How do you get your sun protection? Do you rely on a separate sunscreen, SPF in your makeup, or what?
I prefer it in my moisturizer or a separate sunscreen product. If I’m going outside for an extended period of time (even if it’s an hour or two), then I go with a separate sunscreen.
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Same! My current moisturizer is Aveeno Smart Essentials daily moisturizer with SPF 30. Once warmer weather rolls around and I’m outside more, I’ll use my Aveeno Face sunscreen with SPF 30.
I usually like light foundations when I’ll be in the sun more so my Kiehl’s TM has SPF and so does my CoverGirl Nature Luxe LF!
I’ve used a high SPF sunscreen longer than I’ve used makeup. However, since I’ve started using foundation I wanted to ask you guys how you handle reapplication issues. When I wear sunscreen alone, especially if I am outside all day, I will reapply it to my face 3 or 4 times – you have to to get the UVA protection. What do you do if you are wearing foundation? Do spray sunscreens cause foundation to melt? Any suggestions?
Sunscreen in powder-form might work? I’m not usually out that much, but if I were I would probably buy Bare Minerals sunscreen and reapply over make-up (and use a sunscreen with no avobenzone underneath, just in case).
I use a brand called ultrasun (i’m from the uk), its an all day sunscreen so its great to use under makeup as you don’t need to reapply for atleast 8 hours. They do an anti-ageing on especially for the face which is an spf30 but i use the spf50 and find it sinks in great and makeup goes over it well.
What is the separate sunscreen you use for your face, Christine? Ive been looking for a good one! In the winter, I get my sunscreen from my foundation. It’s just SPF 8 but the weather isnt nice where I live in the winter
Shiseido, Clinique, Neutrogena, Clarins, etc.! I don’t stick to any one product 🙂
I’m a sunscreenaholic. I use a moisturizer with a built-in sunscreen and a powder foundation with a sunscreen.
i use it both in my moisturizer and makeup…if i workout outdoors, i wear a hat and sunglasses and the same moisturizer on my face, but a higher sunscreen on my neck and rest of body…im still searching for a sunscreen/sunblock that doesnt break out my sensitive acne prone skin!
It’s always a separate sunscreen, or a primer that has high SPF in it. Recenty I’m loving Lancome’s (forgot the name but it has SPF 50) and Clinique’s City Block with SPF 40.
Never use it, makes me itch like no other and I Love the sun!
Live in the UK 🙁
Tell me about it!!!! 🙁
Yep, I definitely have a separate physical sunblock moisturizer. I’m super sensitive to chemical sunscreens that react with your skin like avobenzone, oxybenzone, homosalate, etc… So I only use ones with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide as the active sunscreen ingredients, preferably zinc oxide since it covers the full spectrum of UVA and UVB rays, while titanium dioxide does not protect against the longer UVA rays, which are actually the most damaging. So yeah, the sun protection in makeup for me is just an additional layer of protection, which is never a bad thing.
Because in spring time the weather is usually very nice in Portugal (at the moment, 28ºC), I prefer a separate moisturizer. I apply Isdin 50+
before moisturiser, to increase sum protection. If necessary, I re-apply during the day.Plus, I use tinted moisturizer with SPF 15.
Olá! I live in Portugal too! I tried a lot of different sunscreens available at the pharmacies (Vichy, Bioderma, La Roche Posay, Avene, Hyseke, Uriage, Eucerin…) and anything with spf>20 make my face very shiny or leave a white film. Is Isdin different from those?
I can’t use moisturizer with spf on my face :(. The ones that I tried gave me a skin allergy and made me breakout. Plus I can’t stand how greasy they feel. I prefer to use a separate sunscreen, acessories (hats, sunglasses, scarves)and avoid spending long hours in the sun (I hate re-applying sunscreen).
Hey girls, another Portuguese here! 🙂
Cristina, I also hate that greasy feel of the sunscreen, so I’ve been using a suncreen for oily skins, in my case Roche-Posay, but I think Avene also has one. You have to ask for it in the pharmacy, because it is quite a niche product.
Sorry Cristina, my mistake, I’m using a Uriage sunscreen, not Roche-Posay. It’s from their oily skin range, Hyseac.
i just purchased the clarins spf 50 facial cream which is more a gel cream. I really like this product because full creams melt off my face in no time when the sun gets really hot so this is the answer to my protection prayers 🙂 ps i tan very easy but i still prefer a factor 50 to prevent becoming to tan (no donatella versace look for me 🙂
It’s generally a separate sunscreen (fav: clarins UV plus SPF 40) worn on top of moisturizer and under foundation.
When it’s winter or overcast (=no sun peeking) I skip the Clarins UV Plus, I rely on a SPF added moisturizer (15 or 20) plus the SPF contained in my foundation.
Ouch, I’m such a sucker when it comes to sun protection. Therefore, I prefer moisturizer/primer/foundation with SPF. Mine is Shiseido Sun Protection Liquid Foundation SPF 42 PA+++ and for sunscreen touch up (when I’m in the mood of sunscreen retouch instead of putting my MAC Blot), I use Shiseido Sun Protection Compact Foundation SPF 34 PA+++
I use a daytime moisturizer with SPF – usually Clinique’s SuperDefense or Clarins Super-Restorative with SPF. If I’m using a moisturizer without SPF, I put Lise Watier’s SunSmart overtop….that stuff is brilliant! It’s a sunscreen and primer all in one and feels velvety and amazing! Most of my foundations also contain SPF but I don’t rely on those. For my body or the beach, I slather on something really heavy duty.
