End Of Summer Special: Top 3 Sunscreens

I have tried and tested an army of sunscreens during the past few years and even though my number one is and always will be Lancaster with its variety of perfect, perfect sunscreens (perhaps even Collistar makes the cut) – I am glad to find more affordable versions of Lancaster star products. Yes, these might lack the luxe factor and that heavenly, specific scent Lancaster products have but sometimes I do like to branch out and see what other brands have to offer. Luckily, I didn't have to look much further than my overall favourite skincare brand to find the majority of products I will feature in this post. La Roche-Posay is my hero, my saviour. It has truly saved my face for what I'll eternally be grateful. Their sunscreens and after-sun products are brilliant also. I have added a Vichy product to the mix as well. Vichy is mostly a hit or miss brand for me. While I do remember having horrendous experience with their Normaderm face toner and face wash, around 5-6 years ago – I am now in love with their anti-imperfection cream which I use as a night cream and a night treatment. The days of summer might not be completely over but rather chilly nights and mornings swallowed by mist are telling me that the scorching summer days and nights are gone. So I wanted to make a short list of the best sunscreens which have marked the Summer 2013. for me. This indeed is a short list since it includes only three products but these are truly amazing and completely deserve recognition.

Isprobala sam i testirala jedan ogroman broj proizvoda za suncanje tokom proteklih godina. Iako je i dalje kod mene na prvom mjestu Lancaster te smatram da ce mi uvijek biti broj jedan (mozda se cak i Collistar moze natjecati za tu poziciju) – ipak mi je drago kada pronadjem proizvode koji kostaju manje od Lancasterovih a opet su jako, jako dobri. I vjerovatno ce mojim pristupacnijim odabirima manjkati onaj osjecaj luksuza te fantastican i specifican miris koji krasi Lancasterove uzdanice ali pored toga volim provjeriti sto nam to drugi brendovi nude. Srecom nisam imala potrebe da dugo trazim odgovarajuce proizvode. Pronasla sam ih kod meni omiljenog brenda za njegu koze. La Roche-Posay je moj heroj, moj istinski spasioc. Uistinu mi je spasio lice na cemu cu uvijek biti zahvalna. Njihovi proizvodi za zastitu tokom izlaganja suncu te za njegu nakon istog su takodjer izvrsni. Ovdje cete pronaci i jedan Vichy proizvod. Sto se mog iskustva sa Vichy-jem tice, ili cu biti izuzetno zadovoljna ili izuzetno razocarana. Kao da sredine nema. Sjecam se da sam prije nekih 5-6 godina imala grozno iskustvo sa Normaderm umivalicom i tonikom dok vam sada mogu reci kako sam iznimno zadovoljna njihovom kremom protiv nesavrsenstava. Pisala sam vam kako je koristim kao nocnu kremu i nocni tretman. Ljeto mozda nije sluzbeno gotovo no primijetila sam kako su noci postale dosta prohladne a jutra su prosarana sumaglicom. Meni je to ipak znak da su oni najtopliji dani ipak iza nas. Zato sam zeljela da sklopim listu meni najboljih proizvoda sa zastitnim faktorom od sunca za ljeto 2013. godine. Ovo ce biti kratka lista posto se sastoji od samo 3 proizvoda no uistinu su pomno odabrani. Izvrsni proizvodi koji itekako zasluzuju priznanje.

Best Face Sunscreen – La Roche-Posay Anthelios AC SPF30 Matte Fluide Extreme. Finding a perfect face sunscreen is quite difficult. Especially if you are battling oily skin. My skin is currently going back and forth between combination and normal but during the real heat, the excess of sebum was definitely present. That unfortunate T-zone was really visible. But battling shine was kicked in the shadows of my concerns – my real concern was to avoid getting my face clogged and to avoid getting pimples or acne. There is nothing worse for me than the feeling I have on my skin after I have popped a zit, skin is healing and then I go outside and the sun is damaging the fragile skin while sweat and grime are producing new pimples and imperfections. My love for summer definitely is questionable during those times. Fortunately this miracle from La Roche-Posay has really made summer days that much carefree. This white, oddly shaped white 50ml bottle hides within its small dimensions quite a scientific approach towards sun protection.

