Seamless Sunscreen: Mineral-Based SPF

Sep 3, 2009 Author: Jen Hill | Filed under: Bronzers, Mineral Makeup, Sunscreens

I know I need to wear a daily SPF on my face and neck to avoid the damaging effects of the sun. Further more, I know that you need to be hyper-vigilant about using sunscreen while using retinoids, or after using facial skincare products with BHA or AHA’s. Even so, sometimes I still hesitate using a facial sunscreen.

Here is a list of some of the “excuses” I use to justify not using a facial sunscreen:

the smell, many sunscreens have a chemical smell that really bothers me
the feel, greasy and difficult to use with my existing makeup
breakout factor, sensitivity to some sunscreen creams can cause breakouts
the shine, even a little bit of moisture can add to my already summer oily-shiny skin
sting my eyes, don’t get a sunscreen close to your eyes or you’ll be teary all day long!

One of my favorite new skincare purchases has been a mineral based sunscreen by Peter Thomas Roth. PTR’s Instant Mineral SPF 30 goes on effortlessly with its built-in brush. Swoosh, you are covered! Instant Minerals feels so light and is completely transparent on your skin. Nothing to plog pores or trigger breakouts. No icky, greasy feel or smell. Simply seamless sunscreen!

Mineral based sunscreens are the perfect option for quick, effective full spectrum sunscreen without the bothersome reasons listed above!

Raging Rogue reviewed a mineral based sunscreen that also adds a bit of bronze with it. Colorescience Bronzer Brush SPF 20 looks like another great way to get your sunscreen and naturally glowing color too! I have also been reaching for Colorescience’s
Sunforgettable SPF 30 – Perfectly Clear this summer, and it also takes away the shine on your face!

Mineral sunscreens offer excellent “no-excuse” options for protecting your face from the sun. So gals, use your sunscreen, protect that beautiful skin of yours, and get outside and play!

Share and Enjoy:

8 Responses for "Seamless Sunscreen: Mineral-Based SPF"

Bionic Beauty May 30th, 2008 at 4:13 pm 1

Great review! Sounds like this is right up my alley. I think my excuse list is pretty much the ones you listed as well. Burning my eyes, shiny skin (WAY beyond a pretty ‘glow’), and trying to get makeup to stay on my face rather than sliding down my neck.

Thanks for the heads up MBB, you’re the bestest!
Jen May 30th, 2008 at 10:01 pm 2

I swear by the PTR product too. What a great way to protect your skin this summer!
mo mommy June 2nd, 2008 at 9:06 am 3

One of the things that came in the Sephora sun kit was Cosmedicine’s Medi-Matte lotion. It’s an oil control lotion with SPF 20. I’ve been pretty happy with its ability to keep everything in place AND protect.
jen38 June 2nd, 2008 at 1:37 pm 4

That Cosmedicine Medi-Matte is a WONDERFUL product, here here Mo!
Kelly Kane September 3rd, 2009 at 5:39 pm 5

Thanks for the post, I feel like it was written just for me. I’m still torn if I should try the break out version of this one, of just go with the original since you didn’t break out… oh the choices are endless!

Kelly
Robin of toxicbeautyblog.com September 9th, 2009 at 6:34 pm 6

Have you tried Mercola Healthy Natural Sunscreen? I used it this entire summer and discovered that non-chemical sunscreen can be effective, smell great, and be non-greasy!
NYCEsthy September 21st, 2009 at 8:03 pm 7

I am really happy with my Colorescience purchases. I was concerned a bit about it being too dry for my skin, but my skin just feels nice and smooth after I use it. So I would rec those to anyone with oily skin to use as their daily spf dose. I am curious to see if it’s OK in the winter–my skin can chap easily so I need to see if it can holdup to Northeast weather.

I also love (and full disclosure this is a line I retail and use in my treatment room) Image Skincare–their SPFs are amazing. They have a few different kinds but two are oil free formulas and they have an organic one that’s something like 20 percent zinc oxide–so no chemical blockers. And is smells like mangoes!

I use Image SPF pretty much daily as my moisturizer and it has been really good to my skin. It rubs in pretty well (I just have to kind of work it in around my brows) and I don’t feel like I am super shiny after I apply it.
Jen Hill September 22nd, 2009 at 8:26 am 8

So glad you liked your Colorescience products, the dryness issues get to me as well. So many mineral makeup lines look horrible and so chalky on dry skin.

I haven’t tried anything from the Image Skincare line, but any sunscreen that smells like mangoes, is organic, and doesn’t leave your skin shiny deserves a mention!