Cleanance SPF 30 from Avene

Tuesday I wrote a post on how to care about your skin when sun is back. So I think that intorducing you my all time favorite sunscreen is perhaps a good idea. This is purely a sunscreen and not a moisturizer with an added SPF but its moisturizing properties are enough for summer. If not I add some random oil drops and I am good to go. Underneath the reasons why I am so convinced about it.

What do I think about it? First of the packaging is awesome. Do not take me wrong I am not a huge fan of cheapy ornage plastic but it comes with a pump that delivers the perfect amount of product to be applied on your face.
The consistency is perhaps a little too runny but it smells great which is surprising for a sunscreen. It has a high SPF and it is waterproof, sweatproff, hypoallergenic and non comedogenic!! I confirm it does not break me out. This particular one is designed for sensitive skin like all the Avene range but more specifically for acne prone skin. It can be used by everybody anyway without trouble. It is just a lil litter on the skin than traditional sunscreens.

Does it work? Yes of course, tried past summer, huge success for me so I repurchase this year. And it is so rare I buy twice the same product! I really enjoy the pump which keep the cream free of germs especially on the beach where sand tries to sneak in everywhere. I use it on a daily basis (to fight premature aging caused by UVA), even in town when sun is shining, it does not feel heavy (a lil heavier than lightweight moisturizers anyway), it does not make me shine like a disco ball, it does not slip into the eyes (great for contact wearers) and you can put make up on without getting funny stripes. You just have to wait 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile brush your teeth :p.
It mixes well with everything I tried, foundation primer and minerals to create your own tinted moisturizer if you are a mineral addict.

Do I recommend it? Yes. You can find many dupes for this sunscreen in France in drugstores and chemists. I like Eucerin and Uriage (Hyséac) ones too.

Price: less than 10€ in a random drugstore where I am :p

If you have a favorite SPF product let me know. And if you have a favorite fake tanner pop it in the comment section I may give tanners a go this year.

Last word : PROTECT YOUR SKIN! It is your biggest organ and the one that is the most exposed to environmental damages.

See ya :)

Alice in Wonderland - Urban Decay - first trial

Hi there! So sorry for the lack of updates but my French blog is taking me more and more time as it seems to attract a little more people everyday. I do not complain, I am really happy about that and it keeps me busy during my long seeking-for-a-job day. Enough rambling, straight to the post of the day.
I bought the Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows (BOS) last week and have not used it yet. I know it has been around the web for a really long time but it was not avalaible here in France. I decided to go for a simple look using colours that you can find in the first volume of the BOS. I personaly own all three volumes as there are afterall not so many duplicates in them. I gave a go to one of the glittery shadows so welcome fallouts and glitters all around your face but here are some tricks.

When using glitters in eyemakeup : you will ALWAYS have some fallouts. So you can try several tricks to prevent same the best : do your foundation after your eyes (I do not like it because I do apply shadows on my lowerlashline), pack on loose powder under your eyes and brush it away (maybe I am challenged but loose powder does not stay long enough for me :s) and finally use tape to remove the unwanted glitters. That is the trick I prefer : first stick a piece of tape several time on the back of your hand to "soothe" it for your eye area and then tap it on every glitter you see. They will stick to the tape instead of your face :p. After that I just blend everythingaway with my foundation tool (brush or sponge) and I am good to go ^^.

First the eye pics :
On the eyes : use a base on the whole eye area (UD primer potion) and a silvery grey cream eyeshadow (NYX Jumbo eyepencil Pots & Pans) on the lid and under the lower lashline
- on the lid and in the crease: Curiouser from UD (Grifter in the permanent line)
- on the outer third and outer crease : Queen from UD (Last Call in the permanent line)
- blend gently upwards with a dome shaped brush like the MAC224. Do it carefully because of the Curiouser's glitters
- on the lower lashline, in the inner third a silver liner (CS gel liner Platinum), in outer third Queen
- along the upper lashline: a thick line of silver liner (Coastal Scents gel liner Platinum) and a thinner black line close to the lash (Stila Smudge Pot black)
-mascara (Volume Shocking Brosse Exacte de l'Oreal)

Full face pics in bright day light (not so good looking, ugly undereye circles these days sorry :s):

Then with flash in order to make the glitters pop but it fails :

