I started to compose this post at the beginning of the summer but stalled because I became bogged down with the enormity of it, and I fear that this is a quest which is only just in the initial stages, I am at the foothills of the mountain, or maybe I haven't even left basecamp.
Anyway here we go. The premise for me was to lighten the load of my face base as I entered the sunnier parts of the year. Of course in the UK sunshine and warmth are always optional, and I wear an SPF50 every day rain or shine inside or out - Ultrasun Anti-Pigmentation SPF50 for Face if anyone is asking and it is common throughout this blog. But that is applied pre skincare and I want something which is a sunscreen and a primer, if I am honest I want something that makes my skin look like porcelain, I want my skin to look flawless, I want the moon, and probably the stars, I want my daughter's skin, which I had 30 years ago but didn't bloody appreciate.
So above is a selection of what I am currently trialling and have trialled, and yes they are all SPF50, apart from the Omorovicza which is SPF30.
As a disclaimer I do rather like the slightly chalky slighty white cast that a mineral SPF can leave, I find that it does knock out the pinker areas of my face and generally gives my uneven skin tone a little bit of a blur.
Vichy Mattifying Face Fluid Dry Touch and Velvety Face Cream SPF50
I managed to get through a tube and a half of the mattifying one over the summer and into autumn of last year. It is okay, it is light and fluid and a little goes a long way, although that isn't really the objective because one really should slather on an SPF. Any white cast disappears pretty quickly on me, but I was disappointed in this because it was not mattifying at all, infact I bought the velvety face cream from Vichy and preferred it.
Skinceutical Sheer Mineral UV Defense SPF50
I am of course going to completely contradict my disclaimer, because this does leave a white cast, but try as I might, I cannot get on with this product, even though it comes highly recommended and feted as a great all round sunscreen. It has good ingredients, good level of protection, but it did bugger all for me other than sit whitely on my skin whilst I rubbed and smoothed and pummeled in increasing attempts to get the product to absorb. It maybe that I am simply just piling product on top of product and something had to give, but it didn't work for me.
Avene SPF50 Cream
At the moment this is my favourite. It comes in a cream formulation which I have and a lighter version which has a small blue rectangle on the mostly orange tube. It is a tube with an integral pump and the texture is a thickish cream which has that bit of chalk that means it does have a whiteness, and some smoothing and some blurring.
Bareminerals Prep Step Mineral Shield Daily SPF50
Very lightweight, very white. Similar to the Skinceutical in its texture, but this does absorb a little better into my skin. I am still working through this one, it has a bit of a shiny finish but again this maybe because I am using product on product on product.
Omorovicza Mineral UV Shield SPF30
Creamy textured, this sits happily on my skin over the top of all my skin care and underneath any makeup. Probably better for my oilier skin going into the winter months rather than summer.
Cane+Austin Protect Broad Spectrum SPF50
I bought this originally for my husband, but ended up stealing it to try. Thin, easily absorbed, a little bit mattifying on my skin, I rather like it, better though for me for warmer days.
La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 - Soothing Repairing Balm SPF50
This is really what it says on the tube, it is rich and soothing and calming. Probably it is a tad too rich for my skin, but the tube is perfect to slip into my hand bag and apply as a hand cream with an SPF.
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