… Sunscreen would be it.
Remember that song? It might not have been Novello quality music, but he sure had a point. We all love the Sun. Particularly when it shines in the UK, like it has a lot recently. But nobody like wrinkles. And thats getting off lightly, there’s still Skin Cancer to dodge.
Charlotte has already said her piece on being Sun Safe, but you know what, it can’t be said enough. We’ve both had nasty experiences with Sun damage and even Skin Cancer, Charlotte having a Melanoma herself, and me losing my Dad to the horrible disease at 13. He was 46 and that could be you. The sun is not lovely, it is harsh and damaging and ruins your skin. So listen up people. We’re not into scaremongering, but sometimes a little shock is what you need to wake up to the truth and I make no apologies for this post potentially being it.
Lecture over, we’re here to share our favourite sunscreens for your holidays/honeymoon this summer. In fact you should be rocking some SPF every sunny day here in the UK. Why do people think it’s ok to wear none because it’s England and end up like a lobster? Plus, remember ladies, no-one wants strap marks in their lovely strapless dress come W-day!
My own personal rules are nothing less than factor 25. That means you are protected in the sun for 25 x longer than you would be wearing no sunscreen. So if you would burn in 5 minutes flat, you’re looking at a maximum of 2 hours in the sun. And after that, it doesn’t start again if you re-apply. Thats ‘seek shade’ time, I’m afraid.
If I’m going away somewhere hot I might start with Factor 35 or 40 for the first few days and wean down. But… never less than 25!
And if I’m in the UK? Yup… you guessed it, NEVER LESS THAN 25!
More rules? Stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm. Have a siesta with your intended, read a book in the shade or have a leisurely lunch. Just don’t lie there like an idiot sizzling.
Before we get onto our top picks I should add, that whilst Charlotte’s skin tone is more the pale and interesting variety, I am not the burn-fast type, being quite olive skinned and turning a very golden brown in the sun. I don’t choose these high Spfs to prevent me burning alone, but to protect myself and my skin for the future.
Rebecca’s Top Sunscreen Picks
1. Ambre Solaire SPF 30 a light weight milk formula which rubs in easily and smells lush. £11.99 for 200ml and currently BOGOF in Boots!
2. Clinique City Block Factor 40 – Perfect under make-up I wear this at home, on the beach everywhere. No hint of an oil slick. Also available in factor 25. £15.00 for 40ml
3. Clinique Sun Protection Face cream SPF 30 £15.00 for 50ml I use this for bog standard, on the beach with no make-up. Also available in oil-free format.
Charlotte’s Top Sunscreen picks
1. For the Face, No.7 SPF 50 face with skin brightening complex which protects against hyper-pigmentation (dark spots) and the dreaded wrinkles! £10.50 for 50ml.
2. Piz Buin Sun Allergy SPF 30 – for sensitive skins. £14.67 for 200ml
3. L’Oreal Solar Expertise SPF 25 – light formulas and lovely smells, plus they absorb pretty well and avoid the white-and-shiny look. £10.77 for 150mls.
So there you have it, no excuse not to stay sun safe this year on honeymoon, on the beach, and most importantly AT HOME! All of the above top picks are available from your local Boots.
And now after sharing my favourites I have a plea for the Rock My Wedding readership. Does anyone have a sun cream to recommend that doesn’t stain white clothes yellow? I love wearing white in the summer (and lets face it, it’s nigh on essential when you’re the bride/newlywed 
, ) but I hate sun cream leaving marks on my clothes.
Any tips would be much appreciated!
Yours Truly,
Rebecca
xoxo
Great responsible post ladies; I’m always careful in the sun as my gran had skin cancer so I’ve had close experience of it. I’m definitely the ‘pale and interesting’ type (read: the most I tan is a nice shade of magnolia) and took Factor 25 with me on honeymoon to Thailand two weeks ago. After a few days had to go to a chemist and upgrade to Factor 50 as the sun was so strong I was paranoidically (is that even a word?) reapplying the 25 every hour! Definitely a good decision.
And looking forward to any non-staining tips! I appear to have ruined a nice long white shirt that I use as a cover-up – washed it twice since getting back but there’s still a yellowy tinge. May have to be relegated to the ‘decorating clothes’ pile. Boo.
I’m a big fan of the clinique city block too since my mam introduced it to me when i was a teenager-i wear it daily on my hands and face and hoping it keeps the wrinkles at bay! i’ll be wearing it on my wedding day to avoid getting burnt
I love the smell of Piz Buin. Mmmmm, holidays!
