Let the Sun Shine In...Just Not On Your Face

I do not pretend to be the sole keeper of the secret of the Fountain of Youth...countless dermatologists and beauty editors before me have said the same thing, but it certainly bears repeating: to avoid the single most insidious cause of premature aging, wear a good sunblock every single day, even if it's cloudy, and in the summer add to that a big floppy hat and sunglasses.

I'm going to leave it to you to find your own chic floppy hat and glasses (the glasses can be inexpensive, just make sure they have 100% UVA/UVB protection) but what I am going to tell you to do is to check out my two new favorite sunscreens on the market. They are my favorites because, unlike their predecessors that were almost always white, goopy and seemed to transform my makeup to into some other new, non-spreadable chemical compound, these two really are as they promise to be: ultra sheer, dry and absorbent. They are so good at disappearing into the skin's surface, in fact, that I would go so far as to say that they almost serve as a skin mattifier or serum, but with the endless benefits of sun protection. They both even smell faintly nice although they are technically unscented.

First up, on the more expensive end, is Kiehl's Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50+, available at Kiehl's stores as well as Bloomingdale's, Barney's and other high-end department stores for $32. Kiehl's doesn't specify how the product is photostabilized, but I trust them that it is in fact stabilized. It's also water-resistant and oil free, and if you have a Kiehl's near you and buy a bottle, they'll sweeten the deal with a sample of Midnight Recovery Concentrate (another favorite of mine - more on that another time) and Ultra Facial Moisturizer, which can help make that price tag seem a little less pricey.

On the less expensive end is Neutrogena's new Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunblock SPF 70 or SPF 55 (please, always choose the highest SPF possible). Available at drugstores everywhere at an easy-on-your-wallet $11.99, Neutrogena claims that their water-light texture spreads easily over skin, absorbing instantly for an invisible, weightless feel, and I have to agree. I have been a longtime user of their previous generation of dry-touch sunscreens and thought they were anything but dry-touch and had to wait around while the white goo turned clear enough to rub in. This one truly is ultra sheer and has a lovely texture. Its photostabilizer is the much-publicized Helioplex®, which, even though we may not understand exactly what it is, at least gives us the fancy scientific name to look for that we've heard of before.

So get out there and let the sun shine in, just not on your pretty face.