Wealden Times | WT172 | June 2016 | Kitchen & Bathroom supplement inside

Suncare
Josephine Fairley on products that
keep harmful rays at bay
Illustrations: Susanne Hayes
After last month’s look at fake tans, this month our
thoughts turn to the real thing. Now, once upon a
time, I was one of those beauty editors who saw the
sun as ‘the enemy’, and went scurrying for the shade every
time it put its hat on. (I put mine on, too. And a kaftan.)
Now, however, I take a more balanced, approach to sun
protection: having broken two wrists, a couple of years ago
(mercifully not at the same time), I’ve looked into the links
between vitamin D and bone health, and I’m convinced that
sun exposure is a good thing, provided you stay on this side
of burning and sun damage.
These days I definitely expose my body – though never
my face – directly to the sun. And after a couple of months
of dedicated application of suncare in the name of research
for a YOU Magazine Summer Sun Special, my Beauty Bible
co-author Sarah Stacey and I definitely know which protective
products deserve gold stars.
Let’s start with facial suncare – and here, I’m definitely
all for high SPFs. You’ll still pick up a bit of colour, even
freckles – but the fastest way to leathery skin and wrinkles
is, without question, sunshine. My advice, then, is never dip
below SPF30 for summer exposure, and SPF50 if possible –
although, due to weird maths, it only offers a modicum more
protection than SPF30. But when it comes to my face, I want
as much protection as I can get – don’t you…?
Soltan Sensitive Face Cream, SPF50, £6 for 50ml,
is incredibly impressive for a high street offering, free from
the perfumes and colourants which trigger photo-reactions,
and with a light, non-pore-blocking formulation. If you like
a ‘matte’ finish (so many sun creams make skin shiny), I’d
recommend Eucerin Sun Fluid Mattifying, £16 for
50ml (feelunique.com) – again, from a brand much loved by
those with touchier complexions: it’s light, non-greasy and
water-resistant. (Though remember, if you towel skin dry:
reapply. There’s no formulation that is towel-proof!)
I really, really enjoyed the Piz Buin Lutra Light Dry
Touch Fluid, £8 for 50ml – again, a great (and make-upfriendly)
finish on the skin. It’s a while, meanwhile, since
I’ve used something from Hawaiian Tropic, but Hawaiian
Tropic Silk-Hydration Face, £8.50 for 50ml, is a
revelation: a swirl of moisturising and protective ingredients
– which make for a ‘swirl’ in the plastic pump-action bottle
– and feels nourishing, without being heavy. All of these offer
good UVA/UVB protection (the UVA rays are the ‘ageing’
ones, UVB burns you, which is a good mnemonic).
Want to splash out, before you splash around? The
following are a bigger ‘skin-vestment’ but I loved each one,
falling head over heels for Temple Spa Self Defence
SPF30 for Face, £35 for 50ml (at victoriahealth.com)
which feels nourishing without being greasy, and is packed
with age-defying ingredients including Japanese flowering
cherry, vitamins C and E, and arbutin. If you like an ultraairy
finish, I’d recommend Paula’s Choice Super-Light
Daily Wrinkle Defense, £29 for 60ml; it has a ‘healthy’
matte finish and a touch of tint that evens out skin tone.
What appeals about Chanel UV Essential SPF50, £41
for 30ml, is that it’s really portable, great for carrying around
to top up during the day – for instance, while sitting outside
a restaurant. And if age spots are a worry, you can’t better
Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Defense SPF45,
£26 for 30ml: a barely-there finish, featuring patent-pending
‘Invisible ScreenTM’ technology.
When it comes to protection levels for the body, I would
never go below SPF15 – and truly, you might be surprised
how effectively you’ll tan with a higher SPF. Again, Sarah
and I smoothed and slathered our way through a tonne of
products. At the more budget end of the spectrum, I loved
Piz Buin Protect & Cool Refreshing Sun Mousse,
£9 for 150ml, for its soothing, cooling feel – truly blissful, on
hot skin. I also loved the silky-as-it-sounds feel of Hawaiian
Tropic Silk Hydration Airsoft SPF30, £18 for 150ml,
which is truly and fabulously moisturising, and for ease-ofuse
rate highly the handy-sized Nivea SPF30 Caring
Roll-On, £4.99 for 50ml: glide on to skin and smooth in.
And one to throw in your basket when you’re buying that
swimsuit: M&S Beauty Sun Smart Moisture Protect
Mist SPF30, £12 for 150ml, which is incredibly easy to
apply; we saw a lot of mists coming in, and this was a
favourite, offering 40 minutes of water resistance. If you’ve
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