Tag Archives: SPF

SPF for Party Season: Make-up Artist Shares The Best Ones

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Sunscreen is one of the best ways to protect your skin, and daily wear will help to minimise cumulative sun damage and accelerated signs of ageing. 

As part of Face the Future’s 366 Days of SPF campaign, survey results found that only 22% of the UK apply SPF daily, and only 8% reapply their SPF in a day.

We spoke to resident make-up artist at Face the Future, Rachael Divers, about how to wear SPF through party season…

What is party season make-up/how is it different to everyday wear?

Party makeup tends to be more dramatic and glamorous than your everyday routine. Think shimmery glitters, bold red lips, and smoky eyes in deep browns and rich jewel tones. For skin, party season makeup looks usually feature a fuller coverage foundation and more defined cheekbones with a healthy dose of highlighter. Tis the season to sparkle, after all! 

What trends for party season make-up do you think will be in this year?

Red lips are a timeless Christmas staple, so I’m sure they’ll be in high demand this year. They’re festive, flattering, and universally stylish. No matter your skin tone or type, there’s a perfect red lipstick out there for you! When it comes to eye makeup, I expect to see plenty of glittery and metallic eyeshadows this holiday season. For skin, a flawless and glowing complexion will be the perfect base for any makeup look. 


What is the best SPF for glowy party season skin?
For a ‘lit from within’ glow, opt for moisturising SPF formulas that have added illuminating pigments, like Hello Sunday The Illuminating One Glow Primer SPF50. This gorgeous glow booster gives your skin an ethereal glow that looks beautiful both on its own or under your makeup. If you want a rosy, healthy glow, Sand & Sky Tinted Glow Primer SPF30 is perfect. It’s infused with red seaweed to strengthen your skin’s protective barrier, and a Hyaluronic Complex for optimal hydration. 

How can you stop your SPF pilling under your make-up? How long should you wait before doing your skin?

To prevent piling, it’s important to prep your skin properly first to ensure you have a clean base. Start with a thorough cleanse using a gentle cleanser, before following with your favourite moisturiser – water-based formulas are less likely to pill, so opt for these over oil-based formulas. Next, add your water-based SPF on top. 

It’s important to allow time between layering your skincare products to ensure proper absorption of the formulas – a few to ten minutes is usually plenty of time. This can also help to prevent pilling as you’re not overloading your skin. 

Are there any application techniques / advise for how to apply your products for long-wear?

One of my favourite techniques that you can use to keep your base products in place all day and night is ‘baking’; this is a makeup technique that’s been around for years! In makeup setting terms, baking involves setting your concealer and foundation with a generous amount of translucent powder and allowing it to “bake” (set) on your skin for several minutes before brushing it away with a fluffy brush. This method can help to control oil, reduce shine, and create a smooth, long-lasting base for your makeup. It’s best applied using a dampened beauty blender to gently press the powder into place. If you worry that your powder will look too cakey on your skin, you can spritz it with a makeup setting spray for a flawless finish an extra hold.  

For party eyes, make sure to use waterproof formulas when it comes to mascara and eyeliner.

For lips, liquid lipsticks are a great choice! You can also use the baking technique on your lips. Simply apply two layers of your favourite lipstick, blotting in between each layer, then apply your translucent powder over the top and allow it to set for a couple of minutes before gently dusting it away. This technique can feel drying on your lips, so prep them well beforehand to ensure comfort and no signs of flaking. 

How/can you re-apply SPF throughout the day without redoing make-up?

To re-apply your SPF throughout the day without disrupting your makeup, it’s best to look for a spray-on formula. Hello Sunday The Retouch One – Face Mist SPF30 is ultra-fine and invisible, so it’s perfect for topping up your protection throughout the day.  Another great product us Ultrasun UV Face & Scalp Mist SPF 50 – it’s transparent and water resistant and gives high broad-spectrum protection from UVA, UVB, Infrared A and Blue Light. It also won’t leave a sticky feeling on your skin, so you’ll feel perfectly comfortable all day.

Which SPFs are best under makeup for matte finish?

Choose formulas that specify they have a matte finish or have ‘oil control’, like La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 Oil Control Fluid SPF50+. This has an invisible, mattifying, lightweight texture that’s great alone or under your makeup.

