During my holiday in Malaysia, the weather was exceptionally hot and humid. The humidity wrecked havoc on my hair, and it feels as though each time I step out of the shower, I needed to go back in. In terms of skincare, I could only use the barest amount, as little layering as possible, without feeling as though my face would melt off.
For my sunscreen and tinted moisturiser needs, I looked no further than Naruko’s Narcissus Defense BB Sunscreen.
Description:
This BB sunscreen uses state of art sun shield – Suncat to provide SPF50 sun protection. A revolutionary color diffuser evens skin tone and leaves flawless skin condition all day long. It is a perfect solution to conceal, treat and protect.
I’m assuming that when Naruko named this BB Sunscreen, they meant that it’s a BB cream with sunscreen (I could be wrong. You know how Asian naming can be :P). The BB cream is light in texture and suits my skin tone perfectly. Do bear in mind though, that the high SPF of 50 stated on the product is not an Australian SPF standard.
So how does this differ from the Total Defense BB Cream Essence which I reviewed earlier?
- In terms of scent, they smell the same.
- The BB Sunscreen is slightly lighter in texture compared to the BB Cream Essence.
- As the name would have it, the BB Sunscreen contains a high SPF of 50 whereas the BB Cream Essence does not contain any sunscreen.
If you have oily/combination skin and am looking for a high-SPF, yet light, oil-free and without any white cast sunscreen that gives a light to medium coverage, then I highly recommend the BB Sunscreen. I used this every day in Malaysia without any problems. It evened out my skin tone, and with a light dusting of MAC’s Studio Fix powder foundation, I was ready for the day. The high humidity and heat didn’t make me feel as though my makeup was melting off my face.
This has become a fast favourite of mine, and my tube’s almost finished too. Repurchase? Absolutely! 😀
Naruko’s BB Sunscreen SPF50 retails at RM49 for 30ml (approximately AU$16) and is available at Watsons pharmacies in Malaysia. It is also available at Sasa.com (at the time of writing, it’s currently not available on Sasa.com. However, I have seen it stocked on the website, and I think the product should be relisted fairly soon) and the official Naruko website.
What I like about it: Light texture, great for hot and humid environments, high SPF
What I do not like about it: It’s only available in 1 shade
PS:This BB sunscreen is part of my New Year Giveaway!
I got it for AUD$9-$10 from the TW online shop!!
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Ponikuta: The official Naruko shop? Yeah, the cheapest place to get it will be there. Oh well, with Watson’s regular discounts, can get it for about $15. Still cheaper than most BB creams I know 😛
aiyo now that you and lyn talked about it, i am itching to give it a try too! let me finish my newly opened bottle of sunscreen first!
Plue: Haha I think it’s a good base for makeup. It’s light enough, that’s for sure. I loved using it in Malaysia. It’s so hot and humid, this doesn’t feel like my face is melting off.
OK I’m off to check this out since you recommend it for combo/oily skin 🙂
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Dom: Woohoo! Enabling duty done *check!* 😀
I’m using this today as a base in place of a primer. It is one of my favourites too! I like using this as a light tint on “lazy days”.
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Lyn: Me too me too! 😀
I am a little cautious as to how SPF50 is provided when zinc oxide concentration is only at 2.5% and there’s benzophenone (gasp!) But I agree that it is very light weight and suitable for tropical climate.
Espenine: I agree with you. To be honest, I’m cautious about it as well, given the low percentage of sunscreen ingredients in the product. As much as I can, especially in Australia, I apply an additional layer of sunscreen first before slapping this on. The SPF50 on this BB cream is not Australian standard, so I’m only assuming it to be a maximum of SPF30. However, as you’ve said, given that it’s only 2.5%, it could be less. I’ll look more into this 🙂
How did you come across this product? I mean before you even knew it was here in Malaysia that is. I would love to give this product a try as I am (being the lazy person that I am) looking for a moisturiser that acts as a powerful sun screen too but you say it has only one shade..Im not sure if this would fit my skin tone at all. Like this particular BB cream that I bought from one of the renowned Korean beauty store, I like it but when I put it on it certainly was fair for my skin YUCK I was disappointed with myself and the sales girl who seemed to be ignorant of that…then again it was my fault too for thinking it looked good on me when i saw my reflection hence I always keep telling myself MIRROR MIRROR MIRROR LIGHTING LIGHTING LIGHTING sigh!!
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Cuteandcurls: I read about it on other Asian beauty blogs and was really interested in trying it out. Unfortunately, at that time, it was sold at on Sasa.com as it was a very popular product. Luckily at that time, my parents were about to come to Melbourne for a visit, so I purchased some Naruko products (including this BB sunscreen) on the Naruko Malaysia website, sent it to them, and they brought it to me.
The best way to see if the colour really suits you would be to NOT apply it on the back of your hand, but on your jawline. And then walk out of the store where you have white light and then see yourself in the mirror. If the colour disappears to your skin tone, then it’s the right one. Unfortunately I find a number of sales assistants in Malaysia (especially the ones in Asian beauty stores) ignorant to a lot of things and just want the ring up the sale, so they tell you not to worry, the shade is correct, etc.
Hi Tine, this is my 1st time to your blog. I was searching for reviews on this BB Sunscreen and came across your blog. Like others, I’m interested to know the stability and effectiveness of this sunscreen since it contains only 2.5% Zinc Oxide. Also, Avobenzone will degrade once it’s exposed to the sun and there doesn’t seem to be any stabilizing agent in it.
But if any of you understand chinese, their site explains it but still I’m in doubt as I never heard of this technology before and I don’t seem to see any relative ingredients to support it. Perhaps you ladies will have more input or knowlege of it? Here’s the link but in Chinese.
http://www.naruko.com.tw/shop/product/index.php?pid=311411977
I was looking for reviews on this product and came across yours 🙂
This sounds like something I would really like, I’ve been thinking
about buying the BB cream essence, until I found out about this one 🙂
Thank you for the review! 🙂
Do you know how to read the expiry date on this BB sunscreen?
I just bought one today and realized when I came home there was a date on it that says: 20110617, which I’m assuming is 2011-June-17; however I’m not sure if it expires on that date, or it was produced on that date…what does yours say?
Thanks for your great review and help! I’ve subscribed ^_^
Kat: I had a look at mine just now, and the numbers are similar to yours. I have a feeling it’s the manufacturing date, but I really am not sure. I’ll ask around about this 🙂