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Colorstay UV Primer SPF 40 PA +++ – Revlon

Ingredients:

Cyclopentasiloxane, Aqua, Zinc Oxide, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Glycerin, Titanium Dioxide, PEG-10 Dimethicone, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, HDI/Trimethylol, Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Hexyl Laurate, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Salicylic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Perlite, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Xantham Gum, Magnesium sulphate, Stearic Acid, Alumina, Polysilicone-11, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Tetrasodium EDTA, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Butylene Glycol, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, CI 77499

As per COSDNA, the following ingredients may cause acne:

  • Zinc Oxide (1)
  • Dimethicone (1)
  • Stearic Acid (2)
  • Ethylhexyl Palmitate (4)
  • Butylene Glycol (1)

I will share my opinions regarding these ingredients as we go further.

Trial Duration: 2 Days

Price: 825 PHP (Mall Price, Lazada Mall) / around 17 USD – 30 ml

Packaging:

*** it doesn’t come with a box

Current Skin Condition: Acne Prone with dry patches

Review:

The claim of this primer is simple – Smoothen and Protects Skin with SPF 40 +++

My experience with this primer is actually pretty good. I did not expect this from a makeup-grade product as normally they are very heavy and tends to make my face a little heavy at most. Personally, I don’t use primer daily. I feel like it is too much to be added for a normal workday — of course, this is more of a personal preference and my thoughts went a little different on this product.

Let’s go it to details.

On the first day, I tried to use this alone hoping that it can work as a standalone sun protection – however, this is not that kind of product. The product itself is very thick and sticky. It is meant to hold on to something like your foundation or everyday powder but never alone.

At first when you dispense it, the texture is runny but you will feel that it has body. It is also white to pinkish in color.

On my first trial, I tried using around 1/3 teaspoon of this amount into my face. The amount I dispensed is the average amount of sunscreen I use on every day basis which is basically enough to give me proper protection all over my face.

As you can see from the picture above, my face went very shinny and sticky after application. Also, because of its opaque white – pinkish property, my face went a little whiter. This did not settle and was been like that for minutes.

What I just noticed though is that using the same amount I used for my regular sunscreen, there were visible excess that compounded in my hairline and other corner of my face. I also noticed that the excess was more clinging on my dry patches. I tried to move those excess to my face hoping that it will find its own spot to settle but it didn’t. In the end, I have to remove those excess off my face.

After removing, I put my concealer and foundation. I did not do anything special just my regular fingers (for concealer – Maybelline Instant Age Rewind) and brush (for the liquid foundation – L’Oreal Infallible Fresh Wear 24HR):

For this experiment, I put my concealer under my eyes and one on top of my forehead to hide a dead pimple.

Apparently, this primer is a little greedy in sucking my makeup. I noticed that my usual one-pump of my liquid foundation is not enough to cover my face. I have to make another half pump to cover the remainder of my face.

I’m a little surprised with the finish though – -the result of combining this primer with my go-to liquid foundation is beautiful. It left my skin with a very dewy finish. Also, because of its slight pinkish color, some of my old hyperpigmentation somewhat disappeared (as if it colored corrected it). As you can see from the picture, my face went instantly flawless and a hint of healthy-looking glow is apparent. I did not expect this at all as this is not given as a promise.

Moving on, just to remove the remainder stickiness, I pat my face with very little powder from Clean & Clear Essential Face Powder. For finale, I added some colors using Maybelline Fit Me Blush.

Another worth the praising is how it elegantly holds my dry patches. On a normal circumstance, my dry skin will be too obvious to the point that they are picking out. Perhaps due to its sticky nature, my dry skin adhered to my skin making them less obvious.

I checked my face after around 5 hours and I noticed that my dewiness upgraded, making it look a lot healthier and not greasy at all. Is it bad? No, I prefer to describe my makeup that time as somewhat more natural than it was when I newly applied it. Also, as time pass by, you tend to forget the presence of this primer as if you’re only wearing your concealer and foundation. It feels like it wasn’t there at all. The heaviness and stickiness disappeared as it settled together with the makeup I used. In addition, my face did not require a retouch or patting of tissue…except my nose.

As magical it might sound to some though, this primer did not go well with my nose even from the start. I observed that this primer settled in my nose’s pores even after application. Considering my tone is in between light and medium, this primer settling in my pores is very obvious. For me, I find it difficult to cover or manifest with foundation. This is a good primer still but personally I think that you will need to use a different primer for the nose or other parts of your face where your pores is extra big.

After Application:

Few hours:

Personally, I don’t believe in less is more when it comes to sunscreen. On average, we need to use 1/2 to 1/3 teaspoon of sunscreen to get the proper amount of protection. Since that I can’t have this primer using the same amount of my sunscreen, instead I went to use an actual sunscreen then topped it with this.