Najbolji proizvod sa SPF-om za lice – La Roche-Posay Anthelios AC SPF30 Matte Fluide Extreme. Pronaci savrsen proizvod sa zastitnim faktorom za lice uopste nije lagan zadatak. Narocito je nezgodno ako imate masnu kozu. Moja koza nikako da se odluci, konstantno varira izmedju mjesovite i normalne no tokom najvecih vrucina, visak sebuma je bio i vise nego prisutan. Ta nesretna T-zona mi je bila jako izrazena. No borba sa sjajem je pala u sjenu svih briga – moja stvarna briga je bila kako izbjeci zapusenje pora koje bi rezultiralo bubuljicama i aknama. Nema mi nista neprijatnije od osjecaja koji imam nakon sto ceprkam po licu, vjerovatno istisnem nesto sto nisam trebala. Nakon sto koza pocne da zacjeljuje i kad zakoracim na sunce, osjetim kako vrelina sunceve svjetlosti ostecuje osjetljivu i prethodno ostecenu kozu. Istovremeno ce perspiracija i prljavstina iz okoline izazvati pojavu novih bubuljica i vrtim se u krug. Tokom tih teskih vremena, moja ljubav spram ljeta je na teskim, teskim mukama. Srecom, ovaj maleni LRP cudotvorac mi je znatno olaksao ljetne dane i ponovo ih ucinio bezbriznim. Ova bijela bocica dosta neobicnog oblika u svojih 50ml krije prilicno naucan pristup zastiti koze od suncevih zraka.

It contains synthetic sunscreen agents Mexoryl SX (also called ecamsule/ technical name terephthalylidine dicamphor sulfonic acid) and Mexoryl XL. Mexoryl sunscreens are often combined with other sun filters to deliver effective broad range UVA and UVB sun protection. Mexoryl SX and Mexoryl XL are photostable UVA absorbers, meaning that they don’t degrade in sunlight. This is in contrast to the widely used UVA absorber avobenzone that is not photostable and must be combined with stabilizers to prevent significant degradation in light. Photostability is important because if a product is not stable when exposed to sunlight it decreases the efficacy of the product and reapplication is a must even when not exposed to water or during heavy exercise. Studies have shown that Mexoryl sunscreens maintain the majority of their sun filtering capability even 24 hours after initial application. And they have even demonstrated Mexoryl in sunscreens to have little to no absorption through the skin, which makes it is very safe to use.

Sadrzi sinteticki zastitni filter Mexoryl SX (takodjer poznat i kao ecamsule/ tehnicki radi se o terephthalylidine dicamphor sulfonic kiselini) i Mexoryl XL. Mexoryl filteri se cesto kombinuju sa drugim filterima kako bi pruzili sirok spektar zastite od UVA ali i UVB zraka. Oba filtera su fotostabilna sto se tice apsorbcije UVA zraka. To znaci da ne propadaju nakon sto su izlozeni suncevoj svjetlosti. Ovo je dobro u poredjenju sa avobenzonom koji nije fotostabilan i uvijek se mora kombinovati sa stabilizatorima kako bi se sprijecilo dramaticno propadanje nakon izlozenosti suncu. Fotostabilnost je bitna stavka iz razloga sto, nakon jedan filter bude izlozen suncu, opada njegova efikasnost. Zato je u tom slucaju konstantno nanosenje proizvoda za zastitu neophodno cak iako niste bili u kontaktu sa vodom ili iako se niste bavili nekom izrazenom fizickom aktivnoscu. Istrazivanja su pokazala da Mexoryl filteri zadrzavaju vecinu svoje zastitne moci skoro 24 sata nakon prvobitnog nanosenja. Cak je dokazano da se Mexoryl filteri malo ili uopste nikako ne apsorbuju u kozu. To ih cini jako sigurnim za upotrebu.

