Right, back off my holiday and time to review the products I promised!
I'll go over the Sun Protection and Aftersun that I used whilst I was away
Calypso Once A Day SPF 20
This retails at around £10 but I got mine for £4- go to Home Bargains!
I've tried once a day sunscreens before and don't know why I don't stick with them! I always go back to the Garnier Ambre Solair Bronzing Oil... I like my tan to be there straight away and with tanning oils I always get fast results. Probably because it's baking my skin more than it's protecting it... but will we ever learn?
The Calypso was great. You literally need to apply it once (some say once but after swimming you need to re-apply, this one if you dry off in the sun or just dab-dry you don't need to) and you're done for the whole day. No carrying it round with you or getting greasy hands from having to re-apply every hour or so. Also, it's always annoyed me how when you've re-applied your sun lotion/oil, you can't touch your hair without it getting greasy. Once a day sunscreens definitely solve these 'problems'. The first time you apply this you apply all over, leave it for 10 minutes then apply once more. Every day from then on you only need to put it on once. The formula is like water, very runny and sinks into the skin straight away. Score. The smell isn't great, the main ingredient is alcohol so you do get quite a strong wiff of it, but this evaporates after like, not even a minute.
So the tan. Not quite as intense as I'd usually get after a week in the sun I must admit, but I do usually only use an SPF of 10-15! Also I usually do a few trips to the sunbeds (bad, I know) before a holiday which I didn't do this time. Working where I work, I've realised I won't have young skin forever and for the sake of not getting a slightly darker tan, I'd rather look after my skin a bit more. My tan seems like it will last much longer too, but I'll update on that. All in all, once a day's are brilliant. Lasts ages too, both Tom & I used our bottle for the week and it's practically still full. Recommended!
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But... Top of the range...
Instituit Esthederm, in my opinion, are top of their game in sun protection. The brand doesn't use any SPFs, as these put chemicals into suncreams, make-up and skincare. They believe that tanning is the best protection. Gaining a tan is the process of the Melanin in the skin rising to the surface to protect itself against burning, ageing and photo-sensitisation. Putting an SPF onto the skin does not do this, it only measures the risk of sunburn but not of the other two factors. That's where their advanced formulas come in. UV INCELLIUM technology helps trigger the skins natural ability to tan safely, and strengthens the skins own defences. With their suncreams, they recommend that you apply this as your daily moisturiser for a couple of weeks before your holiday to help get your skin ready to tan by bringing the melanin to the surface. Then on holiday, apply 20 minutes before exposure. These ones you do have to re-apply a few times a day, but it's not a bad thing as they leave the skin feeling amazing, better than some moisturisers I've used. The formulas aren't greasy either, which is always a plus. They are all UVA and UVB protective too which quite a lot of conventional sun screens aren't. Many of them just protect the skin from the UVB rays, where as it's the UVA rays that damage the skin on a much deeper level. You will not burn with these products! Pricey, but entirely worth it.
I used their After Sun whilst in Egypt
This is a bit of a double usage product. Use during holiday and afterwards to maintain and even enhance your tan. Not the first after sun to enhance a tan but this contains no fake tan at all, it just continues to increase the melanin levels of the skin, darkening the tan. It sinks in gorgeously, has a lovely smell (as do the sun creams) and you're not worrying about washing your hands quickly so they don't get an orange tinge! After spending the day in the sun, this will calm any redness, soothe any burn (which you won't have if you've used their sun creams!) and the cellular water they put into the product energises the skin so skin is preforming at it's best. Loved this, it really works and I'm still using it as an everyday moisturiser. Instituit Esthederm is a pricey brand, but worth every penny.
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