New Beauty Product From Elemental Herbology: SmartScreen SPF50+

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Your Skincare Routine Just Got Smarter
When it comes to skincare nothing is as important as SPF so I’m always on the lookout for a new one. This one from Elemental caught my eye. It’s SPF50+. Let’s take a look…

It’s time to get smarter with your skincare regime, with the latest launch from award-winning skincare and spa brand, Elemental Herbology.The Smart Screen SPF50 is a feathery-light SPF moisturiser, enriched with skin-loving vitamins including Provitamin B5 and Vitamin E, and highly protective ingredients such as Pollustop and Aquaceria to shield skin from every day sun damage, blue light from screens and environmental pollution.The vegan, silicone-free and fragrance-free formulation is perfect for all skin types for everyday use either as a lightweight moisturiser, or in addition to your current skincare routine.SmartScreen SPF50+ 50ml, £45.00, www.elementalherbology.com


Vitamin E & Provitamin B5: contains antioxidant properties to protect from free radical damage and pollution, while locking in hydration and strengthening the skin barrier.
Anti-Pollution: contains the unique ingredient, Pollustop, to shield skin from damage and dullness caused by pollution, helping to maintain healthy, glowing skin.
Blue Light Protection: creates a physical barrier between the skin and blue light rays using the ingredient Aquaceria to reduce oxidative damage and early signs of ageing including fine lines and wrinkles.
Elemental Herbology is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. The new SPF is the latest member of the Fire Element, perfect for all skin types and use across all the elements.
Each element is associated to a personality type, a season, colour, and even a taste and TCM informs us that each person has a unique balance of these elements. The Fire-dominant character is likely to be sociable, charismatic and often possess an infectious enthusiasm.
They make great leaders and friends, but exert a lot of energy which, when out of balance, can leave them burnt out. This new SPF, and the rest of the Fire range aim to bring this back into balance, re-energising skin, body and mind.

The Olay Whip SPF30 Collection

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Olay whip SPF30

I never leave the house without an SPF. Even in winter. I think it has made a difference to my skin. So much of ageing comes from sun damage. I like Olay and tend to use it a lot. Finding a moisturiser with SPF30 can be hard, and a good one harder. I was sent the Olay Luminous Whip to review. I like the packaging but it is what is in the inside that counts. What I find is a product that moisturisers like a heavy moisturiser but has the light and airy feeling of a lighter counterpart. It feels soothing and calming as it goes on. My skin feels like it has had a good, long drink. My skin looks well moisturised too. I will definitely keep using the Olay Whips SPF30 range. It gives an excellent light finish with high SPF protection. It also absorbs instantly. My skin does not feel like it is suffocating. Brilliant stuff. 

 

More than half of women (61%) claim they don’t use an SPF when UV levels aren’t strong

The UVA/UVB rays from the sun are a leading cause of premature ageing

The Olay Whips SPF30 range has a ‘light as air’ finish and instant absorption with high SPF protection

Whether she’s up and out of the door for the daily commute or taking herself on an early morning jog – one thing her skin needs day in, day out is SPF protection.

However, it seems that although women know the importance of incorporating a moisturiser with SPF into their daily routines, they don’t seem to be acting on it.

Olay consumer research reveals that despite women knowing the sun is damaging their facial skin and making it age faster, they still aren’t protecting it with a daily SPF. More than half (61%) claim they don’t use SPF when they think UV levels aren’t strong, even though UV rays damage the skins all-important moisture barrier and act as a trigger for other skin aging effects year-round. Could it be the thick, sticky nature of SPF moisturisers that’s holding them back?

The good news is, the days of heavy, hard-to-handle facial moisturisers are no more. Olay’s game-changing Whips moisturiser has launched an SPF30 collection – so you can enjoy the light as air texture and potent anti-aging skincare ingredients of Olay Whips, with the powerful protection of SPF30.

OIay Whip SPF collection offers a broad-spectrum UVA/UVB SPF30.

Olay Whips SPF30 promises its exclusive ‘light as air’ formula that is perfectly whipped for instant absorption to the skin, leaving a flawless finish either on its own or under makeup. The product range includes Active Rush Technology™ which can hold and quickly release 1000x its weight in hydration and active ingredients. Olay Whips transforms from cream to liquid on contact, flash absorbing into skin to deliver potent anti-aging skincare with a light as air touch. So, women on the go can reap the benefits from a lightweight moisturiser and their much-needed SPF30 in one step!

Olay Whips SPF30, available in the Regenerist, Luminous and Total Effects ranges, offers powerful skincare with a light as air feeling, and year-round protection from the sun’s harmful rays.

