Super Suncare

4 min read

Okay, I know, we’ve had more rain than sun of late, but there are moments when it shines (today is a good day, yeah?!), and if you are off on holiday soon, you will need this super suncare guide! Following on from last week’s facial suncare post, it’s the turn of your body this week

Don’t leave home/hotel/apartment/tent/villa without sunscreen. And make sure you take enough to last you the duration of your holiday with proper coverage. You need to use, on average, about a bottle a week of body suncare. Some of the oils don’t last as long, so judge what you are taking, and use this handy guide!

So, what suncare should you use, and what factor should you go for? Personally, I can’t really use anything less than an SPF30 when I am abroad. In Scotland, I can use an SPF20, but not when the sun is at it’s hottest.  I like to use a Factor 50 on my face  – see last week’s blog post – and sometimes an SPF50 on my body as well.

So, let’s start with a brand new brand – Vita Liberata suncare, in  SPF50. Vita Liberata SPF50 Neroli & Argan Milk (££28.50, vitaliberata.co.uk). This arrived broken, which isn’t good – the plastic bottle had cracked. The milk itself is really light, very milky, not lotion-like at all, and comes out in a fine spray. It smells delicious, and has all sorts of benefits. The argan oil conditions skin with antioxodants that neutralise free radical damage and fight photo ageing. Neroli oil helps regenerate and balance skin, and Reforcyl nourishes, firms and helps with the skin’s elasticity. You should apply this 15 minutes before you head out to the sun, and then reapply every couple of hours.

Always Wear Sunscreen

Another SPF50, this time Clarins 50+ Sun Care Milk-Lotion Spray (£19.50, clarins.co.uk). I do love Clarins suncare, and this delivers. Brilliant for hydration, it really does moisturise, which is essential for me with suncare for the body and face. It’s not too thick, again, and one of these bottles should last a week.

Bioderma’s Photoderm Mineral SPF50+ (£13.50, escentual.com) is for face and body,and offers the ultimate in high protection. It’s brilliant for skin that is allergic to chemical filters, is fragrance free, paraben free and water resistant. Be warned though – this is a rich milky lotion that goes on white, and stays white, even if you rub and rub it in. It also doesn’t have a smell, and I love a suncream that smells of summer, don’t you? But it’s perfect if you have issues with allergies and skin conditions that prevent you using anything overly perfumed.

Kiko Milano, Clarins and Lancaster suncareFinally,and talking of suncream fragrance, when I took a sniff of Lancaster’s Sun Beauty Dry Oil Fast Tan Optimizer SPF50 (£24, selected Debenhams, feelunique.com), I was transported back to my teens – I can’t put a finger on exactly where, but, wow, this smells like my teenage past! Anyway, it’s a dry oil, which I love.

It smells delicious, and it dries on application, and it will heighten your tan intensity. I think with an oil, you need to pack a few bottles into your suitcase – this also comes in SPF30, so maybe one of each?

Dropping down to SPF30, and staying with oil, this is my absolute favourite – Clarins SPF30 Sun Care Oil Spray (£19.50, clarins.co.uk), which you can use on your body and your hair! A dry oil, it doesn’t feel oily, but it nourishes and hydrates, thanks to organic Nyamplung oil, from a sacred tree of Indonesia.

It does contain alcohol, so don’t use on the kids, but why would you share with anyone?! Because it’s great for hair too, you will probably need a couple of bottles of this for a week’s break. Don’t scrimp on your suncare!

If you prefer a tradtional suncream, then Clinique’s SPF30 Body Cream (£20, clinique.co.uk) is for you. I really like this one as well. It’s a rich, oil-free cream, which, as you apply it, really feels like it is protecting you, if you understand what I mean?! It’s hard to explain, but thick suncreams just feel like they are doing their job properly! MyBioderma, Vita Liberata, Clinique and Piz Buin suncareonly issue with this product is that, as with most of Clinique products, it has no scent.

Piz Buin’s new Instant Glow Skin Illuminating Sun Spray SPF30(£16.99, superdrug.com)  is interesting! It has a subtle golden shimmer in it, which enhances your natural skin tone. It doesn’t have any fake tan in it, but you can see the shimmer. So, if you want to remain glamorous, whilst protecting your skin, then this spray is for you!

Finally, another spray – and be careful not to leave these pressurised containers out in the sun on the beach or at the pool – this time from Italian beauty brand, Kiko Milano.

Their new Wet & Dry Sunscreen Spray SPF20 (£11.10, kikocosmetics.com) is medium protection, and can be used on the face and body, and can be applied to both wet and dry skin, thanks to the spray action. It isn’t greasy, it’s water-resistant, smells quite rich, and is great if you know you tan, but can still burn at the start of your break.

Which sunscreen is your go-to brand?  Later this week – After Sun.