Colorescience Mineral Powder Sun Protection SPF 30- reader reviewed and rejected

Reviews Colorescience Mineral Powder Sun Protection SPF 30- reader reviewed and rejected

Colorescience Mineral Powder Sun Protection SPF 30- reader reviewed and rejected

August 24, 2012 by Reader

5 Comments

Reviewed by Tiffany

I was given a sample of Colorescience Sunforgettable Mineral Powder Sun Protection SPF 30 ($50) in Fair Shimmer to try. For your reference, I am a 21-year-old with dry, sensitive very fair skin. I burn very easily, even while wearing sunscreen. I recently went to a family reunion near a lake and got to test this product (my first powder sunscreen) in a variety of situations.

I tried it first without makeup on a light sun exposure day. The instructions say “Apply liberally [and] reapply every two hours.” Immediately upon application the powder felt obvious on my face, which I didn’t care for. Also, although I didn’t see much pigment, I could see some obvious and sparse/random sparkling. This isn’t a product that will give you an all-over candle-lit glow. I didn’t care for the look or feel – but no sunburn.

Then I tried it over makeup. The powder on top of my light coverage BB cream was visible, and it caused a slight change in color, but nothing too drastic. This time I barely saw any sparkle – I’m not sure if this was because it looked less obvious against a made-up face or if there were just less shimmer particles in this application. Again, I had no sunburn with light sun exposure.

Finally, I decided to try wearing the product while canoeing, with no makeup again. I got quite a bit more sun exposure this time, and I did get some slight redness after about three hours in the sun (one hour over the prescribed reapplication time). I tried it in the water, and it washes right off. Colorescience doesn’t make any claims that this product is waterproof or water-resistant; I just wanted to try for curiosity’s sake.

In all, I won’t purchase the product and probably won’t even finish my sample. I think for everyday sun exposure, this will do the trick as long as you reapply as directed. But I didn’t care for the feel of the powder on my skin or the pigment effect (over makeup) and shimmer. If you are allergic to many liquid sunscreens or prefer to wear a heavier powder on your face, then you may want to try this, but I would recommend skipping the “shimmer” version and just getting the regular formula that would match your skin tone. Also, go for the SPF 50 if you burn easily, like me.

Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 12%, Zinc Oxide 12%, Mica, dimethicone/vinyldimethicone crosspolymer, corallina officinalis, calcium silicate

August 30, 2012

by Laura

I'm with the majority here. Until last year, at 50, I've never been able to find a powder I like so I've always just used foundations. Most have horrible ingredients so I swiched to a mineral based tinted moisturizer with suncscreen 20. It leaves me with a little too much "glow" so I decided to try to the Colorscience powder over top which also povides my face with extra sun protection. It works great for me, but it did take a couple of trys to get the right color. I also like how portable it is. This is a keeper in my books!

Tiffany, all products are so individual and I"ve purchased many of the recommended products and not liked them, so don't worry. You did a great review and provided readers with insight based on your personal experience, so good job!

This is why this is such a great website, experiences with products are shared and readers can take away what they want.
Thanks Marta!
August 26, 2012

by Tiffany

I reviewed the product and I just want to be clear - even though I didn't fall in love with the product I didn't mean to suggest it was a bad one. What I specifically did not care for was the feel of the powder on my skin, which I felt was heavier than some powders I have tried (though they were finishing powders, not sunscreen). I didn't like the sparkles but going without a shimmer shade eliminates that as an issue. The shade itself matched my skin just fine; it was not perceptible when used alone and did not make my makeup look bad when applied on top. I just wanted to make it apparent that, due to the fact that it is lightly pigmented and not translucent, a color change from BB only to BB+Colorscience was noticeable because I know that for some people, especially those who use a full face of foundation, that could be an important purchase factor for them. Just wanted to make sure that was perfectly clear, and I'm glad you all found a product you love and are so loyal to :)
August 26, 2012

by Teri Dourmashkin

I agree with Marta and Olivier. I use this in "Perfectly Clear Medium," as my everyday sunblock and you cannot even tell it is on. Its great for not only your face, but neck, hands and arms or anywhere you need protection. If I had to rely on a another sunblock cream to slather on all those areas, I would be too remiss in using it. It's the best!
August 25, 2012

by Marta

I am totally with Olivier on this - perfectly put. This is one of my favorite products.
August 25, 2012

by Olivier

I've been using this product in my skin tone and without the sparkles for 4 years now and I am absolutely in love with it. I think it's the perfect product for short exposures, or if you are just running errands walking in the city or in and out of the car. If I know I am gonna be in the sun for long period of times, or the beach, I choose a cream, but for short exposures or easy reapplication, I go for this powder. My skin is very sensitive to sunscreen and conventional sunscreens clog my pores. Also if you do indeed reapply regular sunscreen every two hours throughout the day as it is suggested. Then by noon you look like a greasy mess. Which is why this product is so great. It protects your skin and leaves it matte without irritating or even disturbing make up.
I feel sad to read that product was rejected when I feel it was mostly due to the sparkles and the wrong color shade.