2 days ago
Impulse Control Fail #1: Sunscreens
Listen. There's a reason why my social media handle is @tryhazelmoss...because why not try? Everything!
The trouble is...on top of having lobster skin I also have sensory sensitivities. Sunscreens have been the bane of my existence since childhood because I could feel the horrible, oily particulate texture on every cell of my body for every second it lay on my skin. And it smelled!
It's like if someone took oil pastels and ground them into a paste. Do you know how I feel about touching oil pastels? Google videos about cats and cucumbers.
Worst of all, I still got totally fried by the sun anyway! The theme of every childhood beach vacations: Day 1 - excellent! Day 2-5 - deep fried lobster jail.
So when my colleague introduced me to K-Beauty via sunscreen...I went a little crazy trying to find the HOLY GRAIL. It just blew my mind that sunscreen could feel good and smell like virtually nothing (with exceptions) for dirt cheap (with exceptions)! And if this one brand felt good maybe another brand would feel EVEN BETTER!
Also bear in mind that I have a doctor's note that says part of my neurological cocktail lacks impulse control and seeks dopamine that it can't make on its own -- while the other part of my neurological cocktail has a tendency to hyper-fixate as an antidepressant.
And I'm largely unsupervised.
But I have shared some of my bogo purchases or the heavily fragranced ones with friends.
Anyway. If you can't tell, I'm embarrassed. But this is the sunscreen part of my stash. Just the sunscreen. Not including all the sticks I used this summer. 🫣
Any volunteers to host a lobster intervention?
Comments (31)
girl how will you finish all of them before expiring?😭😭
I came here to ask this question too. I have only a fraction of @hazelmoss 's stash and already struggling to finish before expiry. Already imposed moratorium on sunscreen purchase haha.
They aren't all open. Pretty much all of the cushions are empty but for a few drops. Some are "tried but didn't like" and will be shifted onto friends and family, like d'Alba's tone up sunscreen, Ilso, Belif, and Tocabo.
Oh girl, I can relate soooo much 🫂 I also have an annoying little sensation-seeking goblin as a brain, that thinks the next product will solve even more problems? It was better for a couple of years, but Social Media and the general state of the world have increased my overconsumption unfortunately. It is a lot of fun, but yeah I only have one body and stuff has an expiration date 🥲 Maybe you feel better seeing another sunscreen hoarder ;)
Oooh, you have some that I'm curious about! 🤣
Your cat is judging you from the corner.
🤣🤣🤣 the fact that everyone is concerned about using them all before expires and YOU come in with the cat comment 🤣🤣🤣
@Gabking1217 Haha. I meant to get a closer look of the sunscreens, but noticed the cat's expression when I enlarged the photo.
Nah, he's just mad his couch is being taken over. 😅
Lol I was so fixated on the beautiful, mesmerizing collection that I didn't even notice the cat and had to go look!
@hazelmoss No judgement from the CY community though... we love to see your stash! Which are the top 3 sunscreens that worked for you?
@Chou My top 3 are Seoul1988 Pine Tree + Ceramide, Numbuzin #1, and Axis-Y No Stress Physical Sunscreen. When I'm not hustling to get through one product or in barrier jail, I like to have options for rotating depending on makeup, breakouts, etc.
@hazelmoss That stash is an entire Sephora aisle and look at the three tubes of Seoul 1988 SPF lined up in the middle row (and the extra on the side), which is literally why I took your recommendation on it! 😂🧴 I completely understand the K-beauty sunscreen conversion. I grew up in an Italian coastal town where neighboring cities teased us for spending every waking hour on the rocks by the sea. Back then, my mom greased me up in thick, heavy paste that left me deeply tanned all summer, until I started my PhD, moved into dark lab rooms, and eventually relocated up north. When I visited home at the end of summer looking like a fresh ball of mozzarella, everyone stared! 🧀☀️ Losing that baseline tan meant my pale skin suddenly became hyper-reactive to UV rays. For years I forced myself through European pharmacy formulas like Eucerin, fighting the stinging alcohol and heavy fragrances just to get decent filters. When Korean sunscreens entered my life, everything changed. Suddenly SPF felt like a breathable, non-clogging moisturizer I actually wanted to put on every morning. Friends back home still tease me for wearing daily sunscreen up here in the Nordics where UV is practically non-existent half the year. But my skin is fair, sensitive, and finally tolerates daily protection without breaking out, so even in the dead of winter, I’m keeping that shield up! 🛡️✨ But yes... How are you going to finish all those products? 😅
The point wasn't to finish them, but to try them. the ones I don't like at all are going to family and friends. You can guess which ones I liked because of the doubles. ☺️
@hazelmoss that is why I put in my wishlist all the products you recommend, I know you've done your homework!
