Skin Care

Nivea Sun Moisturizing Lotion SPF 50 PA++ {Product Review}

Swathy · July 28, 2012 · 11 Comments

Price: Rs 399 for 125ml

Ingredients

I am skipping on this part because I couldn’t get a better pic 🙁 Sorry, guys!!!

Pros

– a medium consistency lotion which spreads easily

– smells nice

– does protect from tanning

Cons

– white cast!!!

– little issue with blending
– its PA++ and not PA+++ (the 3 +’s give highest protection against UVA rays)

My Experience

Since you all are already aware of my stringent requirements when it comes to sunscreen, doing an unbiased review is pretty difficult for me. I have needed a body sunscreen since long and this one came at the right time. And, Nivea being on the top of my beloved brands, the products did make me curious and I was very happy when I got a chance to try the products.

To begin with, the lotion is of a medium consistency and is pleasantly perfumed which doesn’t bother the nose and doesn’t linger on the skin either. It is of a soft yellow color and spreads easily on the skin. Now, this is where the trouble with the product begins. It spreads easily but it sits on top of my skin (which I have no issue with since its a sun protector).

But, it leaves a horrible amount of white cast which makes it absolutely impossible to use the exact amount of sunscreen which is actually required to achieve the said protection. One arm needs a tea spoonful of sunscreen which is around 5ml and I am hardly able to apply a really huge dollop on both hands 🙁

I have not tested the sunscreen under stringent conditions because I got them a month back when I was in Delhi and in Hyderabad, it has been cloudy since then. In the meantime, I do go out in the afternoons around 11-2 PM slot and apply my sunscreen once right in the morning.

Also, if you have read my posts on sunscreens, I have ranted a lot about the regular sunscreen ingredients being not so stable and break down on exposure to sun so I don’t know if this sunscreen breaks down or not but its ingredients are all same. But, I won’t say that my arms have tanned seriously or anything.

Also, there is one claim which bothers me a bit. The sunscreen talks about immediate protection. As far as my knowledge goes, the sunscreen ingredients take 15-30 minutes to get activated and form a shield on the skin to protect from the sun’s rays. So, as a precautionary measure, I always apply this at the same time I apply the sunscreen on my face. No, I haven’t used this on my face as I didn’t want the white cast.

One word about its water resistant power. Since it gives a very thick white cast, whenever I wash my hand, I can see a layer of the white film where the water touches my skin and initially, I had thought it to be water resistant. But, once I was caught up in the rain and the whole sunscreen literally bled from my hands and it was looking really bad coz I didn’t have hankie or napkin to wipe off the cast and my whole hand was looking painted white!!! So, yes, its not water resistant in a torrent of rain but it does have some resistance.

Also, since I have ranted so much about this product’s negatives, let me state some positives about its counterpart product – spf 30 one. It doesn’t give any white cast and disappears into skin really well!!! I am loving it and my arms haven’t grown dark even though I apply it only once in a day!!!

PS: Product sent by brand for consideration.

Other products from Nivea:

Nivea Nourishing Body Milk
Winter Skin Care Lotions
Reminiscing Life through Beauty Products
Nivea Fruity Shine Dragon Fruit vs Pomegranate
Nivea Refreshing Cleansing Milk
Nivea Repair and Protection Lip Balm

Cellnique Paramedicals Derma Whitening Daytime Protection {Product Review}

Swathy · June 28, 2012 · 6 Comments

Price: 57$ (Rs 3000 around) for 30ml

Ingredients

Pros

– its a mineral sunscreen as well

– spreads easily and is not too creamy

Cons

– it leaves a lot of white cast!!!

– pretty expensive!!

– the pump didn’t work for me 🙁

My Experience

I am always on the look out for Zinc Oxide based sunscreens. So, this one caught my eye. I liked the packaging with the pump for the squeeze tube but, unfortunately, the pump didn’t work for me. I had to screw open the pump and squeeze out the sunscreen.

The sunscreen is white in color and light in texture but enough creamy but again, not too creamy. And, depending on various days, I needed extra moisturizing sometimes and sometimes not. The light texture of the product allows it to spread easily and evenly on the skin.

But, there is a huge hitch in this. Since it has both Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide (I don’t know the ratios), the product leaves a lot of white cast on the skin which is very annoying. I have tried using the product on my arms as well and same issue there.

And, it is definitely expensive for 30 ml of a product which would probably last two months!!! It needs to be reapplied because its a combination of mineral and chemical sunscreen. I wish they do something regarding the white cast. Also, I didn’t see any whitening or lightening of my skin tone.

PS: Product sent by brand.

Ice Cubes to control Sweat {Tip of the Day}

Swathy · June 21, 2012 · 7 Comments

It’s so hot in Delhi and I sweat a lot so I really need something extra for keeping the sweat away. And, I remembered my ice cube tip which I used to use pretty long back. So, I decided to use it again. And, oh, it feels so good in this sultry heat. So, the tip is simple. Take an ice cube and rub it thoroughly on your face and neck till it melts away. And, let it dry or use a wash cloth to drain out the extra water and you are good to go!!! Using an ice cube ensured that I didn’t sweat excessively afterwards and also, it kept my skin relatively cool.

Also, another tip is to use the ice cube before applying the makeup to make it last longer. Also, using an ice cube helps the foundation to go evenly on the skin and hide the pores as well as they get constricted. Ok, so sometime back, I also received a comment saying that applying ice cubes makes the skin dry. No, it doesn’t. In fact, its just water so it hydrates the skin. Also, yes, you have to moisturize afterwards if you have a dry skin. Since my skin does get sweaty, I avoid moisturizers sometimes but its not a healthy habit. In fact, I didn’t avoid moisturizer after applying the ice cube since the moisturizer does get absorbed pretty quickly due to the damp skin. Find a good moisturizer for your skin type and don’t skip it ever!!

Related Post:

Ice Cubes for your face