If you do nothing else, wear sunscreen.

If I were ever faced with the choice to buy only one skincare product for the rest of my life, sunscreen would be it. Obviously this would a terrible choice to have to make because I’m a skincare addict, a product junkie and a beauty splurger, but go with me. Sunscreen is incredibly important to the skincare regiment. If anyone has any skincare goals, there’s no achieving them without your first line of defence: Protection. The sun is a wonderful thing but it has the potential to do a whole lot of damage and all those wives’ tales about people with melanin not needing sunscreen must be tossed in the bin. Everyone needs to wear sunscreen. I’m going to share two of my favourite sunscreens, one for the face and one for the body. With Summer in full swing, a lot of us are going to be soaking up the sun, catching tans and we need to do so wisely.

The Face: Eucerin SPF50+ Oil Control

This sunscreen has been my loyal and trusted final morning step for over 5 years now. It’s the only skincare product I haven’t cheated on over the years, not even with testers. My trust for this product runs deep, especially after I started doing more research about how sunscreen works and how you’re actually supposed to use it (LA Beautyologist has a really great video on this on her Youtube channel, Golden RX, so does Makeup for WOC). I’ve learned that the sun is always there, even on overcast days. That even if you’re just staying indoors, the sun’s rays will creep through your windows to come find you. That you need to apply the sunscreen on your face like you’re applying paint, let it dry before stepping out of the house/applying makeup. I’ve also learned to use two finger lengths of sunscreen and my skin has been thanking me for that because my complexion is so much brighter.

For someone with oily skin like myself, Eucerin really came through with an affordable (retails for R249.99), easily accessible (Dischem /Clicks) and long lasting product. When I’m spending a lot of time in the sun and/or in water, I’ll reapply the sunscreen every hour. I found this very helpful when I was on vacation. I appreciate the fact that it does not “mattify” my skin, I get to keep my dewy glow with minimal grease. I don’t know what it would take to get me to stop using this sunscreen, this is the definition of product loyalty. It’s not to say that I won’t ever change, I just don’t think it will be any time soon. Please comment below if you have a facial sunscreen that works wonders for you!

The Body: TechniBlock SPF50+ Water Resistant Clear Spray

Another long term favourite is this glow-enhancing sunscreen. It’s easy to apply, it boosts the skin’s natural glow to make everything on the body look well-hydrated and smooth, there’s nothing to dislike about the sunscreen. It retails for about R300.00 and it lasts really long. I reapplied it hourly and my skin absolutely loved it. I definitely came back from the beach with a tan but it was obtained safely without the threat of premature ageing. It lives up to what it says, it’s non-greasy, its waterproof (I didn’t come out of the water looking ashy) and it goes a step forward to give that glazed doughnut look. This is another relationship that I won’t be leaving anytime soon, especially since summer time activities are on the rise. Let me know in the comments section if you’ve tried this sunscreen or if you have a contender that could potentially challenge it as my first choice.