Brazilian here 🤚🏼 and we like tan and hate sunscreen 🤣🤣 in fact we have a thing for tanning lotions! My mum used to do the same with me, those nasty sunscreens plus all the stuck sand it would be on my body because of course the skin doesn’t absorb the sunscreen 😓😓
@Viivihtips Has anyone run the math on how many hours of our lives were spent trying to rub that stuff in?
You will get no judgement from me! My stash of sunscreens is definitely smaller than yours, but it is growing as we speak. I just got the VT PDRN air Cloud Sunscreen and used it this morning. So far so good! I do like it, but I do like others more. I also got Numbuzin No 9 NAD+ 9 peptides Dewy Sun Essence. I love HOH and RL Camellia the best so far, but I honestly like BOJ Relief Sun also. Tocobo is okay (probably won't repurchase along with AHC). I am assuming by comments below Seoul 1988 is your favorite? How is the Haru Haru Wonder?
The HHW is heavy compared to other formulas and reminds me the most of some US formulas. By US standards, I'd say it's very good. It's ingredient list is decent and so I've been using it the most while working on my barrier repair regimen. But once I finish it (soon) I don't think I'll purchase again. It leaves a white cast on me...and I'm Casper!
@hazelmoss interesting! I prefer the HH Tropical Dew over HHW. StyleKorean right now has a set of 5 for $45 so I am going to get it. It has RL Birchjuice, Cosrx Ultra Light, Numbuzin #1, BOJ & Skin1004 😀😀 I did get the VT PDRN Air Cloud and used it today and I like it so far!
@Gabking1217 COSRX Vitamin E version was the first one I ever tried. I really resisted BOJ because it was the popular brand everyone talked about and I'm contrary. 😅 And once I did break down and get one I felt underwhelmed. In fact, because everyone's so concerned about the expiration dates, I just handed it off to my mom tonight. Numbuzin #1 is great. I haven't had a change to try the VT PDRN Air Cloud ones yet. The HH minis and the Beplain mini felt great on the back of my hand but I haven't tried them on my face yet.
@hazelmoss please let us know what the VT PDRN is like, I am eyeing that one 👀
@mabrina Will do!
I was soooo hoping this would be the review post! I was already getting the popcorn because you already know I just recently started my on sunscreen journey! Do us at least a top/worst 5!! I will hit save button as if my life depended on it!
@hazelmoss I agree with @Viivihtips 🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️
I've been wearing HHW almost exclusively since September and before that Ositree, so I've forgotten a lot of my experiences with the others, lol. After today I should be able to try them out again. Let me ask you this: @Viivihtips and @Gabking1217 what categories do you want me to cover -- texture, scent, etc? I tend to write really long reviews, so knowing where you want me to focus will help me be concise and not get overwhelmed.
@hazelmoss texture and moisture...?!
I would volunteer, but I fear that it would turn into a shopping spree, considering we share similar... umm... *problems*? 😅
🤣
Can you recommend sunscreens for dark and sensitive skin?
@Queen The first product that comes to mind is Ositree Dynamic Clear Sun Primer SPF 50+ PA++++. It's a very watery formula that leaves no traces behind. I thought I would hate it at first because it feels oily when you apply it, but then it dries down to a beautiful and comfortable matte finish. It can also be used as a primer. I'll go through the rest of my stock and see what I can recommend.