The Struggles Of SPF!

We love the summer and we love the sun. But we tend to forget the damage that the big yellow star can do to our skin.

Protecting your skin and wearing SPF is a must. Us girls, try to protect ourselves by buying makeup with SPF. However, I had two burning questions:

1.)  Does SPF need to be in my makeup?
2.)  Does one squirt of foundation(with SPF) actually protect my skin?

After doing a tad bit of research, I thought I would share the information I found and my views on it.

REALITY:
Dermatologists say that SPF in your makeup may subconsciously make you feel like you are protecting your skin when you are really not. Makeup does not provide the SPF coverage your skin needs. On average, you need 14 times the amount of powder and 7 times the amount of foundation to get real protection.

WHAT TO DO:
Apply your own sunscreen so you can wear the foundation or powder you truly like! Also, educate yourself on sunscreen. SPF protects your skin from sunburns caused by UVB rays, not the damage from UVA rays (which penetrate deeper in your skin). Buy a sunscreen that provides 2 things: broad spectrum protection and SPF 30 for ultimate protection (after 30, it makes no difference). 

REALITY: 
Has your face ever looked ghostly (white/gray) pictures but not in real life? Blame it on the SPF. When a camera flash directly hits your face, the SPF in your makeup reflects it. Crazy right? The term is literally called "flashback." This unfortunately can make you look ghostly as if you are wearing chalk.

WHAT TO DO:
If you are going out at night or are intending to take pictures, skip the SPF. My beloved Kat Von- D tattoo lock-it foundation contains absolutely 0 SPF and that is sort of the reason why I love it.  Regardless if there is one flash or a full paparazzi, my makeup will always appear blended and color matched. However, in the summer scorching heat, I tend to steer clear of the heavy foundations. These are the days I lather up on the SPF and dab a little powder instead.

I hope this post was infomative for you! Sorry for not posting in the last few days, I was swamped with endless exams before finals. Two more weeks! Lets do this!