NOV UV Milk EX SPF32 PA+++

I have mentioned on my last sunscreen group review that I am always on the hunt for the next best physical sunscreen, now that summer (during which nothing works except for the greasy Anessa) is over, I can finally switch back to cosmetically elegant and less potent formula. Nov is a brands that I spotted at select drugstores while travelling in Japan, I didn't pay much attentionbecause let's face it, it's impossible to keep track and haul "all teh things" while travelling in sunscreen-lala-land.  After coming back to US and randomly browsing Weibo, a user (personal account, not some influencer) mentioned how this is such a non-taxing formula on her irritable skin. 

I had no choice but getting one ($10 markup...ouch) for research purposes. It's regularly 2000yen a piece for 35g of products. In terms of unit price it's somewhat expensive (Anessa is 2800yen for 50ml) but from my past experience, you get what you pay for, at least when it comes to Japanese sunscreen. 
The box is a paper one in matching Tiffany teal, the top says it's a sun protection milk without any UV absorbing agent(Free of chemical sunscreen). While NOV doesn't sound too familiar, it's owned by Noevir which has it's own (more expensive) skincare line. If it doesn't ring a bell, the corporation also has Sana (Excel and those soybean skincare lines) under its umbrella.
Nov UV milk ex comes in a easily squeeze bottle with small opening. The product is easy to carry and has no fragrance detected (I can't smell anything).
The ingredient list is very short and I can only recognize Zinc Oxide. Even though cyclopentaxilosane is the second ingredient (after water) the sunscreen doesn't have a dry-oily texture. 
Instead, the UV milk squeezes out like a light gel, it's a little moisturizing and calming but it absorb fully into an invisible, somewhat mattifying (yet not drying) finish. It's evens out skintone a little (but isn't a full on geisha cast) and the dry, smoothing texture is perfect for concealer and powder on top.
The formula form a protective film quickly and stays on for a whole day. As with many physical sunscreen, I feel I need some oil formula to fully break it down (even though it's not marked as waterproof). The texture should be good for oily skin or when you have many moisturizing layer underneath. Sometime, I use a tiny bit on top of the forever-greasy Anessa so it helps drying down the finish a bit. 

It should be good for my (oilier) skin during summer but the protection is too low for my lifestyle. I think this is a wonderful formula that I can commit to everyday, I just wish the SPF is higher. 
There is a little base control primer and it's seems to have more silicone and an brightening yellow tone (you know how many yellow foundation by western brand are dulling on pale Asian skin, the NOV primer does the opposite). Since the sunscreen milk offer enough of that natural, tone evening effect. I don't find the primer that helpful. I suppose I can use it for the eyelids, to balance out the dark circle.

Comments

  1. I might need to pick one tube up for my little guy, after he's done with the dozen I bought this spring first though LOL!

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  2. Eno is so lucky to have you as a mom...well it's still a little fancy for kids though. Shigaisen Youhou also makes chemical free ones that's more mousturizing.

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    1. Oh yes, I picked that one up a while ago--curious to try it myself too actually!

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  3. La Roche Posay has a new vitamin c serum out called La Roche Posay Pure Vitamin C10 serum- 10% ascorbic acid. I bought it because i was curious it cost $70aud 30ml. It's not oily or sticky at all like DE, it absorbs fast and feels like you applied a silicone primer, that's because all the silicone and alcohol added to make it cosmetically elegant. But I'm not too sure if 10% ascorbic acid is going to be enough to do anything? I thought 15% was the minimum/gold standard to see improvement. What you think?

    Aqua/water, Ascorbic Acid, Cyclohexasiloxane, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Potassium Hydroxide, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Polysilicone-11, Dimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Peg-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Adenosine, Poloxamer 338, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Disodium Edta, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Laureth-7, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Xanthan Gum, Toluene Sulfonic acid, Polyacrylamide, Tocopherol, Salicylic Acid, Parfum / Fragrance

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    1. Wait it doesnt have ferulic acid? I found that formula without it oxidize super quickly. Pixi also came out with vitamin c serum that went brown in a month. It was so irritating after that...

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    2. Nope it doesn't contain Ferulic acid. Did you hear how DE sold to Shiseido? Knew that was coming.

