I am from the generation who can remember when fake tans were awful, a certain sunbed shop chain was an acceptable place to go (the maximum exposure time was 15 mins) and having a tan was everything.

Fast forward a few years and our pigmentated faces and chests are testament to our naivety. Gutted. On the plus side; fake tans are now excellent (and varied), knowledge is power and pale can be interesting.

UV exposure is the single most ageing element on our skin, bar none. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the sun but as with most things in life, it’s all about moderation. In a recent poll, it has emerged that uneven pigmentation (brown spots) is aesthetically more ageing than lines or wrinkles. UV pigmentation can be dramatically reduced/prevented by using spf with UVA and UVB protection  *hormone related pigmentation is a different topic which I will blog about later.

PIZ BUIN 1 DAY LONG SPF30: This is a high quality product, as you would expect with Piz Buin, it has the all important UVA and UVB protection and it is enriched with an antioxidant to further defend against premature skin ageing. It is massively moisturising without feeling at all sticky. Skin is left feeling smooth, silky and protected! The only downfalls for me are that it is only an SPF30 (I personally prefer spf50 for me) and the bottle is on the small side, 100ml, if applied generously (to ensure protection) 1 bottle will not last a full ‘beach-holiday-week’. Despite this, I would definitely buy again .

GARNIER AMBRE SOLARE CLEAR PROTECT+ UVA3 UVB SPF50: This spray does exactly as it says it will, high protection, quick absorption, non-greasy, water resistant and has a transparent finish. It is a really good all rounder. I think it will suit the sporty holiday makers or people who hate the feel of product on their skin. It has quite a strong ‘chemical type scent’ though so it wasn’t a favourite of mine (smell is a big thing for me; not too perfumed, not too plain, definitely not chemical). On the whole though, this is a good product and is good value for money.

LA ROCHE-POSAY ANTHELIOS XL UVA UVB SPF50+ TINTED FLUID: This is a year round favourite for me, it ticks all the right skincare boxes. It has the all important high protection but it is also ultra-light and tinted! The fluid is so light that it is possible to wear your face serum beneath it and it still won’t feel heavy on the skin. The tint colour is fairly universal, I would say it would blend with most complexions from Fitzpatric 2-4 (quite pale to olive). For people like me who are used to wearing make-up daily, a tinted sun cream makes a bare-faced trip to the beach much less daunting! I wear this spf throughout the year (tinted version in summer, plain version under make-up in winter) I am fully aware that we need some skin/sun exposure to boost our vitamin D levels but this doesn’t need to be via our faces! Hands, arms, legs all do the job too! This is definitely my suncream winner.