4 Things You Don't Know About Makeup with SPF

by Leah Melby

KT AULETA
KT AULETA


Makeup with SPF in it may seem like a no-brainer, but the inclusion of every skin-obsessor's favorite three little letters can actually lead to some conundrums you likely haven't thought of.

Makeup with SPF can make photos come out funky.
"Pay close attention to its consistency," Katie Jane Hughes, global colour ambassador for Butter London, urged when asked about picking products for a day that's set to be heavily photographed (say, a wedding?). "If it has a thicker, slightly shiny consistency, I would steer clear of using it if attending an event where you'll be photographed. If you're loyal [to the product], I'd suggest using a colored powder on top to decrease the likelihood of your skin appearing shiny on camera."

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It makes the powder-versus-cream blush dilemma even more important.
Hughes warned that the SPF in some makeup can cause the normally smooth application of cream blush to be a bit patchier, making your powder blush look a bit more appealing. "In most cases, the SPF formulas make skin feel and appear a bit greasier, which can make application difficult," she says.


You should rethink the way you use highlighter when pairing it with SPF makeup.
That added appearance of grease can also take away some of the desired shine you get with a highlighter. Instead, consider going at it in reverse and applying translucent powder on areas other than the ones you'd normally hit with highlighter (i.e. cheekbones and the bridge of the nose).

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To get the full sun protection benefits, you need to use almost twice as much--or layer over your regular sunscreen.
Plenty of women shrug off additional sunscreen, reasoning that they're getting it in their moisturizer, foundation, or, heck, even powder bronzer. But don't forget that, much like the sunscreen you slather on at the beach, a certain amount is required to get the coverage. You need "about a half teaspoon for the face," says dermatologist Dr. Heidi Waldorf, M.D. "Most people apply only 20 to 60 percent of the product needed to reach the SPF labeled." If you want that tinted moisturizer to really offer up protection, you'll need to use (way) more than you think.

Have you ran into any problems while using makeup with SPF? About how many of your summer products offer sun protection, too?

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