So I've Fallen Out With Suncream...

...But there's some other SPF formulas that I'm loving right now.

The sun has (finally) started to show it's face in Manchester, and it's actually been almost too hot. When I went on my annual trip to stock up on suncream I decided to stray away from my usual traditional suncreams and my P20 options in favour of some newer formats and I'm really impressed.

The format that I've been enjoying the most is one that been around for a while: oil. I like oil-base sun protection because generally they're even more moisturising than the traditional cream/lotion based formulas and they're basically goof-proof when it comes to white-casts and streaky application. The oil I've been enjoying this year is the Golden Protect Protective Oil Enriched with Shea Butter from Garnier's Ambre Solaire range. This is a light, non-greasy formula that is water resistant and moisturising on the skin. It comes in multiple sun protection factors, personally I generally go for a factor 30 across the board. I also like that this formula has a subtle sheeny finish to it that gives the skin that glow that we all want in the summer.

Nivea have a brilliant range of sun protection products and the one that really caught my eye was the Protect and Refresh Cooling Sun Mist. This is a super fine formula that is applied to the skin via an aerosol spray can. At first glance I thought that this product would be the perfect answer to the problem of topping up facial SPF throughout the day without disrupting makeup but I was a bit disappointed to find that the directions specify that you can't spray this directly onto the face. I'll still get enough use out of this since it's nice and refreshing on the skin for reapplication but I'd love to see something along the lines of this that is completely safe for use on the face.

The last sun care product that caught my eye this time around was Nivea's Lip Care Sun Protect SPF30. Again, I love Nivea's sun protection range and they're also known for their lip balms so I figured this was a pretty obvious choice. The formula is light but nicely hydrating and the scent/flavour is nice but not overpowering as well. I even really like the packaging with the pop of summery yellow and it's a great one to slip into your handbag.

30 Lips in 30 Days - Benefit Benebalm

So a bit of a weekend face here and I think the Benefit Benebalm is a nice pick for a weekend because it's very much that sheer, sheeny, low-maintenance look that people seem to want for a weekend. It's a light, moisturising formula that chapped lips will probably appreciate and it doesn't seem to cling to the lips at all. This will need to be reapplied if you want to maintain the colour/texture on the lips but wont leave any kind of lip line at all as it fades. It also has that typical benetint rose sent to it which I personally really enjoy.

The packaging is nice but for the price I was expecting the tube to be weighter and more substantial. I do think that as much as the product is a nice formula, there's plenty of products on the market that are comparable and for me it just doesn't stand out enough for a higher-end lipbalm. I'd say the Maybelline Baby Lips in "Cherry" is very similar.