Sponsored: EVERSOFT White High Protection Whitening Sunscreen Lotion SPF55

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honour of being invited by EVERSOFT to their Fair Skin and Sun Protection workshop, together with Yina, Jessica and Juli. I thought everyone looked really good that day! 

The topic, Fair Skin and Sun Protection, was of utmost interest to us. It's an Asian girl thing. I know many of our westerner friends can't understand why, but having clear, bright and fair skin just makes us look better. I remembered looking like an entirely different race/nationality when I was really dark as a kid. And I had people speaking to me in Bahasa. Or asking me why I looked so tired all the time. Bleah.

It's not just a young girl's thing, wanting to look fair and beautiful - the participants were in all ages! 愛美是女人一輩子的權利！ All women have a right to want to be beautiful. =)

Personally I learnt a lot about whitening skincare and sun protection that day from the beauty trainer Ms Jane Yap. Can you make a guess, if your skin was not exposed to the sun, how old would your skin be before it actually starts aging?

Come, make a guess.

You'd be as shocked as we were. 

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Ok I got tired of dotting and spacing and entering blanks. Lol...

The answer is: at least 60 years old. 

O.O

I had no idea what photo-aging meant until I heard that. Sun damage is really the primary factor that causes your skin to age, and those wrinkles and spots to form! (You hear that, western sun-loving friends?!?)

Personally I am a sunscreen-addict. Or a sunscreen freak, whatever you want to call me. If I go out in the day, sunny or not, I must apply sunscreen. This habit started when I was flying as a stewardess, when I had all those seniors who were beauty and skincare gurus. (You have no idea how much stewards and stewardesses are into skincare!) I have even started to end off my morning skincare routine with sunscreen, whether I head out or not, because certain UV rays actually penetrate through glass and get to you via your windows. 

I didn't use to like sunscreens. The ones I knew about when I was much younger were called "sunblock". They were thick, left a white gooey film on my skin and somehow certain ingredients gave me rashes and made me itchy. Thus going to the beach with "sunblock" on meant a lot of scratching, which removed the application via my nails anyway and deemed having sunblock on pointless. They were also a pain to wash off. 

Thank goodness modern day sunblocks and sunscreens do a much better job now. They feel lighter on the skin, and most importantly do not make me itch like the old sunblocks do. 

Some background about sunblocks and sunscreens - 

Sunblocks use ingredients which reflect sun rays and block them from penetrating the skin.

The active ingredients in sunblock are usually titanium oxide or zinc oxide, which gives them a thicker opaque consistency, which is the white film left behind. They also use a heavier carrier oil to resist being washed off. Sunscreens utilise ingredients which absorb harmful UV rays before they penetrate your skin. Some people are allergic to certain ingredients, and may decide to use pure sunblock instead of sunscreen. 

These days different companies name their sunscreens and sunblock interchangeably, and most sunscreens now are a combination of both, so do check the ingredients label if you have a sensitivity to certain chemicals. I still do not know what it was that made me itch even though I was using what the company named a "sunblock". So I'm always experimenting. 

When EVERSOFT told me they have launched a new sunscreen in their EVERSOFT White Skincare line, it's immediately on my need-to-try list.

The new EVERSOFT White High Protection Whitening Sunscreen Lotion SPF 55.

I like how small it is. This would be handy to carry around in my handbag or my tote when I'm out. It is usually recommended that we reapply sunscreen every 2 hours for maximum protection against UV rays. I understand that once we have makeup on it's hard to reapply, but on the days when we decide not to apply makeup (eg. when out hiking/going to the market/bringing the kids to Bt Timah hill/ cycling), this is really handy. It's also great for students without adding much weight to their bags! 

Tip: Educate your kids about the importance of sunscreen and start them on the habit of applying. 80% of sun damage occurs by the time we hit our 20s because kids spend so much time outdoors and in the sun! They'll thank you for it when they grow older.

Something about SPF:

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor, and is a measure of how long a sunscreen remains effective on the skin. The effectiveness of the sunblock is determined by the amount of time it takes for someone to suffer a sunburn, multiplied by the SPF factor. For example, you usually take 10 minutes to develop a sunburn when not wearing sunblock. By applying a sunscreen with an SPF of 55, it'll prevent sunburn for up to 550 minutes, which is around 9 hours!

It is a consolation for us girls who apply sunscreen followed by makeup and find it almost impossible to reapply later in the day, even if your SPF50 sunscreen can only protect you for 6 hours. Because we know that our crazy tropical sunlight is strongest between 10am-2pm. So even if you leave the house for work at 8, you are moderately well-protected. =)

That is of course theory. While a high SPF is great for preventing sunburn, it is not good enough. Invisible skin damage and photo-aging can happen in skin cells which are deeper when UVA rays hit, and you won't be able to see any redness or feel any pain. UVA is also responsible for causing DNA damage to cells, which may lead to skin cancer.

