Sunblock 101: SPF, Sunscreen vs Sunblock, Active Ingredients Explained

Summer has been with us for more than a month now and I hope everyone is having their daily dose of SPF! I have to admit, sometimes it's a hassle to apply sunscreen and skipping it is the easiest thing to do. But there are times when I come to my senses and realize that I have to give my skin some love and protect it from the harmful rays of the sun.  I have said this before and repeating it now, it is of grave importance to put sunscreen every single day or else your old age skin will have to pay for it.

Here are some must-knows about your sunblocks.

UVA vs UVB

UVB stands for Burn. It is the primary cause of sunburn. UVA stands for Aging. It goes deeper into the skin and causes premature photoaging and also sunburn at some extent. It is more potent in generating free radicals and causing oxidative damage to DNA and macromolecules.

Both UV rays are linked to skin cancer with UVB being the more carcinogenic between the two as it induces direct chemical damage to the DNA. UVA rays, however, is more abundant in sunlight and indirectly damages our DNA by producing free radicals whenever it is absorbed by other molecules which are endogenous photosensitizers.

SPF and UVA-PF

Sun Protection Factor is a measure of protection against UVB
The amount of UVB radiation blocked by SPF 15 is 93%, SPF 30 is 97%  and SPF 50 is 98%. Going beyond SPF 50 does not add a whole lot of protection. 

UVA stars (PA in North Asian countries) is a measure of protection against UVA. It is recommended to use sunblocks with UVA★★★ or PA +++ which delivers 60-80% protection from UVA rays.

With the statements above, we can simply say that SPF is for UVB rays while UVA stars/PA is for UVA rays.

Sunscreen vs Sunblock

Sunscreen and sunblock differs in the kind of protection it offers. The former being chemical and the latter, physical. It is both effective in blocking both UVA and UVB rays through different mechanisms.

Sunblock

• physical kind of protection
• The usual ingredients: zinc oxide & titanium oxide
• It leaves a white cast on the skin when applied
• It is good for sensitive skin

Sunscreen

• chemical kind of protection 
• usual ingredients: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate.
• No white cast
• Sensitive skin may react to some of its ingredients (like PABA)

A small table of the common ingredients in sunblock/sunscreen and their sun protecting properties

Application
Recent studies have shown that the following mode of application is effective: apply 20 minutes before sun exposure and reapply once within 1 hour.

Here are some promising products to try.

So there you have it! Whether you are simply running some errands or you are enjoying your favorite summer destination, remember to never skip the SPF! Love and protect your skin!

For comments, questions, and suggestions feel free to comment down below.

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Current Body Wash | De-stressing with Aveeno Stress Relief Body Wash

I have been showering multiple times a day lately because of the insanely hot and humid weather. I often use Safeguard Derma Sense hard soap on my body but once in a while, I pop this lavender-infused body wash into a loofa for an extra relaxing bath. Just smelling the product instantly calms me.

I purchased this from Beauty MNL for 430 php for 354mL of product. It has a gentle and non-irritating formula. The active ingredient is colloidal oatmeal which is known for its skin soothing properties. The lavender, chamomile, and ylang-ylang scents deliver the calming aromatherapy during bath time.

My only problem with this body wash is that it doesn’t feel rinsed due to its moisturizing properties. It reminds of some Dove soap way back with its old formulation. No matter how long I rinse myself, there is always this feeling of soap residue. The feeling usually disappears after I towel-dry.

This also doubles as a shaving cream which is a major plus!

This is perfect for baths before sleeping especially if you have difficulty dozing off. The lavender scent is known to help induce sleep. I even use this before nap time during weekends to achieve all-out relaxation.

Here are other Aveeno products I wish to try: 

They can all be found at Beauty MNL and your leading grocery stores.

Have you tried any Aveeno products? What are your favorites? 

April Skincare Haul | New Items to Try: Clinique, Origins, First Aid Beauty

Skincare Haul

For the next few weeks, these are the skincare items I will be trying on my face. The brands included are Clinique, Origins, and First Aid Beauty. I haven't tried the former two products mentioned and I am very excited to review them all. 

Here are the list of the items:

Life Lately | Accendere 2014, Gastronomic Discoveries, and Doses of Netflix

This blog needs a little lifestyle update. This post might threw you off a bit from the usual beauty post but Lights & Latte is a beauty and lifestyle blog. I also wanted to share a part of my daily experiences and chronicle it here at my blog. So without further babbling, here’s what I’ve been up to for the past week including places I’ve dined at and a show I am obsessed with currently.

Accendere 2014

I attended my batch yearbook launch. Our yearbook is called Accendere 2014. Accendere is an Italian word which means to light and 2014 is the year we graduated. The yearbook cover was designed by no other than my talented boyfriend Aldrin. It’s a calligram of a Blue Eagle with the phrase “No Atenean Left Behind” which is our school’s dictum in aiming for 100% every medical board exams.  We had a mini reunion. Food and drinks were overflowing.

