Beauty & Health Review (Beauty)

Review: Kanebo Allie Sunscreens

18 September 2013

I’m a fanatic about suncare; This post explains it all. Therefore sunscreens are a staple product for my skin. I can go out without makeup, but I will NEVER step out of the house without sunscreen.

Unless it’s at night la.

Although… lately I’ve been contemplating… the moon reflects light from the sun… which means it’s still sunlight!

Should I also apply sunscreen at night?
Too crazy? Haha.

I’ve been wanting to write this review forever, but keep forgetting. I remember every time I use them (which is almost everyday), but uh. Yeah.

Without further dillydallying, let’s get into the review proper!

Kanebo Allie

First up:

Kanebo Allie UV Long Keep Gel

I bought this mainly because it was advertised as being able to be worn as a makeup base.

I’ve watched a bajillion makeup tutorials and sometimes they will mention what moisturizer, etc they use before applying their makeup, but no one, I swear, NO ONE ever mentions what sunscreen is good to wear under makeup without your makeup flaking and going all wonky.

Hello, what is beauty if you have sun-damaged skin?!

Please don’t even bother mentioning the SPF in cosmetics. That will serve no purpose except to induce laughter. And maybe a few snorts.

For the record, La Roche Posay Anthelios is an excellent sunscreen, but terrible to wear under makeup.

Did this Allie live up to expectation?

Function

I’m happy to report that YES!!!
Makeup sits on it perfectly fine :D No flaking, clumping or smudging!!!

I FINALLY found a sunscreen that doesn’t fight makeup! I’m a happy camper!

I like that it’s SPF 50. In fact, I wouldn’t use a sunscreen with a factor less than that.
I’m kiasu like that.

It’s also PA++++. Do you know what that means?

It’s a sunscreen rating system used by Asian brands (particularly Japanese). PA is short for The Protection Grade of UVA.

Basically, the more + the better. It used to be only up to 3 +, but this year, they revised it to 4 +, and this sunscreen falls happily in that category.

All you need to know: It’s good.

This is a physical sunscreen (main UV filter: Zinc Oxide), which is what I prefer, over chemical sunscreens.

Packaging

Simple screw cap. It would be nice if it was a flip-top cap, but I’m not too fussed about it.

Overall a very simple, no-frills design.

Texture / Swatch

It’s a gel, so it’s quite light. Definitely not heavy like a cream, but not watery like the moisture-type sunscreens (e.g. Moisture Gel). Something like an in-between.

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You can see for yourself that Long Keep Gel is less runny than Moisture Gel.

Upon application, I can hardly feel anything on my face, which is great!

Smell

Ah, yes. The smell.

I don’t know if it’s because it’s the summer heat, but the moment the sunscreen touches my face, my nose is hit with the stinging smell of alcohol. I don’t remember it being this bad when I used it during spring… Will test out the theory now that autumn is almost here.

The alcohol smell goes away after a while (either that, or my nose is drunk and can’t smell anymore), but if you particularly dislike the smell of alcohol or allergic to it, best to stay away from this one.

Apart from the alcohol, there is a certain smell to it. There isn’t really anything that smells like it, so it’s quite difficult to describe. Not a typical sunscreen smell, and not super unpleasant, but it dissipates very quickly so not much of an issue.

Price

I bought this at a departmental store for 2,280yen. I thought it was quite reasonable for a 60ml tube.

Until I saw it on sale in drugstores for 1,980yen. Grrrr.

Final thoughts

The thing I love most about this sunscreen is absolutely the makeup base function! Overall, it’s quite a good sunscreen for me as it fulfils all the criteria I look for in a sunscreen.

Only thing that I feel can be improved is the smell.

But until I find a sunscreen like this + better smell, this will probably be one of my staple sunscreens!

Rating: 4.5 / 5

 

Kanebo Allie UV Moisture Gel

I bought this after I bought Long Keep Gel (LKG) above. Why did I need another after raving so much about LKG?

Because:

  1. There was a #1 rank @cosme sticker on it (@cosme is a popular Japanese site for cosmetics, skincare. Something like the Asian version of Makeupalley). I’m a sucker for them #1 products.
  2. It costs the same as LKG, but has 50% more — 90ml!
  3. It was on sale!
  4. Good for days when I don’t apply makeup (read: value for $$$)

As Moisture Gel is very similar to LKG, so I will only cover the differences below.