For the base: camouflage cream palette MUFE + Unifiance Skin like foundation 01 from La Roche Posay (discontinued) with a single drop of Lustre Drops Pink Rebel from MAC (limited edition) + Météorites pearl powder in 01.
For the dark circles : Select Cover up from MAC NW 20 + Powderflage from Benefit
For the cheeks : Fresh bloom allover colour Almond Blossom 03 from Clinique (hollow) + Cream colour base Crushed Bougainvillea from MAC (limited edition, on the apples) + Mineralize Skinfinish Petticoat from MAC (limited edition, highlight)
On the lips: Accord parfait from l'Oreal Blondes 235 Nude (discontinued I think) + Eau de gloss transparent from Bourjois (clear gloss)

I will try to do an other one which can be duplicate the BOS vol II. For the ones of you who are interested in the Alice palette but can not find it anymore (in France it is sold out everywhere I think) you can buy the Ammo palette instead. Most of the colours are similar to the ones in the new UD palette. Hope that helps!

Do you buy this BOS? Do you like it? Are you a UD addict?

See ya :)

Some basics about...

...good sun habits and how to have a safe behaviour regarding tanning. I know this post will not be funny but sometimes serious things need to be said too. As a scientist, I may know some interesting details you will be thrilled to learn, anyway I hope so... So on SUN EXPOSURE, here we go!

When do I have to put on a sunscreen? I will answer all year round, an SPF 15 for winter and upgrade to SPF 30 when sunnier days are in if you leave in a city. On the land or if you spend a lot of time outside, higher SPF may be better. And check that your sunscreen provides protection against both UV types A and B (it is normally written on the front part of the bottle)

I do not understand a thing to the SPF scale... It is a number calculated with a weird formula so it is hard to explain but the thing you have to remember is the higher the SPF, the higher the protection. Easy, hum? But do not assume that a SPF 30 provides twice as much protection as a SPF 15 that is so wrong. The protection is only a few % higher.

But I spend most of my time inside... As many people leaving in cities and working in office but you spend sometimes outside anyway to walk to your car or your bus... You have to know too that some UV rays can pass through windows so you'd better be protected. You will not get a tan in that case but you still need a protection from the part of the UV range that cause premature aging.

I hate sunscreens! They are sticky, you can not put make up on top... That is completely wrong, sunscreens have evolved a lot since we were children. You can find very light textures, even some that are specially designed for problematic skin and they can be used under makeup. Go have a look at your chemist or even in drugstore you will definitely find something that suits you.

It looks withe-ish when applied ! Some do and others don't. The "white" effect is due to the sun block agents in the formula. The mineral type ones which can be compared to tiny tiny little rocks are the ones who give this white colour because they are solids in a sense. Chemical sun blocks are less prone to that but on an other hand, they can be sensitizing to some skins, especially intolerant. Most sunscreen formulas contain both types of sun block agents

They prevent tanning and I want a tan! This is an other myth. No sunscreen on Earth can totally block UV rays. There is no 100% protection. You will tan slower and safer but you will tan! If you are not able to tan with a sunscreen, not putting one on will just make you burn not tan!!! If you really want that bad a tan check sunless tanning stuffes like Xen-Tan or St Tropez or even cheaper brands like Ambre Solaire or l'Oreal.

But I have to reapply it every 2 hours, how can I do that with make up on? Chemical sun block agents are slowly destroyed with time, but to do so they have to be exposed to a certain amount of rays or be wipped of your skin by perspiration or water. So if you do not spend much time outside, especially in winter, the sunscreen you put on in the morning will still be a lil efficient when you left in the afternoon. On the other hand, when skiing or sunbathing at the beach, reapply every 2 hours is mandatory. All the rays are emphasized by reflection on the sand, the sea or the snow.

I am still not fully convinced? Listen, the sun is good to synthetise vitamin D but for that no need to sunbath everyday, walking outside is enough. You have to bear in mind that sun is the main factor in premature aging, it takes part to 70% of it, way before genetics for instance. And if you are still doubtful, check "skin cancer" on Google Images, I hope it will prevent you from sunbathing with just monoï. And do not think it is too late to start protecting your skin it is never too late.

To sum up, you can find hundreds moisturizers with an added sunscreen around SPF15 on the market. They are great for winter but maybe a lil low for summer. Some foundations also provide an extra-protection which is cool. For summer, a real sunscreen lotion or a high SPF make up base (MAC, MUFE...) will be a good alternative.

In winter, I do wear a SPF 15 make up base from Stila (which I need to change as the brand is not sold anymore here) under my foundation and when sunny days are here, I switched to my beloved Avene sunscreen I will review soon.
A last trick, do not spare on sunscreen you have to apply a good amount of it to make it work.

So what are your sunscreen habits?

See ya :)