Along the aforementioned sunscreen agents, Anthelios AC SPF30 Matte Fluide Extreme also contains the Senna Alata extract. This extract is known for its antifungal and antimicrobial properties. My personal impressions are that this face sunscreen has a strange smell which probably has something to do with the fact that this sunscreen doesn't contain any fragrance. The odd smell reminds of an old liquid, white glue for paper I used as a kid. I personally don't mind it but I suppose some might find it weird. It is completely by the time you massage it into the skin. I would also classify this face sunscreen as an emulsion rather than a cream. It's of white coloring, is pretty thin but gets distributed over the skin beautifully. It is extremely light, not oily at all. I find this texture perfectly fits all the needs of oily skin and doesn't cause discomfort. It has medium mattifying properties so don't expect miracles in this department. Let's say that when you reapply it, face gets more of that matte finish with each reapplication. It gives a slight whitish cast withing few seconds after applying and then it sinks into the skin, leaving a velvety soft and natural complexion. I really like the nozzle because it prevents spillage. My biggest concern were clogged pores and I am amazed with how well this sunscreen performed. Not a pimple in sight! Skin obviously breathes and perspiration is inevitable, it occurs but skin is kept fresh and clear. I find this an amazing thing since clogged pores were my number one concern. I have cleansed my face as usual, the SPF in it didn't require any additional cleansing steps. I generally feel extremely pleased with this purchase. I find this face sunscreen a best buy product. I hardly believe that you can find anything better at this price point. I have purchased my bottle at Escentual.com and I have paid approx £13 for it. Bargain!

Pored spomenutih zastitnih filtera, Anthelios AC SPF30 Matte Fluide Extreme takodjer sadrzi i Senna Alata ekstrakt. Ovaj ekstrakt je poznat po svojim protugljivicnim i protumikrobnim svojstvima. Ono sto sam licno primijetila jeste da je ovaj proizvod prilicno neobicnog mirisa. To je sigurno povezano sa cinjenicom da ne sadrzi parfeme. Taj cudni miris me podsjeca na jedan tecni lijepak za papir koji sam koristila u djetinjstvu. Meni ovaj miris ne predstavlja problem no pretpostavljam da bi ga neki smatrali mozda i previse cudnim. Potpuno nestane nakon sto proizvod umasiram u kozu. Ovaj proizvod bih nazvala emulzijom prije nego nekom kremom. Bijele je boje, prilicno je rijetke teksture no krasno je maziv. Iznimno je lagan, uopste ne ostavlja masni trag. Smatram da tekstura ovog fluida savrseno odgovara potrebama masne koze te uopste ne izaziva osjecaj nelagode. Posjeduje i matirajuca svojstva srednje jacine no nemojte ocekivati cuda. Recimo da, cim ponovo nanesete fluid, lice ponovo bude lijepo matirano. Tokom prvih par sekundi od nanosenja ostavlja blagi bjelicasti trag koji jako brzo nestane, cim se fluid upije u kozu. Super mi je “nosic” kroz koji proizvod izlazi jer je jako precizan i smanjena je mogucnost da istisnete previse proizvoda. Moja najveca briga je bila vezana za nastanak bubuljica zbog zacepljenosti koze no ja sam odusevljena rezultatima. Niti jedna bubuljica mi se nije pojavila! Kozi je ocigledno dopusteno da dise i perspiracija je neizbjezna ali koza djeluje svjeze i cisto. Meni je ovo fantasticno jer jako sam se pribojavala zacepljenih pora. Lice sam cistila kao i obicno. SPF u fluidu nije zahtijevao dodatnu turu ciscenja. Uopsteno sam jako, jako zadovoljna ovom kupovinom. Ovo bi bio jedan od onih proizvoda sa najboljim omjerom ulozeno-dobijeno. Kupila sam svoju bocicu na Escentual.com stranici i platila je cca 29KM. Odlicna cijena!

