I spent many years at camp getting horrible sunburns, we all did as the camp was on the beach and we would spend hours in the California sun without any protection. It was a time when baby oil and foil were used to achieve a golden glow, which never happened of course we were all lobster red and groaning in pain at the end of each day. We know better now to stay protected, but did you know your sunscreen only lasts up to two hours after application? That’s right 2 hours! What are you supposed to do if you aren’t frolicking on a beach where it’s easy to slather sunscreen on? What if you are at work and you have your ‘face’ on for the day and want to go outside for lunch to enjoy the summer sunshine? Are you supposed to re-apply sunscreen over your make-up? Take all you make-up off and re-apply sunscreen and put it all back on? What if you are like me and can’t stand the feel of sunscreen on your skin, no matter what brand you’ve tried? Perhaps I can introduce you to powdered sunscreen? It’s not for everyone and it has mixed reviews, but I find it super convenient, easy to use and easy to travel with (even if that travel is as glamorous as running errands around town). Bonus, almost all formulas are all natural! I like the Peter Thomas Roth brand, it also now comes in spf 45 (which I use). At the time I bought it, it was the only powdered sunscreen that was easily accessible on the market. Now you have more options to choose from such as Bare Minerals Natural Sunscreen (it has a tint), a very water resistant formula from Color Science, Jane Iredale Powder me dry Sunscreen , a budget friendly option from Mineral Fusion and there are kids options too.
Have you tried powdered sunscreen? What are your thoughts? Did you know that you had to re-apply sunblock so often? Are you as shocked as I was to discover that?
Miss Tristan B. is the proprietress of Besotted Brand and the writer of this delightful blog. She recently re-located to sunny Seattle with her handsome husband and two pups.
I tend to burn very easily so I’m always reapplying sunscreen. It’s a pain in the butt, but better than being a lobster. I’ve had painful sunburns far too many times, so I’d rather wear sunscreen than go through another one of those again. Have you ever sunburned the tops of your feet? If you haven’t, let me tell you it’s happened to me a couple times and it’s horrible. I think I had noticed at Sephora that the Bare Minerals had an SPF powder but I didn’t know there were so many other brands so might have to consider one of these for quick face touch ups if I am out at an event or something where you really can’t get away to slather on the sunscreen. I did just pick up a new sunscreen this past week – it’s Aveeno face and body SPF 30. I haven’t tried it yet, but I liked that it can be used for face and body. It’s oil free and non-greasy feeling, so I’m crossing my fingers that it will work well for me.
Sara, sunburn is no fun at all. Have you considered an umbrella even in the sun? I use one here when it’s overcast, because even overcast sun will cause burn on me. I think the powdered formulas are perfect + convenient for the every 2 hour mark. Which I didn’t know about, which could be why I kept exacerbating my hyper-pigmentation. I did see the new Aveeno sunscreen and it looks good, I haven’t tried it either but I like some of their other products, I use their baby wash as my shower gel, it’s a super gentle and fragrance-free formula, works for me and my sensitive skin:)
Last summer I used the BareMinerals version and I liked it. I forgot about it when I was picking up my usual Neutrogena face sunscreen this year. I just use it when I am headed to a pool, lake, beach activity. Otherwise, I use the daytime Neutogena moisturizer you recommended (still love it!) and sometimes BareMinerals powder or just mineral veil, all of which have an SPF. My hands seem to show my age the worst. Or perhaps that is character from a life well lived. That sounds much better!