I have written in my post about my daily skincare routine that Estee Lauder’s DayWear Plus for Oily Skin is the daytime moisturizer that I use. I have been using it for years and I have never thought about changing it.
But recently I have discovered Olay Complete Care Multi-Radiance Daily Illuminating UV Fluid for Combination and Oily Skin (SPF 15). For me, it is one of the very few daytime moisturizers that are as good as DayWear Plus.
It has a slightly thicker consistency than DayWear Plus, but it spreads easily and absorbs well. It dries up to a semi-matte finish. Thanks to mica, it does impart a subtle glow, but it does not look shiny or greasy. It is also a good base for makeup. Most importantly, it does not irritate my sensitive skin and my skin feels properly moisturized.
It is about 14 US dollars (for 75ml) in the UK, so it is a great cheaper alternative for me. (DayWear Plus (50ml) is about 56 US dollars here, whereas it is 38 US dollars in America!)
It contains titanium dioxide and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane as the anti-UVA ingredients. (Please check out my post on sunscreen basics to see why we need ingredients like these in a daytime moisturizer.)
There are a few drawbacks of this product. It contains benzyl alcohol and citrus nobilis (mandarin extract), which can be skin irritants. Benzyl alcohol is not among the major ingredients while citrus nobilis is a bit higher up on the ingredient list. But I have not had negative reactions to the product. Also, the packaging is not totally opaque. Skin-benefiting ingredients that are light-sensitive can lose their effect overtime in this kind of packaging. Maybe Olay should consider rectifying this.
By the way, I know that Olay carries different products in different countries (or it may package and name products differently), and I can’t find this particular product on the Olay US website. Maybe someone can let me know more about this.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Isn’t it amazing, that something so much cheaper than the extravagant things one can buy can be so much better? I use the Olay for dry skin – I’ve tried a billion other things, but the Olay face creams really give you the best bang for your buck.
Hi there!
I love your blog, and I completely agree about Olay Multi Radiance, I’ve used it for three years now and wouldn’t be without it!!
Fantastic stuff!
By the way, I’ve linked to you on my Blog-hope you don’t mind!
Hello G.G.,
Thank you for your comment.
I recently bought another Olay moisturizer: Complete Care Night Enriched Cream. I like this very much as well. (I have been impressed with Olay so far.) I will probably review this one later.
Hello Jen,
Thank you for dropping a message. Glad you like my blog!
Thank you for linking to my blog. I have linked to yours as well.
Thanks for linking me PJ, really appreciate it!
Have you had a chance to stop by?
x
Hello Jen,
I have been browsing your blog, and I thoroughly enjoy it!
First of all, it is always great to see a fellow UK-based beauty blog, among so many US-based ones.
About blue-tinted lip glosses, I haven’t tested California Kissin’ you mentioned on your blog, but I really like the two by Guerlain and Dior that I bought. Blue-tinted glosses don’t actually make lips blue. (When it is on the the lips, it is very sheer and no one can tell that it is blue in the tube.) But they really add depth and dimension to the lips. I have written on this topic (two posts before this Olay one). Do have a look! And do give blue-tinted lip glosses a go and see if you like them.
I read your post on the Sony CP lip gloss as well. Just out of sheer curiosity, did you happen to come across my post about it before you bought it? :)
By the way, I like Stella by Stella McCartney as well, and I also like Bristol!
Keep up the great work. I will visit your blog constantly. (And let’s hope the weather gets better…)
Yesterday I’ve bought Olay Daily illuminating fluid due to your recomendations! I was afraid that it’s not sold in Russia but happily I’ve found it in the store!!!! What I can say – I like it very much, I hesitated between recommended Estee Lauder one and this Olay moisturizer and the winner was Olay because of the price obviously :)
Hi Delerith21,
I am glad that you found this moisturizer and that you like it!
I think, regardless of the prices, you probably made a good decision. When I was using Estee Lauder DayWear Plus (the one for oily skin) in winter, sometimes it was not moisturizing enough for me. (On the other hand, the one for normal skin doesn’t suit me in warmer months.)
But, with this one from Olay, it suits me all-year-round. I just need to apply a little bit more in winter and my face feels well-moisturized.
I hope you will continue to enjoy this moisturizer!
Thank you for sharing your comment! Hope to hear from you again! :)
have you heard of ZA deep hydrating gel as night mask? :P
Hi Heng Wei,
Yes, I think I have heard of the gel being used as a night mask. If it is well-formulated (it is important that it is alcohol-free), then you can indeed apply a generous layer before bed to really moisturize the skin.
Thank you for stopping by again! :)
Hi,
I love your blog!
This is the first time I've left a msg in your blog ;> Anyways I found a similar Olay day face moisturizing product that has the UVA/UVB SPF 30 here in Canada. It cost is $16.99 and comes in a gold box.
Hi,
I see. Thank you for letting me know!
As I mentioned, as far as I know, Olay tends to release slightly different products in different countries (or somewhat similar products in different packaging and with different names).
But I am quite certain that, most of the time, they are similarly formulated, and most of Olay’s products are generally well-formulated.
Thank you very much for posting your comment! :)
Hi PJ,
Great post!
the olay complete range has been a great staple since high school. In Australia, we have two main products:
1/ UV protection moisture lotion spf15
2/ UV defence daily UV moisturizing lotion spf30+
what's interesting is that the active UVA protecting ingredient here is zinc oxide.
I think the one you've got there is more superior as it's got Niacinamide as a main skin-benefiting ingredient, while our ones seem like very basic moisturisers. Would love to try it one day. But olay make good products, and I love how they feel more like a moisturiser than sunscreen.
Hi again~
I just wanted to say that I used to use mineral foundation and could not use it with my Neutrogena sunscreen because there were some studies saying that zinc oxide/titanium dioxide would degrade the power of avobenzone (butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane), hence greatly reducing UVA protection. Do you know if that's true?
thanks for your help!
Hi Lilsweetkaz,
Yes, the Multi-Radiance Daily Illuminating UV Fluid does contain niacinamide, which is certainly a ingredient that can benefit the skin. I also agree with you that Olay generally makes good skincare products.
As for the combination of avobenzone and zinc oxide/ titanium dioxide, I can't be 100% sure whether this combination reduces the anti-UVA efficacy of avobenzone. I have come across information that suggests this, but I think I need more convincing.
I have also come across information that indicates that the US Food & Drug Association prohibits the combination of avobenzone and zinc oxide/ titanium dioxide in sunscreen products. However, I can't be sure whether this is true (the information could be outdated) as there are products available in the US that have both avobenzone and titanium dioxide.
(Overall this can be a complex issue. There is information that I have come across that suggests that a coating of zinc oxide/ titanium dioxide can reduce the degrading of avobenzone. Also, the stability of avobenzone itself as a sunscreen ingredient has also been discussed, although the research that Paula Begoun cited suggests that it is very stable. (She mentions that one research shows that it can degrade by up to 25% and that this is after 72 hours of sun exposure.))
In addition, many foundations (not just mineral foundations) do have titanium dioxide either as a major or a minor ingredient. At the moment, I wouldn't worry about using them along with sunscreen products that contain avobenzone as the main anti-UVA ingredient.
But this is an issue that I will certainly look into, and I will try to keep you updated on this if I have more information.
Thank you very much for your comments! :)