For more information on Olay products, visit www.Olay.co.uk

Stockists: Boots.com, Superdrug.co.uk, amazon.co.uk and all leading retailers
RRP: £34.99

ASDA Protect Kids Ice-Cream Scented Sun-Care For Kids Review

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AsdaprotectkidsreviewAsda has launched a UK 1st for the sun-care market with its own brand ice-cream scented sun lotion for kids. In an effort to help make applying children with suncream fun and easy, the lotions and creams feature a delicious vanilla scent and are priced a just £3.50. All products featured in the range are highly water resistant, 24 hour moisturising and have been dematologicaly tested. You can also get two for £6.
We tested them and…yes, they do smell like ice cream. Not in a sickly way, but in a nice way. Hopefully the smell will make your little ones stay still long enough for you to get the lotion on them. Some of the sun protection even comes in a handy spray container. They are water resistant and protect little ones skin well. Recommended.

SmartSun Wristband Review | Parenting

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sunprotectionforkidsWe reviewed the SmartSun Wristband. An ingenious way of keeping safe in the sun for children and adults. They are very easy to use and they work well. The bands are single use and come in a pack of 5. These bands can be used by all ages to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays. Especially useful given the rising skin cancer figures.

 

Fresh air and warm weather are healthy for children and, and small doses of Vitamin D from the sun’s rays are good for baby’s skin. Children have delicate and sensitive skin however, so it is important to make sure their SPF is topped up at all times when outside in the sun.

spfprotectionforkidswristband wristbandsspf

It is easy to forget about reapplying sun cream when you are out having fun, but the SmartSun wristband provides an easy to read indicator of how much UV radiation they have been exposed too. It works by measuring the amount of UV radiation, and lets you know when to reapply sun cream and when they have had too much sun.

 

With two colour changes – one to tell you when your children’s sun cream needs reapplying, and one to tell you when to avoid the sun, you can enjoy the time spent outside by using the Smartsun wristband to accurately time the next sun cream application. The band is discreet and comfortable to wear for either adults or children and can be used in and out of both pool and sea water.

sunscreen

Available from www.smartsunuk.co.uk priced at £4.99 for a pack of 5.

 

 

 

Sun Protection – Should We or Shouldn’t We? By Dr Patricia Thompson

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Each summer, work-weary, sun-starved Brits look forward to baking under a hot foreign sun, wearing nothing but a piece of lycra or two, and a thin layer of suncream.

But what are the facts about sunburn and sunscreens?

Sunburn has two components: The initial ‘burn’ is unpleasant enough, but the long term damage is more serious, including skin cancer and (quelle horreur) wrinkles and saggy skin.

Sunburn is caused by UVB ultraviolet light-waves. They also release free-radicles, which damage skin-cell DNA, and hence can cause skin cancer. On the plus side, they trigger late tanning.

UVA waves penetrate deeper. They tan (nice), but age the skin (bad), and also contribute to skin cancer (very bad).

A sun-tan is our skin’s natural sunscreen, but doesn’t prevent damage from prolonged sunbathing, hence the need for commercial sunscreens. These either form a barrier to, or absorb UV.

But which to choose?
Check the ‘Sun Protection Factor’ (SPF). SPF 15 delays burning by 15-fold (eg from 20 minutes to 5 hours) and filters 93% of UVB. SPF 30 delays burning  by 30-fold and filters 97% of UVB.

UVA protection uses a star system (1 to 5). This indicates protection relative to UVB, so 5 stars for SPF 15 is less than 5 stars for SPF 50. European labelling will change soon, to a simpler ‘Low’ to ‘Very high’.

You should apply at least 2mg/cm2 exposed skin. For those who don’t pack mini-scales and a planimeter with their beach-towels, this means the average adult needs around two table-spoons. Apply at least 20 minutes before sun exposure, and reapply 2 hourly, or after swimming/sweating/towelling yourself, even for water-resistant products. Some swimwear (Spinali Design) contain UV sensors to remind you, via your smartphone, when to reapply.

Some sunscreen ingredients have safety question-marks. Oxybenzone have oestrogen-like effects and retinyl palmitate causes cancer in rats (both, at high doses). Some sunscreens actually increase free-radicle release in the skin.

These safety concerns may not be material in practise, but, regardless, using sunscreens isn’t carte blanche for excessive sun-worship. They don’t give 100% protection, and limiting intense sun exposure, by wearing hats and sun-protective clothing is also necessary. Consider UV-filter sunglasses too, as UV can cause cataracts.

Our skin uses sunlight to make vitamin D, and excessive sunscreen use can interfere. Vitamin D may help prevent cancer. Although it is present in some foods, skin production is still important.

How about sun-tan alternatives? Tanning beds frequently expose users to even more UV than natural sunlight and should be avoided.

Many ‘self-tans’ use chemicals which react with skin protein, turning them dark. They’re probably safe, but can also enhance free-radicle production in skin, so you must use sunscreen after them.

The verdict? Do use sunscreen, and do enjoy the sun, but be sensible and stay safe.

