Mama Hug Sunscreen Gel SPF25 PA+++

Here is the 100g pump bottle of Mama Hug Sunscreen Gel SPF25 PA+++ that I took out last fall for my kiddos, and they're almost through with it. If it were summer right now, this bottle would have been long gone, but alas, fall, winter, and spring mean occasional use only.

Mama Hug Sunscreen Milk SPF34 PA+++

Just like that and August is over +.+ It's been crazy this month, not in the least because my oldest is starting kindergarten. My baby is growing up so fast T.T Anyway, here's to the first (and perhap the only) post for this month. Boo. Hiss. 

 

Just finished with this 100g pump bottle of Mama Hug Sunscreen Milk SPF34 PA+++ and liked it ok. Mama Hug is a Rohto brand, and they used to stock two sunscreens, this Milk and a Gel type. However, within the past year or two they discontinued the Gel and left only the Milk.

 Gel (blue) versus Milk (yellow) type.

Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Milk Pink SPF50+ PA++++

Over the colder months, when Biore UV Perfect Bright Milk (2017 version, although I'm linking to 2015 version) proved too drying even as a 1/3 addition to my main sunscreens Nivea Sun Strong Fit Care UV Milky Gel and Nivea Men UV Protector, I busted out this 40mL bottle of Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Milk Pink SPF50+ PA++++ to use with its sister sunscreen, the UV Super Moisture Milk (2017 version, gold bottle).

I think this isn't official, but based on appearances of the packaging and of the sunscreen milk itself, I'm guessing this UV Super Moisture Milk Pink was the replacement for Skin Aqua UV Sara Sara Milk that was discontinued in 2014. Either way, this UV Super Moisture Milk Pink was the 2019 version, and it too had been discontinued as of earlier this year, January 2022. Yes, it's frustrating that they keep discontinuing stuff I like, and it's even more exhausting to have to keep up with replacement and/or new products, but that's just how the Japanese sunscreen market works.

Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Milk SPF50+ PA++++

Woops. Finished with this 40mL bottle of Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Milk SPF50+ PA++++ a few weeks ago but forgot the post in the draft folder. This was the 2017 version--the gold bottle--that had been discontinued since 2019, replaced by the blue bottle. 

And if this blue bottle looks familiar to you, that's because this UV Super Moisture Milk line was the replacement when Rohto discontinued Skin Aqua UV Moisture Milk SPF50+ PA+++ in 2017. 

Melano CC Anti-Spot White Lotion Part II

Since the weather got cold and dry, I replaced the bottle of Melano CC Anti-Spot White Lotion I'm using with the Moisturizing Type version. I just bought the 170mL refill pouch that I then poured into an empty bottle, pretty convenient.

 

Rohto Lip The Color SPF26 PA+++ Part III

Here are Rohto Lip The Color SPF26 PA+++ in LE Mermaid Blue and Shine On Berry, as mentioned in the previous installment of the series. These two were released in the fall of 2019, and yes this post was stuck in the draft folder for many many months :(

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Melano CC Anti-Spot White Lotion

Half way through this 170mL bottle of Melano CC Anti-Spot White Lotion so I guess a review is overdue. I know, you're probably thinking I'm a hypocrite because I'd said over and over I don't care for lightening, brightening, or whitening products. I still don't. I'm not using this stuff for my face, you see. I'm actually using it for the stretch marks on my belly ^.^ Yep, you read that right, Melano CC to fade postpartum stretch marks.

Rohto Lip The Color SPF26 PA+++ Part II

Despite the silly name, I was thrilled when Julia gifted me another Rohto Lip The Color SPF26 PA+++ in Foggy Rose (thank you again, Julia!), and Pink Coral was from an Amazon JP order. Last fall, they also released two LE colors Shine-on Berry and Mermaid Blue, both of which Julia also generously picked up for me (thank you thank you!). Will review these later.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Mentholatum Lip Fondue

Aside from Kiss Cream Sheer Rouge and Rohto Lip The Color, yet a third hit from Julia's enormous care package last fall was this Mentholatum Lip Fondue in Marmalade Orange.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Rohto Lip The Color SPF26 PA+++

In addition to Kiss Creamy Sheer Rouge, another huge hit for me from Julia's generous care package from last fall was this Rohto Lip The Color SPF26 PA+++ in the color Precious Red. Yes, it has a stupid name, but it's an awesome lippie so don't write it off just yet.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Skin Aqua Tone Up UV Essence SPF50+ PA++++

For over a year I'd resisted these cotton candy-colored tubes and bottles of sunscreens that supposedly color-correct, but alas in the end my curiosity got the better of me and I picked up two 80g tubes of Skin Aqua Tone Up UV Essence SPF50+ PA++++ in the "regular" Lavender tint as well as the 2019 limited edition Mint Green.

