One of the many reasons I love this product is because it does not sting when it gets in your eyes. I apply it around my eyes and haven't had a problem in the three years I've been using it. My line of work has me moving and sweating a lot. When sweat is running down my face my eyes never burn. In fact it's staying power is so strong that I once slipped and hit my contact covered eyeball and had to throw it out because I could not get the sunscreen finger print off. I had no affect from the sunscreen in my eye other then the blur from the finger print.

They make a special sunscreen for the eye area- no facial product should be used around the eyes as that skin is super thin and sensitive- using products that don't specify "for the eyes" can cause premature wrinkles, dark(er) circles, and puffiness amongst other things :( Better safe than wrinkly!

I won't use any facial product around my eyes, even if it's suitable for sensitive skin. Because our skin around eyes are super-duper sensitive and thin, I won't mess with it. (You know the wrinkles around eyes develop first, and it's only gonna get deeper once it happens!) There are eye cream with SPF out there, like Murad Essential-C Eye Cream SPF 15.

Yes, I've never tried a sunscreen that didn't burn if it gets in the eyes. The key to eye protection are good sunglasses - don't leave home without them!

I use this as a primer.

I use the Smashbox primer with SPF and Dermaxyl Complex. I've never had any problems using this cream with the primer, I think you just have to allow enough time for it to penetrate into the skin. I try to wait at least 5-10 minutes between putting on this sunscreen and my primer. I have extremely oily skin but the first time I used this combination (Shiseido cream & Smashbox primer) my makeup lasted 8 full hours in the sun with only a few swipes of a blotting sheet needed to keep shine at bay.

I have never used the cream alone under makeup but since a previous answer suggests that it can serve in the same way as a primer maybe I will try that as well - thank you K80L80!

I used to use primers until I was in a rush one day and skipped it. If you allow this sunblock time to completely absorb into your skin, I find that it dries to a silky, matte finish just like my primers used to, and that it works well to prime my mineral powder makeup (I use the fresh grind Elizabeth Arden or Bare Escentuals, and it works great with both).

Sunscreen only needs to be reapplied if you tend to sweat it off. I like to wear mine under my make up. As a rule of thumb, if it's on your face it is still working....so, if your make up is still intact so is your sunscreen.

When in doubt, I always go with the higher SPF. You can never be too protected from the sun, right?

According to editors in many of the beauty mags I've read, the 55 is one of the few sunblocks that will last you the better part of the day (8 hours) and at least through lunchtime.

They also say that most off-the-shelf sunblocks wear off in 2-4 hours and need to be reapplied.

I don't know about you, but I think reapplying sunblock over your makeup would be gross.

Sorry to contradict the other poster, but I just checked and Shiseido is on PETA's list of companies that DO test. :(

Sadly, yes - Shiseido does test their products on animals and I assume they are not free of animal derived ingredients. It was tough for me to purchase this product but most of the products we use in my home are cruelty-free - I still believe I'm doing as much as I can to be a caring consumer.

Yes it is. This is straight from the paper insert from the sample box I got from Sephora:
*Very water-resistant
*Perspiration-resistant
*Non-Comedogenic
*Dermatologist and Ophthamologist-tested
(Formulated to minimize the risk of allergy and eye irritation)

I don't think it says anywhere that it is but I haven't had any breakout problems with it so far.

I used just regular glycerin soap on my hands to get it off and it did come off. I'm sure an oil based cleanser would work also. I actually returned this product to the store because it was so waterproof that it felt like a mask when I had it on.

I use Peter Thomas Roth cleansers and toners and have had no problem with getting this sunscreen off. This is not to say that PTR is the way to go; I'm just saying I never have had to do/use anything special. Believe me, getting the stuff off would be a concern with me, too, as I can't deal with residue after washing--yuck! But I don't think it's difficult to remove at all.

Perfect under foundation. I like to use in the following order: serum, sunscreen, then foundation. I usually skip moisturizer during the day just because i find that moisturizer tends to make me oily as the day progresses.

I'd do it in the following order (allowing time for each product to set between applications) - moisturizer, sunblock, foundation.

Shiseido didn't invent the PA system. It's the Japanese rating system for evaluating UVA efficacy. More pluses is better.

All sunscreen labels list a sun protection factor (SPF). SPF is a measurement of how much protection the sunscreen offers from the UVB rays that cause sunburn. A few sunscreen labels also list a "PA" ranking, which refers to the amount of protection the sunscreen offers from the UVA rays that may cause long-term skin damage. PA rankings are listed as PA+, PA++ or PA+++. The more +'s, the more protection from UVA rays.

After serum, but before foundation.

You should apply this after your serum. This product is a physical sunscreen, meaning that it contains zinc oxide and other ingredients that protect your skin by reflecting UV radiation. To work properly, physical sunscreens should always be applied last when you do your morning skincare routine. Plus, serums usually have chemicals that work better on clean skin.

This is the only sunscreen that I do not have a reaction to and I have tried many.

My skin is pretty sensitive to sunscreen, especially around my eyes and neck. This sunscreen did not give me any problems and I did use it on my face, around my eyes and on my neck. I have oily skin and am prone to break-outs as well.