I live in Ireland so there’s usually no need for sunscreen 🙁 If it’s sunny or I’m abroad I’ll use Benefit tinted moisturiser with SPF 15 or Chanel mat lumiere SPF 15, depending on how much coverage I need at the time. I’d use a sunscreen on it’s own, but I havn’t tried any yet that I like the texture or smell of.
I have yet to find a moisturizer w/ sunscreen or a separate sunscreen that does not cause me to itch like crazy and/or breakout when I apply it to my face. So, for right now, I just rely on the SPF in my mineral makeup, which I know is not enough protection. Does anyone have recommendations of a sunscreen or moisturizer w/ spf that is good for sensitve skin?
For me, (not everyone) my dermatologist says that some direct, unprotected sunlight is not necessarily a bad thing.
I use a separate sunblock every day, even in winter. I have this weird thing about sunblock in moisturizer – if you’re supposed to apply a teaspoon’s worth of sunblock by itself, then how can you get what you need from a sunblock + moisturizer? I don’t use a teaspoon’s worth of moisturizer on my face, so I don’t really get how that works.
If I know I’ll be outside at all I’ll wear a separate sunscreen over my moisturizer, but daily I never wear sunscreen except for what is in my foundation. I am rarely outside during the day (5 minutes total?) during the week, so I don’t need it. On the weekends though I usually have it on.
In a separate product… I just don’t trust SPF in makeup!! Plus, I religiously reapply every two hours, so sunscreen it is 🙂
I like having it in my products, and most do. But I agree that if I’m going to be outside for extended periods, I apply a separate sunscreen. I’d rather be safe than sorry! I have sunscreen wipes that make it super easy and fuss- and mess-free, which is wonderful in the summer.
I’m a snow-white redhead, so I’ve really got to be careful with sun exposure. I use an SPF 30 moisturizer, and add a seperate sunblock if I’m going outside at all.
I assume that if I needed protection, I’d wear a hat and protective clothing and then seek shade during peek hours. It’s unlikely that most who wear SPF on their faces (and bodies, unless out at the beach) reapply it every 2 hours or so, and might not even wear enough to begin with. I’d rather just wear a sun hat and seek shade if I’m out for long enough. But seeing as it’s still snowing here and I’ve spent maybe 10 hours combined outside in the last year, I’ve yet to bother buying a sun hat.
Separate physical sunscreen. Having it in anything else is just a bonus.
I prefer to use hydrating moisturizer and after with SPF 50 sun block as i spent most of my time traveling around under the sun. This seems to be a better option for anyone who has combination skin because the hydrating moisturizer will minimize the oily T-zone after some time.
My daytime moisturizers, primer and foundation all contain SPF 15 or 30. I think that covers me pretty well unless I’m going to be outdoors for a long period of time or it’s very intensely sunny. Then I would reach for an actual sunscreen.
I wear a tinted moisturizer with SPF in it (Laura Mercier oil-free). I would like to wear a sunscreen every day, but I haven’t been able to find one that doesn’t break me out or make me an oil slick.
i am still trying to find out what works best for me… thanks christine and everyone for answering my question!!
I can’t use SPF on my face. I tried it once, and it made my skin feel like it was burning IMMEDIATELY after I put it on. Not fun.
I experienced the same thing with a lot of spf products. Spf moisturizers seem to be the worst… I can’t use sunscreens with ONLY chemical filters. A combination of chemical and physical filters seems to work best for me.
I use a moisturizer with SPF 30 daily on my face & neck. I apply SPF 100 spray to my arms, hands and legs (anything else exposed) when I’ll be outside.
I use a moisturizer with SPF, an eye cream with SPF and a foundation with SPF. If I’m going to be out in direct sunlight for more than a few minutes, I put sunscreen on all the places the sun will hit, like my chest, hairline, the tops of my ears, etc.
I get it from my primer – MAC’s face protect in spf 50.
Mostly from my makeup, but if I know I will be outside for some time I will use a high SPF sunscreen on top of my moisturizer.
Definitely a separate sunscreen! Although I sometimes skip it when I’m using a tinted moisturizer if I’m not going to be outside for over an hour as I put a decent amount of it on and it has SPF 30. My favourite separate sunscreen though is Neutrogena Dry-Touch SPF 30. Not sticky or greasy at all!
Please Christine, do u know a broad spectrum sunscreen that will not show up ashy on my african american skin?thanks.
Try chemical sunscreens!
Having sunscreen in your foundation is a great addition but it really does NOT give you sun protection because it isn’t being absorbed into your skin! So always applying a separate SPF product is recommended!
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I use a separate sunscreen (Shiseido extra smooth spf30) year round.
I saw some people wrote they lived in UK or Ireland,so they do not need it-but even the clouds do not block uva and uvb,so even when it is rainy-you should use your sunscreen.
I stay out of it as much as possible, use Aveeno tinted moisturizer with spf 30, and just got Exuviance foundation with spf 15. And in summer if I’m outside for any lengthy amount of time, I try to remember to have on some sort of sunscreen.
I usually wear it in my moisturizer. I used spf 15 when I lived in the Uk and here in Italy during winter. In summer I usually upgrade it to spf30 or more. If I had to live at the tropics I would probably use a separate sunscreen and moisturizer over it, and nothing below spf 40.
For me, it’s all about adjusting to the climate and keeping in mind my skintone (fair).
I prefer it in my moisturizer. I use Philosophy’s Hope in a Tube SPF 30, Oil-free. Smells like sunscreen when you first put it on but it fades quickly.
Powder w/SPF in it for daily on my face. Then SPF 30+ on my body in liquid form.