Review & Giveaway – have you got Sun Sense?

The sun. That fleeting friend that visits us only occasionally in the UK is much more sociable in Spain. The light seems to have a different hue there, a goldenness that makes everything glow. While we were on holiday last week I’d have eaten it with a spoon if I could, swallowing the brightness down and feeling the warmth spread through my bones, relieving the discomfort from my infection. Sunshine does that for me, cheers me up, gives me cause to stop and smell the roses in a way that cloudy days cannot. And holiday sunshine, well  of course that’s the best vintage.

But she can be a cruel mistress, our glowing orb, relish her too much or without protection and she bites. Curly Girl had her first sunburn this Spring on that one really warm day (remember it?). The children had been playing out in the playground and as the preceding days had been cloudy and dull I hadn’t broken out the sun cream yet, fully expecting not to need it for a few more weeks. 

I was wrong.

Doctor Chris Steele – skin cancer survivor

As I undressed her at bath time a red line across the back of her neck flashed at me. Guilt wrapped around my heart. It’s my job to protect my little girl and I failed. Nevermind the fact that we have to give express permission to her pre-school for them to apply extra sun cream during the day (health and safety has gone too far in my opinion), I hadn’t even applied it that morning before she left home. I slathered on aftersun and thankfully it didn’t hurt or itch her. A day or so later she had a lovely brown colour. But I knew the damage had been done. As celebrity Doctor Chris Steele points out:

Now Curly Girl doesn’t like sun cream at the best of times of course, as I’m  sure most children don’t. With the sticky, lardy feeling of most high factor creams I can’t really blame her. We’ve tried all sorts trying to find one that works well for her at school, at home, on holiday. But when Sun Sense contacted me about their and to see if we wanted to trial their range of sun protection creams I admit I’d never heard of them.

Did you know Sun Sense is the number one sunscreen in Australia?  Nope, me either. But it’s a country well used to having fun in the sun, so I reckon there’s a good chance that they know a thing or two about keeping safe while they’re at it.

Sun Sense Toddler Milk  roll-on – genius!

We were sent some Toddler Milk, in a bottle and an ingenious roll-on (a bit like deoderant), Ultra Milk and Daily Face cream to try out in Spain on our glamping holiday by the sea. (Tents and me parted company when I was a teenager I’m afraid.) The whole lot are at least SPF 50 and protect the skin from both UVA rays (responsible for aging) and UVB rays (that cause most sunburn and can lead to skin cancers) so I was expecting them to be thick and difficult to rub in.

The Toddler Milk is SPF 50 and gives 40 minutes water resistant protection in a light milk form that is suitable for delicate and sensitive skin. Curly Girl wrinkled up her nose when she first saw me advancing towards her with the bottle but when I started smoothing it on her pale arms and legs she didn’t complain to much. I kept the roll-on version close to hand when we were by the pool or out and about and it was SO simple to just roll it onto her arms and legs and rub in. Why has no-one thought of this before??! Thankfully it rubs in really easily so she could run off and play again almost immediately. No stickiness either. Result. 

Sun Sense Ultra is SPF 50+ and water resistant for 4 hours. I’m not sure why it has a higher protection factor than the toddler version but it is still suitable for all the family so I think it’s a good all round option. Like the Toddler Milk it rubs in easily and doesn’t leave a sticky residue. It doesn’t really have a scent either – I admit I like the coconutty scent of some creams because they put me in a holiday mood but for day to day use at home as well as abroad a scent-free cream has it’s advantages. OH found that it blocked the pores on his face a little, giving him a few spots, but he has that problem with all sun creams to be fair.

With the first two creams performing so well I was expecting great things from the Sun Sense Daily Face cream, essentially a combined sun cream and tinted moisturiser. Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed as the tint doesn’t provide enough coverage for me to wear on it’s own, even on holiday. But what IS good is that it dries to a matt finish so you can wear it under another tinted moisturiser or foundation without a problem. And you still get SPF50+ protection from sun damage and premature ageing.

OH and I have tended to use boating oils that last all day but in summary I like the Sun Sense range and would definitely recommend it for families as it gives excellent sun protection without feeling like you’re applying a layer of lard on your skin. If the Daily Face cream had a bit more coverage I’d be ordering another tube on the spot. Curly Girl definitely gives the Toddler Milk the thumbs up and the roll-on version is just genius and will a permanent resident in my post-holiday handbag.

For more information about staying Sun Sensible, including the positive and negative effects of the sun and a range of resources for schools to help educate children about sun protection, visit the Sun Sense UK site. Over 200 schools have already signed up to the Sun Sensible campaign – is your child’s school taking sun protection seriously?

GIVEAWAY
With Summer holidays just around the corner I’m delighted that Sun Sense are giving my lovely readers a chance to win a fab selection of Sun Sense goodies – feast your eyes on this lot! The giveaway prize includes Sun Sense Ultra for all the family, Lip Balm and Daily Face cream plus wrist bands and a cool frisbee. Yay! To enter just answer the question in the Rafflecopter widgety thing below. You can also tweet about the giveaway for another entry. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway