Shiseido Gentle Sun Protection Lotion For Face / Body spf 30 Product Review

Whenever I would ask my darling husband to go shopping back in Malaysia during our vacation, he would just postpone it to the next time. And, ultimately it was the day of our flight back home. He assured me that the airport was equipped with all kinds of duty free shops. So, I acquiesced with his opinion and decided to spend money there.

But, to my horror and his glee, we could not find even a single shop at KLIA 1. While he was snacking at Harrod’s, I slipped away to ask the passenger service desk for shopping options. They told me that it was available in the other part of the airport which was connected through a bullet train. So, without informing my completely clueless husband, I just left for the other part of the airport thinking I would be back in 15 minutes at max.

And, that was the most blissful 30-45 minutes of my life. I was literally rushing through the shops and grabbing the products on my list. Yes, I had compiled a list of products I wanted to buy, thanks to Tine’s most worthy splurges and Paris’s recommendations. And, when I was on my last item, I realized that I had exhausted all the money I had got!

Once back to my husband, I found I had to deal with something else totally than telling him that I had finished the money 😀 He was furious and had been searching for me. Just falling short of reporting a missing complaint, he had searched that part of the airport thoroughly and could not find me. He was just furious. When I think back, I secretly laugh at the entire scene which played out and I am sure he curses me to this day for putting him through it.

Worse was yet to come. Because, he had planned to buy a few of liquor bottles and I had spent all the money, poor guy was speechless when he came to know about it!! Honestly, that was when I really understood how shopping can be a therapy and addictive. The orgy continues to this day. In fact, I have started feeling very much like I think Rebecca Bloomwood, from Confessions of a Shopoholic, feels when she buys clothes. Only I like cosmetics better.

This product from Shiseido is among the ones I got from there. Unfortunately, this was not the exact product on my list but I got confused and bought whatever I got since I was running out of time. And, I realized my mistake once I was back! Sheisido has apparently come up with an interesting sunscreen which becomes even more effective when it comes in contact with water. I wanted to buy that!! Anyways, since I got it, I did obviously use and finish it. So, let me describe my experience with the product.

Shiseido Sunscreen spf 30 Product Review

Price : 120 Malaysian Ringets (somewhere around the same price but I am not quite sure)

Availability : All Shiseido Outlets

Packaging : It is a 100ml bottle which comes with a flip top cap. The bottle is small enough to be carried anywhere making reapplication easy. The orange blue combo does not really appeal to me but then I am more concerned about the product.

Texture : The sunscreen is a very thin fluid. Many times I end up spilling drops of the product on the floor while getting it out.

Usage and Results

Let us start with the amount of product to be applied. Since the product is a thin fluid, I take a five rupee coin sized amount each for face, neck and décolletage and each arm. Now, as I have iterated many a times sunscreen should be applied in sufficient amount and reapplied every 2-3 hours for optimum protection.

The finish of the product is matte if you apply in just enough quantity. The quantity I mentioned leaves my skin a bit shiny but not so much. In fact, it provides a good base (I use Maybelline) for foundation since it is dry and my skin does not feel stretchy all day long. The product settles down in the skin quickly enough and skin does not become oily even at the end of day. Okay, a small issue is that the product would settle down even in your neck lines. That is annoying.

The feel of the product is a bit silky. So, obviously, it leaves the skin feeling silky all day long. I think it might have some silicones in it. The problem is that this might be the reason why I broke out every single time I applied the product on my face. It is great as a body sunscreen but not for face. Incidentally, I broke out at the same place every time I used it.

Another issue I faced with this product is white cast. It does leave a white cast if you go overboard with the application and specifically for darker skin or even uneven skin. For people with fairer skin tone, this should not be a problem. It always makes my arms look a bit white. But, I have also noticed that this cast seems to settle down after an hour or so. Or, even when you apply a bit of foundation.

Regarding the effectiveness of the product, I can not be sure as to how much it protects the skin. But, I can comment that it does help prevent tanning. Again, since it is just spf 30, I would advise you to reapply it diligently and stay indoors during 11 AM to 3 PM. The bottle lasted me around 2 months of use which might balance the money I spent on it.

My Verdict

I did like the finish of the sunscreen and white cast can be prevented if the product is used properly. So, you can give it a try. Or, otherwise another option would be to check out the spf 50 version in the same brand. I am going to buy that next so you can wait for my review as well 🙂

Now, you tell me…

Have you used the product? Or any other sunscreen from Shiseido? What was your experience with it? Do you like the sunscreen? If you did not try Shiseido, which is your favourite sunscreen? Do share your opinions in the comments below!!