Best Body Sunscreen – La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF50+ Invisible Nutritive Oil. As much as I detest feeling icky and sweaty when my face is concerned, I suppose I'm even fussier when body is involved. My skin doesn't show signs of sun allergy. Sometimes alcohol in perfumes, along with strong sun does give me a slight rash but generally, I don't find my skin to be sensitive. I'm mentioning this because this sunscreen oil does have alcohol relatively high in its ingredients list. Do keep that in mind if you're sensitive. Besides that, I must say how impressed I am with this oil. I usually don't use sunscreen on my body when I'm at home. I reserve it for summer holidays somewhere on the beach, when I know I'll be showing more skin than usual. While staying in the city, I try to cover myself with long sleeves and long dresses, light fabric trousers etc. I find that my already dark-ish skin doesn't need to be protected from the sun any further since I do spend the majority of my time inside at work or at home. If you were disapproving of that, hold your horses.

Najbolji proizvod sa SPF-om za tijelo – La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF50+ Invisible Nutritive Oil. Koliko god mi je osjecaj ljepljivosti grozan na licu, mislim da sam jos zahtjevnija kada je tijelo u pitanju. Koza mi ne ispoljava znakove alergije na sunce. Ponekada se desi da mi alkohol u parfemima, zajedno u djelovanju sa suncem izazove blagi osip. Ipak, generalno, ne smatram svoju kozu osjetljivom. Ovo vam spominjem zato sto ovo zastitno ulje medju sastojcima ima alkohol i na prilicno visokom mjestu. Imajte to na umu ako vam je koza osjetljiva i lako se iziritira. Pored ove cinjenice, moram vam reci koliko me ovo ulje impresioniralo. Inace ne bih koristila proizvode sa zastitnim faktorom na tijelu ako vec ne idem negdje na ljetovanje. Njih ostavljam u slucaju da se idem odmoriti negdje na plazi, kada znam da ce mi vecina koze biti izlozena suncevom zracenju. U slucaju da cu ljeto provesti u gradu, pokusavam se zastititi odjecom – majicama dugih rukava, dugim haljinama, hlacama od laganih materijala itd. Nekako mi se cinilo da mi vec tamnijoj puti i nije potrebna dodatna zastita osim ovoga. Ako ste vec odmahivali glavom u razocarenju mojim odlukama, nemojte preuranjeno da osudjujete.

I have already changed that. I mean, this oil has. Usually body sunscreens were so uncomfortable, I refused to use them while at home but this oil is amazing to an extend that I was using it every single day. This orange 200ml bottle has lasted me this entire summer. And hubby also approved. Glad to know that he took care of his skin as well. Now, this oil does contain perfume and I am glad that it does. It smells heavenly. I thought that I could never be unfaithful to my dear Lancaster but I have. It isn't as luxurious and special but I use it with joy. They claim that it provides very high UVA-UVB protection for all skin types. I certainly hope so that it does, despite the alcohol and perfume inside of it. I had no problems using it but if you had, do let me know in the comments section. What I really loved about this oil was the feeling of nourished skin without the sticky factor. I genuinely felt my skin was soft and supple. I even applied it after shaving my legs and I never had dry, itchy legs. My limbs weren't sticky yet they felt very taken care of. Quite impressive since I suffer from chronically dry shins.

