Virgin Coconut Oil and the Oil Cleansing Method

Hello Ladies! I am currently in the process of testing out new products and beauty methods which take some time for results. I am so excited to share them with you!

In the meantime, let me tell you about my modified version of the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM). Being a voracious internet surfer, I first came across this method when I was researching about the many uses of virgin coconut oil. I previously made a post on how to use VCO as a remedy for hairfall. Since I have so much left, I wanted to see what else I can use it for.

This is how I understand the principles behind the Oil Cleansing Method: 

1) There is a "rebound effect" when you use overly drying skin care products. When we use products that rob our skin of  its natural oils, it overcompensates by producing more oil. This predisposes to clogged pores and acne. Achieving truly clear skin requires a balance, and the irony is you have to leave oil on your skin surface to keep it from producing too much oil from within.

2) Like dissolves like. In this case, hardened sebum in our pores are dissolved by oil. 

Makes sense, doesn't it? :-)

These are the simplified steps in the Oil Cleansing Method:

1) Apply a generous amount of oil on your skin (enough to cover your face, but not to the point that it is dripping down your chin). 

2) Massage your face

3) Apply gentle heat: may be in the form of steam, or a (tolerably) hot towel. The hot steam generated while you shower the rest of your body may be enough. You just want to open your pores, not cook your skin. 

4) Wipe away/wash away excess oil with water. Some use hot water to dissolve the oil. Some use cold water to close the pores. Some say use room temperature water. The goal is to leave just enough oil that your skin needs. 

I followed steps 1-3, using a hot towel. Heat opens up your pores and lets the oil dissolve the sebum stuck in deeper areas. However, just washing with water makes me feel that there is still too much oil on my face. I have to use a small amount of mild soap to wash away the excess oil. This is probably because VCO is heavier than the other types of oil that are being used for OCM. In spite of being heavier, it does not clog pores. The type of oil used varies from person to person. Some use a mixture of sunflower and castor oil. I guess it would depend on personal preference, skin type and what  is available to you. I prefer to use my VCO since I have so much of the stuff lying around. Maybe I'll try to add a bit of castor oil in it someday, but for now, pure VCO is enough for me.

Try this once and you'll get hooked. I noticed a big difference the first time I did it. My face felt so much softer, but clean, and GLOWING! Not the oily type of shine, but a sheen that looks healthy from the inside. I do this at night, when I have the luxury of time. In the morning before work, I do a very quick massage and skip the hot towel. Right now, I hardly use any moisturizer. I just apply sunscreen on top of that "just right" amount of oil left on my face and I'm good to go. My face is far from oily and my skin has been so clear since I tried it!

I just want to add something about the face massages. You can find articles devoted entirely to this topic. Look them up and you will find tips and techniques on how to do a proper massage. I do this while I'm watching TV or reading. It's a bit tiring on the fingers, but I really try to do it regularly. Aside from helping you gently exfoliate your face and dissolve all the impurities and sebum on your skin, massaging can work wonders in removing fine lines and increasing your skin's elasticity. It does this by increasing blood circulation to your face. A good blood circulation increases the supply of oxygen and nutrients to your skin and promotes the  production of collagen and elastin. 

There are really no hard or set rules on how to do a proper massage, just try to use upward strokes as much as possible. I put a bit more effort on my jawline, chin, my laugh lines and around my eyes which are areas that I feel need more "lift".

If you've heard of "RF Slimming", it uses basically the same principle which is improved circulation, but with the aid of radiofrequency for stimulation of subcutaenous layers and heating. Personally, I feel that a good diet, lots of water, exercise and extra TLC is enough to achieve healthy and beautiful skin :-) You don't even have to spend on expensive products! It just takes more time and effort to see results, but I find that the natural method is always better. If you just stick to your routine, you don't have to waste big bucks on these "quick fixes".

Have you tried the oil cleansing method? What type of oil do you use? I would love to hear your story :-)

Thanks for reading this!

Alverde Beauty Haul

Hi Ladies! Today I want to talk about drugstore finds in general and the ones I got from Germany. 

