Looking for an affordable face sunscreen, SPF 25 or higher!

[Kragey]

I'm going to Hawaii for a conference this July, and my brother--who tans like woah--put the fear of God in super-fair-skinned me and told me how easy it is to burn.

Now, I use the Hard Candy tinted moisturizer, which has SPF 15, but I want a little more to use under that, preferably SPF 25 or higher. However, I'm a poor college student and I only make minimum wage, so I can't afford anything super expensive. (The MAC sunscreen and Shiseido lotion are too expensive, and I've heard enough bad stuff about the Clinique SPF 30 lotion to not be interested in it.) I was considering the Olay SPF 25 lotion, but I'm not sure yet, because Olay apparently changed a lot of their formulas in the past year.

I have combination skin leaning toward dry that's relatively easy to handle in the summer (versus winter, when it's an epic beyotch), but I'm slightly sensitive to harsh chemicals. I'm not acne prone, but I want to avoid anything that feels heavy or clogs my pores. I would also like something that plays well under make-up, or at least don't ball up or make my face a funky color.

Any suggestions?

 

[blondie711]

I really like the Lumene brand sold at CVS (I think it's a French co?). It's not "cheap", but you can usually find a sale at CVS in the circular at least 2x a month. I've been using it for about 4 years, I have really really sensitive skin on my face (if I can break out, I will!)
HTH!

 

[staceb1990]

DO NOT GET the Olay one! It's awful and made my skin burn like nothing else!

I've actually been using the Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder, and I really like it.

 

[xxManBeaterxx]

As far as drugstore brands go, i've tried cetaphil, olay, aveeno, and eucerine. They made my very greasy looking after 30 mintues and eucerine broke me out w/cystic acne. I really like the neutrogena age shield face sunblock with spf 55, it works great. It doesn't make my face look greasy, i haven't broken out, and I've stopped going to the dermatologist to get my sun spots removed since i've used it.

 

[obscuria]

The only drug store one I get is the coppertone faces one I think it's spf 30. The one I use is the oil free formula, and I think it's about 8 bucks.

 

[Ayiti]

Eucerin Everyday Protection Face Lotion- SPF 30- I've used it for years as it's the only one I've found that's non-greasy or doesn't have some other weird texture or consistency.

 

[MizzMelroseMood]

hawaiian tropics for faces, its oil and fragrance free so it doesn't cause breakouts. it comes in a white bottle and u get enough product to last u a whole summer for about $8

 

[Zephyra]

Edit: Temptalia ran a great round-up on sunscreen this week and her summaries are way better than my late night rambling.

My natural burn time is between 10 and 15 minutes and I have sensitive, breakout-prone oily skin. I'm also photosensitive and periodically break out in hives from sun exposure, and combined with a background working with melanoma patients, I love me some good sunscreen. Here are my suggestions (apologies for the long format):

My cheap, no-fail suggestion: Extra large-brimmed hat in a style of your choice, huge sunglasses and long-sleeved lightweight button down shirts over your swimsuit/tank top/etc. (Long sleeved shirts are esp. great for sunblock when swimming because a) you don't want to damage the reefs with your sunblock! and b) it's nearly impossible to get consistent protection from topical creams when you're swimming around in the ocean.) You can get purpose-built clothing that is $$$, or you can just wear an old men's dress shirt (or whatever suits your style) from Goodwill. It doesn't matter all that much as long as it's not a really open mesh fabric. Try to keep your face shielded with a hat and sunglasses and then get whatever sunscreen is on sale for your less sensitive arms, hands and legs--it sounds like there are some other sunscreen recommendations on this thread. You can't sweat off the protection from clothing and it's really the best option to prevent rubbing off your sunblock during a day of hiking or sightseeing...I always get burned on the shoulder where my purse strap rubs or where the car seatbelt rubbed my collarbone or something along those lines.

