The sun was shining all bank holiday weekend and it gave me the perfect excuse to try out all the sun creams I have had sitting around waiting to be used.I always use SPF on my face so those have had a good test run but this weekend has been the first time I've got my arms and legs out. (they are so white I think the sun reflected off them)
I have oily combination skin so for a long time I was put off wearing sunscreen as a lot of them can be quite greasy. Well that has seemed to change a lot over the last few years and there are some great SPF for the face now.
I think my favorite one at the moment is the La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF50 Dry Touch Gel Cream*. (£16.50 from Boots) It is quite a thick cream texture but once worked into the skin leaves no residue at all. You won't even notice you have got this one on. You skin is left completely matte and smooth and you are well protected with SPF 50 as well as UVA & UVB protection. This is paraben free and I think would be perfect for acne skin types, though it is suitable for all.
Another great one from La Roche Posay is the Anthelios XL Extreme Fluid SPF50*. (£16.50 from Boots) This is very similar to the one I have just talked about but this one is a more runny fluid texture rather than a cream. It has the same protection and is paraben free but I find this a bit harder to use as the consistency is quite runny.
Sticking to the light weight sunscreens, the Supergoop City Sun Screen Serum* (£35 from Space NK) is another fantastic one. It has a protection of SPF 30 with UVA and UVB protection. It is Paraben, fragrance and Oxybenzone free, so again perfect for sensitive skin. With this being a serum I thought you might put it on underneath your moisturiser but you apply like you do with other sunscreens. I tend to use this one as my everyday sun screen when I know I am not out in the sun all day or just at work as it only has SPF 30. I think this will be perfect for the winter months too. This has a light texture to it that sinks into the skin very quickly, it also leaves a matte finish.
A more budget friendly facial sunscreen is the Solait Mattifying Face Sun Fluid SPF 30 (£2.48 from Superdrug) This is a runny lotion texture that sinks into the skin easily, but it doesn't leave a quite as matte finish as the others I have mentioned. It feels matte but it does give a slight sheen to the skin but I find that works fine on my combination skin. This has a traditonal sunscreen fragrance and I wouldn't say this as good for sensitive skin types but overall its a great budget find that is fairly matte and has a high SPF of 30 with UVA and UVB protection.
Going onto the body I am actually going to talk about to sunscreen that are not like traditional sun creams. One is a Mist, the other an oil.
Starting with the Supergoop Sunscreen Mist SPF50* (£18.50 from Space NK) this is like no other sunscreen I have used. It is a super fine mist that leaves no residue at all. I think I probably over use it as I worry I am not covered as I can't feel it. This is water resistant and paraben, fragrance and oxybenzone free so another one for more sensitive skins. (it does has quite a bit of alcohol in it though, so something to watch out for) This is fantastic for topping up your sunscreen during the day, a quick spray and you are done. It wil be interesting to see how long the bottle lasts me.
The second product is the La Roche Posay Anthelios XL Invisible Nutritive Oil SPF50*. (£17.50 from Boots) This is the first ever sun oil that has a high SPF and a SPF 50 at that. It is also UVA and UVB protected. I have only used this once so can't comment on it too much just yet but it is like your typical oil. It sinks in the skin slightly but it does leave a residue, this one is definitely for when you are on the sun lounger. It does have a slight fragrance but is paraben free and is also suitable for the face.
I really like the fact that this is a sun oil but still is protecting you from the sun.
I hope that has given you some options to look into for sunscreens, especially now the warmer weather is here. Do let me know what your go to sunscreen is as I seemed to have an obsession with them at the moment. (I know that's weird but we shall look over that)
*PR Sample
