little white truths

Verdict

Warning: I'm going to ramble on more than usual here so please forgive me because I have a lot to say about this product.

It has a thin-ish consistency that's like a lotion in texture and it does have a very slight, sunscreen-y scent - but it's so faint that I'm only aware of it if I hold the product up to my nose and I can't smell it once it's on my face.

Once applied, it stings a bit around my nose and smile lines, which are the most sensitive/dry areas of my face (I suspect the alcohol content is the culprit here). The stinging isn't horrendous and it doesn't last longer than five minutes, so it's not too irritating on me but it's definitely something to be aware of if you have sensitive skin.

I apply four to five pumps to cover my whole face and décolletage, then go back in with another few pumps just to make sure there's enough product on the back of my neck and chest area. If you're thinking 'that's too much', please do have a look online at what the experts have to say about how much sunscreen you need to gain its full benefits and how often you should reapply it (eg see here). 

In any event, the product directions say to use one teaspoon for your face and neck. This does not include the rest of your décolletage - your 'décolletage' comprising your neck, shoulders, upper back and chest - so I'd be guided by that.

Most importantly (for me at least): does the product have 'an invisible matte finish' as claimed? Absolutely not. Not for me, and not for the other reviewers whose comments I've read.

On me, it's a touch greasy and tacky on the skin after application and it stays that way until I go in with a mattifying primer to deal with the issue. While it's certainly not the worst I've tried in terms of grease-factor, I'm a bit grumpy when brands claim that sunscreen is matte when it's not. 

This is particularly important to note for anyone with oily/combination/normal skin because, my skin being dry/dehydrated, it tends to 'inhale' any moisture within a ten-kilometre radius. So if it's greasy on me, I'll put money on the hunch that it will be even more so on other skin types. And it says right there on the bottle that it's 'ideal for combination and oily skin'. (See eg beautyheaven for reviews from those with oily/combination skin who agree that this isn't a product with a matte finish.)

On that, ever since I've used this in place of the Mecca sunscreen mentioned above, I've had issues with oil break-through during the day. WTF?! I've never experienced oil break-through on my cracked-desert face in my life! At least I can now cross that one off the bucket-list?! 

The good news, however, is that this product doesn't dissolve/lift makeup if applied over my face gunk throughout the day. I was convinced it would do this because non-matte sunscreens always do (at least the ones I've tried), but this one happily doesn't for me so I can pat small layers over my makeup without issue - though I do need to powder my face afterwards, otherwise my pores shine bright like a diamond. And pore-diamonds are indeed forever ; )

Oh! The tint. I haven't swatched the product for you to show colour because it's not worth doing so: it does have a light-medium golden tint, but I'm not sure why because the tint is indeed invisible and offers nothing in terms of coverage - not just for me (I have light medium/medium skin), but apparently for super pale lasses too (see eg beautyheaven again for reviews from those with paler skins than mine, and you'll also note that others have commented on the stinging issue too).

So in sum, this isn't a bad product but it's not matte in finish on me and I'd prefer to use it on my body instead. The stinging issue also concerns me but the product hasn't broken me out or clogged pores, so there are positives to this sunscreen and it's worth testing if your primary issue is break-outs/pore-clogging and the finish doesn't bother you.

Do let me know if you've tried this sunscreen and what you think of it if so.

Speak soon x