Ask The Readers
Sorry for the paucity of Vines this week; I’ve been putting out fires elsewhere and just haven’t gotten it together. (One of those “fires” is actually something fun: an interview with Jack Coleman, Heroes‘s “HRG,” on TWoP. If you watch the show, give it a listen.)
I’ll get a few letters up over the weekend. In the meantime, I need a couple of recommendations my own self:
Sunscreen. SPF 30 minimum, and it needs NOT TO RUN. I’m using Coppertone Sport right now, which is better than most, but it’s still only okay; I need one that does the job and stays put even under sweaty conditions, because I am a sweaty girl. I’m looking for a general lotion, not just for the face; price is no object if it really works; it can contain bronzer/self-tan elements but that isn’t preferred.
Scented tealights in bulk. Ikea has my favorites, but doesn’t make them available on the site, and I’m not driving to Jersey to get them. I don’t want a grody, “obvious” scent; I don’t want anything too expensive. No pillars, no shapes, no tacky candles in jars, no mulberry — subtly scented tealights that I can buy by the bag and not spend a mint.
Hit it.
Tags: Ask The Readers TV
I’m the sweatiest person I know (including the men), and I live in Texas, so not running is really important to me, too. I’ve had really great luck with Neutrogena Active Breathable Sunblock. I use it both on my face and everywhere else that might be exposed to the sun.
I’m a big fan of Neutrogena sun care products. I’m currently using their Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock. SPF 45, doesn’t get your hands all sunscreeny and you hardly even know it’s on.
Target brand spray-on sunscreen has done pretty well for me. Spray-on in general seems to work without running. Of course, there are logistical problems, like needing someone else to spray your back, but you sort of run into those with lotion types too.
The natural-products company Arbonne makes excellent sunscreen, SPF30, not runny and actually very moisturizing. I got mine through a friend last summer. You can search the website for a rep near you.
Pier One Ginger Peach (spice?) tea lights. They are the light orange ones. I hate fruity, flowery and/or obvious scents and these things are great. And they even give a subtle scent when not lit.
And I heartily agree with the neutrogena products recs.
I’m a big fan of the Neutrogena Active stuff, and it’s designed to stay on when people are sweating a lot.
Isn’t there an Ikea in Queens?
Neutagena oil-free SPF 45. Works great, doesn’t run, doesn’t feel yucky.
Christmas tree shop actually has nice, lightly scented tealights for cheap. I have some very subtle jasmine ones from there that are lovely and were maybe $2 for 16
For candles, I like Pier One. They often have tea lights in bulk bags- I know I have at least 2 different types in my house right now.
I second Charissa’s recommendation for the Neutrogena body mist, and their Ultra-Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock
for the face. My dermatologist recommended these (actually, anything with Helioplex), and they’re working out nicely for me, although it took some time for me to figure out how to apply the spray without missing patches. So err on the side of over-spraying!
I second the ginger peach from Pier One. You can get them in a net bag of about 50, and the smell is robust without being overpowering. And not too foofy.
Another vote for Neutrogena. I have had good experiences with all of their products. However, I have found that some of the lotions tend to separate unpleasantly unless kept in the fridge. But since slathering on cold sunblock before a hot day feels good, it’s a win-win situation :)
I concur: the Neutrogena line of sunblocks really are amazing, and I enjoy the Active Breathable kind as well. I go running with that stuff and must shower afterwards to get it all off. It really stays put, but doesn’t feel greasy or pore-cloggy.
Neutrogena ultra sheer dry touch spf 55. It was recommended by my dermatologist and does the trick (and I sweat like a glass of iced tea in July).
Since everyone else already suggested Pier 1, I’m going to put a vote in for World Market. They have lots of interesting scents (China Pear, Brazilian Cilantro, Mediterranean Sea, etc…) and are $2.99 for a bag of 25.
Neutrogena. I totally lean on the stuff.
Word to the Neutrogena. I use the Ultra Sheer stuff, and it feels like nothing on my skin.
I’m not sure if it’s available nationwide, but I love, LOVE, Rocky Mountain Sunscreen. It’s fragrance-free, goes on very dry (not greasy), lasts all day, sweat-proof, waterproof – http://www.rmsunscreen.com
You should check out Bullfrog sunblock products. They are pretty great and stay on forever. It comes in a gel form that dries almost instantly and doesn’t leave you sticky or oily. I think they have spf up to 70 or something. It is a little bit more difficult to find sometimes, but it’s really worth it, it my opinion. Good luck!
Headhunter sunscreen. It’s made for surfing, I’ve worn it in the water for hours with out getting even a mild tan line. And that was the spf 15.
http://headhuntersurf.com/women.html
The only thing is you have to rub it in really well.
