Missha All-Around Safe Block Mild Essence Sun Milk Review

First of all- Happy 1 year anniversary of Kittencuddler! My first blog review was on February 26th, 2013~ My boyfriend and I celebrated by eating kebab. It was a very delicious celebration, haha. Anyway, on to the review.

Using sunscreen daily is probably the best thing you can do to prevent premature aging... and by daily, I mean daily- rainy, sunny, snowy, anything! Even if I go outside for 15 minutes, I make sure to put it on. As such, I have bought and used quite a few different sunscreens, both Asian and Western. I originally purchased Missha All-Around Safe Block Mild Essence Sun Milk during the summer, but due to a misunderstanding you can read about later in the review, I barely used it until this past month. Now that I've gotten a chance to use it more regularly, my opinion of it has definitely changed. More details after the jump! 

Where to buy:

koreadepart.com $11.80 for 40ml / $15.80 for 70ml
testerkorea.com - $14 for 40ml / $20 for 70ml
cosmetic-love.com - $19.36 for 40ml
Search '올-어라운드 마일드 에센스 선밀크' on Gmarket

Description: Sun milk for daily use! Lightweight and refreshing mild sun protector with water-soluble essence, it offers moisture and nutrition to the skin. 5-Free mild formula, free of parabens, alcohol, artificial colorants, talc and mineral oil.

Claims

 Paraben-, alcohol-, artificial colorants-, talc-, and mineral oil-free!

 Lightweight

 Moisturizing

 Non-greasy

 Non-sticky

Ingredients: Helichrysum Italicum Flower Water, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl salicylate, C12-15 alkyl benzoate, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Methyl methacrylate crosspolymer, Diethylhexyl Carbonate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine, Althaea rosea, Silica, Dimethicone, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Panthenol, Nylon-12, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Rosa Davurica Bud Extract, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Laureth-23,Sodium Polyacrylate, Ethylhexyl stearate, Trideceth-6, Psidium Guajava Leaf Extract, Cinchona Succirubra Bark Extract, Abronia Villosa Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract, Chrysanthemum Indicum Flower Extract,Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Prunus Mume Flower Extract, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan isostearate, Disodium EDTA, Benzyl Alcohol, Fragrance, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, bis-PEG/PPG-20/5 PEG/PPG-20/5 dimethicone methoxy PEG/PPG-25/4 dimethicone, polyacrylate crosspolymer-6

I feel like I'm out of my league when it comes to analyzing sunscreen ingredients. According to CosDNA, there are 5 sunscreen ingredients, three of which are better at protecting against UVB rays, two of which are better for UVA. I've read another review by a blogger that was worried about how much UVA protection this sunscreen has, but I think it seems fine? There are two UVA focused ingredients, one of which stabilizes the other. Regardless, you should be reapplying the sunscreen throughout the day if you're in the sun!

Also, look at all those extracts. Those are some nice extracts.

Scent: Moderate, floral-sunscreeny scent. Those who are sensitive to fragrance should probably steer clear of this one, as there is a good amount of artificial fragrance in the formula. I don't personally mind the scent though, as I think that it actually complements the sunscreen smell quite well.

Packaging: Classy and feminine! :) The bottle has a little hygienic squeeze cap (I think it's called a yorker spout cap?) that works well with the texture of the product, and the top cap itself screws on securely. However, I will say that I am disappointed by the (minor) issue of the text rubbing off. It's not a big deal, but it's a slight disappointment when you enjoy admiring packaging like I do.

Swatch: The sunscreen itself is a milky, runny liquid that absorbs quickly and has no white cast at all. It feels very soft and moisturizing, and dries to a non-sticky, natural finish. It feels very light-weight, especially in comparison to other sunscreens I've tried.

  

Results: I have an embarrassing confession to make... for most of the time I had this, I didn't realize it was a chemical sunscreen. I know (and knew!) what chemical sunscreens were, but I never really put two and two together. So instead of applying them under my moisturizer like chemical sunscreens should be, I applied this on top of my moisturizers. As a result, after I'd put my makeup on the sunscreen would ball up on top of it and look kind of gross on my face. It was not a flattering look at alll, and I'd find myself having to rub my face in the bathroom between classes trying to get rid of them, and then just giving up and swearing never to use the sunscreen again. That happened multiple times.

But then one day everything clicked, and I thought to myself 'there's a reason it has absolutely no white cast', and that's when I realized what an idiot I'd been. In case anyone is wondering, you can read an explanation of why chemical sunscreens should be used under moisturizers here. If anyone wants to know the difference between chemical and physical sunscreens, you can read about it here!

After that epiphany, I started applying it under my other skincare products and found it much more agreeable. I no longer had the gross product balling, which was my biggest concern. In all the other aspects it performs quite well, and I am happy with it. If you're looking for a solid chemical sunscreen, this is definitely worth considering.

Conclusion: Final Score: 4.5/5

Pros:

• absorbs quickly
• no white cast
• lightweight
• non-greasy
• non-sticky
• moderately moisturizing
• decent price all things considered

Cons:

• strong artificial scent could be irritating to those with sensitive skin
• text rubs off of bottle ):
• chemical sunscreen, which some people dislike