Hello blushers! I hope everyone had a great weekend! As for me I moved this weekend (thanks again to all my friends who helped me move!), but still managed to sneak up to the Living Libations open house on Sunday. I eagerly scooped up their limited time Gardenia petal perfume (hollaaa!) and their sunscreen, Everybody Loves the Sunshine with Zinc. 

Every summer protecting my skin from sunburn, premature wrinkles and skin cancer is always a huge concern of mine because my fair skin usually means I can’t stay out for very long without needing to lather on SPF 100 every 20 minutes. Summertime also means that I’m the first to jump at the mention of moving to any sort of shaded spot.

But just as I have to play it smart with timing my sun exposure to avoid sunburn I also have to be smart about what sunscreen I use.

Nadine Artemis of Living Libations gave a really informative lecture on commercial sunscreen use (click here to watch) and opened my eyes up to what sunscreens are actually doing my skin. In short, our skin absorbs the sunscreen ingredients that block the UVA/UVB rays to prevent the sun’s rays from turning into a sunburn. Why is that an issue? Well, for one it disables our skin’s early warning protection against sunburn; secondly it separates UVA from UVB rays and apparently it’s the isolated UVA rays that cause the most skin damage; and finally it blocks our skin’s production of vitamin D by blocking UVB rays.

Oh and oxybenzone, a common ingredient in most sunscreens is not carcinogenic until it’s exposed to sunlight.

Sunburns are easier for our DNA to process than the cell damage of being in the sun with sunscreen

Well sh*t. I might as well be entering the Hunger Games with no skills or weapons, praying I go unnoticed.

Ok, so with all that knowledge we’re certainly not going to turn into vampires hiding from the sun so what’s the answer? Smart sun exposure and light clothing to start with, but also doing your homework on natural sunscreens.

And that’s where I come in.

libations ‘everybody loves the sunshine with zinc’ scorecard

ingredients: 20% uncoated zinc oxide and organic ingredients of: nourishing oils of the desert jojoba plant, virgin coconut crème, red raspberry seed, seabuckthorn berry, tamanu and regenerating essences of helichrysum, lavender, cape chamomile, ginger, geranium, palmarosa, rose otto, carrot, ginger, frankincense, turmeric, calendula, sandalwood and thyme linalool

product note: uncoated zinc has been proven to be anti-bacterial, antimicrobial and can reduce redness, rosacea, age spots and melasma. Made with ultra nourishing ingredients to carry the zinc oxide which provides blocking of UVA, UVB and UVC radiation. Zinc oxide reflects the sun’s rays rather than absorb them they way most commercial sunscreens do.

texture: milky white and slightly oily, but very light and spreads quite easily.

performance: I was a bit nervous that, like a lot of other natural sunscreens, this one would leave me looking like ‘Morticia Adams’, but if you’re skin is well hydrated then there’s absolutely no white cast whatsoever. However, if you’re skin is dry (I tested it on my legs which are a bit on the *ahem* parched side. don’t judge.) then it will leave you looking white. But this issue is a non-starter if you keep your skin lovingly wrapped in moisture.

price: $40 for 50ml

where to buy: online here

for-the-win? this is the most expensive sunscreen I’ve ever bought, but the performance blew me away and that $40 will actually buy me worry-free summer days since you can’t pin a dollar value on your health.

So bring on the sun! (and fashionable summer wear…yeeeesssss)

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