CAN YOUR MAKE-UP REALLY KEEP YOU SAFE?
Is it OK to skip the suncream if your products pack an SPF punch? Closer asks skincare pro Charlotte Connoley
There’s SPF20 in your T foundation, 15 in your primer and you’re pretty sure there’s sunscreen in your lipstick, too. Putting on your make-up can feel like a maths lesson, but is the built-in sun protection in your everyday essentials enough to safeguard you from the sun?
The answer according to skincare expert Charlotte Connoley is no. She says, “It’s a tick in the box to say that make-up contains SPF as this is what most consumers want when choosing a coverage – but it’s not enough. When SPF is applied through a foundation, it’s spread very thinly over your face, because we apply make-up differently to sunscreen.”
DON’T SCRIMP ON PROTECTION
Also bear in mind that when we apply foundation, we vary the distribution, concentrating on problem areas and applying less where we don’t need it. We also don’t reapply make-up often enough to make it effective protection. SPF needs an even coverage all over and, says Charlotte, sunscreen should always be applied after moisturiser and before make-up. Also ensure that make-up and moisturisers with built-in SPF are broad spectrum, protecting against both UVA and UVB rays.
USE A SETTING SPRAY
What about those rays you’re snatching on your lunch break? Is there a way to give your SPF a boost without ruining your make-up? Charlotte, who tends to celebs such as Rosie Huntington-whiteley and Jenna Coleman, says, “Find a high SPF setting spray – I use Coola Makeup Setting Spray SPF30. You can spritz this as much as you like over your make-up, and it won’t streak or run.”