Beach Week Day 2 - Lancaster Sun Care Face Cream SPF 30

Yesterday, we looked at the best-selling self tanner spawned from the South of France and today we are looking at the sunscreen company that is holds the record for current best-selling sunscreens in Europe.  Lancaster makes both sunscreens and self-tanners and I have bought and rebought both of these products.  Today we are going to look more at the suncare since that is the area of products that I prefer from this company.  This line isn't seen as much in the United States as I think that it should be and now is even harder to find since some of the retailers no longer carry it.  I first bought these products from Bath and Body Works when the flagship stores were in existence.  My only hopes now are to order the products from Beauty.com.

Since I know that not everyone is familiar with this line, I had added a quick write up of the line from the Beauty.com website.  "60 years of innovation.  Time after time, during six decades of pioneering cosmetics technology, Lancaster 'got there first' with big breakthroughs in anti-aging skin care and sun care thanks to non-stop research, development, and cutting-edge knowledge.  Lancaster began its passionate success story in 1971 and as an Anti-Age Expert has unique technology to ensure double defense line protection in all its products.  Since then, the fabulous Lancaster tan has become a legend - adding to the unique reputation the brand enjoys worldwide.  Today Lancaster, with over 500 patents pending worldwide, remains a key player in the skin and sun care field."

I had to pick one product to focus on in their huge skin and sun care collection and I decided to focus on my favorite facial sunscreen in the line.  I know many people that don't consistently wear facial sunscreen since it doesn't always work with their makeup or might break them out.  I am one of those people who must wear a high SPF every single day and foundation or face cream with an SPF of 15 or less doesn't do it for me. 

My top choice from this collection is the High Protection Age-Defying Cream SPF 30 for Face.  This sunscreen is recommended for skin that is highly sensitive to sunburn.  In the South of France, it is sunny and warm most of the year so top quality sun protection is important to all those who live and vacation there.  "This rich, yet non-oily, face cream provides: Protection against the sun's UVA rays and a high level of UVB protection against sunburn during sun exposure; Protection against the visible signs of premature aging with Lancaster's exclusive RPF complex that neutralizes free radicals; Hydration thanks to special ingredients that protect skin from dehydration, dryness, and flaking.  A unique calming complex soothes and comforts the skin."  This sunscreen is water-resistant, non pore clogging, dermatologist tested, and RPF tested.  RPF is exclusive to Lancaster, it is complex that neutralizes free radicals and will further protection skin from signs of aging associated with free radical damage. 

There are five active ingredients in this sunscreen that form a barrier against the harmful rays of the sun.  It contains Avobenzone (3%), Octinoxate (7.5%), Octisalate (5%), Octocrylene (2%), and Oxybenzone (3%).  These ingredients combine to form a potent protectant from the sun's harmful rays.  If it works in the South of France, then I knew that it would work in Pennsylvania and help to protect my skin.

I used this product every morning on bare skin.  I have found that sunscreen is best applied to a bare face.  When applied before anything else, it bonds to the skin better and isn't diluted down by any other type of product on the face.  I have never suffered any type of burn when using this product and it worked really well when I used it at the beach several summers ago.  I have used this sunscreen both on its own and under makeup and have never had a problem with it either way.  It didn't break my skin out and I was afraid that it would change the texture of my makeup (since the last thing that I want during warm weather is to add yet another layer of product to my face) however, I had no problems using this under face cream and both liquid and powder foundation.  It didn't clump or cause my makeup to wear strange.  I was very happy with this product and found that this is a great choice for someone with combination to dry skin.

Lancaster creates top quality sun products and is unique in the face that they also put the RPF complex in their products so that they provide both sun protection and skin enhancing qualities.  I have found that most facial care products do one or the other well and the other factor is substandard.  This is one of the few sunscreens that I can wear to the beach or pool by itself and not feel that I am cheating my skin out of vital care.  The free radical protection is found in the face sunscreens but not as much in the body so I do recommend using both a body and a separate face formula to reap the top benefits from this line of products.

photo courtesy of Beauty.com

Self tanners - Lancaster vs. St. Tropez

A staple of my summer beauty routine is self tanning. I just don't feel comfortable in cute little dresses and miniskirts with very pale skin. So i turn to self tanners. A long time ago, i used to try and use some of the ones available at CVS. These never worked and usually made me more self conscious of the streaks and mistakes rather than just not tanning at all. In college, I finally had the knowledge and money to begin to use higher quality products, such as my perennial favorite St. Tropez. then several months ago, I met the Lancaster rep and he convinced me that I would love the Lancaster line of self tanning products. So I bought their products also.

St. Tropez is by far the better known of the two brands. It is rumored to have been used on the set of Baywatch and preferred by many models and celebrities. The company states that their products has the highest concentration of DHA available in any self tanner on the market today. DHA is the chemical that reacts with the amino acids in the skin to create the tanned effect. St. Tropez is used in many professional tanning salons and is available in kit format so that anyone has the ability to create the perfect tan. The result is a deep, even tan that has gotten me many compliments over the years.

Obviously, the sales rep from Lancaster must have been very good at his job to get me to try another brand. Lancaster was founded right on the Rivera in Monaco and is the most popular line of tanning and sun care products in the European Union. This company believes in free radical protection and adds this into all of its products. the Lancaster created more of golden tan and it is much less of an instant gratification product. After the bronzer is rinsed off, much less color remains and it is much harder to build up to a perfect tan.

Is the gradual color better? I don't know. It seems to look more natural to tan slowly but the Lancaster products are much more high maintenance and don't last as long as those from St. Tropez. Lancaster was no help when i got a last minute beach invitation and wanted some color.