One of the most exciting things about traveling is discovering the local products one particular place has to offer. The same holds true for makeup and skin care products. Say, for example, you would go to Paris, run a search in Google and you would find so many posts telling you to visit the French pharmacy. They have a list of products that have a cult following in France and the world over. This includes the sunscreen I am currently using from La Roche Posay. I will be going to Japan soon and I am so excited to look for cosmetics that people are raving about here in the Philippines!

In Germany, they have a chain of drugstores called the Drogerie Markt (DM) that offer several local cosmetic lines. This includes Alverde: (as translated from German by Google)

Philosophy

Among the brands dm is alverde NATURKOSMETIK for pure natural cosmetics that are free from purely synthetic fragrances, colors and preservatives. Beyond what is behind the brand, refer to the following philosophy. 

Our conviction

Sustainable thinking and acting are top priority in alverde NATURKOSMETIK.Therefore we are working on recipes that give naturally effective skin care and development and manufacturing processes to protect the resources. We are very pleased that you alverde NATURKOSMETIK for selling certified natural cosmetics brand in Germany make

Our origins

Natural Cosmetics has become a household word - that was not always the case. From a deep conviction to dm in 1989 decided on a product series that is built primarily on the basis of plant materials. We consider the needs of our customers as an incentive to continue our usual way dynamic. From the beginning, the offer of 14 alverde NATURKOSMETIK articles has therefore expanded considerably. 

Our product promises

According to the philosophy alverde our raw materials are preferably certified organic. All products are free of ingredients based on mineral oil as well as purely synthetic fragrances, colors and preservatives. The majority of our products supports the alverde Vegan seal that guarantees that no animal ingredients are included. In general: For alverde NATURKOSMETIK no animal testing is carried out. To meet your high demands on natural cosmetics, we face the additional stringent requirements of Natrue . This independent body committed to high ethical and ecological principles: With the Natrue seal are exclusively those products certified to meet the stringent, standardized regulations pertaining to the naturalness and compatibility. More information about the certification with the Natrue Seal, visit the international website of Natrue . 

Your Safety

Since 1989, the dm-brand convinced alverde NATURKOSMETIK with 100 percent natural and also high-quality toiletries. Some of them have been awarded by independent consumer magazines such as eco-Stiftung Warentest and test with top vmarks. 

I have been more and more interested in organic cosmetics, and Alverde definitely offers a wide range of high quality products to choose from! And the best part is, it's surprisingly so inexpensive. Most of the stuff that I got are below 5 euros :-)

Here are the stuff that I got, from left to right: Mineral Make Up Base Gel, Brow Gel, Lip Liner and Duo Kajal Eyeliner.

 I'm going to start with my favorite, the Alverde Eyebrow Gel. I'm not an expert on makeup application, and I've tried watching videos on how to make those perfectly done eyebrows, but I could never seem to pull it off. My eyebrows look too thick or too dark when I try. This eyebrow gel is a winner because it helps me achieve nice enough looking brows without too much effort. It's fool proof! All I do is brush it onto my brows, going in the opposite direction of growth, and then smooth it into place with the brush provided on the other end. Sometimes, when I'm not too busy, I use a fine tipped brush to create a more defined line and my brows look awesome! I find that the brown shade really helps. Most of the eyebrow pencils available here come in shades that are too dark for me, since I am fair skinned. This shade is just right for my brows. It helps me give that extra emphasis on my brows, especially when I'm wearing dark rimmed eyeglasses. I wish I bought more than one, and I'm surely going to look for a substitute when I run out.

Here's how my eyebrow looks like before and after application, which I did very quickly, like I would on a busy day. Like I said, it makes my brows look a bit fuller and more well defined, without looking overdone. It also helps my brows stay neatly in place throughout the day. Plus it's organic!

I also got the Alverde Mineral Make Up Base. I love that this product is so simple but very reliable. I hardly put on foundation, but when I do, I notice that it just quickly wears off especially on hot humid days. I started using makeup primer only recently and it really does make a huge difference. It brings out the best in my foundation, making it look smoother and more even and it prolongs the life of my makeup. This makeup base is almost scentless, and has a very light tint that disappears when it sets. You hardly notice that the primer is there, it's very light and doesn't make me sweat. Plus it doesn't make me break out or irritate my skin. I've been using this stuff a lot, and I'm afraid of running out soon. I hope to find an alternative that's organic as well.

