochemical-free. I guess this lives up to the Burt's Bees motto of being "All Natural", huh?

When I first tried it, I felt that the white lotion was kind of hard to spread. Well, okay. Then, after I finally spread it onto my skin, it did not seem to absorb very easily into my skin. Hmm. Problem.

However, after it did absorb, my skin actually felt pretty soft and smooth. And I've got to tell you, the company did keep its promise of delivering a product with scent. This time, as it is quoted on the packaging of the product, the "scent of blood orange and hyacinth". Its scent was so strong that it felt like an orange had thrown up on me. Also, there was a faint hint of a floral-like smell - most likely the hyacinth. It's really cool that even though the scent is very strong, it didn't make my skin break out into a giant rash, which happens not uncommonly, because I have sensitive skin. O.o

Pretty darn powerful.

The weird thing was that about 20 min after I put the lotion on, I started feeling like the lotion was drying up my skin. Sure, it was making my skin softer, but the lotion felt like it was a desiccant of some sort. O.o

The scent did last a long time though. I've got to admit that. I put the lotion on before I went to bed, and the next morning, the scent was still there, just as strong as ever.

Overall? I think this lotion is all right, if you can get over the desiccation effect.

The price of this is $7 for an 8 oz tube, which is actually a good, affordable price, especially for a Burt's Bees product, which is kind of on the pricey side for a brand, regarding drugstore products.

Would I buy the full size? It is not perfect, but for a night lotion, I might actually consider buying the full-size version of this.

Have you guys/gals tried super strong scented lotion before? How did it feel? Leave a comment!

Source: 1/2

My Mascara Story + My search for the next great mascara

I am constantly searching for great drugstore mascaras to try. I usually look for drugstore mascaras because their life is usually 3-4 months long each (since I usually wear them just about every day), so if I buy high-end ones, the costs add up really really quickly.


I first started using mascara during my junior year in high school. Back then, I had just started wearing makeup, and did not know any tricks about how to apply the formula, how to wipe it off, what different numbers of coats meant, etc. As a result, I applied the formula on very poorly, and I just turned out looking like a panda. (Yes, I am Chinese, so a Chinese panda! lolz) At the time, I was using a high-end mascara - Estee Lauder's MagnaScopic - and I thought that if high-end mascaras would give me this effect, then drugstore ones would be worse. Yikes.


Anyways, because of the poor results I got - my disaster at using mascara - I stopped using it until my freshman year of college. My mom got me a CoverGirl Volume Exact, this time in the waterproof form. My freshman roommate taught me how to use mascara properly (thank you girl!) and I started using it again. However, I was still pretty wary of it, and did not truly start applying on mascara regularly until sometime during the middle of my junior year. It was around this time that I started watching more Youtube videos on how to do the whole makeup shindig, and I started practicing more and improving my technique. (It was also around this time that I started this blog!)


Fast forward to today. I've tried several different mascaras throughout time since then, and I've reviewed quite a few of them, and compared their results.


Here are the ones that I've tried so far, in reverse chronological order:


1. Maybelline Colossal in Classic Black, Waterproof
2. Maybelline Falsies in Black Drama, Waterproof
3. Almay One Coat Thickening Mascara, Black, Waterproof
4. CoverGirl LashBlast Volume, Black, Waterproof
5. CoverGirl LashBlast Length, Black, Water-resistant
6. CoverGirl VolumeExact, Very Black, Waterproof (sorry, in earlier posts, I had forgotten about this one!)
7. Estee Lauder MagnaScopic Maximum Volume, Black (not waterproof)





Note, of course, I'm going to get the black waterproof kind (because I have black eyelashes, and because I've had better experiences with waterproof mascaras holding up my short, stick-straight lashes). The other qualifications I look for in mascaras are: 1) smudge-proof, 2) long-lasting, 3) lengthening, 4) volumizing, 5) does not give the spidery-lash effect. Yes, very specific qualifications.



I've looked on several websites for mascara reviews, and I think I might find one of the following to try for my next mascara (I'm currently on a mascara "fasting period" right now, so no mascara for now):


-Lóreal Paris Voluminous
-Lóreal Paris Voluminous in Carbon Black
-Lóreal Paris Telescopic Carbon Black
-Lóreal Voluminous Million Lashes
-Lóreal Voluminous Naturale
-L'oreal Extra Volume Collagen
-Rimmel London Sexy Curves
-Rimmel London Lycra Lash Extender
-Rimmel Glam'Eyes Lash Flirt
-Maybelline Full N' Soft
-Maybelline Define A Lash
-Maybelline Lash Stiletto
-Max Factor Volume Couture
-Max Factor Stretch & Separate
-Max Factor 2000 Calorie (I don't like that name...)
-NYX Doll Lash


Eehhh... that's too long of a list. I'll just go to a drugstore (when I get a chance) and see what brands are available. I saw on beautybroadcast that L'oreal Paris Telescopic Carbon Black, L'oreal Paris Voluminous, and L'oreal Paris Voluminous in Carbon Black are pretty good, so I think I might try one of those.


Anyways, if you've read this far down in the post, I applaud you! (I'm sorry this post is so long!)
So now, my question is, what mascara would you recommend, out of this long list, and if you have a recommendation for a good mascara that is not on this list, what would it be? Leave a comment please!