I totally agree with all of the Neutrogena suggestions. We buy it and leave it in the boat, and don’t have too many issues with separation, even in the heat. If it does separate a little, a good shake usually gets it back into slathering form. My husband is a sweaty man in the sun, and I burn in the presence of a 40 watt light bulb, so if it works for both of us, it should work for you too. I prefer the Active breathable 45 SPF, but I am sure the 30 of whatever they sell is great too.
Target has good tealights in bulk; I like the vanilla scent. Nice, light vanilla scent but not too strong.
Bullfrog sunblock works fairly well and can be usually found at Target, Wal-Mart, insert name of mega drugstore type place here. I suspect CVS may carry it.
Also, if you can get to a Target, they make reasonably non-obnoxious tea lights that are similar to the IKEA ones. I’m using those myself as I moved from the east coast out here to middle America where the nearest IKEA is at least a two hour drive away.
Aveeno sunscreen is what I’ve been using for the past year, but I have super-sensitive skin and a slight sun allergy, so I can’t really use anything else. Still, it doesn’t run and it smells kinda nice. They also have spf 15-45 face lotion available, which is nice because it doesn’t clog pores.
Another Neutrogena sunblock user here.
I am also a fan of Neutrogena sunblock. I’m very fair and I walk a half-hour to work each day in Boston humidity. I’ve had good experiences with the Neutrogena Dry-Touch Sunblock, which just came out in spf 70. One thing I like about it is that it doesn’t smell like sunblock, a scent I hate when combined with sweat.
I like the Pier 1 scented tea lights as well. They offer them in about 10 different scents, and a bunch of different colors. I haven’t been in about 2 years, but last time I was there they were $5 for a bag of 20.
I’ve used Bullfrog brand, usually the original formula, since running cross country in Las Vegas. Worked then, works now for my half-marathon training. It can feel a little thick, but it’s never caused me to break out or anything. I love it a ton.
I’m also a big fan of the Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Dry-Touch. I find that with a lot of other sunscreen products, I eventually rub part of my face, then touch my eye, then spend the rest of the day crying. Not so with this stuff. Also my husband wears it even while playing volleyball. It comes in different SPF all the way up to 70. Bottles are a little small compared to some of the jugs you can buy for other brands, but I get mine at a Nordstrom Rack for about $8/pop and it’s totally worth it. You can also order from drugstore.com.
That spray on stuff is great – I was just at JazzFest (95 degree heat plus 100% humidity) and used the Coppertone water-proof sweat-proof spray on. The only problem for me was that when they say water-proof and sweat-proof, they…aren’t kidding. Let’s say your hair is in a ponytail, and you spray the back of your neck a couple of times throughout the day, and accidentally get it in your hair. You might have to wash your hair at least 3 times to get it completely out. Not that I found this out the hard way.
Another vote for the Neutrogena 45 spray sunblock. I have to reapply every two hours or I’ll burn, and this stuff makes reapplying a breeze.
With everyone’s recommendations I might have to give the Neutrogena a try, but I use Bullfrog spray:
http://www.swimoutlet.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=2677&Click=310393
If you need to put it on your face you can spray your hands and apply that way. It doesn’t run, stays put practically forever, and doesn’t break me out. Considering that I’m allergic to almost every lotion on the planet, it’s pretty awesome stuff.
I use Skinceuticals brand sunscreens on my face, which do a pretty good job of being sweat-proof and seem to work all day (great if you wear makeup because you can put them on like a moisturizer). They come in 25, 30, and 45 I believe.
Ditto the recs for Neutrogena Active. I’m loyal to Aveeno (they do well by people of color – the soy gives my skin a nice glow, and the same is true for my grandmother, who is much darker than I am) and Neutrogena products. I always take Neutrogena to the beach, and I sweat quite a bit myself. Plus, if I’m near a body of water, I am IN a body of water, and I don’t need to copiously re-apply this stuff after swimming.
Mary Kay has a new sunblock out (and a new after-sun cooling gel, as well), and it is the bomb diggity. Goes on smooth, absorbs in a flash, and protects like a champ.
Neutrogena is a classic (gotta love the sprays when you’re alone) but I also like Paula’s Choice by Paula Begoun. Full spectrum, good selection of SPF’s. I’m very pale and live at high altitude so sunscreen is a must.
http://www.cosmeticscop.com/shop/suncare.asp?ID=310
Dude, I WISH we had a World Market in NYC. We need one, that place is awesome. They have one in my little hometown and not here. What the hell.
https://www.zerozits.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=4SPF&Category_Code=TB
Sage Skincare SPF 40. You can only get it from their website, but I love love love it. It seems pricey (16$ for 4 ounces) but you use a pea sized amount for the face so it lasts forever. You have to put it on wet skin, or do what I do and use wet hands. It isn’t greasy, it doesn’t sting the eyes, once it soaks in it is makeup friendly, it is non-comedogenic, and cruelty free. I don’t have sweat issues but I do have a oil slick for a face and it works for me.