The Alverde Duo Kajal Eyeliner that I picked came in Gold and Brown. I have mostly black eyeliners, but I sometimes put on this dark brown liner for a different look. Downside is, it tends to smudge and spread, so what I do is I use primer on my lids and use a tiny sponge to just blend it in for a softer, shadowy look. I use the gold on evenings when I want more dramatic eyes, mostly on the inner corner of my eyes and a bit on my water line. It just glides smoothly and applies evenly. I've even used this for an eyeshadow one time and pulled it off ;-)

The last product on my list is the Alverde Lip Liner in Nude. I got a nude lip liner because I've been into light colored and nude lippies lately. It's creamy, without being too drying on the lips. It smells delicious, with a slight hint of vanilla like MAC lipsticks. It wears quite long too and I've used it as a primer for darker lipstick, to achieve a more matte look.

So these are my finds from Alverde. I sure wish they would start exporting their products to the Philippines. I still have other products from this brand that I want to try. Aside from Human Heart Nature and Snoe, we doen't have too many locally made cosmetics that are organic, which is really unfortunate.

Are there other organic brands that you love? What are your best buys from the drugstore? I'd love to hear from you :-)

Thanks for reading this!

How to get rid of bacne: Maxi Peel Exfoliant Soap and other tips

Hi ladies! I haven't posted for quite a while. I've been very busy with work. I've been thinking for quite some time on what to post next, and I decided to share my experience with bacne (or acne on the back)

I never used to have trouble with acne at all, especially on my back, until recently. I was bothered by the hyperpigmented spots that they left, making it impossible for me to wear back baring clothes, which I used to love. I finally decided to do something about it, and regain my flawless back.

I started by doing some research. Like many skin conditions, bacne is the result of multiple factors, and the first thing to do is try to figure out what caused them in the first place.

Have you been taking new medications prior to the onset of your bacne? Have you changed your laundry detergent/fabric conditioner? What soap have you been using? Do you think your conditioner might be the culprit? Are you exfoliating your back enough?

In my case, I think it's a mixture of several factors, so I had to make quite a few adjustments in my routine. First, we have to remember that acne is caused by the buildup of sebum in sebaceous glands, due to clogged pores, which then becomes infected by bacteria. Good exfoliation of the back is key to prevent clogged pores  which predispose to acne. Also, hygiene is very important, so make sure your clothes and the surfaces you put your back on are clean. This includes the backrest of your chair, and your bedsheets and pillows.

These are the things that I did to fight my bacne:

1) I made sure to scrub and exfoliate my back really well. I used a bath puff to scrub my back. When I give myself a foot scrub, I notice that more dead cells come off when I rub with semi-dry feet. Using the same principle, I gently scrub my back with a dry cotton cloth after my shower, when my back is a bit moist, but not dripping wet.

2) I used an exfoliant soap to spot treat my back. I have very sensitive skin and I tried to keep this soap on my back area only, but of course during rinsing some of it would run down to the lower part of my body. Thus I had to stop using it when I noticed that my legs were beginning to become dry and itchy.

I used Maxi Peel Exfoliant Soap. First I would scrub my back with this soap then leave it on while I use my regular hypoallergenic soap for the rest of my body. It's active ingredients include Salicylic Acid which fights pimple causing bacteria, Niacinamide which lightens skin, and Glycolic Acid which I have discussed earlier. 

Here is LINK to the site of the product, and the product description:

As your body gets exposed to the harsh elements from the environment, your skin becomes dull, acne-prone, and uneven. You need to renew your skin’s beauty by removing acne-causing dirt and dead skin cells that prevent your skin to be at its best condition.

• GENTLE MICRO-EXFOLIATION
• Gently rids your skin of dead skin cells to reveal younger-looking skin!
• Aids in PIMPLE REMOVAL
• Helps dry up pimples and prevents it from coming back
• INTENSE WHITENING
• Evens out skin complexion in as fast as 7 days!
• GERMICIDAL
• Cleans and rids skin of germs

3) I washed and conditioned my hair separately, to make sure that no conditioner residue gets to my back. Hair conditioner is notorious for causing bacne, since it clogs your pores. What I do is I shampoo and condition my hair leaning forward, so none of the stuff gets on my body when I wash. Then I do the rest of my body. This may seem tedious at first, but I've gotten quite used to it. When you think of it, shampoo and conditioner aren't really made for skin, so you shouldn't let it touch your body, right? ;-)

4) I used a clean linen on top of my bed sheet at bedtime. No matter how clean your bed is, dirt and dust will still find its way on it, so to be extra sure, I used this extra linen which I keep folded away in my cabinet at daytime.

