With the spring/summer season upon us, I thought it was time to write a post about my favorite, number one beauty product of all time… Sunscreen! No groaning ladies – sunscreen is the best investment you can make for your skin, and by far the cheapest anti-aging product you can buy. As a girl with very fair skin (NC15) that cannot spend 15 minutes in the sun without getting a sunburn, I’ve had plenty of experience trying out different products to protect my skin. I’d like to share with you some of my favorite products that contain SPF – not just greasy, thick sunscreen that leaves you with a gross white-cast! Shiseido has some really amazing suncare products. Shiseido Sun Protection Cream N I use the Ultimate Sun Protection Cream N daily over my moisturizer. It is rated SPF 55 PA+++. Before I used Shiseido products, I was unaware of the PA rating system, which measures the effectiveness of a sunscreen against UVA rays; SPF measures the effectiveness against mainly UVB rays. UVB rays are more damaging and cause cancer; however UVA rays cause the more unsightly side of the sun – wrinkles and age spots. :\ Ew. PA+++ Is the highest rating possible, making this a very potent sunscreen for your face. Also, because it’s formulated for the face, it’s not sticky, pore-clogging, and doesn’t leave a ghostly white-cast like some other high-SPF sunscreens I’ve used. All-in-all, I would highly recommend this as a daily SPF for those of you that need a higher one! (It also comes in a SPF 38 version!) Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream This eye cream is rated SPF 32 PA+++. I apply it daily over my eye cream. I never used to really consider using protection around my eyes, but if you stop to think about it, since the area around your eyes is the first to show the signs of aging, it really is the area that needs it the most. Unfortunately, most eye creams don’t create SPF, and the skin is far too delicate to use regular sunscreen, so I was over the moon when I found this particular product. This eye cream is moisturizing and disappears into your skin right away. It won’t make your concealer crease, and it won’t sting your eyes. It’s great for daily use, and I really felt protected when I was in Mexico under the sun for hours! Peter Thomas Roth Oily Problem Skin Instant Mineral Powder SPF 30 This is by far one of my favorite products… This mineral powder releases when you sweep the brush applicator over your face, and the minerals provide a SPF 30 physical (not chemical like most sunscreens) barrier against the sun. The product is transparent, so it won’t change the color of your makeup, and since this particular one is for oily skin, it gives an instant mattifying effect. The self-contained applicator is extremely convenient – I always have this in my purse so it’s easy to quickly dust it over my face before I step outside. There are other versions of this product in SPF 45 and even a SPF 30 bronzing powder. Primers, primers, primers… Primers are another great way to add some extra sun protection to your daily makeup routine. Here are two of my favorites. NARS Makeup Primer SPF 20 is probably one of the best primers I’ve ever used and the consistency doesn’t have the feel of a product with heavy sunscreen. It’s not greasy and really does help your makeup stay all day long. MAC Prep and Prime Protect SPF 50 packs a lot of protection for fairer skins, but it is definitely a thicker product, likely because of the higher SPF. Aveeno Essential Moisture Lip Condition with SPF 15 When gearing up for the sun, don’t forget your lips! They’re extremely sensitive and susceptible to the sun’s rays, and if you’ve ever experienced burned lips or cold sores after exposure, you know how painful neglecting this area can be… I, for one, HATE how SPF feels on my lips. It tends to make my lips feel MORE chapped than if I put nothing on at all and also dries them out very quickly. However, I love this Aveeno lip conditioner because it feels deeply moisturizing unlike the other products I’ve tried, and the feeling lasts. Like most of Aveeno’s products, it smells good as well. People that know me think I’m a little obsessed with my fear of the sun. Personally, I think they’re all crazy for laying in tanning beds and baking for hours in the sun! I spent far too much time in my younger years wishing I was tan, trying quite unsuccessfully to “lay out”, and buying foundations that were several shades too dark for me. I’m trying to do my best to protect my skin now and hopefully, in years to come, it will thank me for my diligence. No matter how fair or dark you are, TAKE CARE of your skin – both with a good skincare routine and by protecting it from the elements, and hopefully one day, you can look back at your hard work and think ‘that was so worth it’ instead of looking back with regrets.

I don’t do a lot of reviews on products… But when I do, you can be sure that I’m in love! I’ve been scoping this out for a long time and I finally bit the bullet not long ago and made the purchase. One of the major draws for me was the whopping SPF 50 this primer is packing – it’s hard to get a high SPF in a moisturizer and ordinary sunscreen tends to cause breakouts or irritation on the face. A high SPF for fair skin girls like myself is essential year round so I went for it, without even really considering the primer aspect.

I’ve never really used a primer before, so I didn’t know what to expect…

Let me first describe the… erm… odd bottle design. It almost looks like MAC accidentally manufactured the bottle upside down. By that I mean the bottle stands on its cap, but the MAC logo and product name/description face from the cap downwards, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

On to the product itself… It is creamy in texture, much like a moisturizer, and there is no need for excessive application. I apply a slightly larger than pea-size amount to forehead, cheeks, chin, nose. I was relieved that even though this product controls oil, it did not dry out my skin (my skin tends toward dryness as it is). My face felt slightly “tighter” at first, but it really wasn’t drier, I think I was getting used to the feeling of wearing a primer.

My foundation applied VERY smoothly over the prep and prime. I was amazed that at the end of the work day and beyond even (12 plus hours), my foundation hadn’t budged one bit. A big plus: my skin feels very soft and I haven’t had a single breakout.

Today I used some of the primer under my eyes to prime for my undereye concealer. I love my Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Stick, but it always ends up somewhat settling in my fine lines after a few hours. To my utter amazement, the Prep and Prime kept my concealer from settling in the fine lines ALL FRICKIN DAY!! I’m totally won over.

Prep and Prime Protect SPF 50 comes in a 1 oz container and costs $28. A little pricey but well worth it. This isn’t like applying a moisturizer so a tube should last you a good while.