My sun care essentials

My Holiday Routine & the Sun care I Swear By!

9/26/2017

As you may or may not know at the start of September I went on a lovely holiday to Portugal for a week. I feel like I'm at the stage where I am passed trying to "tan" because to be honest, it's not going to happen, I go from White to red to white again. Instead I focus on 1. Ensuring my skin has the best protection possible. 2. Use products that don't irritate my sensitive skin. 3. Do after sun care to keep my skin hydrated. I think I have finally "nailed" this routine and found the products that work for me, and of course I wanted to share them with you along with the tips that keep my skin safe!

My Top Tips:

1. Wear a Hat when in direct sun - my scalp is SO sensitive!
2. Apply sun cream 20-30 minutes before going into the sun to ensure it has soaked in.
3. Re-apply suncream after swimming.
4. Always apply a main base layer in the morning, and at the risk of giving TMI - do it naked! It's all well and good doing it whilst your bikini is on, but if you pull your straps down or your bikini moves, you're going to have bits with-out protection.
5. Get someone to cover your back! You can never do it properly yourself lets face it!
6. Apply after sun every single day after sun exposure.

The Sun Cream's

I have been using Bioderma Sun Creams for around a year and a half now and to be completely honest, I can't ever imagine reaching for anything else. I suffer with eczema on my hands and sun creams always seem to irritate it and make it worse. This is the only sun-care that doesn't irritate my skin whilst still giving me great protection. The sun protection products I couldn't recommend more from Bioderma would have to be:
- Photoderm Bronz Dry Oil SPF30 - I used this mist every single day on holiday with-out fail, it's so easy to apply, the fine mist is oily with-out being greasy and it doesn't feel unpleasant on the skin.
- Photoderm Max Spray SPF50 - If I was going to be out in the sun for longer than usual, or for example if we were going on a walk with little shade, I would always reach for my SPF50. The cream is quickly absorbed, the spray cap makes it easy to apply and it protected my skin perfectly, even in the midday sun.
- Photoderm AKM Mat SPF30 - This mini sized cream is what I use to protect my face. It's good for this because it apply's colourless and leaves 0 white marks. The mattifying technology also prevents you from looking shiny! Finally it doesn't sting my eyes - something I ALWAYS struggle with, with face sun creams.

Aftersun Care

I think that the after care on your skin after sun exposure is just as important as wearing SPF in the first place. I always ensure my skin is well hydrated and take extra care after sun exposure, and there are some certain products I use to aid this:
- Esthederm Aftersun Tan Enhancing Body Lotion - My all time favourite after sun! It's super easily absorbed and even though it is quite a light consistency it still seems to give deep hydration.
- Esthederm Micellar After Sun Shower Gel - This isn't a must, but I find it really lovely to use. I used it every night on holiday and the formula helps to remove salt, sand and chlorine. It also leaves my skin smelling amazing, and most importantly hydrated,