Summer time means sunscreen

Its 33 degrees outside which is about 91 degrees Fahrenheit. Its a beautiful sunny clear day outside and the sun rays are shining down. What did most black women forget to do today before they left the house?  WEAR SUNSCREEN!
I've done a post before on how to protect your skin from the sun but I decided to remind you why its important again as summer is here already. Sunscreen is not only for Caucasians! We do have a natural sunblock in the form of melanin in our skin but UV rays do not discriminate. Its true also that we might not get as much sun damage but its better to be safe than sorry. Skin cancer affects every one and the easier way to prevent it is to wear SPF. I would recommend SPF 15- 30. Protecting your skin also helps prevent aging from sun damage. I grew up in the sun, never thought about wearing sunscreen til I went away to school in Canada, went to a drugstore and got a free skin examination using one of those microscope machines that can basically see into your pores and my analysis was basically that may skin was pretty damaged. I also noticed more and more moles (beauty marks) showing up on my face as I got older and believe or not these have the potential to be cancerous. So I went out a got a sunscreen and started wearing makeup or skin products with SPF like MAC Studio Fix Liquid Foundation with SPF 15 I think.

I recommend wearing sunscreen especially on your face or find a foundation with SPF already in it. It will make a huge difference in preventing hyper pigmentation, premature skin aging and general skin damage from the sun's rays.
SPF is only half the sunscreen puzzle—it's what protects against burning UVB rays. The UVA kind can lead to wrinkles, dark spots, and skin cancer—so look for a sunscreen that's labeled broad-spectrum. UVA shields including Mexoryl, Helioplex, and Active Photobarrier Complex don't break down easily in the sun.

Try Neutrogrena UltraSheer Dry Touch Sunblock which is perfect for the face because it doesn't go on thick or greasy and doesn't leave a white ghost like cast on your face. Its about $ 8US at drugstores or beauty.com or drugstore.com. I actually found this at Lucky Cosmetics down town for $35 EC.

For more info Check out my other post  http://necessarybeauty.blogspot.com/2010/07/our-skin-needs-protecting-too.html or allure's article on saving your face from the sun http://www.allure.com/skin-care/anti-aging-skin/2010/best_sunscreens_for_face#slide=1.

Review of MAC Pro Longwear Collection

MAC PRO LONGWEAR SPF10 FOUNDATION($29.50)
Available in NC15, NC20, NC25, NC30, NC35, NC40, NC42, NC45, NC50, NW20, NW25, NW30, NW35, NW40, NW45, NW50.

























MAC PRO LONGWEAR LIPCREME ($16)

















Available in NC15, NC20, NC30, NC35, NC42, NC45, NC50, NW15, NW20, NW25, NW30, NW35, NW40, NW45, NW50.





MAC PRO LONGWEAR CONCEALER($16.50)













Review of MAC Pro Longwear Collection

I recently went into the MAC store to check out their new line of Pro longwear products. I was super excited because I have been searching for products that last through the day and don't wear off. The foundation and concealer in this line promises up to 15 hrs of wear which is amazing since most of us are out for 8 hrs at work. The lipcremes promise to last for at least 12 hrs. I like the lipcreme colour selection. One's I would try are "Faithfully Yours – Blackened dirty purple (Cream)" (cuz I am in love with purple lipstick at the moment) and "Prolong – True red (Cream)" which looks like its a really bright red lip colour. (two quintessential colours needed in every woman of colour's collection).


The concealers and foundation


I am an NW43 which means that my skin has a red undertone compared to some one who is an NC who has more yellow in their skin tone. However I found the concealer and foundation shades very limited. I was so disappointed. The closest shade was the NW45 which looked way to ashy on my skin. I didn't find my shade in the foundation or concealer collection or one even close to it so if you are an NW like me, be prepared to be disappointed. I also found that the collection catered to the lighter shades mostly, there were about 4 darker shades and about 15 lighter shades in this line.


Another thing is application. The foundation was very thick and took a very long time to blend in. I guess since its long wear it has to be somewhat thicker than normal liquid foundation. Another drawback is it only has an SPF 10 compared to Studiofix liquid foundation which has SPF15. However on the plus side it does come in a pump bottle so you have more control over how much product you use from the bottle. Both the concealer and foundation have a pump/spray attachment.


On a whole , this line has been getting good reviews, it does what it promises which is to last longer throughout the day. Unfortunately, I have to wait to see if they decide to make my shade and find out if it works in this hot weather. That's one of the main reasons I wanted to try it out. To see if it would melt off my face in this hot SK weather or last longer than my usual studio fix liquid foundation. So...


My next step is to now write an email to MAC telling them how I am disappointed in the shade selection in this new line. Believe it or not I was advised to do so by one of the artists in the MAC store.


Girls go try it out, you might be lucky to find your shade if you are an NC but give the lipsticks a try also esp if you are like me who ends up licking off all her lipstick before lunch time. lol


Until next time my beauties, keep experimented with different products. Beauty inside and out!