2021: Sunscreens in Review

 With all the hullabaloo about sunscreens in general, and K-beauty sunscreens in particular, I thought it's a good time to look back on the sunscreens I've been using and which ones I'd recommend right now.

Best for daily use would be Nivea's Super Water Gel from Japan. I've reviewed this before and this is still my favorite sunscreen for daily use (even though I don't have one on hand right now). I tried the Biore Aqua Rich Watery Gel, 2019 formulation (and failed to review because I lost the tube too early :P), but I prefer this more since I don't need a mirror to apply and reapply. The latter sunscreen is also a good runner up if you can't find Nivea locally, but you can find it of shopee (but be sure to find a good reseller).

Best for swimming/sports/heavy use would be Shiseido's Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion. I used the one for sensitive skin (light blue bottle). This is part of the WetForce line and really sticks to the skin. Again, I can't do a full review because I lost the tube... again. Honestly, I didn't like how this looked and felt but this really stuck to my skin as a thick, opaque white film. It actually clung more than some of the old sports sunscreens I've tried. With repeated application every 3 to 4 hours, I had no burning/darkening even at a full day at the beach. If ever beach things are a thing again, this would be my bet.

Best local sunscreen would be Belo SunExpert BODY SPF 60. This is expensive if you really use it daily, but it's the best local sunscreen I've tried. And I've actually used this for both face and body without any problems. Slightly sticky but good enough for daily use. While I haven't done a full review, I have finished a tube of this recently.

I've been trying daily body sunscreens, and I've posted regarding Biore and Nivea's offering. I'd use both, with a preference for Biore right now, but I don't have one I'd solidly recommend to be both cheap and effective for summer. I sometimes use the Belo Body sunblock on hotter days but it's not sustainable for me to use it daily as a sunscreen for its price.

Anyway, I'm actually trying one sunscreen right now, but I'm not too fond of it so I'm opening my first K-beauty sunscreen soon. Still, I've been quite guilty of not using sunscreen as often as I should, so my next real sunscreen post should be in a while.

Better Instant Coffee for 2021? Try G7 Coffee

 You know there's something wrong in the instant coffee world when the cheaper option is so much better than the expensive one.

Take this for example: G7 Coffee Ca Phe Thu Thiet tastes so much better than Starbucks' Via Instant Colombia.

Etude House Color My Brows

Kilay is life, period. This has been true for 2020, and it seems like it'll be the same for 2021. As such, a lot of my make-up spending has been on brow products. Missing a brow mascara, one of the things I've purchased for 2021 is Etude House's Color my Brows in Natural Brown (Number 4). While I've yet to try their popular brow pencil, at least I've given this one a go.

Careline Best Brow Liner in Taupe

 It's been a long while since my last make-up post since I don't use make-up regularly except for eyebrows. For 2020, the most make-up I've used is definitely for the same place, and it's the only one I bother with when going outside the house since I often use a mask and face shield (they're mandatory in the Philippines).

While I'd been using my old eyebrow pencil (more or less with other brow things) until around mid-2020, where my stock finally gave out on me. I promptly bought a new/old pencil by Careline without any googling because it was a kilay-emergency. Did the Best Brow Liner live up to its claims?

Katinko

One of the most unglamorous things you can have in your medicine chest is something you may consider investing in is Katinko.

To those who don't know, Katinko is one of those counter-irritant products full of menthol and camphor that is popular in the Philippines, like Tigerbalm and Icy Hot for muscle pain. But this is different. Special.