For the second test (day 2), after hydrating my face with Simple Hydrating Light Moisturizer and QuickFx Eye Lift Cream (like I did on day 1),I took 1/3 teaspoon of my Biore UV Aquarich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA ++++ into my face and let is dry. After like 10 minutes, I started putting this UV primer. This time though, I tried to put less (which is just around 1/4 teaspoon) to avoid excess forming on my dry patches and face’s corners.

Then, I did my concealer and liquid foundation just like I did in the first test. The result is also the same without the excess forming at the sides.

Here’s my thought.

This is a good primer. However, I will not rely on this as a standalone sun protection. If you’re the type of person who consider sunscreen a vital part of routine, you will need to wear your go-to sunscreen first. Let it absorbed then add this primer. If you’re going to use a sunscreen beneath this product, I would recommend that you use something that is light and capable of disappearing as this primer is a little heavy at first.

I have to admit though, it takes  an extra effort removing this. I mentioned earlier that this compounded in my hairline. Removing it lightly, caused me an additional pimple in that area. Just one, but it is a lesson learned (by the way, I did not get a pimple on my second trial). You can use your favorite makeup remover just make sure though that your cotton is already clear before proceeding with an actual cleanser, just to be extra sure.

This I can’t wait to share – for some reason after cleanser, my face went plump and smooth (my clogged pores are still there though but suave in touch). I felt like face went to baby butt’s mode. It’s hard for me to say that it is just a coincidence because unofficially, I used this more than twice and the results are consistent. It is more noticeable after I cleansed my face and after I woke up. Never in any product have I felt like this. Weird.

Lastly, regarding the ingredients noted above, I personally did not have any bad reaction on them, just  one pimple in my hairline. However, I have to say that this is a malpractice on my side. Other than, I find it well for my face.

Did I mention that this primer has no scent? Yep. No scent. I love the fact that it did not contain any!

Summary:

  • I will use this again and buy if needed. This is something I would put into my face if I wanted to feel a little extra or during special events (of course, this is a personal preference. You can use this as often as you please)
  • Better use a different primer on areas where large pores are apparent as it will highlight them
  • No bad reaction for acne prone like me
  • Don’t put too much as it will compound on your corners or dry patches.
  • Not sufficient sun protection but can work very well with other sunscreen (make sure to use your sunscreen first before this)
  • Unscented
  • Not cheap but not very expensive  either considering that it is a well known brand

Truecica Mineral 100 Calming Suncream SPF50+ PA++++ – Some by Mi

Ingredients:

Water, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Zinc Oxide, Silica, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Water, Titanium Dioxide(CI 77891), Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Stearic Acid, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Lauroyl Lysine, Disodium EDTA, Acrylates/C10-30 lkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Adenosine, Centella Asiatica Extract, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid

As per COSDNA, there are 3 ingredients that may cause acne:

  • Butylene Glycol (1)
  • Stearic Acid (2)
  • Zinc Oxide (1)

Other than those, everything seems ok for use. Of course, these are textbook facts. I will discuss further how my skin reacted to these ingredients.

Trial Duration: 2 days

Price: 569 PHP (Shopee Mall — SOME BY MI) / around 10 USD — 50 ml

Packaging:

Current Skin Condition: Acne prone with dry patches

Review:

Protects your skin from “Photoaging”

Truecica Mineral 100 Calming Sunscreen boast to have PA++++. The metric indicates that this provides extreme UVA protection. So far, this is the highest point in our metric system and only few have this much “+” already in their label. I can’t tell you though that this is working or subpar as the metric itself is a little questionable to be honest. I tried going out every once in a while wearing this and no browning / tanning were observed. Also, this might be too advance to tell but for the record, no additional wrinkles were added in my inventory while using this product.

Whitening

Hmmm, whitening.

This term gets to be thrown out so easily and quite interchangeably with “brightening” and “lightening” when it comes to Asian skin care. I checked the ingredient list and can’t see anything that that has somewhat bleaching properties. I do noticed though that there is Niacinamide. This ingredient is known to minimize the size of the pores, brighten skin tone, treats hyperpigmentation and anti-wrinkles to name some. Based from my personal experience, I did notice that my face is a little brighter than the usual. So if we are going to use the term “brightening”, then I would say yes. Yes, it did brighten my face. However, with very short time I had with this product I can’t tell you though if it helped me in the hyperpigmentation due to acne. So for this aspect – no comment.

Wrinkle Improvement

Like in the “brightening” claim of this product, the key ingredients for this is Niacinamide. However, same with above, it will take a lot of time to see if my wrinkles are actually less. I’m only my early 30’s and to be honest, I don’t have much yet. Hence, I can’t comment on this claim. Do note though that it claims to have one of strongest rating when it comes to UVA protection (PA ++++), together with Niacinamide, this make sense.