Function

Moisture Gel DEFINITELY. CANNOT. be worn under makeup.
Do not do it.

I tried, and ended up with small balls of makeup scattered all over my face after applying foundation and powder -_-

Packaging

Refer to LKG’s above.

Smell

Similar to LKG’s. But I find the alcohol smell slightly stronger for Moisture Gel.
No idea why.

Texture / Swatch

Lighter than LKG, which makes sense, because it’s “Moisture” Gel. If you like watery-type textures, you will probably like this one.

Price

I bought it on sale at 1,780yen. Usually, I think drugstores sell it for 2,280yen.

Final thoughts

This is only good for days when I don’t wear makeup.

Compared to LKG, I get more mileage for my yen. Other than that, there are lots of sunscreens with similar “specifications” and there is nothing particularly special about this sunscreen, unless you count the overwhelmingly strong alcohol smell.

I will most likely try other brands when I finish this tube. Most likely one that doesn’t make me feel like I’m smearing whisky all over my face.

Rating: 3 / 5


Where to buy

Amazon (ships worldwide)
Long Keep Gel Full-size (60g), USD 30: Here
Moisture Gel Full-size (60g), USD 31: Here

13 Comments

  • Reply Emy 25 March 2014 at 6:04 am

    Thank you so much for this review!

    I’m currently using the ALLIE Moisture Gel as well as the ALLIE Extra UV Protector — but would love to try out the UV Long Keep Gel. It sounds fabulous!

    And also thank you for including links to Rakuten! I still have some bottles of Kanebo ALLIE sunscreens left, but the seller I was previously buying them from seems to have closed store. I’m definitely bookmarking this. :)

    • Reply Rin 1 April 2014 at 11:27 am

      Hi Emy,

      You’re welcome! Glad you found it helpful :)

      Do you use the Moisture Gel under makeup? If so, does it clump up for you too?

      ps: Sorry for the late reply! I just came back from holiday ^^

      • Reply Emy 3 May 2014 at 11:37 am

        Sorry for my own extremely late reply!

        No, I don’t use Moisture Gel under makeup — because it does ball up considerably for me as well. I tend to use the milk version, Extra UV Protector, when wearing makeup. It’s more mattifying and fares a lot better under foundation. :)

        • Reply Rin 3 May 2014 at 9:31 pm

          Don’t worry about it! :)

          Ahh, I should probably try that the milk version out someday and see how it compares against the Long Keep version!

  • Reply Phuong 11 June 2015 at 8:29 pm

    Hi Rin,
    do you think these are suitable for very oily skin? I’m having such a hard time with sunscreen, as my skin is so sensitive to alcohol. Sorry I digged quite a few old post but I couldn’t find out your skin type .
    Also I think the packaging has been change in 2015, too?

    • Reply Rin 12 June 2015 at 12:22 am

      Hi Phuong,
      I have dry skin :) If you are sensitive to alcohol, I wouldn’t recommend you to use these since I personally find the alcohol content to be quite high.

      And yep, both of them were repackaged earlier this year. The (blue) Moisture Gel has also been renamed to Mineral Moist Neo.

  • Reply Lenybeth 6 July 2015 at 8:41 pm

    Where can i buy ALLIE in the Phils?

    • Reply Rin 7 July 2015 at 2:19 pm

      You can purchase Allie on Amazon. I believe this seller (Harajuku Culture JAPAN) ships to countries outside of USA.