Sources: 1 / 2 / 3

The Sunscreen Project, Part 8

Clean & Clear Finishes Oil-Free Pore Perfecting Moisturizer w/SPF 15

Hey guys and gals,

I want to apologize for not updating The Sunscreen Project series for such a long time. For awhile after graduation, things were super hectic. It seems like everything is finally starting to pop back up into place.

Today, I'm going to continue on my quest to find a great sunscreen.

After going through 8 sunscreens now, I have made a list of qualifications I hope sunscreens will fulfill:
1. Good coverage of UVA and UVB rays
2. SPF of 30+
3. Oil-free, or noncomedogenic (note that what is noncomedogenic for one person might not be for another person - it all depends on your skin type and the sensitivity of your skin)
4. Hypoallergenic
5. Affordable

First, some factors for indication, that I have written on previous posts, but would like to consolidate here:
1. Using liquid sunscreen (like that thick, white paste liquid) is good for maximum coverage.
2. You need to use 1/4 to 1/3 of a teaspoon of sunscreen in order to cover your entire face. If you want to cover your entire body, you should use about 1 oz of sunscreen - about a shot glass worth.
3. It is good to have active ingredients in the sunscreen that cover both UVA (avobenzone, or high amounts of zinc oxide) and UVB (oxybenzone, homosalate, octocrylene, titanium dioxide, octyl salicylate, etc) rays. AKA a broad spectrum sunscreen.
4. A SPF of 15 or more is recommended by the US Federal Drug Administration (in a sunscreen).
5. Sunscreens do expire. Make sure to store them in a dry, cool space, in order to minimize the breakdown of active ingredients (and other ingredients) in order to prolong the lifespan of the sunscreen. According to the Mayo Clinic, sunscreen is supposed to last up to 3 years, especially if you store them in this kind of space. Otherwise, they might only last 1 year.


All righty, anyways, here's a review the 8th sunscreen that I've tried, Clean & Clear Finishes Oil-Free Pore Perfecting Moisturizer w/SPF 15.

I got a few samples of this sunscreen from buying Clean & Clear's Even Tone Foam Cleanser. These samples were tubes of 0.15 oz. Pretty nifty, huh?

According to Clean & Clear's official website, the ingredients in this facial moisturizer w/ SPF (basically a sunscreen) are:

Active: Avobenzone (3%), Octisalate (5%), Octocrylene (1.7%), Oxybenzone (3%) 
Inactive: Water, Dimethicone, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Diethylhexyl 2,6-Naphthalate, Glycerin, Arachidyl Alcohol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Sodium Polyacrylate, Silica, PCA Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Behenyl Alcohol, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Steareth-2, Fragrance, Betaine, Arachidyl Glucoside, Methylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Seareth-21, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sodium PCA, Benzalkonium Chloride, Propylparaben, Sorbitol, Ethylparaben, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract, Boron Nitride, Serine, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Glycine, Glutamic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Alanine, Arginine, Lysine, Threonine, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Proline

My first thoughts:


Nice. I'm glad that the active ingredients list has chemicals that protect against both UVA and UVB rays. There's the skin protectant dimethicone in there as well. There are several parabens - methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, etc in there - which is okay, because those are preservative agents (which I think are OK in a product, as long as they don't overpower the product). What's interesting is that there are extra amino acids in the ingredients - serine, glycine, glutamic acid, alanine, arginine, lysine, threonine, proline. I guess I just remember them from biochemistry. I've never actually bothered to look at the ingredients list so closely - by this, I mean the inactive ingredients list - so I find this to be pretty interesting.

Anyways, I squeezed the tube of sunscreen and applied a generous amount to my face, ears, and chin area/upper neck area.

What did I find?

This sunscreen applies on smoothly, but is a bit on the thick side. It is a bit thicker than the Solbar, Pur-lisse, Coppertone Sport, and Cetaphil sunscreens (see links at the end of the post). In fact, it's a lot thicker than the Cetaphil sunscreen. This sunscreen also takes quite awhile to dry on my skin - even hours - and afterwards, leaves a shine on my face. I dislike this last fact.

Note: I have combination/oily skin, so this might play a factor in how its results manifested on my face.

Also note that this SPF is only 15 - which is relatively low, especially because I live in the Sunbelt of the US, where I definitely need a lot of skin protection.

It seemed like the shine effect lasted all day on my face. I didn't really like it, because it felt like my face was sticky all day. Not cool. It also seemed to kind of make my face breakout. Un-uh.

This retails at about $9 for 1.7 oz. Geez! Based on this, if this sunscreen were 4 oz, it would cost about $22. And the Cetaphil SPF 15, which is comparable to this sunscreen, costs $12 for a 4 oz bottle. The Coppertone SPF 30 would be about $4.50 for a 4 oz bottle. This is not as expensive as the Pur-lisse or the Shiseido, but those are high-end sunscreens, while this is a drugstore one. This is, by far, the most expensive drugstore sunscreen I have tried.

Pros? Covers UVA and UVB rays (broad spectrum sunscreen)
Cons? quite thick, takes long time to dry, leaves shine on face, low SPF, pricey for a drugstore sunscreen, makes me break out.

Would I buy the full-sized version of this? Probably not. There are many better sunscreens out there that are cheaper and more effective for my skin.

My search for a good sunscreen continues!

Source: 1

Past posts:
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Vanicream SPF 30
Part 3: Solbar Avo SPF 32
Part 4: Pur~lisse Essential Daily Moisturizer SPF 30
Part 5: Coppertone Sport SPF 30
Part 6: Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 15
Part 7: Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream SPF 32