Fashion and Beauty 21st May 2021 by Denise Curtin

Protect Your Skin: Our Favourite SPF Products That You Should Be Using Daily

Did you know that *even* when the sun isn't shining you should be using SPF?

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and according to the Irish Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer right here in Ireland.

And as we all know by now, protecting our skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays is so important; not only to make sure we stay safe, but to protect us from signs of ageing, skin damage and to make sure all the work we do with all our other fancy lotions and potions isn’t just a waste of time. No SPF on? Well then there’s no reason to be lathering on your other creams.

As a bottom line, SPF is the most vital tool in your skincare bag, even when the sun isn’t shining high in the sky, your skin can still be exposed to the harmful rays from the sun, especially when the UV index is high so, as a rule of thumb, make sure your SPF is on every morning and cleansed off every night before you go to bed.

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Even if you don’t go outside during the day, UV rays penetrate cloud and glass so you need it all day long.

And to give you all the expert info, Dr Laura Lenihan, Avène’s suncare ambassador has shared some some top tips for sun safety this summer;

Use a make-up brush to apply sun protection. This works especially well on young children who don’t like getting cream applied to the face.
Don’t forget the neck and hands as these are dead giveaways for premature ageing.
Use 2mg per cm2 for optimum protection. This equates to two finger lengths for the face alone.
Your foundation or makeup SPF protection is not enough as most of us don’t use enough to get the right amount of coverage.
Apply your sun protection as the final layer of skincare – think of it as the icing on the cake.

So what SPF products would we recommend adding as that *final layer of skincare*, well, here are a few options that get the STELLAR thumbs up.

Avène Intense Protect SPF 50+ – €22.50