I probably used the exfoliant soap for less than a month. This, plus the changes I made, were effective enough, and I no longer have bacne. Given time, my hyperpigmented scars were gone too, and I can now wear my back baring clothes without shame :-)

I rate the Maxi Peel Exfoliant Soap as a hit, because in spite of irritating the heck out of my legs, it served its intended purpose well. For those who have sensitive skin like me, I advise to use it sparingly and discontinue if you notice that your skin is becoming irritated. I definitely DO NOT recommend it to be used on the face.

I no longer need to use the exfoliant soap, but I continue to do everything else, and so far, no bacne in sight :-)

I hope these tips can help you achieve a flawless back as well. Do you have other tips to remove bacne? Share them in the comments section :-) 

Thanks for reading this!

Egyptian Magic Cream Review

Hello ladies!

I have recently been lucky enough to come across this product, the Egyptian Magic Cream. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now, and I'm so glad I tried it.

Egyptian Magic Cream

Image taken from: https://beautyarmy.com/egyptian-magic-skin-cream

Apparently, there's been a lot of buzz about this product, and it's been endorsed by top celebrities like Madonna and Kate Hudson. To be honest, I only heard about it when my *soon to be* mother-in-law asked if I've tried it already. She then gave me a generous sample from her 4 oz jar purchased in the States.

I was really hesitant at first, because the words "magic cream" have a very negative connotation for me. Most of the time, these products are loaded with steroids or mercury or other scary ingredients, including hydrogen peroxide (agh!) that make them effective skin lighteners but VERY toxic and harmful.

I decided to learn more about it online, and although the labeling looked kind of weird to me, I learned that the ingredients are all natural:

 Olive Oil ( Olea Europaea oil), Beeswax, Honey, Pollen, Royal Jelly and Propolis Extract 

Here's the product description:

Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream, the People's Choice, is a phenomenal healing balm with legendary powers due to its unique mixture of all natural ingredients derived only from living plants and organisms. Egyptian Magic All-Purpose Skin Cream, The People's Choice, has been on the market since August 1991 with a solid track record, a loyal word of mouth following, and twice the healing power for half the price of conventional skin creams.

Suitable for all skin types. 100% natural.

This miraculous all-purpose formula will amaze you. This non-greasy blend of all natural ingredients serves an astounding variety of purposes. Use it on your face as a night moisturizer and eye cream. Apply as a split end mending hair conditioner and defrizzer. Try it as a lip balm and as a healing nail and cuticle conditioner. May be used to smooth rough areas and treat conditions like eczema, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Egyptain Magic All Purpose Skin Cream has antibacterial properties and contains no toxins, making it a perfect stretch mark prevention cream for use during pregnancy. May also be used to soothe redness, fade scars, and even heal blemishes. 

And here's how to apply it:

For Best Results: Take moderate amount and rub in your palms until it takes the form of oil. (It helps the skin absorb effectively.) Apply over your skin gently. 

AGAIN, and I cannot emphasize this enough, ALWAYS be careful when you try new stuff, especially if the brand is unknown to you and if they contain words like "MAGIC" or "SUPER" or suspiciously say "PLUS" or "MEDICATED". If you can't read what it says, like if its all in chinese, stay away from it. A lot of chinese creams are loaded with mercury.

Hydroquinone is a pretty strong steroid, and though steroids can be used on the face for eczematous conditions, it is used sparingly, for a limited time, and the least potent steroids are prescribed by doctors. They should NEVER be used as a skin care product because steroids cause thinning of the skin and will permanently damage your skin! You'll know it's a steroid when you stop using it and you break out. It will also eventually cause permanent pigmentation and darkening of the skin. If you suspect you've been using a steroid containing product, go to your dermatologist to help you.

