Sunscreens. How so important for protecting our skin from the harsh sun light which will give us rough skin texture, wrinkles, skin pigmentation and possibly the worst: skin cancer.
Sunscreens are essential when it comes to skincare and it should be the last step of your skincare routine and before your makeup. You should wear it every single day even it's not sunny outside, because the UV rays can still get through the clouds get you eventually.
If you are someone, and by someone I mean myself who uses chemical exfoliating mask/treatment or toner at night then it is a crucial in terms of putting on sunscreen everyday before stepping out the door because chemical exfoliating treatments e.g Alpha H Liquid Gold can make our skin super sensitive to the sun.
Now let's talk about my choice of sunscreens. I have 6 here to show you today, 5 of them I like and 1 disappointment. I should let you know that all of my face and body sunscreens are above SPF 30 because of where I live. I live in Sicily Italy, and for those of who doesn't know it gets super duper hot here in the summer, if I leave the house without sunscreens on then I. AM. SCREWED! I mean I get burnt here, literally! And I never burn even when I went to Hawaii. Let's just say the Sicilian sun is poison. Ok that might be over exaggerated but the sun here is pretty harsh.
Ok ok enough rambling, the first one I am going to show you today is the Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 PA+++ UVA. Wow that's a long name. I bought it after reading the blogpost of Anna from Viviannadoesmakeup which I'll link it here so do give it a read. Seriously she is fabulous and you all know how much I love her by the times of her name showing up on my blog.
Anyway... I love this sunscreen. It's SPF 50 which is really high in terms of protecting the skin. By the way SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor in case you are wondering. This sunscreen helps protect against pigmentation, irregularities and premature skin aging, which is why this one is more of an UVA protection sunscreen. However the the Kiehl's website says it has UVB protection as well so I guess I am covered. Ohh just so you know, UVA rays can age us and UVB rays can burn us so make sure to chose one that can protect your skin against both rays.
This is a creamy physical sunscreen but very light in texture. It's not sticky, doesn't give you a nasty white-cast like some other high SPFs can do. It has no smell to it, also dermatologist tested so suitable for sensitive skin. It's very moisturizing but not thick so it feels very comfortable to wear it even under makeup. Ohh I should tell you that it's also a great base before my foundation because once it dries it sets so my foundation don't slide around which it's just what I need for summer.
It comes in a tube (60ml 2.0 fl. Oz) which is very hygienic as I don't have to dip my fingers in a pot you know, and the packaging is very clean and sleek in my opinion.
Just a little pointer: I don't suggest you tan too much under the sun although I know some of you are addict to tanning, just remember NEVER EVER go tanning between 11am and 3pm. It's really bad for your skin and you'll look older faster, sorry but it's true!
Moving on to the next sunscreen which I also really really like. It's the Clarins UV PLUS HP Multi-Protection SPF 40 UVA-UVB/PA+++/Oil-Free/Anti-Pollution. OK now this name is even longer than the Kiehl's one. Mann!
Unlike the Kiehl's one this is a fluid sunscreen. It's fairly watery and you do need to shake it up before applying to your face. It's a physical sunscreen same as the Kiehl's one which I like. Don't buy chemical sunscreens guys because they are never good for your skin. It is very light and it sinks into my skin very quickly and it's a matte finish so great base before foundation. It does have a smell to it but nothing crazy. It doesn't leave the unattractive white-cast same as the Kiehl's one. It comes in a little squeezable bottle (30ml 1 fl. Oz) and I really like the dispeanser as you can easily control how much you wanna squeeze out. All in all I really do like it.
If you have oily skin then I recommend the clarins one but if you have drier skin the Kiehl's one is the way to go. Price wise they are both around 37€ but with the Kiehl's one you do get doubled the size, so you do the math!
Next up is the Extra Smooth Sun Protection Lotion SPF 30 from Shiseido. Shiseido does some really good sunscreens. They have a huge range of sunscreens and the one I have here it's a sun protection lotion for both face and body. It contains 100ml of product and it costs around 27€.
Now I don't use this one on a daily basis only when I go to the beach. You should also know that I rarely use it on my face, it's more of a body sun lotion for me. I'll tell why. It's very rich so feels kinda greasy but not too much. It does leave a white-cast but once dries you can't really tell. I think this one is a bit too rich for face but nice and moisturizing for body. It's water resistant which makes it perfect for the beach. Just remember shake well before use.
Moving on... Let's talk about this bareMinerals Natural Sunscreen UVA/UVB Protection for Face and Body. This is a powder sunscreen and apparently it's beneficial for our skin because it's made of natural minerals. I featured it in my Disappointing Products blogpost and if you are interested in what I had to say just click here.
I like the concept of this sunscreen, you know how you can take it on the go, great for touchup which is the main reason why I got it. Honestly guys sunscreens do wear off as the day progresses and we can't take our makeup off when we are out and about so this is ideal for applying on the go for the loss of sunscreen without taking off our makeup. Am I right?
It's a cool product but I don't like the brush that it comes with. It's too dense, it doesn't distribute the powder evenly and it looks kinda cakey sometimes. I tried it with my own brush which is rather lovely but the bad news is I have to depot the powder so makes it impossible to take it on the go. The powder is itself is quite soft and finely milled but i guess I just wish it came with a softer fluffy brush. What can I say, we can't have everything I guess!
The skin around the eye area are most delicate, it needs special care, and I am not just talking about our normal eye creams also sunscreens for eyes. That's right. You heard me, which brings you my next product. It is the Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream SPF 25.
This is a lovely product that you use around the eyes before going out in the sun. It protects against sun damage around the delicate eye area and moisturizes at the same time. I also found it brightens my under eye area which I am really happy about. It's moisturizing like I said before but light enough so my concealer don't slide around. I'm almost done with this tube (15ml) and really need to get myself another one. I like the fact that it's SPF 25 which is quite a high protection as far as eye cream goes. I really do like it. I recommend!
Last but not least is the Shiseido Sun Protection Lip Treatment SPF 20. I swear I am not being paid to make this post, just a little disclaimer here for ya. I know I have quite a few of the Shiseido products, that's because they are really that good, and they do have a lot of choices when it comes to sunblocks.
As I was saying, this is an average stick lip balm that moisturizes like normal lip balms do, but the difference is that it also protects our lips from the effects of UVA and UVB rays. It is SPF 20 which is awesome for protecting against the sun so that our lips won't feel dry, rough nor darken from the sun. I should mention that this is not a replacement for your normal lip balm because all sunblock products contain Zinc Oxide or/and Titanium Dioxide which make them ultimately drying. It does leave a little white-cast on the lip but I honestly don't mind because I do put lipstick on top. It smells pretty good too. I finished mine ages ago so really need to get another one.
There you have it. I hope this is helpful. I know it's kinda boring and common sense but someone has to do it, and I can't stress enough how important sunscreens are to us especially when summer's coming. So guys again do wear sunscreens not just for the face but wherever it's exposed to the sun when you are out and about. A few tips for you: avoid going out from 11am to 3pm unless you have to; wear sunglasses and hats; apply sunscreen every 2 to 3 hours especially on the beach; and lastly avoid walking around near cars too often as car windows can reflect the sun then UV rays could land on your face, seriously. I know you might think it's ridiculous but it's true.
That's it guys, let me know what kinda sunscreen you are using and loving by leaving comments down below or tweet me @eflicciardello bye! Muahh!
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