I had intended to keep my new summer beauty products until the warmer months but I couldn’t resist trying them early. I have the new 2014 Biore UV Perfect Face Milk on right now, as I type (I wore the Bright version yesterday). It’s completely unsuitable for the current weather conditions (people outside are still sporting Uniqlo compact down jackets) and my skin type (combination-dry) but I don’t care. I’m so bored of rain and winter that I’m going to just start living as though it’s already June. I have on a pair of shorts and my room’s heat thermostat is set 25 degrees — rain and cold weather be damned!
Matte skin does not appeal to me aesthetically, but there is a very fine line one must tread when it comes to glowy, dewy skin, isn’t there? It’s so easy to look as if you have just finished a 5k marathon in the sweltering heat. One of the worst (summer) skin problems is having to deal with excess shine brought on by overactive oil glands or sweating, or both. So how do we prolong the radiant glowing look of your base and deal with excess shine without resorting to powdering or blotting around the clock?
I would say that the first thing that combination or oily-skinned people need to consider is a good lightweight mattifying sunscreen. The old Biore UV Perfect Face Milk has something of a cult status and is loved by those with oily skin who wants longlasting matte skin. In all honesty, I initially wasn’t overly keen on the idea of trying the new PA++++ formula — and it wasn’t because I loved the old one so much. True, the old (2009) formula was light and matte, but my skin, after application, felt extremely dry and looked corpse-like — unnaturally matte with an odd white residue. The old Bright Face Milk looked the same, minus the white residue.
Despite my dislike of matte finish and initial hesitation, I actually got on with the 2014 face milks very well indeed. Both have the same lightweight milky texture that sets quickly, but no dryness, despite the dry “feel”. The Perfect Face Milk leaves a completely matte finish with absolutely no white residue on my skin, even when generously applied. It’s a smidge less matte compared to the old formula, but that’s a very good thing in my book. My personal favourite is the Bright Face Milk with a very light pink tint — it has the same matte-to-the-touch finish without looking dull and flat. It doesn’t brighten the skin tone or cover pores, but my skin looks beautifully matte but with a subtle lit-from-within radiant glow.
If you have combination/oily skin and you want to kill two beauty birds with one stone, then look to the new, improved Biore face milks with SPF50+ PA++++. In addition to a UV protection super-boost (now boast higher UVA protection than ever), they also do an incredibly good job of keeping the T-Zone free of oil and makeup stuck in place. If you’re like me and prefer dewy but non-greasy skin, you can top off with your glowing base of choice to get a glowy finish without risking sweaty, oily shine.
Addition: Lots rumours floating around online that the there is expiration or production date printed on the bottom on the bottle. I’ve never seen the export versions, but pictured above is the domestic (Japan’s) version (provided by the manufacturer) — those are not dates. Japan’s date format is year-month-day.
Biore UV Perfect Face Milk SPF50+ PA++++ and Biore UV Bright Face Milk SPF50+ PA++++ are ¥682 each for a 30ml bottle in Japan.