Mercury is TOXIC to your skin and to your kidneys and other organs. I can't even imagine how these people can sleep at night after deliberately putting POISON in their products!

Here's a site with a pretty concise list of products containing these harmful chemicals. I'm pretty sure there are more out there not listed here. The rule is, if you're not sure, don't put it on your skin! Like anything else in life, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

After all the research and the endorsements I've read from celebrities and beauty magazines, I decided that the Egyptian Magic Cream was safe and worth a try. Here's how my sample looks like:

Another warning: there's a lot of fake Egyptian Magic Cream products going around especially online, so be careful where you get your product.

As you can see it is light yellow and very thick. It is more of a balm than a cream actually. Some people have compared it to petroleum jelly. That's where the similarity ends. Petroleum jelly stays thick and greasy, and is pretty much used only as a barrier to seal moisture into the skin. This product melts in your hands (as you can see above), especially when you rub it on your palms. It does feel quite greasy initially but it doesn't feel heavy on my face at all. Unlike petroleum jelly, it is slowly absorbed into the skin.

The product smells like cooking oil. Don't worry if you find this unpleasant, because it's not very strong and only smells that way in the jar. In my hands, I couldn't smell it at all.

I incorporated this product in my routine by substituting it for my nightly moisturizer. After applying my retinol and anti aging product, I apply a layer of it all over my face, including my under eye area and lips. I saw an immediate effect on my skin the first time I tried it. When I woke up, the product had been completely absorbed. My skin felt soft and very smooth, and it looked as if my skin was glowing. Other people noticed this too, and I got the exact same comment for one of the pictures I posted online. It gives your skin this natural sheen without using makeup. I had a stubborn sun spot on my cheek and I noted that it has lightened after only a few days. I even notice that I need less concealer for my very dark under eye circles. I had a few acne scars and they are GONE completely.

I love, love, super love it. If I were stuck on an island with only one product, I would definitely choose this. There are so many ways that you can benefit from this cream. It heals scars, soothes burns, moisturizes the roughest patches. People with eczema say it works wonders for their condition. You can even use it on your hair. It is safe enough to use on babies! When I get pregnant, I'll use this stuff to fight stretch marks.

A little product goes a long way and I think I have a couple of months to go before I run out of my sample, but I will definitely be purchasing more before that happens!

Have you tried the Egyptian Magic Cream? How did it work for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts :-)

Thanks for reading this!

ARTDECO Invisible Lip Liner

Hello Ladies!

I realize I've been posting more about beauty products and not much about makeup so here's one item that I really want to rave about: ARTDECO's Invisible Lip Liner.

I've been into nude and light colored lippies lately and I've been using nude lip liners until I discovered this one. My complaint about lip liners in general is that they are never quite the same shade as my lipstick. It becomes even more obvious when you use nudes and light colors. ARTDECO solves that problem by coming up with a colorless liner. It just helps you outline your lips, keeping your lipstick edges sharp and defined, without changing its color.

ARTDECO is made in Germany but their products are now available at the Beauty Bar. I'm not sure though if they sell this particular lip liner here, but you can always try your luck via online purchase.One thing I like about German products is that they adhere to stricter standards in product safety, and they never test on animals.

ARTDECO Invisible Lip Liner

Here's how it looks like. As you can see, the liner is wrapped in plastic when you purchase it, so you're sure no one has tried it before you. Another thing that I absolutely love about it is that it's twist-to-release and you don't have to sharpen it. It bothers me that there's a lot of wastage when you use sharpener. Plus it's messy and the tip easily gets blunt and soft. Up to this day, I wonder how other girls sharpen their liners so perfectly.

The color is soft pink but when you put it on, it's absolutely colorless, just like wax but lighter and more matte. It stays put for a long time, is easy to apply, and basically just fool proof even for makeup newbies like me.

Here's a sample of the product. I made a thick line in the middle and applied a very light pink lipstick around it. As you can see, the boundaries are outlined very well, and is completely transparent. If you look closely, the liner also fills in the little lines on the skin, and some have used it as a lipstick primer successfully. As for me, I just really use it to outline my lips, especially for softer and lighter shades. It really makes my lipstick look better, even professionally done, and it never bleeds out and fades on the edges anymore.