One thing I’d recommend, an aftersun, is the Boots Soltan stuff. It smells nice and has an insect repellent in it too.
I use Boots Soltan Factor 50 (a chemist once told me there’s no point going above factor 30 as they’re all the same from that point on, but I like to be sure!) and I’ve never had a single yellow mark issue…and it blends in to skin so, so well AND it’s inexpensive. Try a mini one and see!
Great post girls! I have just come back from my holiday in the canaries and I used Piz Buin factor 30 and Garnier for face factor 50 (I don’t remember the correct name of it!) I’m always careful when I’m in the sun as have burnt really badly in the past when I was young and irresponsible and it hurts and looks horrid! And it’s also VERY bad for you. I’m blond and fair skinned and never go very brown. Needless to say I had a lot of the “was it raining?” comments when I got back from my hols! Better that than being all wrinkly and prune like!
Oh and I have never found that Piz Buin stains my clothes but to be honest I don’t have alot of white sunbathing gear strangely enough!
Definitely with you on the using sun cream front – I’ve always used it because I burn so easily, but it really hit home when a good friend of mine died last year from skin cancer – he was only 29.
Re white marks: I haven’t tried them out myself but a few companies are now offering transparent suntan lotion, which I presume is to avoid getting those horrid marks on your clothes. Here’s one: http://www.boots.com/en/Ambre-Solaire-Clear-Protect-Spray-SPF30-150ml_23381/
Am interested to know what they’re like – might have to give it a go once I run out of my current sun cream.
Great article ladies. This was drummed into me as a little girl and I’ve always been amazed at the amount of friends I have who will go out on a sunny day in the UK with no suncream at all – craziness! The sun is the sun and it’ll get you wherever you are!
Can’t help on the yellow stain though…sorry!
I was just going to say Ambre Solaire and Boots both offer a clear spray.
Being a blonde, blue skinned Scot I burn very easily…even in the little sun that we see in Scotland
Can definitely recommend the Ambre Solaire Clear Protect Spray – it’s got a great smell, isn’t greasy, dries in almost immediately, doesn’t stain your clothes and most importantly protects your skin.
Great post ladies and a good reminder! I burnt badly whilst I was in Antigua, (I misjudged the heat and took spf 30) in a rush to get out in the sun on the first day and slapped it on and jumped on a lounger, only to have not applied it everywhere.
I now have a burn scar on my right shin (not pretty!) where I hadn’t put the sun cream, since then it’s spf 50 all the way or complete shade. A short lived tan is so not worth saggy wrinkly skin for the next 50 years!
Agree with these other lovely ladies, I love Ambre Solaire Clear Protect Spray – it’s great and you can easily spray it into those difficult bits – like behind the knees AND whilst it’s upside down! xx
How very apt – my last FB update was about Ooma Loompers and about considering joining the orange faced brigade! (or not as the case may be!)
I am a natural red head, and having travelled a fair bit my skin has experienced a bit of toughening, but I always cover up now, with sunscreen, scarves, hats etc and always wear SPF 25 on my face DAILY. I always take St Tropez whipped bronze away with me on holidays – so I have a little bit of colour! I think skin awareness is crucial and sunburn is not cool.
xx
Piz Buin is excellent for no marks…wore it to a wedding last week and my silk dress was left unmarked (well, apart from the champagne spillage down the front!)
xx
Excellent post – I use the Ambre Solaire SPF30 every day as I love the smell and it doubles up as a great moisturiser! Being a ‘blue skinned Scot’ living in the Costa del London I blooming well need it. I’ve never noticed staining but I always use half a capful of napisan in white washes to get my whites extra bright (oh god I am officially turning into my grandmother).
After Charlotte’s fake tan post I’ve been trying out self tanners for the summer, the Piz Buin Summer Sensations self tan mousse for fair skin gives me a non-oompa loompa nice soft glow all over and stops me from beaming white in the dark. xx
Great post, thank you ladies.
I am only 31 and have some yucky patches of Hyperpigmentation on my face due to too much sun in my 20s combined with being on an oral contraceptive. Its just a cosmetic complaint and a bit vain compared to having to deal with a melanoma – but it really bothers me and just highights that sun is our enemy….no matter how sexy a tan makes us feel!! I now wear factor 50 every day under makeup and highly recommend the No 7 anti-dark spot, L’Oreal Solar Expertise Active Anti-Wrinkle & Age Spot Sun Cream SPF 50, anything by Roche Posay and am about to try the new Elizabeth Arden one.
