beautyandbrains007: My Sunscreen Dream Team (La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Tinted Fluid, Eucerin Transparent Sun Spray i Garnier Ambre Solaire Dry Mist Spray)

I am fully aware of the fact that this post is long overdue but some will still enjoy sunny weekends at the seaside (like Yours Truly) or are just now going on their vacation. And there are always years and summers to come… I had three little helpers with me this year which did a great job with protecting my skin from too much exposure to naughty UV rays.

Since the face is always the first one to get "hit" by the sun, as soon as summer knocks on our doors, or even if spring is very sunny, I start using some kind of face sunscreen. The fact that I chose La Roche-Posay to be my faithful companion two years in a row, really says a lot. Last year I opted for their regular fluid with SPF 30, but this year I wanted to try LRP Anthelios XL tinted fluid with SPF 50.

I already mentioned it in my July Favourites so it is no secret how I feel about it, but basically, its name says it all. It is a lightly (more on the fair side) tinted fluid which is pretty runny, so much that when it is completely full, if you turn this 50 ml plastic bottle, the product will start dripping from its narrow opening on the top. But no worries. If you close it completely, it is very travel friendly and it will not end up all over your make-up/wash bag.

Although it is a fluid, when applied on the skin, you will feel its creamy properties. It will go on your face smoothly, nourish it, but at the same time it really sinks in completely without any oily residue, so if your skin is combination to oily, you don't need to worry about looking shiny! The fact that it is tinted is great but not a big deal at the same time. Meaning...the colour won't clash with any skin tone, but having said that, I had a feeling that it evened out my skin. Maybe it was just my personal suggestion since it is a good match for my skin tone, but I felt comfortable wearing it on its own during summer, with no foundation or concealer. To be fair, this product doesn't promise any kind of tinted or BB/CC cream look, but I really liked it on its own.

LRP Anthelios contains no perfume and is very light, which makes it a nice option for sensitive and sun intolerant skin. Another great thing about it is that it doesn't contain parabens.

And as for its protective properties, I love it! I am prone to couple of freckles and can get a slight sunspot around my forehead, which this little bad boy battles very successfully. Also, if you will wear it, it will definitely prevent getting sunburned. But, if you swim, snorkle, basically go into water, I suggest that you reapply it for maximal protection, although LRP claims that it is water-resistant.

It is non-comedogenic, so your pores shouldn't get clogged with it like with most of sunscreens. For me, really high temperatures can result in a bit messier pores but this guy is not to be blamed for that. In fact, it really is cooperative with oily skin (which mine is during summer) and it replaced my day creams completely during sunny spring and summer months. It also acted well as a make-up base. Did I get shiny after couple of hours? Yes, but with 40 degrees Celsius temperatures I think that we can safely say that it wasn't his fault?! :)

I must also say that my all-year-round-dry-skin friend, who is very prone to sunspots, also uses it and is very happy with its performance. So, this seems to be an universally satisfying product! For my oilier skin it provides enough moisture during warmer months by itself, and for dryer skin, I guess you should combine it with something more moisturizing. If you want to buy it, you can find it in most pharmacies across Croatia and it will cost you around 132 kunas (about 17.50 Euros/13 GBP/$20), but there are often various discounts which make it more affordable.

list of ingredients

We are now moving on to sunscreens which I used primarily on my body, although you can use them on your face as well. I used two products which have one thing in common. They are exceptable for your significant other, even if they are entirely non-meterosexual men. These are spray type products which are applied quickly, don't leave an oily residue and most importantly offer a good protection!

Eucerin Transparent Sun Spray with SPF 50 is an old favourite of mine. It travelled around the world with me (not this particular bottle) and always performed great! It is a transparent fluid which applies easily and spreads evenly on the body. It sinks into skin almost immediately without being greasy, and all of those features make it a great men's product as well. The only thing that kind of sticks out for me is its scent which is quite floral but, fortunately, it doesn't linger very long on the skin.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this is a fluid. It really makes a shield on your skin and none of those naughty rays will get near you. In my experience, it is water-resistant and will protect you even after a long swim, but it is always a good idea to reapply it. As I said... Us two, we saw a good chunk of the world together and had a great time in Africa, Sahara desert, Dubai and of course, the Adriatic, so I recommend this product and would buy it again!

Alcohol Denat, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Homosalate, Octocrylene, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Salicylate,Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Dibutyl Adipate, Glycerin, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Tocopherol, Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract, Acrylates Octylacrylamide Copolymer, Benzoic Acid, Aqua, Parfum

I even applied it on my face and didn't have any reaction or irritations. My skin isn't sensitive but I think that since it is so light in texture it doesn't sit on the skin and therefore pores aren't clogged.

One thing that I do have to mention is its packaging. It comes in a 200 ml bottle with a pump on top, which is very good and I didn't experience any leaking or pump failure with any of my bottles before. The only thing which will inevitably happen is rubbing off of the text on its labels. That happens always.

This spray is available in pharmacies across Croatia and will cost you around 150 kunas (about 20 Euros/14.50 GBP/$22.50), or less if you find some kind of Eucerin special offer (for up to 40% less).

And the last suncreen of my choice for this year was Garnier Ambre Solaire Dry Mist Spray with SPF 30, which I bought as a result of a panic attack when I thought I was going to use up my Eucerin. Garnier spoiled us with its HE quality products for drugstore prices, so I was surprised with the price tag of this little 200 ml bottle, which I bought in Konzum (Croatian store chain) for 90 kunas (about 12 Euros/9 GBP/$13). It seemed a bit much at the time but it was the easiest thing to get.

Anyway, again a spray product, because I am lazy and my Significant Other accepts products like this :). But this one has a bit more thicker consistency. It is not a cream. It is more like a very light white body milk. It smells very nice, Coppertone like but much more subtle.

shake well before application

And for the "Dry Mist" part, as I already said, it has a thicker consistency than Eucerin, but is also applied easily and evenly.

I was a bit disappointed when I first tried it because it did leave an oilier residue on my skin, so it wasn't exactly a dry solution, but in about 10 or 15 minutes it sinks into the skin and you will not have a feeling that you just applied a cream on your body.

It offers nice protection and I didn't experience any sunburns while using it, but I did reapply it after swimming, just in case, and that is what I would recommend you to do, too, although Garnier claims that it is water-resistant.

Would I buy it again? I don't know. Maybe I am more prone to trying Eucerin's version of this type of product next year.

And to conclude this sunny but safe post, just a little glance at my sunglasses. Sunglasses will protect your eyes, sight, skin around a delicate eye area and make some kind of a statement. Mine are from Asos and I got them on sale for less than 4 GBP. Love the flower details, they did their thing and I wasn't obsessing over a posibility of loosing them.

And that would be the end of this sunny story. I hope that my little reviews helped you to learn a bit more about these products, how they worked for my combination to oily skin and perhaps make a decision whether they would be something for you?! Since I am going to the seaside again this weekend, they will get some more use. Can't wait!