The recent prolonged spate of hot weather has given me a good chance to complete some proper sunscreen testing. I’ve tested matte ones, mineral ones, budget ones and ones that need a second mortgage; moisturising sunscreens, apply-once sunscreens and mists that are perfect for a top-up.
Read Sunscreen Reviews…
And how do i possibly tell one from another, you may ask? How can I possibly put that many sunscreens on and remember what the first one was like? Well, people, there’s a method to my sunscreen-testing madness, and it is this:
I cover half of my face with a “control” sunscreen. Which sounds highly scientific but really isn’t. Half of my face wears this control SPF, one which I’m very familiar with, and then the other half tests the new stuff.
This may appear utterly barmy, but it helps me to rule out weird, isolated conditions that might affect my opinion – for example, my face being particularly dry one day, or uncharacteristically greasy. It could be that a new serum is creating havoc with anything I apply over it, or that I’ve accidentally left a cleanser on (has happened) and my skin feels ridiculously tight and tacky. If I don’t wear a familiar sunscreen alongside the new one then I find it quite difficult to make objective observations about this and draw comparisons with the other products I’ve tested.
And the sunscreen that I’m so acquainted with that I could probably pick it from a hundred others with my eyes closed may be the Anthelios XL from La Roche-Posay. This is a velvet-finish, non-chalky sunscreen with broad spectrum SPF50 protection (UVA and UVB, so protection against the rays that Age and the rays that Burn) and it’s unbelievably lightweight. I’ve used it for years and prefer it to the other products in the Anthelios range (the cream and also the anti-shine versions) because it sits probably the most smoothly and invisibly beneath makeup.
(Some have reported cases of “pilling” or “balling up” with Anthelios, but I’ve never experienced this and also have used it hundreds of times. I do wonder whether it depends on what are applying beneath it, but then I’ve layered it over facial oils, water-based serums and heavy moisturisers without any problem. Comments below if you have any anecdotal material to share, please!)
Anyway, I’ve mentioned Anthelios more times than I talk about Mint Choc Magnums so regular readers won't be any stranger to this recommendation; I suppose I just wanted to give you my sunscreen testing methodology before I started the reviews proper.
And it does speak volumes that I use this very compact, unfragranced sunscreen over and over, almost as my default product – if you have combination/oily skin then it’s a dream. My skin does have a tendency to get a little oily in the summertime months, which is why I tend to plump for this lightweight sunscreen over a much more moisturising option, especially when I’m testing, but when you do have skin on the drier side there are some brilliant SPF suggestions approaching. (CeraVe SPF25 is notable for its hydrating-yet-lightweight formula and it’s great for itchy, sensitive skin – find it at Boots.com here*.)
You can find Anthelios XL at Escentual.com here* – it should be lb16.50 but happens to be lb11. There’s also a new pocket version:
which tickles me no end, because you can hardly get more pocket-sized and handy compared to original. The no-frills, flat bottle is just perfect for holiday or makeup-bag packaging and there’s no ridiculous packaging excess either on the bottle or lid.
Anyway, Ode to Anthelios over: you can read previous sunscreen reviews on this link but I’ll be back with more shortly. Let’s just hope the sun's rays stays out, I’m not finished with this heatwave yet!
Find Anthelios Pocket Sun Cream here*.
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