Yay for bronzer!!!
Great post – I always take Factor 30 with me and did so on my honeymoon to Kenya, but people always give me funny looks when I’m using it because I’m black, and I think they automatically assume that I won’t burn, but I do! Plus there is the skin cancer and other dangers related to the sun it’s just not worth it. One of my best friends (also black) had skin cancer 10 years ago so I am always lecturing people on being safe in the sun regardless of their colour!
In the interests of this – can you recommend some good fake tan products and a routine for using it?! I always worry about getting into bed and giving hubby a tan on one side!!
x
I recently took part in some consumer research for Boots which was about them launching a sunscreen in their Solar range that specifically didn’t damage pale/white clothing – so look out for it!
Great to see such a positive sun safe approach out there ladies – give yourselves a great big RMW pat on the back
Peridot – that is very promising! And very coy! Will definitely try some of the others too ladies – thanks for the suggestions!
There is some research to suggest that suncreams over factor 30 give no more protection than anything below, its mostly to do with the fact that people think because its a higher SPF they don’t have to apply it as often.. but when the sun is really hot it drys up the cream just as quick leaving you unprotected, they require an increased amount of active chemicals as well so are unsuitable for those with sensitive skin. In Australia they only sell up to factor 30 because of this and have strict rules and education on how to apply it, most people go wrong when they apply it after they’ve gone outside, the recommendation is 20 minutes prior to sun exposure and 1oz is the recommended ‘dose’
As for a cream that doesn’t stain, I was pretty impressed by Niveas invisible spray, it comes out like an oil but isn’t greasy at all http://www.nivea.co.uk/products/show/27609
This is brilliant post great tips. I am of the pale and interesting colour and burn very easily I always wear sunscreen I also suffer from sun allergies like heat rash etc which is no fun. A few weeks ago when on a boat trip I asked my h2b to rub suntan lotion on my back and he must have missed quite a few areas as i still have from all those weeks ago strap marks. Which apart from I dread to think what damage its done I’ve got to find ways to cover the marks for my wedding day which is in 2 weeks. Does anyone have any tips? I did think about putting fake tan on but I really don’t want to risk it rubbing off all over my dress
xxx
Nice bit of education there Melanie
Thanks!
xoxo
I’m a strawberry blonde so burn very easily and also never wear less than a 25. I now only ever use the clear transparent sprays – they are amazing and dry straightaway which totally takes the hassle out of applying sun tan lotion.
If you are ever in Australia i recommend picking up a brand called Le tan – its clear and in a really high powered spray so goes on super easily. I tried to get it shipped over but because its in an aerosol so they wouldn’t ship it!
Am also a massive advocate for fake tan – always getting a St Tropez spray for special occasions and before holidays (!)- causing much hilarity amongst my friends. For anyone who is pale and thinking about this – do try it out, i never look orange!
Hi Amy,
Have you read Charlotte’s Article – ‘The Futures Bright, the Future’s NOT Orange’? The link is above in my article… or
http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/the-futures-bright-the-futures-not-orange/
xoxo
Stacey – i would really reccomend getting a professional spray tan done 3-4 days before. In my experience it doesnt come off on your clothes at all. Once you start doing it its not scary at all and much much easier than applying it yourself.
Rachie xo
Great post, I too am a skin cancer survivor having a malignant melanoma removed when I was 15 (16 years ago..eek!) so am always the person that goes paler as the holiday goes on as my fake tan wears off! The first thing I do when on hols is set up camp under my parasol, I can’t bear not to have a brolly up!
Was just going to add though that I now always take in some sun, maybe about ten minutes or so in the morning or late afternoon without any sunscreen on as I am also worried about osteoporosis and lack of vitamin D. I believe Cancer Research UK are about to change their guidelines on this too and will advise that some time should be spent in the sun without a sunscreen or shade but they are not sure how to word it just yet! This is because the actual length of time you should stay in the sun without cream depends on your skin type and so its down to common sense.
As always, everything in moderation.. and that includes the fake tan!
xx
Ps- Fake tan wise, I had an Elemis body glow at a spa the day before my wedding and it was lovely with not a hint of orange or smell of biscuit. It includes a full body scrub and massage too so a nice pamper before the big day and gives a lovely natural glowing colour. Oh, and it wears off naturally as opposed to in patches
xx
brideandchic is right about the vit d aspect. My fiancé works for Cancer Research UK and we were only talking about this yesterday.
