Sun Care & Recommendations

Did you know you're not only exposed to the sun's harmful rays when you're out shopping, strolling at the beach or driving in your car but even when you're at home behind the curtains? At the office and even under strong studio lights?

There are many harmful effects from sun exposure such as wrinkling, premature skin aging and skin damage due to UVA/UVB rays, therefore it is very important, for everyone and even more so for us girls to protect our beautiful skin (becos we wanna stay beautiful!) from the sun's harmful rays.

There are two kinds of ultraviolet radiation that affect the skin: UVB and UVA. UVB (the one that causes sunburn) does not generally get indoors whereas UVA (the one that causes skin wrinkles) does so with relative ease.

So unless your home and office have special windows with full spectrum UV protection, otherwise, i'd suggest you start protecting yourself from UVA/UVB as soon as possible!

So i thought i'd share a few products that i personally use because i know girls who don't apply sunscreen (e.g. my 22 yr-old sister who has no skin care regime) and boys who don't apply sunblock at all (even before they tan)!! That's a BIG NO NO!


The first product i used was a PRINCESS sunscreen lotion SPF 30 (arnd $30 for slightly less than 50ml) that my mom got me from People's Park. Dermatologists agree that you need at least SPF 30 to protect your skin from the sun. And usually in the beginning, i'd sometimes wonder if these products REALLY work because i wldnt know unless im out in the sun all day and i come home with my face 2 shades darker than the rest of my body, then i can truely say that it doesnt work, but the truth is, after the application, my skin remains the same or a shade lighter than the rest of my body. So im guessing what experts say must be true and sunscreens really do work right? 5.5/10.

I decided i wanted something stronger so i got the Avene - VERY HIGH PROTECTION CREME SPF 50 (ard $50).

Usually, the higher the SPF, the oilier it gets. I guess this product is best suited for people with sensitive skin, however, i'd like to add that my face was quite oily after the first app and i'd always dab on some powder after. So i wasnt very thrilled about that but overall, i thought this product was pretty good. 6.5/10.

Btw, ALWAYS ALWAYS ask for a sample before you decide to purchase any product, the sample usually enables you to use up to 4 apps (depending on how much you use) and you'd be able to tell whether the product is suitable for your skin or not.

Lately, i tried a new series of products from CHARMZONE, it has a range of luxurious skin care cosmetics from Korea that isn't very readily available in the market yet but is really big in Korea (more on that later).

One of the first few products i tried was their Albatoss Powder Sun after i heard about its awesome matte finish. It has an SPF 41, thats very high considering its non-oily and my skin feels so good! I don't haf to dab on extra powder or worry that my skin is gonna turn sticky in mere minutes.

It's perfect for days when i wanna go out without any makeup and when i'm at home especially in a city like Singapore, we literally perspire indoors even with the fans turned on! So the powdery effect is a huge plus point for me! I'd say out of the many sunscreen lotions i tried, this has got to be the best. (You can drop a comment if you are keen on the product as i might be ordering some soon!) 9/10.

And for my body, i use the SUNPLAY SPF 130 ($17), it's waterproof and its perfect for ppl like me who don't wanna get the slightest tan in the sun when im out. Though I only usually use it when i go for a swim. Guardian is having a promo now, i recently bought mine at arnd $15 and it comes with a complimentary mini bottle of the same product. 8/10.

Apparently, the Best Sunscreen in the world is the La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL which i havent tried but i'll let you know when i do. It has a chemical "Mexoryl" that is known all over the world to protect skin from wrinkle-causing UVA-rays.

Of cos, other than sunscreen, we may use products that may contain SPF too, products such as lipbalm, bb cream, foundation etc but because their SPF is usually lower and it's a 2-in-1/3-in-1 product, i would not rely them alone because i'm not sure how well they work.

Just to run over the facts/products again:

1. Research shows that 90% of wrinkles are caused by the sun's UVA light and sun damage is the #1 cause of premature aging in men and women.

2. Why are UVA rays so bad? Even at low-level exposures, UVA light breaks down sun collagen,
which causes wrinkles. Even worse, scientists have found that UVA is the main culprit for many melanomas because it reaches deep into the underlying support structure of the skin.

3. You need at least an SPF 30 to protect your sun from the skin.

4. Sunscreen must be applied every 2 hours when staying outdoors for a prolonged period of time. Sunscreen should also be applied 30mins before going outdoors.

Products:

1. Princess Sunscreen Lotion in SPF 30 ($30++)

2. Avene Very High Protection Cream in SPF 50 ($50++)

3. CHARMZONE Powder Sun ($30++)

4. La Roche - Posay Anthelios XL (price unavail.)

5. SUNPLAY SPF 130 ($17 ++)

That's about all for Sun Care today, i hope the products turn out well for you if you decide to use them, and rmb to ALWAYS apply sunblock/tanning lotion if you're going for a swim! (My bf just returned with a massive sunburnt after his swim last wkend because he decided he did not need sunblock ;D)

Cheerios!