Can anyone tell me which of the Shiseido Anessa product lines they would suggest for dry to normal skin that wouldn't leave a white caste as i am of a darker skin tone? Not looking for something that would dry me out to the point that i would break out :) thanks

This is the best sunscreen I've ever used, it won't give you any greasy feeling, absorbed instantly, give you a smooth silky layer and doesn't dry your skin. and I hardly got tanned when I used this consider that I'm easily got tanned. I highly recommend this sunscreen. You only use one or two small drop to cover all of your face.
I used 3 bottles of this when I lived in Japan, and it is very cheap in the local drugstore, JPY 3000 (+/- USD 30), the local drugstore often have weekly promo and cost me JPY 2,100 each for every 2 bottle purchase. Unfortunately, I move to Indonesia, the price becoming USD 50+. too expensive.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHERE I CAN ORDER THIS FROM A TRUSTED WEBSITE ONLINE PLEASE

Only available in Asia, so had to order this online (ebay I think). Even though this is hard to get a hold of, this is definitely worth the effort. It is, for me, the PERFECT sunscreen. It's non-oily, very effective and completely blends with no "pilling" and no white mask effect. This kind of texture and packaging is very common among Asian sunscreens and it is great for anyone who is looking for a strong facial sunscreen. Also, there is no sunscreen smell at all when applied on the skin and it feels like I am not wearing sunscreen at all. This is really what makes it stand out from any other sunscreen I've ever used, so I think I am sticking to Asian-formulation sunscreens from now on.
Neutrogena just came out with a similar sunscreen available in the U.S. so check out reviews on that. For the record, this is $30 for 60 ml while the Neutrogena is $12 for 40 ml. I'll write a comparison review for the two under the Neutrogena one.

this is for the silver bottle. i think this provides better sun protection than the sofina sunscreen and feels lighter on my skin tahn teh shiseido ultimate spf 50 PA.
it has more scent than the sofina, but way less than the shiseido ultimate. it sinks in quickly and dries with no sticky finish. the protection is great. only complaint is that is hard to find and expensive.
update- i think they have replaced this one with a baby blue one called perfect essence.

This is the type of sunscreen I really like -- silky smoothy texture and dries to touch. When you live in a hot and humid area the last thing you want is a sunscreen that is greasy and sticky. Pricey but it's worth it. It's also a good makeup primer because it just dries up nicely (without dehydrating your skin).

I discovered this product one year that I was living in Japan. It went on so smooth and comfortable that I've been using it ever since. Right now I live in Vietnam and I am still using Anessa sunscreen for my face and neck. Even for such a hot and humid country like Vietnam, I must say that Anessa sunscreen still feels comfortable on my skin throughout the day. I usually lather it on generously in the morning. Many people complemented me on how my face hasn't turned dark at all during the two years I've been living here.
Some poeple commented that Anessa sunscreen was hard to remove but I find that if you use an oil based makeup remover then it comes off quite clean. I'm using Fancil mild cleansing oil as my makeup remover and have not found any problems at all.
Unfornately Vietnam doesn't sell this product so I always stock up whenever I fly through Japan or Taiwan. (Although I've discovered recently that pharmacies sell Anessa sunscreen cheaper than duty free sometimes because of special weekly promotions).
Update 06/06/2011: I've found a store in Saigon Square 2 shopping center that sells Anessa sunscreen for less than it would cost in Japan. It's sold in Saigon for 400,000VND (slightly under $20us)

This sunscreen is a great primer under your foundation. It really does go on smoothly and dries to a matte finish and actually makes your makeup look better! Imagine that, a sunscreen that you actually want to put on in the morning. The sun protection is incredible and you only need a little and it lasts all day. I only use this on my face and neck and use Neutrogena on my arms and legs because Anessa $30 for a 2 oz. bottle. If you are serious about sunscreen this is hands down the best I have ever used. I purchased mine on Amazon it is a Japanese product and I don't believe it is sold in retail stores.

I LOVE this! One of the things I was really looking forward to on a recent trip to Asia was getting my hands on some Japanese sunscreen! I've tried a few Japanese brands in the past, and have always been very pleased, but this one seems to apply even more smoothly than all the rest. It's very milky and easy to spread and leaves a very smooth finish. I hesitate to say this dries out my skin, but when my face is feeling dry, I do have to make sure I put an adequate moisturizer on underneath, or the flakes will show up. It is a little expensive, but totally worth it, and a little is all you need. This stuff blows any of the Western brands' sunscreens out of the water! UPDATE 1/20/10: Still using this, and it hasn't broken me out either! I'm putting this down as *gasp* HG!

For the silver bottle: Love this sunscreen! the packaging is awesome and hygenic I usually mix 3 drops with my moisturizer so that it is less drying on the skin. I find that it keeps me matte all day and does not have that greasy feeling that all other sun screens have. It leaves my skin smooth, however this is a slight white cast that does show up in photos, but that is to be expected! I dont have a problem removing this either - i use the mac makeup remover wipes

