L'Oreal Sublime Sun Advanced Sunscreen SPF 50+

L'Oreal Sublime Sun Advanced Suncreen SPF 50+ Liquid Silk Sunshield For Face is the second drugstore liquid sunscreen available in US mass-market (not counting the Walgreens/CVS knock-off or La-Roche Posay, since it's as expensive as high-end).  I picked this up as a potential Neutrogena Ultra Sheer replacement as it's much more affordable (It goes on sale from 11 dollars to 6.99 pretty frequently and the coupons are found easily at their website, while the Neutrogena ones is pretty much 14 dollars year round).

As soon as I poured in my palm - The formula instantly reminds me of La-Roche Posay Anthelios  SPF 60 sunscreen: It's little runny, sheer, slippery (silicone-y instead of oily) and even separates a little,  like La-Roche Posay (and the L'Oreal Sublime Sun might as well be labeled as SPF 60 if it weren't for the FDA regulation). There is a fair bit of alchohol content that not only it's detectable by the nose, it can also stings a little if you apply it on broken skin (then again, anything chemical on broken skin will hurt). 

 Even though I dislike the initial greasy feel, the Sublime Sun sunscreen dries to a matte, frosted glass finish (that feels texture but very dry to the touch) in 10 minutes and sits well on the skin (very little blotch or enhancement of dry flakes).  I can see a tiny bit of white cast (especially in picture) but the ghost-i-fy effect is negligible and may even be appreciated (if you are like me, whose face tan quicker than her neck).

 

On a cool dry day, it feels weightless, comfortable but in a hot, humid day (combined with perspiration) it can make your face feel like a grease ball (even though it's more of your own bodily fluid trapped in the mask of product).

Ingredient List of the Liquid Sun Shield - Note that the active ingredients are identical to those of La-Roche Posay Anthelios and that this formula is indeed chock full of "bad" ingredients like -cone, -xane and alcohol.

Overall: While I am on the fence about the slippery-to-matte finish (I prefer completely weightless one) or the non-wholesome-looking ingredients, the sunscreen not only seems very effective (I tan less quickly and there is no burns after hours of outdoor activities), the mattifying part also makes my skin break out much less when I am using it.  So I guess the "Skin Beautifying" claim is actually true.

After trying and (kind of) liking the liquid version - I picked up the cream version of the Sublime Sun Sunscreen, also in SPF 50+ (I have also seen a SPF 30 version at CVS for people who need less protection) - This one contains 88ml of product and comes in a mildly thick and slightly greasy cream consistency.

As expected, this leaves a bit of sheen after it's applied, (not greasy enough to turn you into a body-builder though) if you apply it 15-30 minutes prior to sun exposure, inside an air-conditioned room, it will dry out completely before you get under the sun. Anyway, this ones is equally effective at preventing sunburn ( and crazy tan within an hour) and it never breaks me out.

Ingredient list of the cream sunscreen  - While it's less slippery and contains less -cone and -xane, I am not sure if silica is any better (on the bright side, neither of the two sunscreens clogs my pores though).

Overall: Both are very good products for the price and they are effective to be used alone (both take quite a while to dry or makeup will feel extra thick/sticky on top of them). I do like them but I guess I am still willing to pay a few bucks more for Neutrogena Ultra sheer (equally effective, fast-drying, weightless and invisible under makeup). You might need to think about the greasiness, slip,  ingredients before buying.

P.S. As with all chemical sunscreen with high SPF, this stings the crap out of my eyeballs (when it runs in...for some reasons they always do) and burns my face when it becomes a little sensitives (my skin gets PMS on its own).