Well, the sun has finally made a welcome appearance again, and it is as good a time as ever to stock up on suncare products to make sure your skin is in tip top shape, and doesn’t resemble a well worn Chloe ‘paddington’ bag in a few years time.
Miss drifted Snow White addressed the all important topic of using sun lotion and aftercare, but what products to buy?
Sunblock
My favourite has to be the Piz Buin Mountain Care Suncream, SPF 50+. Its designed for, and tested in, extreme conditions, and has a high SPF so is suitable for even the lightest skins. It’s 40ml so the small form factor allows you to pop it in a bag or car and have it ready. This is my #1 product for the face. (avail. Nationwide, c£9/40ml, buy)
For the body I would suggest Piz Buin 1 day long lotion, which absorbs quickly, lasts long, and provides excellent protection. It’s not rated as totally waterproof though, (but none really are) so if you are doing a lot of swimming and towelling you will need to reapply. (avail. Nationwide, c£20/ 200ml, buy)
A better option if you are going to be in and out of the water is the Ambre Solaire clear protect+ spray, which goes up to SPF50+ and is both practical and highly water resistant. (avail. Nationwide c£15/200ml, buy)
Honourable mention: Boots Soltan. The products are very good quality and a shade cheaper than the big brands. Boots.com currently have a twin pack, 200ml of suncare lotion (spf25) and 200ml of aftersun for £9.25, which is a bargain price, and having used both in the past, they are very good (buy)
Aftersun
One easy option for aftersun is your normal body lotion or baby oil, and I wouldn’t object.
If you are on holiday, especially somewhere warm, a good shout is the Boots Soltan with insect repellent. For £3 is it currently a half-price steal, and the hypoallergenic formula with cocoa butter is great for the skin, whilst having a little bit of insect repellent to hopefully keep the bugs off (buy).
Another option I would also recommend is the Banana Boat Aloe Vera Gel. It comes in a big 453g pump bottle, and is ideal for damaged skin, whether it is from the sun, wind or the slopes, it will help soften and moisturise, as well as soothing. It’s around £8 from boots, and I think its a great thing to have as it’s not only useful as an aftersun, but also for general use. As a hockey player I get a lot of Astroturf burns, and I used to put this stuff on them to help them heal and stop them going rough.
Piz Buin Sun Lipstick – I LOVE this product. The SPF 20 protection helps prevent your lips from chapping, and it is smooth, creamy and softening. The only drawback for me is the vanilla flavour is delicious so I apply more often than I need to!. (avail. Nationwide, £5.61, buy)
L’Oreal Men Expert Hydra Energetic SPF15 Moisturiser – Very good everyday use men’s moisturiser for the summer, as the SPF protection helps protect against the sun, and the whole Hydra Energetic range helps fight signs of fatigue and provide long-lasting moisture. (avail. Nationwide, £10.99, buy)
For girls I believe Origins and Neutrogena both do good moisturisers with SPF, but i’ve not used these so am sort of flying blind. Its worth looking at the brands you usually favour and seeing if they do an SPF, or incorporating a sunblock like the Piz Buin mountain care into your regime, under your usual moisturiser.
One last thing, Boots are doing LOADS of half price and BOGOFs on suncare at the moment to help move stock, so get in there before summer when they are selling it full price!
As always i’d love to hear your thoughts, and thanks for reading
Much love,
Lodz.