Beauty LAT: A moisturiser to improve sunscreens...

So following my recent post on sunscreens, I briefly mentioned a product that could improve the dreaded greasy sunscreen. I always use a moisturiser with sunscreens- my skin is combination, and while my T-zone would be happy without any more product, my dry cheeks need something more. I also find that sunscreens can tend to just sit there and not really sink in- so 20 minutes later your face is no less greasy than it was when you first put it on. Enter this...

The Body Shop Mattifying Seaweed..... As a moisturiser on its' own, it's a bit rubbish. Maybe ok for the very oily, but it doesn't add that much. On top of sunscreens though, it performs a mattifying miracle. I apply my sunscreen and let it sink in for 10 minutes. I then apply a dollop of the moisturiser (and this is quite important) I rub it in. After a minute or two it rubs down to a lovely matt finish. I didn't find myself overly oily through the day either.

It has a rather gloopy jelly like texture.

I have to confess I don't use this often. My skin is a little too dry and I'm using other products which work better. But if you want to use your expensive but useless sunscreens and not look like a greaseball, this is definitely worth trying, even just occasionally as I do so they weren't a complete waste of money!

7/10

Love B xxx

Beauty LAT: Sunscreen Rundown Part 2

So part 2 of my big sunscreen review is here! These reviews are a little longer (I don't have as many new ones to review) but I'm sure there will be a part 3 at some point (I'm a bit obsessed with sunscreen).

Clarins Spf 40 UV Plus Day Screen

The astute and ample memoried of those among you might think 'hang on... wasn't this reviewed before?'. That was the new version, this one is the old one (consequences of buying on ebay without proper research). It's not as matte as the new version, but sinks in well after 10 minutes (and that's over a moisturiser). The proof is in the using- I've been using this daily for a good few months and it's good. It's not perhaps exceptionally, but it fits in very well and does what I want it to. Obviously don't seek this out (I'd probably just get the new one) but it isn't the end of the world if you accidentally buy the old one. 9/10


La Roche-Posay Spf 50+ Fluide Extreme Anthelios XL

I've read so many rave reviews of this, talking about how light and non-greasy it is. I find this SO greasy! Ok, I'm maybe overexaggerating a tad, but it isn't matte by any stretch of the imagination. The only way I can wear this is with a very mattifying moisturiser on top and that keeps it in check. On the plus side, even on bare skin this isn't irritating (I might even say soothing) and it's lovely for dry/sensitive skin. I wouldn't recommend it for the oily skinned, but for cold winters when we get dry and sore skin, this might just be a winner. 7/10 (with room for improvement).


Avene Eau Thermale Spf 50+ Emulsion

A bit of a disappointment. I love Avene (they make my favourite ever moisturiser) but I wasn't a fan of this. I found a little irritating on bare skin (not like 'OW' but tingly) and it's quite greasy (though I will review a product soon which can make it more usable). The big bugbear of this for me is the smell. You know that Vitamin E smell (I'm thinking mostly of the Body Shop range). This smells of that really strongly. Smells don't bother me much, but I really hate this one. It's not the worst sunscreen ever, but there's enough negatives that mean it isn't really worth it for me. 4/10

Garnier Ambre Solaire Sheer Protect Face Spf 30

I barely even tried this before I threw it away. Greasy, greasy, greasy. 1/10

Garnier Ambre Solaire Light & Silky Spf 20 Protection Milk

The first body sunscreen! I really like this. It's somewhere between a sunscreen and body lotion. It sinks in well (though my skin is normal rather than dry), has a light fragrance which won't destroy your perfume, and is nicely usable on a daily basis as opposed to just on a beach. I only have the Spf 20 version (that was all that was in stock and I want to try and use it up) but there are higher versions. Very good. 8/10