It's worth noting that the Lavender tube I have is the old formula with alcohol from 2018, versus the Mint Green being the newer 2019 formula without alcohol.

All pictures taken in natural lighting without flash.

Skin Aqua SaraFit UV Sara Sara Essence SPF50+ PA++++

Boy is this review so very late. Good thing this sunscreen is still available. Despite the repackaging in 2017, the formulation hasn't changed as far as I know.

Anyway, back in 2016 when hubby and I were still in Tokyo, I gave this 50g tube of Skin Aqua SaraFit UV Sara Sara Essence PSF50+ PA++++ to him after he poo-pooed Nivea Sun Protect Plus UV Creamy UV Essence, disliking its soft matte finish and how it felt "waterproof" (it wasn't...).

SunPlay Clear Water SPF50+ PA++++

Some time last fall I started browsing Rakuten Global in English, finally. I've known about it for years, and I'd stayed away for just as long because, truth be told, the site sucks balls. Rakuten basically cranks its whole Japanese website through a translation engine, and a sh*tty one at that (to be fair, Japanese isn't exactly an easy language to translate). This sh*tty translation engine then goes on to trash the whole search function, because it translates Japanese product names into gibberish English and vice versa, often with some kana still intact.

Take this disaster, for example: erhhh...UV what now? O.o

***Screencap courtesy of Rakuten Global in US English. Feel free to replicate your own search if you're skeptical. The actual victim product, Biore UV Athlizm Skin Protect Essence, was well-reviewed by Citrine.

With the search engine rendered unusable, the only option left is to browse by category and the wade through the thousands and thousands of products listed page by page. They don't make it easy for you (or me!) for sure. Perhaps the interweb user-friendliness hasn't gone mainstream in Japan yet. Ha.

Anyway, knowing I'd have to restock my sunscreen supply for use this summer, I started browsing early, just to get acquainted with the website and its kinks (pun intended :P). That was when I started seeing these "tinted" sunscreens, and by tinted I meant blue or lavender and often with micro-shimmers. Since I've used and liked Biore SaraSara UV Perfect Bright Milk which was tinted pink, I was open to the idea of blue and lavender and ended up with two 26mL/30g bottles of SunPlay Clear Water SPF50+ PA++++ (and its sister Skin Aqua Tone Up UV Essence too, will review later).

All below pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Skin Aqua Perfect UV Stick SPF50+ PA++++

My curiosity didn't stop once I've secured some sunscreen sticks for my little one. Upon some more digging, I found a few Japanese ones and a boat load of Korean ones--apparently they're all the rage in South Korea these days. And better named too, if I may say. There's zero confusion for me what a UV stick or sun stick is, regardless whether it contains physical blockers or chemical filters :P

I'll start with Skin Aqua Perfect UV Stick SPF50+ PA++++. This stick contains 10g of product and retails for 1,000yen each, but you can often find it on Rakuten JP (or Global) for around 700yen, which is already a 30% discount. Sometimes, the shop runs a promotion for 10x points or gives extra coupons on top of that. I got mine for 715yen.

Hada-Labo Shirojyun Hyaluron Clear Essence Jelly

This past winter, I'd really enjoyed using Aqualabel All-in-One Whitening Jelly Essence, so having finished Kuramoto Bijin Hakumai Fermented All-in-One Milk, I moved on to a competitor product, the 200mL bottle of Hada-Labo Shirojyun Hyaluron Clear Essence Jelly.

I spared Hada-Labo from the "copycat" label because while the two products are nearly identical, Hada-Labo didn't try to mimic Aqualabel's packaging and name the same way the generic brand ABS did with both Hada-Labo and Oshima Tsubaki with the intent to mislead.

Skin Aqua Super Moisture Gel SPF50+ PA++++

Just finished this 110g bottle of Skin Aqua Super Moisture Gel SPF50+ PA++++ so here's a quick review. This is a stronger version of the UV Moisture Gel that's still available in SPF35 PA+++ and SPF30 PA+++.