I really hope they start selling this here soon, before I run out, because I will definitely repurchase. It's a makeup must have for me!

Have you tried ARTDECO Invisible Lip Liner? I'd love to hear your story :-)

Thanks for reading this!
 

Beauty Drops Vitamin E Beauty Oil

A quick post on something that I tried recently. I was looking around Greenhills, and chanced upon this product in one of those shops selling imported beauty products. When I got home, I looked it up in and saw good reviews in Make Up Alley.

In the States, you can get it for 99 cents, but the shops here are retailing it for P200 (over $4). Quite a mark up, but still not that bad, considering you only need a bit per application.

Beauty Drops Vitamin E Beauty Oil 

It's a 29.5 mL bottle of essential oils from Grapeseed and Saffllower, plus Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E).

Vitamin E is an antioxidant which promotes better capillary circulation and skin regeneration, giving it anti-aging and skin healing properties.  From the reviews online, the users claimed that Beauty Drops Vitamin E Beauty Oil gave them softer skin, lesser fine wrinkles, smoother complexion and diminished hyperpigmentation.

I used a small amount, warmed it in my palms and gently rubbed it all over my face, including my lids, undereye area and lips. It was pretty light, considering that it's pure oil, but it still felt a bit heavy on the face. Most of the stuff gets absorbed into the skin (or rubbed off on your pillow, if you're not careful), so it's barely noticeable when you wake up. In the morning, I was so happy with how soft and smooth my skin felt, and with continued use, my sun spots were gradually fading. My lips were so smooth without any flakiness, which happens to me a lot, even when I use lip balms generously. The dark circles and fine lines around my eyes were lessened too.

Why did I score it as a MISS then? A couple of days after, I noted that my pores were getting prominent, I began to developed white heads and black heads on my nose, and I got three stubborn pimples. IT CLOGS MY PORES. This is the danger of oils, not all of them, but I guess this particular preparation does that to me. I remember using sunflower oil on my face, and I broke out too.

When they are blocked, pores accumulate dirt and debris, making them appear bigger and darker. This also predisposes to acne, which is an inflammation and infection of oil glands on your face. I put quite a lot of products on my face, but I don't use new stuff all at the same time so I know which product is causing what problem. That's why I'm pretty sure the Beauty Drops is the culprit here.

I'll probably continue applying it on my lips and under my eyes, but other than that, the rest of my face is now off limits. I can also probably use it on my hair, but right now I'm using a serum on my hair that really works, so I really haven't tried it for that purpose.

This makes me really sad, because this stuff really works, and it's quite cheap too.

Have you tried this product? How did it work on you? I'd love to hear your story.

Thanks for reading this! :-)

Best Sunscreen: La Roche-Posay SPF 50 Antihelios XL Melt In Cream

Hello ladies! As I mentioned in my previous post, good skin care consists of effective cleansing, moisturization and protection. Today I want to talk about the third part of that routine: skin protection. 

When I was younger, the only time I'd slap on some sunscreen is when I'm about to hit the beach. I hated that heavy, greasy feeling that made me break into sweat, not to mention that thick white cast it leaves making you look like a kabuki lady. 

Nowadays, though, sunscreens are a requisite to delay aging and to protect my extra sensitive skin, since I have been using retinol and AHA's. 

UVA and UVB

So what do you look for in a good sunscreen anyway? To answer that, you have to understand what it's meant to do. Sunscreens should keep the sun's ultraviolet radiation (or UV rays) from reaching your skin. There are two types of UV rays, UVA and UVB. Both cause premature aging and increase the risk for skin cancer. 

UVB rays are the ones that cause sore, red skin after prolonged sun exposure, or what we call sunburn. Most sunscreens offer only UVB protection. UVA on the other hand penetrates the skin more and cause wrinkles and leathering of the skin, predisposing to premature aging due to prolonged sun exposure. They also cause sun spots and photosensitive skin allergies. 

Sun Protection Factor (SPF)

Another important consideration is the sun protection factors or SPF. What do these numbers mean anway? That number tells you how long it protects your skin from turning red, which also depends on how fast you react to the sun. For instance, if it only takes you 10 minutes to get sunburned, multiply that with the SPF and that's (theoretically) how long you can stay in the sun before getting red, in this case, 150 minutes or about 2.5 hours. If it takes longer for you to get burned, then the protection lasts longer. 