The Sun Mousse Spf 30

I wanted to adore this, as it promised to be easy to use and non-greasy. Unfortunately I find this a little sticky on my skin upon application, and it doesn't leave my skin as smooth or non-tacky as I'd like. It isn't horrendous by any means, this is particularly good on large areas (like say legs if you're wearing shorts or a skirt) and it is easy to spread. 6/10

Dr Brandt UV Spf 30 High Protection Face

I acquired this through a swap with the rather amazing (in every way) Charlotte from Lipglossiping. Sadly I'm rather disappointed with it (especially as its rather pricey at £30). This is very greasy on me, so much so to be pretty much unusable. The worst thing is the packaging. It comes with an airless pump, which is supposed to be hygienic, but the seal has come apart meaning that you pretty much have to open it up to get it out. Totally not worth it in my opinion. 1/10

Phew! No doubt there'll a part 3... I really need to stop buying sunscreens!

Love B xxx

Beauty LAT: Sunscreen Rundown

I’ve been on something of a sunscreen quest recently. As a pale girl who likes being pale, and is easily prone to freckles and burnt skin, I really wanted to start getting a good sunscreen on my face to even out my skin and keep it protected (plus a good sunscreen is one of the best anti-aging things you can buy). It’s been a troublesome process however. My attempt to find a light, non-greasy, layerable (over moisturiser and possibly under primer) sunscreen which holds make-up has almost seemed impossible at times to be honest, but I’m getting happier now I’ve found options which I like. I wanted though to do a rundown on the sunscreens I’ve tried, to try and save anyone out there looking for the same thing, some time and energy. Please note though this is purely on the performance, value for money and application of the sunscreen, not on its ingredients as I don’t know enough to comment. Here we go…

Clarins UV Plus HP Day Screen SPF 40, £29.99: Expensive, but worth it. Very matte, fantastic make-up primer. Small tube size though (30ml). Not quite perfect, but very close. See my review here. 8.5/10

Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse SPF 30, £29.00: Also expensive. Fun and quick to put on, and relatively non-greasy when applied, but I hated this as a primer, it just seemed to mess up my make-up. Possibly better for drier skins. Slight beige tint, which does even out skin. Will last ages though I imagine as is 65g. I do find if I sweat or get oily it becomes a little greasy though. 7/10

Simple Sun Sensitive Protecting Facial Lotion SPF 50, £10.20: Well priced and easy to find in Boots or Superdrug, but really a moisturiser rather than a separate sunscreen layer, so not great if you want wear another moisturiser with it. Very heavy and quite greasy. Would be good for very dry skin, and good brand for those needing something low on irritants. If you just want a moisturiser with a high SPF, this might be worth looking at. Big tube at 75ml. 4/10

Elta MD UV Clear Very Light Sunscreen SPF 46: Hard to get hold of in UK (I paid around £25 for it on eBay). Nice USP- a sunscreen with Niacinamide to get rid of spots. Generally nice sunscreen- little bit too heavy, but not bad, and layers nicely with moisturiser and make-up, although doesn’t particularly make it last longer. Just not quite good enough to repurchase for the price for me, but if it’s more accessible to you and you want something for acne, this may be worth a look (although I don’t know that it’s massively speedy as a spot treatment). Average size at 48g. 7.5/10

Coppertone Sport Faces UVA/UVB Guard SPF 50: Not really one for make-up or everyday, but if you do a lot of outdoor sport or exercise, this is definitely worth a look, as it’s designed to be sweatproof. Big bottle (118ml) for the price (I paid around £8 on ebay), although must be ordered from USA. 5/10 (good for what it's supposed to do).

