"Are you going on vacation?" "No, I just need a new sunscreen."

Most of us that are beauty conscious wash our face everyday, use a moisturizer, some even use anti-aging creams to prevent or repair what mother nature has given us. Then we put on our face whether its just some lipstick and mascara or a full face of products that include a foundation of some sort. The fair skinned beauties may even have SPF in their foundation or moisturizer. And then we walk out the door ready to take on the day. Forgetting something? I went to Sephora recently and was looking around at all the skin care items, and one of the makeup artists approached me as I picked up a sunscreen and asked, "Are you going on vacation soon" to which I answered, "No, I just need a new sunscreen." She went on to show me her top picks and agreed with me that it is important that we protect ourselves from the sun on an everyday basis. She also added that more than half of the time when someone comes in looking for a standalone sunscreen it's because they are headed on vacation or summer is approaching. If you are like me you don't wear foundation everyday, the skin must breathe once in a while. On those days your skin is exposed to harmful rays that will undoubtedly speed up the aging process. Even on the days that you are wearing foundation or moisturizer with SPF in it ask yourself if it's enough. Most skin care products I've seen aside from standalone sunscreens only have an SPF of 30, at max. That might be ok to get you through the day at the office but definitely isn't enough for that walk in the park or the long commute home. And it's definitely not enough for that Saturday morning farmers market or that afternoon sporting event. So let's make it a priority not to skip that important step of shielding our skin from the sun. In order to postpone the aging process take that extra step now and use a sunscreen everyday and your skin will thank you for it.

My review of the Shiseido ultimate sun protection cream for face SPF 55
(this is a lengthy review but I feel this product/topic deserves it)



I picked up the smaller of the two sizes so I could try the product out without the hefty price tag of $34. It 1.2 oz. And retails for $19.50 at Sephora. That may sound like a lot but on a recent trip to the drugstore I looked at all the sunscreens that are comparable to this and they are up there in the $15+ range. Some of them I have tried and the results have not been this impressive. I like small sizes for a few reasons one being I want to try the product out without committing. The second is that I travel so much that I can only take so much with me. The packaging this product comes in is very nice. Its teal and a golden yellow which makes me think of the ocean and the sun (two instances in which you would need sunscreen for). The colorful packaging is great, with it being the most important product I use (sometimes the only product) I can find it very easily in my bag.

Onto the actual product. I apply is under my foundation after I have toned and moisturized. I have also tried it mixed with the moisturizer i am currently using and it blends well. I find it not to be as thick as other sunscreens I have used and it doesn't take me as long to blend it out. It does leave a slight cast but nowhere near as bad as products I have used it the past. It also does not have that sunscreen consistency when it goes on meaning it sinks into my skin pretty quickly and does not leave my skin feeling like I have sunscreen on (that tacky feeling sunscreen tends to leave behind that's usually followed by an oily mess on the face). In fact it dries to a silky almost powdery finish so it can easily be used as a foundation primer. I love 2 in 1 products. For some it may even be a 3 in 1 product as it does have some moisturizing properties. This is not the case for me in the winter but in the summer I get very oily so we will have to see. It has not broken me out and I have been using it for a little over a week. The smell is pleasant, a smell that you would expect from a moisturizer, and not detectable once applied Other products I have used include the neutrogena ultra sheer dry touch line and the pure and free baby line took forever to blend into my skin and left my skin heavy feeling with a apparent white cast. The only negative thing I noticed about this sunscreen is that it will start to ball up on your skin after extensive strenuous activity. I went running on a warm day in California and after about 90 minutes it started balling up a little. Nothing too gross. I could see this being a problem for those that wear foundation with this under it and do not remove it before working out but it was not an issue for me since I remove all makeup before any physical activity as it has clogged my pores in the past when mixed with sweat. I actually took this negative effect as a reminder that it was almost time to reapply. Waterproof or not sunscreen should be reapplied frequently when exposure is in direct sunlight. I have also included a link below to others' reviews of this product. So this product is a can't live without it product for me and I'm sure it will be for many others.