Hot Weather Beauty Haul: Avene, Eucerin, Bioderma, Shiseido, Guerlain

This morning I woke up to the season’s first frost – a shimmery white blanket over the still green grass. I had to blink a few times to make sure it wasn’t some optical illusion, and after making peace with the fact that it was real, I thought – what a great time to write about some summer/hot weather products I’ve acquired over the past summer(s).

Irony aside, I think it takes a while to test-drive products in order to really form an opinion. Unless they’re terrible right off the bat! In the case of weather-specific – hot/cold conditions – it may take the entire season, sometimes more. The older I get, the less patience I have for things that don’t work. I still try to look for ways to make use of them, but I’m also trying to phase these types of products out and settle into a routine that doesn’t really let subpar items in. As much as I hate being wasteful, coming up with elaborate ways to use up something that’s not working only complicates things. It makes me feel like I’m working for the product, when it should be working for me. 

This brings me to the first summer product I have opinions about – the Avene B Protect SPF 50+. I bought this spf when I had been on a bit of a lucky streak and was using items that I really liked. I had completely forgotten that sometimes skin care products are terrible. I’d also relaxed my rules about always getting a sample for anything that goes on my face first. In fact, when I bought this spf, there wasn’t even a tester that I could try on the back of my hand. If I’d tried it even in that capacity, I wouldn’t have bought it.

Anyway. I really needed a facial spf and all of my usual go-to products happened to be out of stock at the same time. I read about Avene sunscreens online – no red flags as far as I could tell, so I bought it. First of all, I didn’t realize this product is tinted, and as always, it was this salmon orange colour that’s six shades too dark for me. Second of all, it was extremely greasy and thick. It felt horrible on my combinations/oily skin. I’d be agitated throughout the day, counting down the hours until I could wash it off. And washing it off was challenging too! It formed a tenacious film that took way more time and cleanser to remove, compared to what I was used to. And if all that wasn’t enough, it also looked bad – patchy and flaky, and was comedogenic for me. I don’t have a single good thing to say about this spf.

I let my mom borrow the B Protect. She has dry, olive-toned skin, so I thought perhaps it would suit someone with a different skin type more. No luck. She had a bad experience with it as well – she found it to be so drying and irritating, that she had to wash it off after less than 10 minutes and do a facemask to recover.

If you own and love this product, good for you. For me it was a learning experience and a reminder to not buy facial products without trying a sample first. I ended up suffering through it by mixing it with moisturizer and applying it only to my cheeks – kind of where I’d apply blush and bronzer, so it didn’t make me look like a beet (and yes, I’d apply an spf I actually liked all over my face first – this was one of those extra steps that I’m trying to not do anymore).

I bought the Eucerin Sun Lotion Extra Light Sensitive Protect spf 30 because I liked their facial spfs, so I had high expectations for this one. It’s not a bad body sunscreen, but I didn’t love it. It’s supposed to be light, but the texture was such that it absorbed very fast and was difficult to spread, meaning that you needed to use quite a lot of product to get a proper layer of protection. I’d re-purchase it if I were in a pinch and there was nothing else available, but given the choice there are sunscreens I like better.

I had a sample of the Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner at the bottom of my drawer for well over a year. I’d tried a couple of items from the Sébium line before and found it too drying. Then, in the middle of a heatwave I noticed this sample and decided to give it a shot. I wasn’t expecting much but was very pleasantly surprised. In extremely hot conditions, nothing is really going to prevent you from getting sweaty, never mind shiny, but I was genuinely impressed by how it helped keep my skin not quite matte, but let’s say satin, for a while at least. After using up the sample, I got the full size. I use it on my t-zone whenever it gets unbearably hot, which isn’t often, but on those rare days every little bit helps.

I think Shiseido make some of the best sunscreens on the market. The Expert Sun Protector Face & Body Lotion SPF 50+ is one of my favourite summer essentials, and when I saw this large bottle, I had to get it. I personally can’t use it on my face, it’s too irritating for me, but I love using it on the rest of my body. It’s a very light and spreadable texture, with a silky finish and a pleasant smell. I’m also a big fan of the Shiseido Oil-Control Blotting Paper. I used to go trough compact powders very often, and now I’ve almost stopped using them, instead I use blotting paper and embrace the “glow”. In Asia there are a lot more options in terms of paper thickness, quantity, brands etc., but in the rest of the world, these Shiseido ones are probably the best you can get. 

And finally, the Guerlain Terracotta The Bronzing Powder in 01 Clair Doré/Light Warm. As mentioned in the pervious post, I had used up the original Four Seasons Bronzer and was looking to replace it. I got the Chanel Les Beiges powder first, but as I mentioned in the post about it, it wasn’t quite living up to my expectation, so I decided to go back to Guerlain. For a while it didn’t seem like they had any matte bronzers – everything had some kind of shine element, which is not what I want. But then I noticed this one and decided to get it before they go and discontinue it as well (I don’t know if they will, but I wouldn’t be surprised).

I haven’t used this bronzer yet. As underwhelming as the Les Beiges powder is, I’m still using it and I don’t need to have multiple bronzers in my rotation. The Guerlain is in my backups basket, waiting its turn. My first impressions are that this product doesn’t look or feel nearly as luxurious as the original Four Seasons. The compact feels light and plasticky, the closure is not magnetic and it didn’t even come with a pouch. I hope for how expensive it is that the product itself is nice, because the presentation is just ok.

That’s it for my summer product’s haul/mini reviews. As I’m writing this, there’s a raging storm outside, so reminiscing about summertime is giving me some escapism. And let’s not forget, tis the beginning of the season of escaping to warmer climates! Just because it’s not summer in Northern Europe, doesn’t mean it’s not summer somewhere else, so these recommendations may be just in time for some of you!

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