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 55: Wanted to love this, but didn’t. Didn’t feel ‘dry touch’, felt quite greasy. Smelt weirdly like cigarette smoke (that could have been a fluke on mine though), and irritated my skin a little after a few days. Ok under make-up, not amazing. Has to be ordered from USA, but quite cheap for a large (88ml) tube, I paid around £10 on ebay. Again maybe for drier skins and less sensitive skins. 2/10

Clinique Super City Block SPF 40, £15.50: A good average sunscreen. Reasonably priced for 40ml, and easy to buy in most Boots stores. Little bit greasier than I would like, and not the best primer ever, but this is a good solid back-up if I ever find myself stuck without sunscreen. Oddly didn’t work with my Clinique moisturiser though. Slight tint, but sheers out when applied. 7.5/10

Clinique Super City Block SPF 25, £15.50: Really really orange. Hated it. Get the SPF 40 version if you’re pale like me. Don’t think it was much different to the SPF 40 version otherwise. 3/10

Loreal Solar Expertise Active Anti-Wrinkle & Brown Spot Matte Fluid Protection SPF50+: Nice enough sunscreen, but it just isn't matte. I don't find this works particularly well over a moisturiser, or under make-up. Cheap for 50ml, I paid around £10 in Superdrug. Better for drier skins, I'm using it to cover my neck and arms.

Well I hope that has given you some ideas of what’s on the market in terms of sunscreens at the moment, please let me know if you want a more in depth review of any of them!

Love L xxx

Beauty LAT: Clarins UV Plus HP Day Screen SPF 40- Initial Thoughts

Via www.sephora.com

I’ve had the Clarins UV Plus HP Day Screen on my lust list for so so long… but I’ve always stopped short of actually buying it. Mainly it was the price, a pretty hefty (to me) £29.99 for a 30ml bottle. Not only was it an initial purchase price (what if I don’t like it etc) but also the repurchase price (if I do like it I’ll have to buy it again). Eventually (412 other sunscreens later) I decided to get a sample off eBay and see whether it was actually any good. And…

I’m a bit split. On the first day, I wrote half a rapturous review declaring my love… and then went back a bit over the next 2 days. So this (more balanced effort) is what I decided:

I do really really like this. It’s not quite HG standard yet, but it’s one of the best face sunscreens for me in terms of what I want from a product. My main concerns are: does it work over a moisturiser? Is it light and non-greasy (as in actually non-greasy, not just claiming it is)? Does it work well under make-up and keep it on? Does it work with a primer on top?

Does it work with a moisturiser? Yes, very well! It does differ a little from moisturiser to moisturiser, but it seemed to layer very well.

Is it light and non-greasy? Within 5 minutes of being applied this was so matte it was practically dry, although it does alter slightly (a tiny tiny bit) with different moisturisers. My skin wasn’t dried out though, although I don’t have really dry skin so it might react differently if you do.

Does it work well under make-up? It depends. The first foundation I tried looked amazing. It lasted very well, with little shine, and went on beautifully. The second day with a different foundation… I didn’t like it so much. I would say generally yes, I didn’t get any greasiness and my make-up seemed to last well, but it wasn’t perfect with all foundations (although expecting it to be is maybe a bit unrealistic).

Does it work well with a primer? Kind of. I used my Witch primer on top and got no greasiness, but the primer didn’t feel smooth like it normally does. Maybe they cancelled each other out a bit? I’d mostly be happy to use this as a primer in its own right.

Other things to note: it does have a pink tint to it, although I don’t feel it made my neutral skin any pinker than normal, I thought it evened it out nicely as it's very sheer. A little goes a long way with this, my sample lasted 3 days and there is still some left! It’s very runny, so it spreads very easily. It also claims to have anti-pollution effects which appeals to me as a city dweller, although I haven’t obviously seen any effects after such a short time. I also believe it is 100% physical rather than a chemical sunscreen, with little white cast which is always a winner!

So is this a repurchase for me? I think so yes! Although it’s not perfect, I did enjoy using it and thought it worked well within my routine. It is expensive, but I think the runny texture means it should last a long time even with a small bottle. I like this as a whole package, with the priming and anti-pollution effect thrown in. Not to say I don’t have my eye on a few others though, and will use up my other older ones on lazy days when I don’t need to look as good. This for me though seems like an amazing sunscreen and primer for days when I want to be sure of my sunscreen, and that’s worth splashing out a little more cash for.