My cheap sunscreen pick for myself is Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch, which doesn't seem to make my face unhappy but does feel heavy/greasy on despite the name, though it's better than some and does protect well (but I also apply all sunscreen with a Very_Heavy_Hand - you need 1 shot glass full to cover your body to get the stated protection). It's not worth sweating the SPF numbers over SPF 30...you're getting the difference between something like 99.0 and 99.5% UV absorption at that point, so it's not worth extra $$. "Luxury" sunblock add-on: I like to get the Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Mist 2-packs at Costco and then carry one in my bag during the summer for reapplications (though I don't think these do a great job as a primary sunscreen, they're super convenient for reapplications because they're clear and easy to apply).

My more expensive first choice product: For a matte looking face or under makeup, I really like DDF Organic Block (mucho titanium dioxide! - it's a physical block sunscreen and not a chemical block), which is ~$30/bottle but you get a lot of product if you're just using it for face, neck, and ears, which is what I do. I wear it daily instead of a moisturizer during the summer months. It works well under liquid and powder foundations or alone.

 

[kittykit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blondie711 I really like the Lumene brand sold at CVS (I think it's a French co?). It's not "cheap", but you can usually find a sale at CVS in the circular at least 2x a month. I've been using it for about 4 years, I have really really sensitive skin on my face (if I can break out, I will!) HTH!

I've never tried Lumene skin care before, are they good? I've only bought their cosmetics. By the way, they're a Finnish co

If you've sensitive skin like I do, you may want to consider Biorderma or La Roche Posay. They have a range of great sunscreens.

 

[malvales]

I use Neutrogena SPF 70 for Face. It is matte and light on my skin.

 

[Meisje]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zephyra My cheap sunscreen pick for myself is Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch, which doesn't seem to make my face unhappy but does feel heavy/greasy on despite the name, though it's better than some and does protect well (but I also apply all sunscreen with a Very_Heavy_Hand - you need 1 shot glass full to cover your body to get the stated protection). It's not worth sweating the SPF numbers over SPF 30...you're getting the difference between something like 99.0 and 99.5% UV absorption at that point, so it's not worth extra $$.

I love this stuff, and I don't personally find it greasy.

 

[Shadowy Lady]

I use Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch as well. It doesn't make me greasy at all. I suffer from sensitive skin and I burn really quick and this one has been a life saver for me.

 

[shimmergrass]

drugstore ones like neutrogena ones turns greasy on me after a few hours.
i gave in during the sephora sale and got Shiseido/Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 60 PA+++/3.3 oz.

i wore it out on weekend, was in sun all day.
It is costly but it works wonders. It is non greasy and leaves no white cast,

so i suggest if drugstores ones dont work too well save up for smtg in this category, to me this i well worth the investment.

 

[Gonzajuju]

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch or Supergoop! from Sephora http://sephora.com/browse/brand_hierarchy.jhtml?brandId=Supergoop%21
HTHs!

 

[peachsuns]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadowy Lady I use Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch as well. It doesn't make me greasy at all. I suffer from sensitive skin and I burn really quick and this one has been a life saver for me.

+1

Not greasy at all. I bought mine at Costco.

 

[MzzRach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ayiti Eucerin Everyday Protection Face Lotion- SPF 30- I've used it for years as it's the only one I've found that's non-greasy or doesn't have some other weird texture or consistency.

I really like this product as well. Good stuff.

 

[LionQueen]

I used to use the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch in Spf 100 plus (I'm psycho about sunscreen, but you know what? It's paid off for me, so I dont care). It was decent but a little greasy. Then a couple months ago I found out Neutrogena made a new one - "Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunblock". It doesnt come in a tube, it comes in a small rounded rectangular bottle. On the back it says "layers invisibly under makeup" - make sure it says that so you're getting the right one. Holy grail! It's the first sunscreen I've ever tried that's really, actually NOT GREASY! I like it so much I actually bought four backups in fear that they'll discontinue it. Try it out - it's the bomb.

PS - SPF 25 is not enough. I dont care what you've heard. You need at least 50+ if you're serious about protecting your skin. The liquid is SPF 70.

 

[TheBigO]

The best book for info on sun protection is "Don't Go To The Cosmetic Counter Without Me" by Paula Begoun. She really breaks down which companies products actually have the capability to protect from the sun and which are just fluff. I think MAC's claims are just fluff.