I mentioned this briefly in one of my Friday Favorite posts, but I consider sunscreen an absolute essential in the summer. I burn really easily – I actually barely tan, I basically just burn, peel, and then burn again. I know that’s super unhealthy, and it’s also painful! I am really mad at myself, because I accidentally got sunburnt earlier this summer when I ran out of the house in a rush without thinking. I am still in the midst of peeling, and it’s made me more certain now than ever about the necessity of sunscreen.

I’m really picky about the type of sunscreen that I use, though! I use it daily on my face in my moisturizer, so I put it on every single day – in the winter, in the rain, it doesn’t matter. But because I’m wearing it daily, I need something that isn’t too heavy and greasy, and that I know won’t break me out. My favorite for a few years now has been this one from Paula’s Choice. It’s really light – the texture is really liquidy – and it dries down to a nice matte finish and works really nicely under my foundation. I haven’t tried it personally, but I’ve also heard rave reviews about this one from Elta MD.

As for my body, there is only one that I use – this spray lotion from La Roche Posay. So many of the sunscreen sprays have alcohol in them, which is actually damaging to your skin! This one isn’t as much of an aerosol as those are (you still need to rub it in a bit), because it’s the alcohol that makes it so light and able to be sprayed so easily. It does, however, do a great job protecting my skin, and still takes less effort since it sprays all over evenly. If you’re not a fan of a spray, just make sure you pick one with SPF 30 or higher.

And don’t forget – sunscreen only lasts for the season! If you’re still hanging on to one from last summer, make sure you toss it and pick up a new one.