Now you see that the EVERSOFT White sunscreen states that it provides "long lasting protection against UVA and UVB rays". What does that mean?

UVB rays are rays which are responsible for sunburn, so a high SPF sunscreen is great for preventing this type of rays to create damage to your skin. 

Always go for sunscreens with at least SPF 15 for adequate protection! 

UVB is also the main cause of most skin cancers. UVA can contribute to this, but UVB is the main culprit. UVB- B for BURNS and Bye Bye Life. I may sound morbid, but yes, just so you remember. 

UVA rays are Ultraviolet A rays, which are present all year round, regardless of weather or season. If you think you are protected indoors on a gloomy winter's day, you are wrong. They penetrate glass and even certain clothing, so yup, it doesn't matter if your car windows are black, or if your home windows are frosted. Think of UVA rays as a tikopeh who has access to you without you knowing it. O.O

Source: lorealparis.com.au

UVA rays causes your skin to turn dark. A tan results from injury to the skin's DNA. Ever heard that fairer skin is more prone to skin cancer than darker skin? The skin develops a tan as a natural attempt to prevent further DNA damage, but this tanning process is a skin cell mutation, which can cause skin cancer. 

UVA also causes signs of aging. They penetrate deeper into the skin and may cause irreversible damage. Think pigmentation, wrinkles, and thick leathery skin. Yup, that's UVA - A for AGING.

Source: iamtarabuck.com

For our EVERSOFT Whitening suncreen:

SPF factor - thumbs up.

Broad spectrum protection against UVA & UVB rays - check.

Now scroll up and look at the bottle again. What is PA++? 

PA stands for Protection Grade of UVA rays, and is a measurement started in Japan to gauge how efficient a sunscreen is against UVA rays, and is based on another Japanese method of measuring UVA protection called PPD - Persistent Pigment Darkening. A PPD rating of 10 would means that it takes 10 times as much UVA exposure to cause damage. You know how Japan is all about anti-aging right? You may not be able to find this on American or European products. The following is a guide:

So a sunscreen with PA+ provides UVA protection of between 2-4, PA++ for between 4-8 and PA+++ for 8 and above. Generally a sunscreen with at least PA++ provides adequate protection against UVA rays. 

Conclusion: The EVERSOFT White High Protection Whitening Sunscreen Lotion SPF55 (yes it's a mouthful lol) passed the sun/UV protection tests with flying colours!

Most sunscreens only work to protect against UV rays, but the EVERSOFT White High Protection Whitening Sunscreen Lotion SPF55 has an added bonus: it whitens as it protects! 

This sunscreen is enriched with their breakthrough formulation - the Radiant Gene Activator, or RGA, which is a blend of Sakura Extract and Lipo Vitamin C which activates lightening at the heart of your skin cells, resulting in fairer, suppler and more radiant skin! You can read more about how they work here.

Now for the application. 

It's a white watery lotion. 

See how easily it spreads? It doesn't feel gooey or anything, like any normal lotion.

And it leaves no white cast! You'll feel a layer of something on your skin immediately after application. I was told this is sort of like an emollient film which locks the protect on the skin, but I touched my skin 2 minutes later and I couldn't feel anything. So I can say that it dries clear and leaves no sticky or oily feeling. Me likey!

Here's a picture of me with the whole EVERSOFT White series on my face. Well almost. Lol. I used the facial foam, toner, serum, day cream, the sunscreen which I've been talking about, and their BB cream. Of course I added some light makeup to give me a little bit of colour. What do you think?

No white cast right? And I thought the BB cream gave me pretty decent coverage as well. ^.^

So our role at the event was to share how to take good selfies. Yes we are narcissistic. Nothing wrong with a bit of self-love and flaunting good skin when you have it, right? ;)

 

We take good we-fies too! Lol!

You can scroll right down to the bottom of the post if you are not interested in my face, because it's going to be selfies galore from here...

Now the EVERSOFT team has a little something for my readers!

1st 100 readers to email the below details to eversoft@wipro-unza.com will receive a sample size of EVERSOFT White High Protection Whitening Sunscreen Lotion SPF 55.

1. Name

2. Address

3. Contact No.

4. D.O.B.

5. Answer to "What attributes do you look for when you purchase a sunscreen lotion?"

That's it! Easy yes? =D

You're welcome. ^.^