Sunscreen for sensitive skin

This though I can answer more. This product claims to have non-nano factors that will not be absorbed by the skin which is ideal for people with acne prone skin.

However –

This does not work as beautiful as it meant to be…at least for me. I saw a lot of people praising this in the internet and online shops saying that it works like wonder for them and this is the only sunscreen that really did not cause them issues. Unfortunately, I’m not part of that statistic.

 Just to give you an idea on how my skin was when I started using this – basically I have some dry patches due to my Tretinoin and Azelaic routine. I do have some inactive clogged pores that are hard to see even upfront…but it is there when you touch them. I do have a lot of acne hyperpigmentation too due to my recent reaction to Tretinoin but there’s really nothing active other that the one below my chin (aspiring) and one near the scalp.

Going back, after two days of trying this product, my quiet clogged pores in my chin became more apparent and two became pimples. In my left eyelid, I managed to catch what appears to be two “ripe” clogged pores. Between my eyebrows, few clogged pores appeared. They were not there when I started this trial so I can’t blame this on my current routine.  Also, to be fair, I only put a light and unscented moisturizer before using this sunscreen so I can’t blame my Tretinoin or Azelaic for it.

Other than the eyelid and new entries between my eyebrows, no other clogged pores are worth noting after this. It appears that an ingredient (or probably more) caused my clogged pores to wake up and advance. I don’t know what these ingredients could be as the listing has no apparent culprit other that the three I mentioned earlier. There is a possibility that this is more of a personal reaction and other may not experience it.

Below are some of the pictures of my screen before and after:

Before applying sunscreen (with moisturizer absorbed already):

Aftermath (2 days after):

Note: Those items in red circle are there before the trial however, they are very small and less noticeable when I started. The one in orange is the aspiring I mentioned earlier. It is its first day before I took the sunscreen. The one below the orange circle and the reds in left “ripen” after the sunscreen.

These are new as there are no clogged pores on those areas when I started using this sunscreen

These are new to me as well.

85% moisture essence, lotion-like texture with no white cast finish

This sunscreen is not sticky considering that it is mineral. The texture of the lotion itself is not dry and true to its claim that it is lotion like. It glides smoothly in my face and does spread quite nicely. I did not have any issues about this getting stuck in my lines, nose and other corners. From my experience with other sunscreens I would say that when you put it, it is light but not the lightest out there.  However, when it dries, it is hard to tell that it is there.

It did not dry my skin. However it did not contribute any moisturizing effect on my skin despite its claim that it has 85% moisture essence. My skin still has the initial dryness issue I mentioned earlier…just not worse.

I also did not notice any white cast afterwards. It went almost invisible to my skin after few minutes.

Spread:

Without flash, natural light

With flash

A little shiny at first

After 30 mins:

Natural light

With flash

Smell

Reading the product listing, it is true that they don’t have any artificial scents, but it still has fragrance. There are oils worth noting that contributes to its lemon to green tea like scent, almost similar to Biore Watery Essence Sunscreen but lighter. These are Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil and Asiaticoside. They are known as natural fragrance. Some people tends to have irritations on these items especially when used in larger amount.

Though I can live with the scent that this sunscreen has, for me though, I would prefer not to have it no matter how “natural” or light they are. I’m a huge believer that not all-natural products are good for your skin. Our skin has no need for fragrance and these ingredients might only cause irritation.

Final thoughts:

I’m a little skeptic recommending this one despite all the good points I mentioned (lightness, texture, no-white cast etc). The thing is, if the reaction might be a conflict related to my routine (which contains Azelaic and Tretinoin), it’s no good for acne prone then. Let’s be real here. People with acne prone skin may be already be involved in medical grade routine. Their routine tends to have strong ingredients perhaps due to prescription or over the counter items such AHA, BHA, Retinol / Retinoid and Azelaic to name some. If this is the cause of my inactive clogged pores getting triggered then we maybe be we should be more specific with the claims.

For now, it’s a take-at-your-own-risk kind of recommendation. A lot of people are praising it but unfortunately for me, I fell on that smaller statistic that did not have good reaction in this sunscreen.

Would I try it again? Yes. I’m planning to consume the whole tube and make a new review again. I will not erase this but I would like to give this a second chance. The reason for it is because this sunscreen feels a lot better than those that I tried. It is very light and it works very well on my makeup (I have a separate review for it).  For the record, I will not pull out my routine (which contains Tretinoin and Azelaic) just to give way to this sunscreen. I will consume them as is and this sunscreen as how it is meant to be.

I’ll keep this posted once the new review is ready.

If you want to see my under the makeup review of this product, check out this link.