Too Faced Cosmetics: Now at Sephora PH!

I checked my inbox earlier today and was delighted with what Sephora announced. It is now carrying Too Faced cosmetics! If you are not yet familiar with this brand, let me give you a brief background.

Image by Sephora.ph

Image by Sephora.ph

Too Faced cosmetics was founded in 1998 by the couple Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson. In the mid '90s, Blandino used to work at Estée Lauder make up counter at Saks Fifth Avenue. He would play around with make up samples, crush and mix them together, sometimes melting them with microwave, creating his uniquely designed items. Blandino used to call his clients "Too Faced" (I'm assuming two-faced?) since their sweet smile turns into a sour frown whenever he was out of their favorite lipstick. That's where the company name came from.

Their first collection instantly carried by Sephora (US), Nordstrom, and Fred Segal and was featured in Vogue.

Image by makeupandbeautyblog.com

Quick Facts

• Too Faced created the world's first glitter eye shadow
• They are cruelty-free
• Too Faced mascot is the couple's pooch Clover
• They support the Best Friends Animal Society
• Their Teddy Bear Hair brushes is 100% cruelty-free and made of synthetic bristles
• Best selling products: Better Than Sex mascara, Chocolate Soleil matte bronzer, Chocolate Bar eyeshadow collection,  Born This Way foundation, Melted lipsticks, Teddy Bear Hair brushes

Here are my Too Faced Wishlist:

Dark Chocolate Soleil P1619 | Better Than Sex Mascara P1349

Bright Red Lips by Sephora Lip Liner To Go in Ruby

This Sephora Lip Liner To Go in the shade Ruby is an impulse buy and I use it if I want to rock bold red lips. I purchased it at Sephora for only 335 pesos. I never owned a lipstick with a bright red shade so I decided to start with a lip liner for now and see if it works for me. I either use it to contour my lips and fill it in with a brownish-red lipstick or use it on its own for a semi-matte finish. 

Why use a lip liner?

• It adds definition to the lips. It is the road to the perfect cupid's bow.
• It prolongs a lipstick's staying power. 
• It prevents bleeding or feathering which is particularly useful when using dark lipsticks. 
• It is suggested to not only use a lip liner as an outline but as a base for the entire lips before applying lipstick. 
• Lip liners, especially the nude ones, are a nice alternative for those who are lipstick averse 

Application

You may check out this blog post for a blow by blow guide on how to use a lip liner:

How to Apply Lip Liner Properly and Enhance Your Lips by YouQueen.com

Ingredients:

Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Synthetic Wax, Zeolite, CI 15850 (Red 7 Lake), Mica, Stearyl Dimethicone, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Hydrogenated Polydicyclopentadiene, Polyethylene, Diisostearyl Malate, CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Shea Butter.

The formula is silky and very pigmented. It glides easily and is moisturizing due to Jojoba Seed Oil and Shea Butter. Another good thing about this product is the travel-friendly size.

The shade is bright red with orange undertones

This is how it looks on my lips. The lip color is something I won't be able to use everyday but it will definitely add a punch of bright and bold lips when you need one. The finish is semi-matte and it transfers lightly. The staying power is around 4 hours but it comes off when eating. Another good thing about this product, it's not tested on animals.

How about you? Do you like bright red for your lips? Share your favorite lip liner brands and shades at the comment section below.

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The First #BenefitxSaladbox Beauty Soirée

It’s the Saladbox x Benefit Cosmetics Beauty Soirée! This time, I’m sharing it with my friends and other Benebabes!

Last Friday, April 15, 2016, we braved the Friday-Payday traffic to attend the Saladbox Beauty Soiree at Benefit, Central Square, BGC. My friend and I arrived pretty early so we grabbed some late lunch at Salad Stop! After enjoying our Chicken Caesar wrap over some catching up, we went back and registered.

Image by @saladboxph

We arrived just in time when they were giving out the instructions on how to get Benefit freebies. The instructions were pretty simple, create a look using the Benefit products. Take a photo of the event and a selfie of your Benefit #FOTD and upload it on Instagram with the hashtags #SaladboxBeautySoiree #Saladboxph #Benefitxsaladbox. So expectedly, everybody, myself included went gaga over the items. I was able to squeeze myself into the crowd and grabbed some make up from the counter. Since I already have foundation on my face before coming to the event, I just added the blush Dallas on my cheeks, Dandelion lip gloss on my lips, They’re Real Blue mascara, and some neutral eye shadows. I cheated a little since I used my own Real Techniques brush because I don’t think it’s sanitary to use the brushes displayed. After finishing my uber simple look, we lined up for the brow mapping which was rad!

So here are our #FOTD selfies and some photos from the event.

A screenshot from the video of brow mapping with my fellow Tita, Caye.

We scored some sample products just by presenting the Instagram photos. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take photos of the freebies we got since we were so busy laughing and experiencing the event.

I had a blast and there’s never a dull moment bonding with friends over makeup! I am excited for my April box (VMV products) and the next Saladbox event!

Saladbox PH

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