Probably a little early to write a review on this as it's my first day of use but so far, I'm blown away.
Previously, I'd been a religious MAC Prep & Prime SPF 50 user. Made a decent primer & meant a few less steps than if I used just a regular sunscreen (I use it all year round). However, there are some issues with it that bug me. It takes an age to dry down. I usually end up leaving it for 15 minutes & still have to use a blotting sheet. The bottle is ridiculous. If I leave it the right way round, I've lost a lot of product through it oozing into the cap on a fair few bottles. If I turn it upside down, it makes getting the stuff out hard work. The biggest issue for me is that P&P seems to make me more oily than I would be normally as the day wears on.
Anessa took a minute to sink in and dry down for me this morning. Fantastic, it means I'm not wasting time. Nor am I wasting blotting sheets because I just didn't have to with this. The bottle is much more convenient, the product is easy to get out. Best of all, it really hasn't made me excessively oily around the t-zone area. It's also made a fantastic base for my foundation, so that's another step skipped.
As I mentioned, this is my first trial of this but so far, it's been excellent. I'm definitely going to get another bottle off ebay. The only problem is how hard it's making the idea of using up my remaining bottles of MAC P&P! continued >>

SO good. buy it. i first tried in japan, and have repurchased on ebay from australia since then. top grade protection. great base for makeup, smooth silicon like finish. shake well. i wish i could buy it here, but it doesnt meet "australian standards" (however i trust japanese standards completely!). i've tried the pearl this time round. nice... but the standard silver smooth version is my HG forever.. (ppp)

My boyfriend's sister came from Japan to visit and she let me try this. According to her and her friends, it has the best texture of all the Anessa sunscreens. When applied, I felt that it it was more fluid like and had a better finish than the Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 55. However I would caution those who have dry skin because this might be somewhat drying but I don't think it would be as drying as the Ultimate Sun Protection.

Review is for the *Silver* bottle. This sunscreen is amazing. My daughter darkens very quickly in the sun and on our last beach vacation, I used this on her face for the entire trip and she hardly tanned. Her body, where I used the ped-recommended and cheaper Coppertone, is another story though. I got this from Japan where it is about $30 a bottle dep on exchange rate. Just a small amount covers the entire face so my bottle has lasted quite a while. I have dry skin and do not notice this making my skin any drier.

[Edit]: I have swapped this away because it was a tad too drying for my skin, especially in the colder months. My skin has changed from oily to combo this year and especially in the winter months, there are dry patches.
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This is a review for the SILVER bottle, as shown in the picture for this product.
This stuff is absolutely incredible. All thanks to MUA, I found out about this product and was able to get my sister to purchase this for me in Hong Kong, since I live in Canada.
This is one of those products that will last you for a while since you only need to use a little bit each time. I mix about 4-5 drops with my foundation and it gives me perfect coverage while protecting from the sun's rays. It definitely is not greasy like other sunscreens and is absorbed effortlessly into the skin. Unlike other sunscreens, you don't need to reapply this and offers superb protection from the sun.
I can't stress enough how awesome this product is. People say that it is hard to remove, but I use makeup remover at the end of the day that takes off this product along with a cleanser that contains glycolic acid. So it's all good. Just make sure you get a make up remover since it is waterproof and sweatproof.
Ingredients: Aqua, Alcohol, Vinyl Dimethicone/Lauryl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Glycerin, Octocrylene, Ethylhexyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylyl Methicone, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Silica, Polysilicone-15, Methyl Gluceth-10, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Bis-Ethylhexylphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine(Tinosorb S), Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Thymus Serpillum Extract, Potentilla Erecta Root Extract, Dimethicone, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Lauryl Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Distearyldimonium Hectorite, Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate/Methacrylamide Hydroxylauric Copolymer,Polybutylene Glycol, Ppg-9/1 Copolymer, Alumina, Trisodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Butylated Hydroxytoluene, Tocopheryl, Phenoxyethanol, Perfume, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Hydroxide.

Great product ever! My friend told me about it and highly recommend so I bought it because I am not satisfy with my current make up base which is YSL complex enhancer. YSL is quite good becase it make my skin soft and smooth and easy to apply foundation. However, I have very oily skin and this base does not work pretty well to keep my face matte all day but it is the best make up base I found out after trying many brands such as Estee Lauder, Lancome, Clarins...etc. At least it keep my make up until the afternoon. Thus, I did think that there is no make up base that helps to control my oily face and keep my make up for all day and I'm tired of searching for it. Then, when my friend tell me about Anessa, it did not think it will work. However, it's quite cheap so why don't I give it a try. It great! That all I can tell about this product. Absolutely love it! it keeps my make up all day. I just have to use oil control paper on the afternoon, then touch up. When I come back home after work, my make up is still on my face and my face is still bright like in the morning without turning to dark like oily skin uses to. You just remember to remove your make up carefully to avoid it clogs your pore. Highly recommend it to those who has very oily skin like me.

I have no idea if this works or not.
I do notice that it makes my face matte all day.
Takes forever to remove... if possible.
May cause break outs because it stops your face from getting oily.

Best sunscreen ever. Does not cause me any breakouts and provides good coverage.I'm using the one in gold packaging because of Singapore's humid weather. A bit on the pricey side though.

Finally! A sunscreen/base that actually helps to keep my crazy oily face at bay! This wonderful light milky sunscreen goes on so smooth, sets my skin for foundation application, and keeps the oiliness in check! I only need to blot once a day, whereas I used to blot constantly (5-6x daily), and throw on Blot Powder to try to sop up the mess! Becoming HG for me!

I bought this sunscreen after i tried bioderma photoderm MAX fluid. Throught the bioderma offer higher UVA PPD35 comparing to anessa 8+ which i dont know how much.I very liked this sunscreen i have oily tan skin tone i am asian anessa doesn't leave white cast oily or look weird on my face when applied at 2mg/cm2 but bioderma look weird and it take forever to dry. i would anessa 5 lippie if i has more UVA protection. but right now i find a better sunscreen with higher UVa protection with same texture as aneesa spectraban ACE have PPD19 same fluid texturebut is a lot more expensive and diffcult to find.