You can also think of SPF as percent of UVB rays filtered. SPF 15 filters 93%, SPF 30 97% and SPF 50 98%. If you notice, we're talking UVB rays here, and SPF says nothing about UVA protection. 

Picking your sunscreen

Knowing all these things then, you need to pick a sunscreen with BOTH UVA and UVB protection. If it just says SPF, then you're not getting enough UVA protection, which as I mentioned is the culprit causing skin aging. You may not be getting red, but your skin cells are definitely still affected by that sun exposure.

If you're just staying indoors most of the day, experts say an SPF of 15 is usually enough. Primers or moisturizers sometimes contain this amount of SPF, so you may not need an extra layer of sunblock. For longer periods out in the sun, pick sunscreens with a higher SPF. 

Do you need sunscreen even if you're just in the office all day? Experts say yes, you do. Glass windows usually filter only UVB and let UVA rays through. Even fluorescent lights emit a considerable amount of UV radiation. So unless you're working in complete darkness, don't skip the sunscreen. 

Of course, there are also other considerations when picking sunscreen, including sheerness or finish, hypoallergenicity, fragrance, water resistance and staying power. These factor differs between brands, and it could be frustrating to find a sunscreen which fits all your preferences.  

La Roche-Posay Sunblock

Now I want to talk about my favorite sunscreen, sometimes described as the holy grail of sunscreens, made by La Roche-Posay. This one is La Roche-Posay SPF 50 Antihelios XL Melt In Cream. This company hardly spends on advertisement because the product really speaks for itself. Since it's made in Europe (France) it adheres to stricter standards in terms of product safety, and is not tested on animals. 

If you visit their website, here is their product description:

Very high, broad, photostable UVA/UVB protection.
Optimal SPF 50+ protection reinforced against UVA rays (stricter than the European recommendation) thanks to patented filtering system Mexoplex® combined with La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water, soothing and antioxidant.
In a new, more minimalistic dermatologically-tested formula: fragrance-free, paraben-free, lighter in chemical filters*, nickel tested (nickel levels guaranteed lower than the threshold for allergic reactions in sensitized subjects), non-comedogenic.
- Luxurious, moisturizing, ultra-comfortable texture. Easy to apply. Suitable for dry skin.
- Very high water resistance.

And here's the list of ingredients:

AQUA / WATER

C12-15 ALKYL BENZOATE

GLYCERIN

ALCOHOL DENAT.

BIS-ETHYLHEXYLOXYPHENOL METHOXYPHENYL TRIAZINE

TITANIUM DIOXIDE

PENTYLENE GLYCOL

BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE

STYRENE/ACRYLATES COPOLYMER

CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE

PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAETHYLHEXANOATE

PROPYLENE GLYCOL Here's how the sunscreen looks like:

The color is whitish with a very pale beige tone. It's very light, glides and spreads very smoothly, and is not oily. I saw one blogger test the product by placing an drop over a blotting paper, and no oil "bled out" into the edges. Like all sunscreens, it still had that "clay like" smell, but was very mild. No other fragrances added.

After spreading it out evenly and letting it set, you can see that it's very sheer, and no white cast is left. My skin just looks moisturized. It leaves a matte finish, non greasy like other sunblocks, and serves as a decent primer.

On hot and humid days, this sunscreen doesn't increase my sweat like other brands. Because it is water resistant, it stays in place even when I perspire and doesn't "run".

I love that it is very sheer and goes well with my makeup. It is also hypoallergenic and doesn't clog pores. This is a big plus for me since a lot of my previous sunscreens tend to cause me to break out. It just lets the skin breathe. It's also probably because of this that it doesn't cause my face to sweat more than usual.

What are the cons of this product? In itself, I'd say it's almost perfect and I am definitely sticking to this brand. Unfortunately, it's quite expensive and isn't widely available. Mine came from a french pharmacy when my boyfriend did a European tour. It's available online though, and I hear some dermatologists sell it in their clinics, so you can ask yours.

What is your favorite sunblock? Have you tried other products from La Roche-Posay? I'd love to hear your thoughts :-)

Thanks for reading this!