Inflammation 🤬

I live where the sun shines virtually every day! Therefore, my routine is photo protective. From my morning Vitamin C + antioxidant serums, to my evening gentle acid exfoliants, I have built my skincare routine around anti-aging preventatives. I recently began working topical retinol at low % into my routine and get monthly Y:ag laser facials to stimulate and encourage collagen production. I’m about to turn 26, and I am very lucky to have plenty of collagen and few wrinkles. I spent a lot of my early 20s breaking the cardinal rules of anti-aging including smoking cigarettes (I’ve been nicotine free for over a year now!) and skipping SPF most days. I even had a brief bout of tanning booth addiction 😟 Now I use spf products as a daily routine. I was committed to Supergoop! - Unseen Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 until a girl at Ulta recommended StriVectin - Full Screen SPF 30 Clear Finish which has a lower SPF and similar consistency as Unseen. I’ve also tried the Supergoop! - 100% Mineral Smooth & Poreless Matte Screen SPF 40AND Supergoop! - Glowscreen Sunscreen SPF 40, neither of which I was really crazy about. The gel/primer consistency of both Unseen Sunscreen and the Strivectin spf are more conducive to my skincare routine and they both sink into my skin without leaving a greasy feeling. Now that I have an office job and wfh, I’m spending about 10 hours/day staring at two huge computer monitors, so I think I’ll stick with the Strivectin screen that also includes Vitamins A, B, C, and Pro-Vitamin D (?) and claims for protect against UVA/UVB, Blue Light (computer screens), and pollution. It’s affordable, comfortable to wear, a little goes a long way, and performs well under makeup when I’m wearing it. The lower spf isn’t a problem for me because I’m not standing in direct sunlight or anything. I think if I had my previous job working outside everyday I’d want a higher spf. Another line of defense I like to fall back on are SPF tinted moisturizers. A while back I had tried the PÜR - 4-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 which is honestly such a dream. This is a photo of me wearing it on a midday walk. It’s low to medium coverage, buildable, hydrating, and stays put! I don’t have very oily skin or especially dry skin so I feel it is a happy medium for those with normal or combo skin types. By no means is it full coverage. I slap this on (using my fingers to apply) if I’m planning to go for a walk in the sunshine or on a hike, in addition to my base layer of SPF. Of course, the best preventative is keeping the sun off your face at all costs, so you’ll usually see me on the trails with one of my favorite floppy hats, or sometimes if I’m feeling jazzy - my Bluestone Sunshield (see a few posts back). Do you wear SPF every day? Have you made any lifestyle changes for the sake of beauty/anti-aging? Share your tips or thoughts below!

Supergoop! - 100% Mineral Smooth & Poreless Matte Screen SPF 40 I like it but for me it is very drying, I have combination skin but I am drier than oily, its application is easy, it blends very well, it does not leave white but I do not like it! I'M LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT SUN PROTECTOR FOR MY SKIN