In lieu of doing the weekly favorites post I thought I would finally get up my round up about the sunscreens I’ve been playing with lately. I normally do a yearly post about the sunscreens I’ve been testing. I was procrastinating on this post due to grabbing a few new ones but at this point I think I’ll make this Part 1 and do a Part 2 later. Make P:rem is not a new sunscreen brand to me. I started with the Capsule Sun Gel last summer and it took me about a year to finish it. That’s only because I used it in the summer mostly due it’s incredibly light and serum like texture. If you’re looking for light and not heavy this is for you. It’s completely clear, not greasy or oily and is the lightest textured sunscreen I’ve used to date. It’s easily one of the best sunscreens I’ve ever used. This is a ‘chemical’ sunscreen & review HERE.
I finally decided this year I wanted to try the Make P:rem Blue Ray Sun Gel. This version is a little more of a milky essence. Still very light weight and no white cast, it’s just not as light as the Capsule Sun Gel. This Blue Ray line cools down the skin from the damaging infrared rays. I don’t know if it’s just because it’s in my head but every time I wear this line I do feel like it has some effect on how hot my skin feels. Even if it didn’t have that effect for you it’s still a great sunscreen. It’s light and great for just about anyone. This is a ‘chemical’ sunscreen.
Julisis Sun Emulsion has become my all time favorite physical sunscreen. This has the lightest texture of any physical sunscreen I’ve tried to date. It has absolutely no white cast at all. It feels like a light lotion so it’s not heavy or greasy at all. This is only SPF 30 but that’s OK with me for daily work use. Sun Emulsion also has plant extracts for skin benefits. This is just the best textured physical sunscreen ever. It has become my number one ‘mineral’ sunscreen. As a bonus it smells like citrus. It also contains the Julisis liquid silver essence which I don’t know anything about & need to look at it more. Silver is very antibacterial and helps wound healing but beyond that I have to look more into it.
Ingredients
Aqua (Levitised Water) Prunus Armeniaca (Yellow Apricot Oil), Methylsulfonylmethane (Sulphur Flower) Dulcus Prunis (Sweet Almond Oil) Usnea Barbata Extrakt (Tree Mos) Tocopherol (Vitamine E) Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C), Calendula Officinalis (Field Marigold) Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Extract) Glycerine (Herbal Glycerin) Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree Extract) Aloe Vera 200:1 (Aloe Extract) Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamine A) Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit Kernel Extract) Calciol (Vitamin D3) Micro Titanium Dioxide >100μ Micro Zinc Dioxide >100μ Citrus Sinensis (Orange Leaf Extract) JlLSE (Julisis Liquid Silver Essence®)
NIOD launched a new sunscreen about a year ago. The Survival range has different levels of protection-0, 10, 20 & 30. I’ve been using both 0 and 30. Survival 30 is a ‘mineral’ sunscreen. Not only is it a mineral sunscreen but it helps protect against pollution, oxygen radicals, smog, stress plus infrared and blue light. It’s got a fluid texture and while it’s tinted it does leave a bit of a white cast. It’s not bad for my skin tone but it may be too light for darker skin tones. I love that it’s not too heavy or thick textured. It’s not greasy either. So it’s a nice satin finish mineral sunscreen. It comes with a dropper which is terrible because it’s too thick for it. They did recently repackage it with a pump but I haven’t seen it available in the US yet. I just put a MAC foundation pump in mine and it works great.
Sarah Chapman SKINESIS Skin Insurance SPF 30 is a blurring, tinted SPF. It’s a really light tinted moisturizer or foundation. In addition to providing SPF is has protective and regenerative ingredients. It’s skincare plus SPF plus very light coverage. It’s great for a weekend or day when you want quick and simple. This has a really extensive inci list I won’t get into. You can look at it online. This is a ‘chemical’ sunscreen. Sarah Chapman makes skincare so it’s not a makeup product it’s more of a skincare product with SPF and a tint benefit. I like that it’s not heavy. You could use it as a tinted moisturizer or lotion in the summer or add it over a moisturizer in the winter. It’s got a light lotion texture. It blends into the skin nicely and I love it on those quick days like weekends when I’m running out with nothing else on.
de Mamiel Exhale Daily Hydrating Nectar is also a SPF moisturizer combo. This has a lighter tint and it’s more like tinted SPF-not a tinted moisturizer or light foundation. This is also a ‘mineral’ sunscreen with an SPF of 30 so it’s good for basic daily use. It’s got a thicker texture. This one also blurs imperfections to a degree. Plus it has skin loving ingredients like raspberry & prickly pear seed oil, quercetin, tocopherol and avocado fruit extract to name a few. It’s also got a long inci list. While this moisturizes like a lotion it does set down to a more satin finish and actually zinc tends to dry me out so these full mineral sunscreens are nice as they help control shine & oil in the summer for me. This is also a weekend product for me just because it pills with makeup following unless I wait thirty minutes for it to sink in. This also has a unique and almost strange scent. I can handle it but I can see it bothering some. de Mamiel makes delicious skincare but this is one I probably wouldn’t repurchase. I enjoyed it but it really works better when worn alone or you have to give it enough time to sink in (which I don’t have during the week). Plus it almost dried me out too much in the winter, I just happen to react that way to zinc in mineral sunscreens.
I finally caved and grabbed the COSRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream and it’s fantastic. A SPF 50 ‘chemical’ sunscreen that has no white cast and it’s hydrating like a light cream but it’s not heavy, occlusive or greasy at all. It sinks right in. I love that this is affordable and it has a really great texture. Aloe is also a perfect ingredient for sun exposure as it soothes so that’s great it’s in a sunscreen. It has a light scent and I would easily buy it again. Use it as a moisturizer alone in the summer or over a moisturizer in the winter when you need more.
Top to Bottom-de Mamiel, Julisis, NIOD, Make P:rem Sun Ray Gel, Sarah Chapman, COSRX, Make P:rem Capsule Sun Gel:
Absolutely loved this post – one of my favorites yet. Thank you for such a comprehensive review and, as always, the swatches and scent descriptions are incredibly helpful. I have some new SPFs on my wish list. Do you tend to reapply throughout the day? Thank you!