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Unexpected bonus of having small children and their luggage allowance: we literally took 20/25 bottles of suncream/sun products with us on holiday. I figured 'now's a good a time as any to trial everything' - and we did.
However, predictably there were some stand-alone winners.
Face:
When your teenage son says 'Mum where's that yellow face stuff?' you know you're on to a winner. The entire family used this day in day out. It lasted almost the full 2 weeks being used on 6 faces. 4 big people, 2 little people. I should have taken 2.
Kids - Body:
Full disclosure: Hampton Sun were one of my first clients. I love them like I love SLB* (well, almost).
One day over lunch in NYC with the founders Grant and Sal (this is about as name-droppy as I get, stay tuned), I said 'I really LOVE using the 55 on the kids. It's so easy. Ooh! I know what you should do - you should make one JUST for kids. Literally whack the SPF to a 70 or something and write 'for kids' on the front. It'll be a sellout. Trust in the Hirons.'
And that dear readers leads us to the easiest SPF to use and with a whacking high SPF to boot.
If you've never been a fan of the thick, white, gloopy kids SPF's - this could be up your street.
Trying to apply sunscreen to small, mobile people is like trying to herd cats. This is perfect. You just chase them down, say 'Make like Jesus on the cross' (apologies for the potentially offensive, politically incorrect instruction), and spray them back and forth, across the body and up and down. 'Turn around'. Repeat the action and the best part if you have boys, you can spray the entirety of their neck and the tops of their ears - the most forgotten about part on people's bodies. No need to rub in. You can literally spray them as they are trying to run away from you.
Perfect, genius. We used all of ours up the first week. I should've taken more.
Then the kids moved on to the same as their brothers and Dad:
Exactly the same concept, continuous mist, no CFC's (thus no ozone problems) - and comes in 15/35/55 so you can adjust downwards if you wish.
The grown-ups moved down to the more traditional SPF30 in a lotion form by week 2 (the kids stayed with sprays):
And we finished up with the aloe mist - perfect for post-sunbathing instantaneous cooling off and the traditional after sun. Both lush.
All were used up, all were binned before we came home.
Moral of the story?
Take more than you think you need.
Leave it behind, forcing you to buy fresh each trip. SPF degrades.
Reapply regularly - especially on small, very active children that are in and out of water. At least once an hour for us.
Don't forget the ears!
*SLB is Simon Le Bon. Obvs.
Clarins SPF30 is £18.00 and available on Clarins.co.uk and all Clarins counters.
Hampton Sun prices start at £30.00 and it is available at SpaceNK, Beauty Works West, and Net-a-Porter in the UK and Sephora, Skinstore.com, Space NK, Net-a-Porter and Blue Mercury in the USA.
Clarins was a PR sample (this year, but I've used it for the last 20 years).
Hampton Sun, as mentioned, are friends - but I wouldn't recommend them (much less work with them) if they didn't work. Honest. Bible. No payment made for the post and no affiliate links.
