Sunblocks and Suncare Products I Use

When I posted a few weeks ago about sunscreens, sunblocks, and sun safety a few people reached out to me to ask for recommendations on suncare products and what I used. Additionally, the lovely folks at Goddess Garden contacted me to see if I would like to review one of their products (little did they know that I had a small army of their products already lurking in my home. They're my preferred sunblock brand!)

The regular use pile from my vanity. That trigger-spray Goddess Garden sunblock is the one they sent for review; you can tell it's new to the family because it doesn't have a yellow expiration date sticker dot on it yet. The poor Mustela is lingering for another few months from winter, so its sticker is on the back.

Small reviews, explanations, and general rambling after the jump:


Let's get that pesky disclosure out of the way, shall we?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a product for review free of charge. I was not required or compelled to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC 16 CFR, Part 255.

Now that we are all clear on what's what, let's get to the explain-y part of this review.

The products in the above photo are what I use on a regular basis for sun protection in addition to long sleeve shirts, hats, sometimes gloves (especially while driving,) sunglasses, and the SPF in my foundation (see my previous suncare post for why I don't rely on foundation or primer for sun protection.) 

Let's break it down a little further:

Jane Iredale Powder Me Dry SPF 30

You know that sunscreen/block sheen? The one where you can tell a mile away that someone put on sunblock and looks slightly like an oiled roasting chicken in the sun? That's what I use this product to prevent. It's pretty much a translucent setting powder, with the bonus of SPF30. Just like foundation, I don't rely on the SPF in this to do much for me because I have no idea how much of it would need to be applied to a particular area to provide the proper coverage. I do feel better, though, knowing that I have an additional layer of protection setting my sunblock in place. 

I use a kabuki brush to apply the powder, as you can see the pristine puff on the built-in dispenser is untouched. I'm not fond of this style of jar and don't understand why it has been popular with Koh Gen Do, Urban Decay, and Jane Iredale. Guys, just give us a sifter jar, please!

If you look at the EWG Skin Deep entry for this and a number of mineral sunblock sprays, you'll see that they're listed as "toxic." I find this deceptive because they're basing that on the toxicity of nano-particle zinc oxide, which no product in the US uses in a powder or spray, to my knowledge. These products should carry the same rating as any other mineral sunscreen. However, you'll the the occasional panicked reviewer worried that they've been applying something more toxic than the average chemical sunscreen once they visit the EWG website. 

Goddess Garden
Trigger Spray Sunny Body SPF 30; Continuous Spray Sunny Body SPF 30; Sunny Body SPF 30 Lotion

So many options for what, in my experience, is roughly the same product. They also offer facial lotion (I've never bothered because even with sensitive skin, the regular stuff works fine,) a variety of kids products (we use lotion for the kid because I don't want to try and hold him still for a spray and he knows and likes the process of putting on lotion,) and sunblock for babies. I've used very nearly every product they offer (the new Continuous Sport Sprays being the exception.)

Let's start with what's different. Get ready for a photo that will make your inner 12 year old laugh:

Products in the back so you can see the order the products are applied in.

We'll ignore the Mustela for a bit. As you can see the lotion has a pretty standard lotion consistency - it doesn't stand up like the Mustela does, so I find it to be a lot less stiff than your average mineral sunblock lotion. The Continuous spray is runny and clear-ish but very oily. The trigger spray is more like a squirt - somewhere halfway between spray and lotion.

Let's be real here: you're going to have to use your hands to even out the product no matter what kind of spray you use. The lotion leaves my hands with a definite white sheen that I need to wash my hands to remove from my palms. The continuous spray just leaves me feeling a bit too greasy and oddly, not at all hydrated - I find the lotion more hydrating than this relatively oily spray. The trigger spray seems to be a happy medium. But what do they look like once you smooth out the application? 

Hardly noticeable.

The thing you'll notice the most, or at least I do, is the shine of the continuous spray. That's what the setting powder is for. To prevent me from being visible from space and causing traffic accidents by glare.

I've only been using the trigger spray for about a week but it's my new favorite thing. It is hydrating, I think it smells less strongly than the continuous spray and the lotion, and it's quick to apply. The reason I keep the continuous spray around is that it is much faster to apply than the lotion. Think hairspray versus pomade. On days when I'm rushed, I will spray on, let it sit for a bit while I do other things to get ready, powder it over with Powder Me and go. With the trigger spray, I get that same convenience without the need to powder down the oil quite as much. I use the lotion on days when I know I'll be out for the two hour maximum SPF 30 provides me (that's what a 4 minute burn time gets you.) 

All of the Goddess Garden products have great ingredients - my one quibble is that I wish they didn't use soybean oil (selfish, my kid has an allergy to soy protein which should not be present in soybean oil and we've yet to have an issue with this product) and lavender oil. The lavender oil irks me for two reasons: it smells strongly (and what provides 90% of the smell of the Goddess Garden products) and is a known skin irritant for many people with sensitive skin. Yes, I have the same gripe about Bobbi Brown foundation and a number of other products.

That brings me to the Mustela.

I'm not super fond of Mustela sunblock. It is thick. It is expensive (this 3.38 oz tube cost me $22, compared to Goddess Garden's 6 oz tubes for $20.) It smells like sunblock of yore. However, if I'm going to be out longer than two hours, even with reapplication I need a higher SPF. SPF 50 lets me stay out for 200 minutes (3 hours, 20 minutes) on an average sunny day. There's something in the ingredients that makes my skin red (the alcohol? the dimethicones? the oat extract? I don't really know, I haven't been able to pin point it.) I would usually rather try and arrange it so that I am in the shade rather than using this sunblock. I do love the beach, though, so sometimes you just have to buckle down and do it. 

These are just my daily use products, I have pure aloe vera gel (no alcohol or fragrance added) for the times when sunblock can't save me from my own stubbornness about being out, backup bottles of sunblock, and Colorscience's SPF50 powder. I don't use the Colorscience on a daily basis because I don't think there's a huge difference in the protective powder of the powders and I like the Jane Iredale coloring better than Colorscience's. 

Who's ready for summer?

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