Review: Vitamin Infused Face Protector (SPF 30)

Whilst the heat from the July sunshine makes me want to bask on a beach near the Aegean Sea, this year’s heatwave has made me a little more skin conscious and aware of the repercussions of too much sun exposure!

My skin is very fair and sensitive, so I tend to wear sun cream all year round – however, regardless of skin type, applying a product that has a high sun protection factor (SPF) should be an integral part of everyone’s daily skin routine.

Many of us go out in the sunshine to achieve what most view as a lovely sun kissed glow, but with a great tan comes a great burden! Whilst it’s important to get our fix of Vitamin D, it’s important to remember how powerful the sun can be in terms of the damage it inflicts with UV radiation.

Sun damage initiates a process known as photo ageing. When we are exposed to the sun, our skin’s first response is to produce a natural pigment called melanin (this is what causes us to darken!).

Continuous sun exposure has a significant effect on our skin in several key ways:

• BREAKS DOWN COLLAGEN:
  Collagen is what gives our skin strength. The oxidative stress caused by the sun breaks this down, and in turn weakens our skin. This ultimately makes us more prone to wrinkles and premature ageing.
• SKIN CELL DAMAGE:
  More than 90% of skin cancers are caused by sun exposure. Intense sun exposure and time spent under UV light increases the damage to our DNA and can eventually lead to skin cancers like melanoma.

Over the past few years, I’ve relied on my usual supermarket sun creams. Whilst they have protected my skin, I’ve found them to be greasy, leaving my complexion oilier than normal with an unwanted shine. For a while, I was looking for an SPF with more of a serum-like consistency – something that would glide on and mattify my skin, yet still do the important job of protecting it from UV rays.

Alongside the complete line of VIL Skin Care’s products (check back for future updates!), I was given the opportunity to try out the Vitamin Infused Face Protector (SPF 30). I already knew that the team at VIL Skin Care had used a multitude of fast-working natural ingredients in their products, but what I didn’t know was that they were very conscious of how their SPF would look and feel on the skin once applied.

I usually dab mine on in the morning, before putting on my makeup and walking to work. From the get-go, my skin is exposed to the sunny outdoors and being fair skinned, I know I have to compensate by topping up throughout the day!

What first struck me was how lightweight the Vitamin Infused Face Protector was – it felt like a serum in its consistency, which made a little go a long way (this, in my opinion, is always a positive in a product – I knew from the outset that it would be the type to last me longer!). To ensure proper coverage, I dotted the SPF on my forehead, under my eyes, across my cheeks, before massaging it into my skin. As for the residue, I rubbed this into my neck and the back of my hands, which are two commonly overlooked areas that are exposed to UV rays.

It glided on with such ease, and directly after my first application, I could literally see it mattifying and evening out my skin. Its smell was reminiscent of a smooth cocoa butter, without the extra ‘weight’ of an emollient-based product.

It also acted as a great base for my make up! The even, lightweight coverage meant it functioned as the perfect primer, and I realized that my makeup wasn’t sliding off in this summer heat as normal. I topped it up once before my lunch break at noon (as I know that’s when the sun tends to be at its strongest) and let its anti-pollution benefits get to work!

Due to its Vitamin E and Antioxidant-packed formula, this SPF leaves my skin feeling soft, hydrated and nourished at the end of a long working day. It has yet another string to its bow, too, moisturizing skin that is prone to flakiness, and of course repairing previous free radical damage sustained from the glaring summer sun.

If you’re planning on getting some sunshine this year, I couldn’t recommend a better SPF for your skin care arsenal! Handbag-sized and long lasting, this is my latest go-to product for year-round protection.