I like Pier One’s buttercream tealights. They smell like cookies.
Oooh! I like SolBar 50 Block, which I’ve used for years. Possibly close to decades. It also makes my (cheap) foundation go on beautifully. As for efficacy? I’ll be 50 in two months, and I thought one of the 30-year-old lawyers in the office was going to cry when she heard that.
Sun; it may not defeat you, but it WILL pleat you.
I’ve been experimenting with higher blocks as I’ve found them, since I would be happy with SPF 2000, but often the texture is weird (the technical term is “icky”), or it’s oddly coloured, or it stinks, or it’s hostile to my makeup. So I return, sadder, wiser, and poorer, to my beloved SolBar 50.
SolBar50 and Ivory/Dove would make a fortune off my Irish skin.
(Irish skin is notoriously fragile, and prone to disintegration, in my experience.)
Durascreen for the body – spf 30 will last all day. and the best face stuff i’ve found is called COTZ (Contains only titanium and Zinc). It’s fleshy toned but dries clear. Really all you want though is a sunscreen that has either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide as one of the main active ingredients. Both are physical blocks as opposed to chemical, which means they’ll stay on you. Hope this helps!
The party-goods stores near me sell plain, non-gross-smelling tea lights by the bucketful.
As for sunscreen — count me in the Neutrogena camp. I use the Dry Touch version and it stays on through rugby games in the sun, so that’s some staying power.
They also make the best sunscreen-for-your-purse ever, these little stick sunscreens – Healthy Defense Oil-Free Sunblock Stick – fit nicely in a purse, backpack, or reasonably-sized pocket, and don’t seem to melt even on pretty hot days.
For great sunblock, I like the Australian Lizard products, which CVS sells. The Sensitive and Baby Lizard tubes use physical blocks rather than chemicals, so they block both UVA and UVB, block a higher percentage of rays, and don’t degrade in the sun. Whichever sunscreen you go with, I’d look for one with titanium or zinc oxide rather than chemicals, because they’re better.
Hey Lady – I’m an Arbonne girl, myself – although I’m not knocking the Neutrogena – that’s some good shit, too. Here is the website, do a search for sunscreen: https://www.arbonne.com/shop_online/showcatalog.asp. I’d recommend either the NutriMenC or the Damage Control, personally. You can even search for a consultant near you that might have it in stock at this link: https://www.arbonne.com/icOnline/locateCon/locateCon.asp if you are in a rush to get it – if not you can order online.
Now – as far as the candles I’m a Yankee girl (http://www.yankeecandle.com) – Clearly, I mean, who doesn’t like the Yankees? Anywho – back to candles. I’m pretty picky on candle scents as well – my favorites from this one are either Clean Cotton or Sun and Sand.
Congrats on the new site – I changed jobs about 6 weeks ago and missed your stuff. Nearly wet myself reading about the crizappy beer at Yankee stadium.
Candles: adding my voice to the Pier One chorus. Cost Plus is good as well, though watch out for the “Indonesian Teak” scent– it smells light in the store but is very heavy when you burn the candle.
The only negative about Pier One is that as soon as you get attached to a scent, they’ll discontinue it. They’ve done this for years and it’s really annoying. Other than the basic vanilla, they rotate their scents every year or two.
Sars,
Yes, I know the candles from Target, Ikea, Pier One, World Market, etc. are cheap for the quantity, but I highly recommend PartyLite candles. I use them exclusively. They have tons of fragrances, everything from very light, barely noticeable to very heavy (mulberry), and everything in between.
The cost is $7.95 per dozen, which seems high, but not when you consider the burn time. They last 6-8 hours each. Really. In the summertime, I get a full 6 hours from them, and in the winter I get more than 8 hours per.
I’m not a rep or anything, just someone who loves burning candles and not wasting money.
No-Ad products. http://no-ad.com/ No odor, not sticky, super-cheap. I can usually find the big bottles at Walmart for $4.99. And you can use it on your face and not break out. I usally use SPF 15 and reapply often since I have the red hair/perma pasty-white skin thing going on, but the 30 and 45 work just as well.
God, I love Jack Coleman *sigh*
That is all.
Second/third the recs for Pier One and Cost Plus/World Market tealights. Good stuff.
I love Banana Boat Sport. It works great and is cheaper than Coppertone. I am fair skinned and burn easily, but Banana Boat always works.
Cost Plus World Market has some nice tealights with mild, background-y scents. I like the Tahitian vanilla; the Thai mango is also nice. (I haven’t smelled the Brazilian cilantro, but the name sent me into fits.)
$2.99 for a package of 25…