Travel-Friendly Makeup and Skincare: What I Brought for my Holiday

If you've been following me on Instagram or on Twitter, you'll know that I recently went to the north part of Vietnam for a holiday! And I figure that perhaps some of you may want to know what beauty items did I pack along with me for my week-long holiday?

Travel-Friendly Makeup and Skincare: Here's what I packed!

The weather in Vietnam was good, ranging from just above 10 degrees Celsius in the mountainous areas at night, to a good mid-20s degrees Celsius in the city areas during the day. We expected it to rain when we were in the hilly paddy areas of Sa Pa at some point, but it didn't, so that was great! The next thing you know, though, it started snowing (a rare occurrence for that area) once we left the area, so there you go, the weather can be unpredicatable. But for the most part I brought along my usual staples when it came to skincare. And for makeup, it was a mix of usual staples, as well a "cheap stuff that I won't cry over if it gets lost/gets broken/get banged up and that does not suck". So without further ado, here you go!

Biore UV Aqua Rich Whitening Cream SPF 50+ PA+++ Sunscreen Review

Summer is here, and although it's has been hazy here in Singapore these couple of weeks, it's still hot! All the brands have started putting their sun protection products found and center, so here's one that's recently been launched - the Biore UV Aqua Rich Whitening Cream.

If you've read my blog before, you'll know I've reviewed Biore products before on my blog, including one of their other sunscreens. And I've also reviewed other Asian brand (and non-Asian brand) sunscreens too (Sunplay, etc.). And the Biore UV Whitening Cream, to my surprise, struck me as being a little different from all the other Asian-brand sunscreens out there - but in a good way!

Biore UV Aqua Rich Whitening Cream: A little different from what's out there on the market now.

Biore Aqua Rich UV Watery Essence Sunscreen: SPF50 Protection thatFeels Light

Biore, one of the Japanese drugstore brands under Kao Corporation (which is also the owner of brands like Curel, Molton Brown, Asience, and Jergens), has just launched a new sunscreen, the Biore Aqua Rich UV Watery Essence. I'm a big sunscreen nut (remember my sunscreen tips post?), and I had heard that this product was a hot seller in Taiwan too, so I was very excited to try this.

Sunplay Watery Cool Sunscreen SPF 65 and SPF 75

Sunplay is a Japanese brand of sunscreens that are very popular in the region. Us Asians do tend to have a reputation for being sun-averse, and Sunplay, with its SPF 130 sunscreen, caters to such consumers (myself included, I'll admit). Since it's summer, Sunplay has released a new line of sunscreens, the Watery Cool range. This consists of two sunscreens, the Watery Cool Body Mist Sunblock SPF 75 PA+++, and the Watery Cool Clear and Smooth SPF 65 PA+++, which is meant for the face.

I actually quite liked Sunplay's last sunscreen range, the Super Block range (my Sunplay Super Block Sunscreen review is here), so I knew what to expect with this range. And true enough, it was as cosmetically elegant and also as easy to use as I thought it would be.


The Watery Cool Body Mist Sunblock has SPF75 and PA+++, so it offers a good measure of protection for most activities. It comes in a spray bottle that is so easy to apply. Just spray and you're done!


When you first spray the Body Mist, you get a clear liquid, as you can see above. Once you rub it in or waits for if to dry, it sits on your skin and is totally clear. And it doesn't feel sticky or leave any residue or anything. So this is perfect for outdoors use.


The second product in the Watery Cool Sunscreen range is the Watery Cool Clear and Smooth SPF 65 PA+++, which more suitable for face use. It's a sunscreen that uses chemical filters - most of Sunplay's sunscreens are chemical - so I wouldn't recommend it for people who are very sensitive to chemical sunscreens.


When you first pour the product out of the nozzle opening, you get a very thin, white liquid. You need to shake the bottle first, by the way, or else the sunscreen will be separated when it comes out.


But once you blend it in, it is again colourless and non-sticky. It absorbs pretty fast too, which is another reason why I think most people will like it - it's so cosmetically elegant to use.


My verdict? Like its previous Sunplay Super Block Sunscreen range, this is a very cosmetically elegant, easy to use sunscreen, that will please those who feel traditional sunscreens are too sticky or a hassle to use. If you aren't sensitive to chemical filters, I'd recommend this.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Enavose Sunbrella UV Mist SPF45: Sun Protection That Feels Light

Enavose has launched their summer product - the Sunbrella UV Mist SPF 45. This is sunscreen, but in the form of a spray! In addition to the SPF rating (which as I've mentioned before in my sunscreen information post, only measures UVB rays) it also has a PA+++ value, so it does offer suitable protection against UVA rays too.

I got quite a surprise when I first sprayed this sunscreen and saw it out of the bottle. You're supposed to spray it directly onto your face, but for this blogpost, I've just done it to the back of my hand, so you can see the product.

The Sunbrella UV Mist is really, really light, which surprised my quite a lot, since most sunscreens I know of from European brands tend to feel a little heavier. Not the Enavose one, though. This one has a texture that is like water, and - did I mention it - is so light. I think it might be actually be lighter in texture than Japanese sunscreens, even! What you see in the photo below is actually about three sprays worth of product.


Since it has such a light texture, it absorbs fast, and doesn't feel heavy in the skin. Enavose claims that you can apply this sunscreen over your makio too, mid-day, and although I haven't tried using this over makeup yet I do think its light texture probably makes it suitable for such an application.

I couldn't find the ingredients list anywhere online, so here's my small contribution to humanity (haha!), in the form of the full ingredients list for the Enavose Sunbrella UV Mist! As you can see from the ingredients, it's primarily a chemical sunscreen (methoxycinnamate and methoxydibenzoylmethane are the two main filters, and commonly found in sunscreens), which accounts for its light, watery feel. But I also liked that there are other ingredients that are good for the skin, and some interesting botanical-derived ingredients too - glycerin, green tea leaf extract, etc.


So, would I recommend this? Yes if you're looking for a light, convenient to use and carry sunscreen, this is right up your alley. It's got good broad-based protection and is cosmetically elegant, so I think this is worth giving a shot. The only exception in which I would not recommend it is if you are one of those types with super-sensitive skin that can tolerate physical sunblocks only, and the only gripe I have about the product is that 30ml isn't a lot of product. It's on sale in Singapore now for S$29 instead of S$39.90 for the GSS period, so if you're thinking of trying it out, now's a good time.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)