Shigaisen Yohou UV Powder SPF50+ PA++++

Been using this 3g jar of Shigaisen Yohou UV Powder SPF50+ PA++++ on and off for a few months now, so a review is overdue. This is a sunscreen powder with a puff-applicator and cap, for on-the-go convenience.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

This is an all-physical sunblock powder with zinc oxide (酸化亜鉛) and titanium dioxide (酸化チタン) as active ingredients, although I don't know the concentration and I wish they'd tell me. Since it's SPF50+ and PA++++, I'm guessing the active ingredients must make up more or less 50%. 

I'd imagine some folks will like this powder, at least because it's all-physical sunblock. But I'll be honest: it's not for me. For me, the only good thing going for it is the portability and travel-friendly packaging. Otherwise, there's so much working against this powder in my humble opinion, the first and foremost its price: it's 1,800yen for a measly 3g. Yes, this tiny little thing is the same price as the Excel BB Powder UV in a 10g jar.

As you can see, there's a slight pink tint to this powder, so like Higasunne UV Cut Face Powder it does provide a tiny bit of coverage. Similar to Excel BB Powder UV, a super dense brush like Koyudo fu-pa02 works really well with this powder also. And indeed upon application, it buffs and blends out to a very nice translucent veil that really evens out my skin. 

But here's why I don't like it--this nice translucent veil doesn't last very long at all, may be half an hour at most. It could be because my skin is combination dry, but this powder shifts around on me in patches and creases like mad, even when applied over the Allie sunscreen that has been my trusty base for years! Because it shifts around on me, I could see that it's not substantive at all. After lunch, I went to wash my hands and saw in the mirror that a circle around my mouth area has been wiped off. Argh! So I've demoted this powder to neck and decolletage use only, and I definitely will not repurchase.