little white truths

This sunscreen was recommended to me by a friend a while ago, so I was super excited when it showed up by chance in one of the Priceline GWP goodie bags I received last year.

I've been using it quite a lot over the summer so I wanted to review it before I finish it, which will most likely be soon because I go through sunscreen something chronic over the warmer months.

I'm pleased to say that I do like it and I'm a big fan of spray sunscreens (this probably being the best one I've tried so far), although it's not quite perfect and I prefer not to use it on my face. More on that below.

Neutrogena claims/product details:

• A light sunscreen spray that provides broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection
• The lightweight, oil-free formula contains MIRCROMESH™ technology, which allows sweat to pass through and evaporate without compromising sun protection
• It's sweat resistant, oil-free and 80 minutes water resistant
• Works to keep skin cool, comfortable and protected
• RRP $16.99 AUD for 155g, but do shop around

Verdict

I've tried quite a few sunscreen sprays over the last couple of years and this is the best one I've tried to date. Reason being, it's the easiest to use and it works the best for my skin - so if you're after a sunscreen spray, this is one to try.

It comes in a blue can and you press down on the yellow cap to dispense the product. It has quite a strong, sunscreen-meets-fragrance scent that doesn't bother me, but it may bother those who don't like strong smells.

With this, you spray it directly onto your body but with your face, you need to spray some in your hands and then apply it that way. This is common with sunscreen sprays, and I'm yet to come across one that you can spray directly onto your face.

I find this very easy to apply when I'm using it on my body. I just spray it down a limb (it comes out clear) and then rub it in with my hands to ensure that it absorbs properly and also ensure that I've got an even coating. The product has quite a tacky finish that looks oily on the skin, and while I don't love that aspect, most normal sunscreens look greasy on the skin anyway so there's no difference there.

While it applies to my body very well, I run into issues when it comes to my face, neck and dec. What happens is that the product starts to ball up when I rub it in, and I wind up with annoying little blobs of product absolutely everywhere - which I then have to remove before I apply makeup (and they're difficult to remove because they're sticky). And of course, the concern is that if the product is balling up, then it's not coating my skin properly and giving me adequate protection.

My guess here is that I apply serum and moisturiser to my face, neck and dec every morning, so I think this product doesn't apply well when there's product underneath - even if I apply my sunscreen an hour or two after I've used my skincare. Perhaps it needs completely bare skin in order to absorb and adhere - and since I moisturise my body in the evenings and apply this in the morning, there isn't product hanging around by then so this sunscreen isn't competing with it.

In other news the product feels very cooling on the skin when applied, which is a plus when it's as hot as it's been lately. It's also made my life a little easier because my kids are interested in the idea of a sunscreen spray (and they like pressing the cap themselves), meaning it hasn't been such a chore to put sunscreen on them lately because they like watching how this product dispenses. A huge plus!

Overall I think this is a great product, and while I'm annoyed that it doesn't work well for my face, it still works beautifully for my body and it's easy and quick to apply, so it's one I would use again.

Definitely worth trying.