To se vec promijenilo tj. ovo ulje je to promijenilo. Obicno bi mi kreme, mlijeka i losioni sa zastitnim faktorom ostavljali prilicno neprijatan sloj na kozi. I zbog toga sam ih prvenstveno odbijala od sebe kada vec ljeto provodim u gradu no ovo fantasticno ulje je toliko izmijenilo moje stavove da sam ga koristila svaki dan. Ova narandzasta boca od 200ml mi je trajala cijelo ljeto. Cak je i muz-puz odobrio. Drago mi je kada znam da se i on lijepo brinuo o svojoj kozi. Eh, ovo ulje sadrzi parfeme i meni je drago sto je tako. Mirise prekrasno, uistinu prekrasno. Mislila sam da nikada necu biti nevjerna svom voljenom Lancasteru ali jesam. Nije niti izbliza luksuzno niti posebno ali priznajem da ga drage volje svaki put nanosim. Trebalo bi da pruza veoma visoku UVA i UVB zastitu svim tipovima koze. Nadam se da je to tacno uprkos prisustvu alkohola i parfema. Meni ta dva sastojka nisu pravila probleme no ako vama jesu, javite mi u komentarima. Ono sto sam stvarno voljela kod ovog ulja je osjecaj nahranjene koze koji ne nosi uz sebe nuzno i ljepljivost. Koza mi je bila tako meka i podatna. Nanosila sam ga cak i nakon brijanja nogu i opet mi nije pravilo probleme. Nogice mi nisu bile ljepljive ali zato jesu njegovane. Prilicno impresivno posto patim od hronicno suhih potkoljenica. 

On the bottle it says that this oil can be used for face and body. I haven't tried it on my face but my hubby has. He has quite typical oily, manly man's skin and he didn't get clogged pores so I am happy he was willing to be my guinea pig. We all must sacrifice for beauty's sake. The only thing I am not satisfied is the pump. God, how many times I've got this oil all over my shirt before I finally realized that it's best to direct the squirt inside my palm and then to rub it all over. There's even a tiny picture on the back suggesting doing so. After I've mastered this complicated method of application, I was set to go. Overall, this is a wonderful product. Suits skin's needs during summer beautifully, feels comfortable and sinks in fast, is affordable and what is most important – safe.

Na boci je navedeno kako se ovo ulje moze koristiti kako na tijelu, tako i na licu. Licno ga nisam isprobala na licu no muz jeste. Njegova je koza tipicna muska, nesto je masnija i ovo ulje mu tokom koristenja nije napravilo nered na licu. Sretna sam sto je bio spreman da ga za mene testira. Svi moraju podnijeti zrtvu zarad ljepote (salim se/ u slucaju da ovo procita). Jedino sa cime nisam zadovoljna je pumpica. Oh, koliko sam puta tek opranu majicu umrljala ovim uljem prije nego sam shvatila da je najbolje usmjeriti je u dlan ruke pa onda rasporediti ulje po tijelu. Cim sam savladala ovu komplikovanu metodu koristenja, sve je bilo uredu. Uopsteno je ovo jedan krasan proizvod. Perfektno odgovara potrebama koze tokom ljeta, ugodan je i brzo se upija. Ne kosta previse (cca 32KM) i sto je najbitnije – sigurno stiti kozu.

Best All-Over Sunscreen – Vichy Capital Soleil Stick SPF50. I kept this convenient stick every day with me. I have carried it in my bag and I always, religiously reapplied it throughout the day. Since I was using that La Roche-Posay SPF30 sunscreen for my face but sometimes wasn't able to reapply, I had this stick in there for emergency. When I have purchased it, I had parts of my face which go red fast in mind. The bridge of my nose, cheekbones, ears and collarbone. Not to mention how sensitive my feet are. I couldn't carry a 200ml bottle of La Roche-Posay sun protective oil with me now, could I? This proved to be perfect. This stick looks quite stylish (it looks like a giant lip balm) and you do get 9g of product which is pretty hard to spend during one season. Guess which UV filter it contains? Mr. Mexoryl XL. I felt so proud for ordering coordinating sunscreens. I knew that I could safely layer this stick over my La Roche-Posay products. Bingo.