One thing I wanted to mention was fake tan. My photographer has said that even the good ones tend to look fake and quite harsh in photographs (more so than we’d see normally) so I’m not going to take the risk for my wedding! I’m sure they could touch up the photos but they’ll be far too busy whitening my teeth, smoothing fly away hairs, making me look like a model etc when proofing my photos, I’m sure!
Hi ladies – what a sensible bunch you all are and some great tips, I will be trying out some of these suggestions!.
Nikki M – I started getting hyper pigmentation a few years ago, and that’s with factor 50 on my face. I now wear HUGE sunglasses, a big hat ( Seafolly do a great cowboy one) and sometimes even a headband under the hat to cover my forehead ( where it it more obvious) – I’ve just got back from holidays and have hardly any patches.
The SPF 30 debate is interesting, I will certainly look into that. I think people generally don’t realise that no matter how “apply once” your cream claims to be, sweat and water are going to make it less resistant. REAPPLY REAPPLY!
BrideandChic – great advice. I was 25 when they found my melanoma and now have an attractive ( not) scar across my right calf. I was lucky though and they caught it in time, I know of a few tanorexics ( sunbeds particularly) who have not been as fortunate.
Three cheers for pale and interesting
Charlotte xxx
A friend likes to have a complete sun “block” rather than sun “screen” and uses the new Invisible Zinc range as she doesn’t want the sun on her skin at all. Zinc sun block has been around for ages (you know – the white or coloured stripes on cricketers’ faces??) but this is “invisible” – hence the name. Apparently it reflects rather than absorbs the sun’s UV rays offering a higher level of protection.
http://www.selfridges.com/en/Beauty/Categories/Tanning-suncare/Face-Body-Sunscreen-SPF-30-_472-3001485-IZ075T/
Some great product advice here – I will be trying the Soltan one on my honeymoon, and for fake tan the St Moritz (by good old cheap Savers) is like St Tropez Whipped bronze, only it costs £2.99 and gives you a really good coverage.
For those of you who want to even out skin tone on their wedding day/ or for special occasions I have ranted about this product time and time again, it was recommended to me by Charlotte O’Shea’s sister when I met her at a wedding show –
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/spp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT21853&PRODUCT_ID=PROD66138
Mac face and body foundation. It works well with flash lights and day light so in your photographs you will just look as though you have a gorgeous skin tone.
Brilliant, brilliant post!
I have had five pre-cancerous moles removed (thank god none were melanoma in the end) and am a bit of a sun care nut.
My lovely Doctor at the Mole Clinic (www.themoleclinic.co.uk) says that the most important thing is the UVA rating of sunscreen so I am a big Soltan girl (plus smells like holibobs to me!).
Another thing, I really don’t get why people think it is ok to say:
“Going to BBQ to get really drunk and burnt! LOL!”
(to paraphrase five texts I received in the past week….)
THIS IS NOT OK!
Being burnt doesn’t equal fun and tan and cool.
It equals irresponsible and silly and dangerous.
Rant over! xxx
Great post!
I have been looking for some decent face sun creams as about to go to Italy for my friends wedding where I am a bridesmaid.
I wont need it for the wedding day as we wont be in the sun really but wanted one to wear under make-up the rest of the week and for the other events.
On honeymoon we discovered Banana Boats Kids Dri-Blok which is great as it dries like a power so non greasy – will be using that again this holiday, think it was spf 30.
Great post! I am a fair skinned, blondie and after many years in my 20′s & 30′s trying to attain the illusive golden tan, I am a fake tan fan (Piz Buin suits me best) and rarely am in the sun without my spf on (25 in the Uk, 30-40 abroad). I abused sunbeds in my 20′s (sometimes would have 3 a week…eek) and have had a few moles removed (which thankfully turned out to be ok). A lesson was learnt.
I actually now don’t find that golden tan look attractive! Just a bit of colour is good and that can easily be achieved out of a bottle without all the stress (and skin damage) of sitting in the sun sweating away
Yay for high spf’s!
Yesterday I bought two bottles of Piz Buin allergy factor 50 to put in the girls and boys toilets for the day of my wedding. I got it from B&M Home Bargains for the amazing price of £3.99! There had better be no sun burned guests at my wedding.