  • Reply Kana 11 July 2015 at 1:54 am

    I cannot agree with what Rin wrote about not using Kanebo Allie Moisturizing Gel under makeup. I’m applying it succesfully ONLY under my makeup, and I’m using BB cream, liquid concealer, pressed powder, luminizer and bronzer on daily basis:)
    But know this: before applying any makeup you need to WAIT WHOLE 20 MINUTES, letting Allie Moisturizing Gel to absorb properly. NEVER put makeup like right after applying your sunscreen (ANY sunscreen for that matter), because: A – you will end up with one big SMUDGE from mix of a sunscreen and all your face cosmetics, and B: your sunscreen will NOT GUARD you properly, as natural filters needs to go deeper under your skin to protect it fully. Allie Moisturizing Gel has both chemical (stay on skin to reflect sunlight) and natural filters.
    So please, people, give your Kanebo Allie Moisturizing Gel a chance and use it properly under your makeup. I guarantee that you would be happy with the results. Why? I don’t know the type of your skin, but my skin is terribly oily. And Kanebo Allie Moisturizing Gel is the first sunscreen I ever used on my face, under my makeup. I used it on really high temperatures (in Poland we have temperatures going up to 35-40 Celsius, which makes about 95-104 Fahrenheit – I have no idea what scale is used in Japan) and when I have my Kanebo sunscreen under my makeup, my skin like forgets it has to produce a huge amount of oil and my skin is like nearly full on matt for a whole day, without any makeup corrections. I count it as a miracle and hope that effect would be permanent and Allie would never go off market:) So try it, and maybe you will be as amazed as I was with my bottle of that gel;))

    • Reply Kana 11 July 2015 at 2:06 am

      I just want to add, that under my sunscreen I put two, three drops of Tsubaki Oshima Oil on my face to moisturize it properly and after like 3-5 minutes I go in with the good amount of sunscreen. Then after whole 20 minutes or more I put my makeup:) And during the day, when I have my Kanebo Allie Moisturizing Gel, my skin feels hydrated and matt at the same time:) AMAZING!

      P.S. I’m from Poland, so Kanebo did not pay me to write a good reviev on their product:) My enthusiasm is all authentic, I love the fact that my oily skin react so great with this sunscreen and I’m considering to use it all year long, everyday:) Hope that my skin won’t change and this effect will be permanent:)

    • Reply Rin 11 July 2015 at 2:52 am

      Hi Kana,

      Thanks for sharing your experiences with Moisture Gel (as well as the email you sent. thanks for the blog love!)

      I think I should have been clearer in my description; What I meant was I found that I could not wear Moisture Gel under makeup in the same way as I did Long Keep Gel.

      To further elaborate, I was comparing the two sunscreens and I applied both sunscreens exactly the same way. Long Keep Gel held up perfectly whereas Moisture Gel failed.

      It is interesting that you managed to stay matte the entire day though! Even on my skin (which is dry type!), applying the Moisture Gel alone leaves me extremely shiny! I suppose that’s the “moisture” part of it doing its work. I’m inclined to think that it’s likely your awesome skincare and makeup that leaves you matte :)

      Definitely, I think Moisture Gel would work for certain people (and I’m glad it worked so well for you!) but unfortunately it doesn’t work as well for me, and this review is a reflection of that.

  • Reply Kana 11 July 2015 at 3:32 am

    I hope my enthusiasm in two earlier coments would not jinx the effect I get with my blue Kanebo sunscreen, because it really leaves my super-oily skin in matt all day long, even in the hottest day we had this summer (39 Celsius:) It never happened before I started using this concrete sunscreen (summer or any other season), and I changed nothing lately with my skin routine in cleansing, make-up or moisturizing, so Kanebo must be making all the magic here:) I was hoping that maybe your adventure with the blue Kanebo started with putting it just before the makeup, what with that gel-cream consistency of a blue Kanebo would possibly result in effect you wrote about. But I’m forgetting that not each cosmetic can be used succesfull by all people. There’s a reason we have so much cosmetics in the world:)
    Well, I’m glad you found a good sunscreen for your skin type. Sun protection is in my opinion very important, but still underestimated. Here’s hoping people would soon protect their skin more with sun filters:)
    Keep all that great work with your blog, I would be a constant guest here because I adore reading about cosmetics:) Best of luck:)

  • Reply Esme 5 May 2017 at 5:42 am

    Thank you for your blog post, I found this site when I was looking for reviews online :)

    Like the other commenter, I’m currently using Allie Perfect Alpha (the milky version), but as I’m running out and have to repurchase, I was thinking of trying the Long Keep Gel. The packaging seems more practical (you have to shake Perfect Alpha really well before applying), and I also like that it features more nourishing ingredients.

    I was wondering whether you have tried Perfect Alpha by now and can compare the two?
    And if not, is the Long Keep Gel still your everyday sunscreen?

    Thank you very much in advance!

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