Najbolji multipraktik sa SPF-om – Vichy Capital Soleil Stick SPF50. Svaki sam dan sa sobom nosila ovaj prakticni stik. I uvijek sam ga religiozno nanosila vise puta tokom dana. Posto sam za lice koristila spomenuti LRP fluid za lice sa SPF30 no nekada nisam bila u prilici da ga ponovo nanosim, ovaj stik je svaki put uskocio i spasio me. Dok sam ga kupovala, znala sam da cu ga najvise koristiti na dijelovima lica koji naprije izgore. Nos, jagodice, usi pa cak i kljucna kost. Da ne spominjem kako su mi stopala sklona da gore brzo na suncu. Ne bih nikako mogla sa sobom stalno nositi bocu LRP ulja od 200ml, zar ne? Ovaj stik mi se pokazao izvrsnim. Cak je i dopadljivog dizajna (izgleda kao dzinovski balzam za usne) a dobijete 9g proizvoda koje je jako tesko potrositi tokom jedne sezone. Pogodite koje zastitne filtere sadrzi? Gospodina Mexoryl XL. Tako sam bila ponosna na sebe sto sam narucila proizvode sa zastitnim faktorima koji medjusobno odgovaraju. Odlicno mi je sto sam ga bez brige mogla koristiti preko LRP fluida i ulja. Bingo.

It doesn't have a scent at all, it seems. I have used it on my temples as well to prevent getting white marks from my sunglasses handles. It performed flawlessly. No white marks at the end of summer, finally. And I didn't get any new freckles, brown spots on my nose which is good. I never got burned and that it awesome. This sunscreen stick really has a nice, pleasant and hydrating formula and it felt refreshing to reapply it. Must be due to shea and cacao butters inside of it. All in all, I am really pleased with this year's sunscreens I've picked up. They turned out to be a winning combo and I haven't spent too much money since I paid approx £8 for this Vichy stick, approx £14 for the La Roche-Posay body oil and approx £13 for the La Roche-Posay face sunscreen (all purchased at Escentual.com). Taking care of and protecting myself from top to toe for approx £35 is a small price to pay for the health of my skin. Not to mention that all three combined cost as one of my Lancaster faves. I will let this post serve as a reminder for myself of what great products I used this year. It will come handy when I ponder what to buy for Summer of 2014. I hope you have also taken care of your skin equally well. We have one skin to live in and we do have to try our best to keep it healthy. Hope this post helps.

Cini mi se da uopste ne sadrzi mirise. Koristila sam ga i na slijepoocnicama kako mi od nosenja suncanih naocala ne bi ostale bijele linije od drski. Nije me razocarao. Na kraju smo ljeta i bijelim linijama ni traga. Niti sam primijetila da sam dobila nove pjegice, nikakve smedjkaste mrljice na nosu sto je dobro. Niti jednom nisam izgorila na suncu, sto je odlicno. Ovaj stik je jako ugodne i hidratantne teksture i osvjezavajuce djeluje pri svakom nanosenju. Sigurno su kakao i karite puter u njemu doprinijeli ugodi i mazivosti. Sve u svemu, izuzetno sam zadovoljna ovogodisnjom postavom proizvoda sa zastitnim faktorom koje sam kupila. Ispostavilo se da su svi zajedno dobitna kombinacija a nisam se ni pretjerano istrosila posto me Vichy stik kostao cca 18KM, LRP ulje za tijelo cca 32KM i LRP fluid za lice je kostao cca 29KM (svi su kupljeni sa Escentual.com). Otprilike 80KM je mala cijena za zdravu i zasticenu kozu. Da ne spominjem kako sva tri zajedno kostaju kao jedan od meni dragih Lancaster proizvoda. Ostaviti cu da mi ovaj post sluzi kao podsjetnik o tome kakve sam kvalitetne proizvode koristila ove godine. Takodjer ce mi biti koristan kada budem planirala kupovinu zastitnih proizvoda za ljeto 2014. Nadam se da ste se i vi jednako dobro brinuli za zdravlje svoje koze. Zivimo u jednoj kozi i zaista je na nama da se potrudimo kako bi je odrzali zdravom. Nadam se da vam je ovaj post bio koristan.