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    3. Yeah I heard I don't think they will ruin the brand (like how P&G just see SKII as cash cow but never invest in product development) . I just wish shiseido would invest on their own products, fire their creative director for cle de peau and shiseido (their colors are way too aunty/dated despite great formulation) and not fall into the toxic American corporate culture. It just seems like they hire the most clueless (but with impressive resume because corporate ladder climbing whatnot ) incompetent marketing and creative people from the US.

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  4. Do you usually look for Zinc Oxide in Japanese to determine if it's a physical sunscreen?
    I heard the Curel Japanese SPF is good from some Taiwanese bloggers

    I recently got the Tatcha SPF (15% zinc oxide) and I actually like it a lot despite the price point

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    1. I am OK with titanium dioxide, uvinul and tinosorbs as well... The curel feels nice (got a few bottles from Japan) but it was near useless on me during long summer day (I remember using that one day and get sunspot right under my eye the same day).

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  5. Have you tried the Kate Somerville Exfolikate cleanser? I bought it today $58 because my face is so dry...I need an AHA cleanser to slough off the flakes because my trusty Garnier salicylic acid cleanser isn't cutting it...the Kate Somerville has lactic acid and glycolic acid. My face is so dry n flaky that even my HG Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear foundation can't cit it.

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    1. If you have dehydrated skin the washer might not cut it (instead a more balanced noisturizer will in slightly longer term). I used some supposedly gentle salicylic acid but it just quickly made my (otherwise recovered) skin flakey...


      Anyway, I just bought a revlon colorstay foundation and I can see why it was so popular! I love that my face stayed dry and matte at the end of a long day! Usually it gets all yucky with residue from moisturizer and sunscreen.

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  6. What shade are you in Revlon Colorstay Foundation? Yeah you're right Revlon Colorstay Foundation is nice probably the best drugstore foundation if you ask me. Beats Loreal True Match any day. But problem is can't find my shade at all, every shade available in Australia is pink undertone that's why I don't use it. They have expanded the shade range but haven't expanded the shade range here and I've been begging them all the time so annoying. That's why I'm using Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear foundation.

    I think my dry skin is due to bad diet- eat junk food hardly any healthy stuff so I get "hot air" in chinese. I slather on my face creams like a gorilla but still so dry.

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    1. I have 180 beige sand, it's a bit too ruddy-yellow for me but the shade before and after are way too off. I used it on top (to set) a physical sunscreen (with white cast) and use a tiny drop so it doesnt look too earthy. I like the dry part so I will deal with the shade being non matchy.

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  7. I think I'm 290 Ochre or 295 Dune in Revlon Colorstay Foundation. But I doubt they gonna bring those new shades down here. Makeup companies are still ignorant when it comes to yellow undertones. They'll create 40+ shades but only add a handful of yellow undertones and only available in US. For example...Maybelline Fit Me expanded their shade range and added 128, a yellow undertone. I've been wanting that shade for ages down here, but nope they never made it available, and instead only offered 228 a much darker tan shade, the rest all pink shades.

    Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear foundation is still my favourite foundation. After going back n forth experimenting with other brands under the sun n going broke... I've literally thrown in the towel and just going to use Lancome from now on. I told you about my shade dilemma. I use shade 049 which I think is 370/380w in US but I found it a tad light so I mix it with 050 410w. But now looks I don't have to as I bought a new batch and the 049 runs darker so no more mixing. Maybe they listened because I was always bitching about the shade gap. I'm sick of mixing, no ones got time and money to but 2 bottle of $60 foundation. The 049 shade is literally the most yellow undertone I have found, not even MAC or Nars have that yellow. Can't complain, if I'm not happy with Lancome then no other brand is going to work. I'm not going to buy any more MAC foundation, don't like MAC foundation they either too thick, too matte, too hard to apply, shades off...I still have to mix 3 shades to get my right shade in studio fix ain't got no time for that. I feel bad because the MAC staff here is nice but seriously I just can't get MAC foundations to work on me. I'll just buy their MAC face creams and serums. With Lancome you can build up the coverage from sheer BB cream to medium full coverage. I told you before how I was looking for a holy grail BB cream, well I did Chanel CC cream, nice but at $78 a pop who got time for that?

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