Best facial sun cream for dry skin? Ski trip.

[Lindsay81]

Hi all

My skin is sensitive, very dry and prone to flaking. I manage this quite well with my skin care routine day to day but in the winter it is harder. I have a ski trip coming up and with the sun, cold temperatures and wind in my face I am nervous! Any recommendations for a moisturising, high factor sun cream that would be suitable for a sensitive skin?

[PollyPerky]

Ultrasun has some good ones- but J Lewis website was sold out recently and I think the skiing lot have bought it all up! Have a look online anyway!

I've just bought Lauder Crescent White UV protector SPF 50. It's quite oily - in fact a bit too much so under my make up- but it's lovely in some ways and think it would suit you- it's £42 though and is as much a skin treatment as anything.

You could also try Clinique City Block- tinted- or any of their facial sunscreens.

Sunsense is another good brand.

[Lindsay81]

Thank you Polly! I will have a look at each of these :) Sometimes when people say a product is oily I think to myself, that will likely be ideal for me!

[madmomma]

The No 7 protect & perfect facial suncream is quite moisturising and very effective. It comes in spf 15, 30 or 50. I really like it. You can always put it over a facial oil too. I would if I was skiing.

[specialsubject]

make sure it has REAL sunscreen in it - farty french name beauty stuff often has too little to make any difference, and is only suitable for those that stagger in their heels from office to restaurant.

at altitude and with reflection you need proper sunscreen in a thick coat, applied at regular intervals.

the only non-farty french name is Ambre Solaire, in a bottle marked 'factor 30' or above sunscreen. Or other brands of course.

[FrustratedFrugal]

Special, have you tried farty French name stuff? The Chanel UV Essentiel spf 50 sunscreen, for example, is a serious physical suncreen, extremely chalky with zinc oxide, second only to pure physicals. It is not the most cosmetically elegant one but it is like putting drywall between your face and the sun. And many L'Oreal sunscreens contain Meroxyl, an advanced photostable UVA/UVB blocker - many of their sub-brands have farty French names like La Roche Posay. What I've tried from them has been really heavy-duty stuff. These are not tinted moisturizers!

[specialsubject]

those may not be, but a lot of what is sold on beauty counters IS useless. Check out what the dermatologists say. The problem is the dilution and the fact the stuff gets rubbed off if foundation goes on top.

I use real sunscreen when necessary, cheaper and works better. Skiing is a big dose of UV and the OP presumably wants to avoid looking like a tomato.

[ThomasSofty]

Ultrasun is available from M&S now too. You need a high spf and broad spectrum protection, and even though Ultrasun is a once a day product I still recommend reapplying if you will be in the sun for long periods of time. The spf 50 for face is quite thick, and their products suit my incredibly sensitive, eczema-ridden skin without irritation. Have fun!

[Lindsay81]

I went for the Estée Lauder one but will likely have some ambre solaire/ Nivea etc with me anyway for back of neck/ arms etc just in case.

I don't understand Special's comment though. Surely if the bottle says SPF50 then it's SPF50, regardless of whether it is cheap and thick or more expensive and "nicer" feeling on the face? I.e. the protection is the same.