Nivea Sun / ニベアサン　(SPF30)

The top in ranking is “Nivea Sun” which is a product by KAO. For few years, it has been awarded as one of the Best Sunscreens in Japan. If you happen to be checking this article by chance, it will be good to know that Nivea sunscreen is probably easily obtainable in most part of the world and it is very affordable.

I will translate some common positive reviews about it from the users:

• I like the fact it’s gel type and the face does not go white after application.
• What I like most is the texture which doesn’t feel oily or even sticky on the face.
• Special type of cleanser removal is not needed, which is a plus for me.
• It feels so light on the skin that you don’t feel the application at all.
• I don’t encounter skin irritation after using.

The amazing part is that I don’t really see much negative reviews from users out of the 2904 write-ins. I just pick up two for your information.

• It feels just like water, thus I can’t use it as base for makeup.
• I put it on during travelling to school. Though I repeated applications, my skin still turns dark (probably SPF30 isn’t enough during summer season?).

ALLIE by Kanebo, released 9 months ago is a more expensive version which is slowly gaining in popularity. Of course, the deserved to be mentioned point is that Kanebo is a very famous cosmetic company in Japan. Over the years, they had released many series of sunscreens and the series are constantly improving.

ALLIE / アリィー　(SPF50)

Ok, here you go. These are the positive reviews from users.

• Spreads and blend easily onto the face.
• It doesn’t go white on the face and is not sticky consider its a SPF50.
• In spite of its high SPF, its unexpectedly light on the face.
• I don’t burn under the sun after application.

And not forgetting the negative review from users. Like the Nivea Sun, ALLIE also doesn’t have much negative reviews from the 1211 write-ins. Again, I picked up two.

• It seems too drying for my face.
• Applying mixture of the screen and foundation in a hurry make the face looks very dirty.

My Opinion:
I will reserve my comment for these two products since I have yet to give them a try. Speaking about preference, I will prefer SPF higher than what Nivea offers (30). I am currently using Annesa by Shiseido, which I am quite satisfied with the texture and how well it blends into my skin. I think I will stick to it for a while more and switch to ALLIE if I have chance.

Face up powder produced by kanebo had enjoyed fame as one of the best cosmetics in year 2010 award by @cosme (data gathered from user’s feedback). The ratings to date is a 5.4 out of 7 (from total of 1127 reviews). It continues to show popularity through this year with high reviews from users who are using this product and it seems prior reservation must be made to obtain it (reservation period opened from June ~ Sep), but still, it will be opened up for purchases (limited) from mid dec.

Some of the positive comments were:

• It gives the skin a sense of transparency (glowing, radiant).
• It looks so natural after application.
• Makeup stays fresh throughout the day
• The fine-textured power helps in covering up the pores giving the skin a healthy look.

Every cosmetic no matter how good the quality is, depending on a person’s skin condition, it might not be suitable for every one. So there are bound to be negative comments. Here it goes:

• Taking into consideration of its price (expensive), I don’t see how it does wonder to my face.
• I disagreed on the part where it stay fresh throughout the day.
• It seems too dry for the skin.

By the way, I certainly like the exquisite case design and the picture of an engraved angel on the powder. Actually, the design and color of the case changes (pink for Year 2011) every year and would you believe it(?), some people buy it for the sake of the CASE!!

But actually on top of the case, it seems there are some enhancement made to the powder. I will touch a bit on the characteristics (enhancement point) of faceup power for Year 2012 and points on how to obtain the radiant look on Part (II) . So do stay tune in.