Beauty Report: looking after your skin

W e’ve been lucky enough to glimpse a hesitant sun a couple of times recently, but with sunlight comes certain risks. Not only is sun the primary cause of premature skin ageing, but far more importantly, exposure to the sun is the number one cause of skin cancer, and diagnoses of skin cancer have exploded in the last twenty years.

Protecting the skin isn’t just about ensuring that you wear your SPF on sun holidays or the odd hot day in Ireland. If you’re in direct sunlight, then SPF is essential. The general complaint that women make is that facial sun creams aren’t compatible with makeup. If you’re passionate about makeup, or simply like to wear it, then you shouldn’t have to choose between looking the way you want and protecting your skin. However, SPF can be slightly confusing.

There are two types of SPF, physical and chemical (or a third which is a combination of both). UVA rays age the skin, while UVB rays burn it and put us at risk of melanoma. So in order to sufficiently protect the skin, an SPF which contains both UVA and UVB protection is best.

If you have classically pale Irish skin, then you need protection on the higher end of the scale. SPF can be baffling, as SPF 15 blocks 93 per cent of UVB rays, whereas SPF 50 provides just 5 per cent more protection – it blocks 98 per cent of UVB rays.

If you use a high protection factor, don’t be lulled into complacency. When exposing skin to serious sun (the kind we don’t get here in Ireland), then in order to sufficiently protect yourself, you need to use an entire bottle of sun cream daily, which isn’t common practice.

Clarins UV Plus Day Screen Multi-Protection

(€38) is incredibly good. Light in texture without any chalkiness, it primes skin beautifully and is oil-free. Skin doesn’t feel smothered or look shiny. This is an SPF which makes makeup look even better.

The delicate skin around the eyes is especially sensitive to sun, but standard SPFs can congest the skin in this area, causing little white cysts which are so difficult to get rid of.

Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector

contains SPF 30, but is perfectly tinted to cover any blueness around the eyes. If darkness around the eyes isn’t a concern for you, then

Mineral Eye UV Defense from SkinCeuticals

(€31) also contains SPF 30 and has a radiant finish to subtly brighten the eye area.

If preserving your skin at its best is something you have the means to invest that bit more in, then Chanel Sublimage La Protection UV SPF 50 (€98 from May 1st) is an anti-aging facial SPF. Apart from the divinely summery scent, it melts into the skin leaving the perfect canvas for makeup without leaving the classic white caste which titanium dioxide (the ingredient in SPF which causes light to bounce off the skin) tends to leave behind. This is supreme protection and luxury in one.