Next time I’ll advise on treating sunburn, and discuss long-term effects of too much sun.

Further Information:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Sunburn/Pages/Introduction.aspx

https://www.aad.org/media-resources/stats-and-facts/prevention-and-care/sunscreen-faqs

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice

 

 

Beauty Resolutions To Stick With

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The New Year always brings out the best of intentions for everyone whether or not these last is another thing, unlike those pesky Christmas pounds. Some resolutions are worth keeping however and these beauty resolutions will pay off in years to come.

Beauty review, Glowing skin, good beauty products.

Throw Out Your Old Makeup

Old makeup is a breeding ground for bacteria. See that little pot icon with a number and an ‘m’ inside on the back of your products? That is the expiry date in months from when they are opened. It will help if you keep a note of when the product was opened as it is easy to forget. Mascara should be replaced every six months and anything over a year old should probably be thrown out. Make sure you wash your makeup brushes too. Wash in warm, soapy water and then leave them to air dry. You can clean them with some mild shampoo or washing up liquid.

 

Give Your Hair a Break From Heat Damage

Blow drys and hair straighteners can cause significant damage to hair. Hair can end up drier than the Sahara and could even break off. The best way to prevent further damage is to stop using hair dryers and straighteners. Cutting down your use if you can’t quit will help but also use a heat protection spray and a weekly hair mask.

 

Have a Weekly Facial

You don’t need to go to a professional for a facial. You can do one at home yourself. Double cleanse your face, use a good scrub and then apply a face mask. Regular exfoliation helps skin renew itself as we age and a good face mask will give skin a good amount of moisture.

Do it weekly and your skin will thank you. A facial massage is under-rated and really makes a difference to your skin. It leaves you looking fresher and more toned. Use a face oil and gently massage your skin in circular movements. Work upwards and tap your eye socket starting from the outside.

 

Stop Sleeping in Your Makeup

This is a huge beauty no-no and not just for your pillow; your skin repairs itself at night but your skin needs to be able to breathe for this to happen. If it is covered in makeup your pores will be suffocated. Free radicals and dead skin cells also build up on the skin if you don’t wash your face. Wash your face as soon as you get in or keep some cleansing wipes handy. Keep the cleansing wipes to a minimum however as they are not as good as washing your face properly.

 

Always Wear Sunblock

Beauty decisions you make now will affect your looks for the rest of your life. Putting in effort now means looking good ten years down the line. The most important one you can make is to use an SPF everyday. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen which protects from UVA rays, which are ageing, and UVB rays, which burn. It is not just vanity. This will also protect you from skin cancer, something that should be taken more seriously than it is. Wear at least an SPF 15 everyday. You can buy good moisturisers which have an SPF in but wearing a foundation with one in is not enough, you won’t wear enough to get the benefit nor will it cover all of the needed areas. A foundation with an SPF is still a good idea, just make sure you also use a moisturiser or separate sunscreen.

 

What is your beauty resolution?

 

 

 

La Roche-Posay Event | New Anthelios XL Products

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I recently went to check out the new products in La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios facial sun protection range. The pimms and prosecco was flowing and the great and good of beauty was hanging out in the garden when they weren’t checking out the amazing range.

I wear sun protection every single day, even when it is snowing. In fact, I was wearing La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios AC 30 SPF to the event, something that made the La Roche-Posay people happy. I am sure it is why people think I am a few years younger than I actually am. I had my skin read by a machine that shows up every sign of aging like sun damage and wrinkles. Apparently I have skin that is younger than someone in their late-twenties. I put it down completely to using sun protection.

Here are some facts:

66% of UK women are concerned about ageing and proactively preventing it.

80% of premature skin ageing is due to exposure to UVA or UVB rays from the sun.

However only 3% of money spent on anti-ageing products is on facial sun protection.

And 70% of consumers use the same sun screen product on their body & face.

Hmm. A little worrying.

I love La Roche-Posay Anthelios as it is matte. Too many sun creams leave the face shiny, sticky and they also feel heavy. Anthelios is a light, matte fluid that makes you feel like you are not even wearing sun protection while protecting you.

AntheliosXL La Poche-Posay

Anthelioscompactmakeup La Poche-Posay

The new packaging, thicker and shorter, more compact, looks great. You can buy the new Anthelios XL SPF 50+ for even higher protection and Anthelios XL Compact Cream SPF 50+, which looked natural when I tried it on my hand. It is skin perfecting makeup and sun protection all in one. Ideal for busy women and just very cool.

I love the new range and when my Anthelios AC runs out I will move on the the Anthelios XL.