July Favourites Part 1: Skincare!

I'm going to give you guys the rundown on a few of the skincare things I've fallen in love with this month! I have a few things to recommend, from sunscreen and after sun/sunburn lotion to body oils.

I was up at my cottage for a few days this past weekend, when it was hitting temperatures of 30+ and we had those beautiful sunny days without a cloud to be seen. Of course, one of my favourite cottage activities is hanging out on the dock with a good book. Not something you want to do without sun protection in this kind of weather! Wearing sunscreen can help prevent cancer and painful burns, while keeping your skin wrinkle free and younger looking. But we all hate that greasy, pasty sunscreen feeling and chemical-y nasty sunscreen smell!

Vichy Sunscreen Vichy.com

I've found that the Vichy Ideal Soleil Sheer Lotion Bare Skin Feel (SPF 60) is a product that manages to avoid most of these pitfalls.

This product retails for $29.95 CAD for 150 ml; unfortunately, it is a bit on the expensive side for a sunscreen. HOWEVER. It makes up for the price in terms of feel, longevity, and a lack of scent. Testing has shown that spray sunscreens are typically less effective as opposed to a cream, which is one of the reasons I like this product. I also find that a little covers a VERY long way - I spent a lot of time in the sun this month, and I still haven't run out.

Feel
The lotion is quite runny, and as a result a little goes a long way. You rub it in like a typical moisturizer, and it sinks in to your skin pretty quickly. You do have to endure that greasy feeling for a few minutes, but not for long - the lotion disappears really nicely without leaving a white cast or sticky/tacky feeling on your skin.

Longevity
According to the product directions, you should re-apply every 2 hours. I would follow these directions if you're going to be sweating or in and out of the water, but just for being in the sun and relaxing I didn't find I needed to. However, do make sure you reapply anywhere a piece of clothing may rub the sunscreen off, like the edges of a bathing suit, short bottoms, or bra straps.

I had no burns this month! Love this sunscreen!

Of course, after being in the sun, I like to have a nice after sun moisturizer to sooth and cool my skin. This month I've been loving the Life Brand After-Sun Coconut Lime Lotion. I can't find any mention of this online for some reason, but it was around $10 for 470 ml. This stuff smells great, goes on smoothly, is soothing on hot or burned skin, and leaves you really soft. 10/10!

Korres Cleansing Wipes Sephora.com

Next up is my cleansing routine - I've been really into makeup removal wipes lately, because its easy and I haven't been wearing much heavy makeup as it's summer, and well, hot. So I've been using the Korres Greek Yoghurt Cleansing and Makeup Wipes. These retail for around $17 CAD.

These are recommended for all skin types, and they're great! Very gentle, and will remove even the most stubborn of mascaras and eyeliners. The smell is very clean, like fresh linen. The one downside to these is that they do leave a residue, so be sure to wash your face afterwards.

My cleanser is the Vichy Normaderm Deep Cleansing Gel, which is 19.95 CAD for 200 ml off of Vichy's website, and a little pricier in Shopper's Drugmart. This is kind of a life favourite, never mind July. I very rarely deviate from this cleanser, so I'll talk about it more in depth in another post.

Cleansing Gel Vichy.com

After cleansing, moisturizer! I have dry skin that goes oily, so I've been trying out the Garner Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel Cream.

Garnier Moisturizer drugstore.com

This stuff has a vaguely chemical scent, but is otherwise non-scented, which I don't mind. It's a very wet gel, and a tiny amount goes a REALLY long way. I like this stuff because it's SUPER hydrating for overnight - but I find that I can't wear it during the day because it never really sinks in and remains a little tacky.

And, for the final one I'll talk about in this post - my EOS lip balm! I've been using the spearmint one overnight - liquid lipsticks, my favourites, tend to really dry out my lips so its important for me to maintain them over night. I know these don't work for everyone but I absolutely LOVE them. Be sure to patch test this first, as I know some people have had allergic reactions.