Sunblocks 2014

Sunblocks are a controversial topic. And it always surprises me, because even the most ignorant person realizes that hot objects can burn us. And even the most ignorant person can tell you that the sun is, indeed, very hot. There's more to it, of course, hot is the least of our worries when it comes to the sun. But at least the heat is something we can feel. The heat is just a warning of the sun's true destructive power. And even a child can tell you that hot objects should be avoided. Else you get burned.
So if someone touches a hot iron, or pours boiling water on themselves for fun and pleasure, he's either into some really kinky shit that I want to know nothing about, or has serious cognitive problems.
Yet millions of people who would tell you that touching a hot iron is idiotic, voluntarily let themselves be fried by the sun. Hmmm...

And that brings us to sunblocks... There's this mistaken belief amongst those millions of people, who like to slowly barbecue themselves, that if they slather themselves in sunblock, then it's ok. The sun is not going to hurt them then. Hmmm again...

And then, there are those, who don't believe that sunblocks are necessary, or needed, to protect us from the sun's deadly rays. They claim there isn't enough scientific proof. Well, you know what? There are people out there who claim there isn't enough scientific proof to support the theory of evolution, either. Ignorance is truly bliss.

And then, there is the question of safety, because there are people out there, who will tell you that sunblocks are full of chemicals that have the potential to kill us. So does aspirin, but they conveniently forget that fact. Hmmm...

Filtry to kontrowersyjny temat. I dziwi mnie to, poniewaz nawet osoba sprawna inaczej doskonale wie, ze gorace przedmioty moga cie poparzyc. I nawet osoba sprawna inaczej powie ci, ze slonce jest gorace. Oczywiscie, to uproszczenie, temperatura to akurat najmniejsze zmartwienie, jesli chodzi o slonce. Ale temperature przynajmniej mozemy poczuc. To nas ostrzega, ze mozemy sobie zrobic kuku. Kazde dziecko to wie.
Wiec jesli lubisz sie przypiekac, badz wylewac na siebie wrzatek dla przyjemnosci i rozrywki, to w zasadzie nie moja sprawa. Gorsze zboczenia sie zdarzaja.
Ale przecietny czlowiek, bez zapedow S&M, wzdryga sie na takie pomysly.
Jednak miliony tych przecientych ludzi z wlasnej, nieprzymuszonej woli, grilluja wlasne ciala na sloncu. No ja wiem, ze miesko z grilla pachnie i smakuje slicznie, ale tu chyba nie o to chodzi. Hmmm...

I tak dochodzimy do filtrow. Wielu z tych ludzi, ktorzy uwielbiaja powolny ruszt na sloncu, jest blednie przekonanych, ze jesli beda uzywac filtrow SPF, to slonce nie zrobi im krzywdy. Drugie hmmm...

Choc nie wiem co lepsze?
Bo sa przeciez i tacy, ktorzy w ogole nie wierza w efektywnosc flitrow. Twierdza, ze nie ma wystarczajaco jednoznacznych naukowych dowodow, ktore potwierdzilyby, ze filtry naprawde chronia nas przed sloncem. Hmmm... Wiecie co? Sa i tacy, ktorzy twierdza, ze nie ma wystarczajaco jednoznacznych naukowych dowodow, ktore potwierdzilyby teorie ewolucji... Na szczescie glupota nie boli.

I wreszcie jest jeszcze kwestia bezpieczenstwa, bo sa ludzie, ktorzy powiedza ci, ze filtry sa pelne makabrycznych skladnikow chemicznych, ktore moga nas zabic. Aspiryna tez moze nas zabic, ale o tym ci maniacy chemicznego bezpieczenstwa juz jakos wola nie pamietac.

My last year's favorites:
Ulubiency zeszlego roku:

I'm not going to explain how sunblocks work, you can get that from wikipedia. Nor am I going to explain why and how the sun damages our bodily organs (yes, skin is an organ, the largest one we have). That you can also either google or find in a physics textbook (hint, look for the chapter on electromagnetic radiation).

I am going to tell you why I use sunblocks and what they do (or, in this case, don't do) for me.

My sunblock adventure started when being treated for a horrible case of adult acne in my late 20s, early 30s. My doctor said flat out, you are taking powerful photo-sensitive meds. You need to avoid the sun at all costs. And if you have to go out, please, for the love of everything that is dear, use sun protection. And she handed me a tube of something that was thick and thoroughly nasty.

Yet the daily habit of putting sunblock on my face took hold and when the adult acne was long gone and the meds no longer needed, I continued to use sun protection. My face can thank me now. From the perspective of the last 15 or so years, I must say that it's been definitely worth it.

You see, the trick to sunblocks is that you need to use them daily for years. And only when you finally hit your middle age, that's when you start seeing visible results. It takes patience. And maybe that's why so many, otherwise perfectly sensible and skincare smart, women tend to give up on sunblocks so fast and so early. But they are mostly young and don't know what us, old broads over 40 know. That those young ones are going to regret their stupidity later on. You can bet your wrinkles on it.

Nie bede wyjasniac jak filtry dzialaja, od tego jest wikipedia. Nie bede tez wyjasniac w jaki sposob slonce niszczy nasze cialo.
Opowiem, dlaczego *ja* uzywam filtrow i co one dla mnie robia.

Moja przygoda z filtrami zaczela sie kiedy walczylam z bardzo zawzietym przypadkiem doroslego tradziku (koniec 20-stki, poczatek 30-stki). Pani dermatolog powiedziala po prostu, ze lekarstwa, ktore biore, zrobia mnie bardzo wrazliwa na dzialanie promieni slonecznych. Musialam unikac slonca za wszelka cene. A jesli unikac nie bylam w stanie, to mialam sie smarowac tym - tu dala mi tubke jakiego paskudztwa. Bylo ciezkie, geste i smierdzialo.

Tradzik zostal wyleczony, ale codzienny nawyk smarowania twarzy filtrami pozostal. Smarowalam sie gorliwie, codziennie, przez prawie 15 lat. Moja twarz moze mi teraz podziekowac.

Niestety, aby zobaczyc wyrazne rezultaty uzywania filtrow, trzeba sie smarowac latami. Dlugofalowo. Zaczac mlodo, a na wyniki poczekac do 40-stki. Nie kazdy jest tak cierpliwy. I moze wlasnie dlatego tyle kobiet, ktore twierdza, ze dbaja o cere pod kazdym wzgledem, tak szybko zniecheca sie do uzywania filtrow. Ale one sa mlode, nie wiedza tego, co my stare baby, znamy z autopsji. I zaloze ci sie kazda zmarszczke, ze te mlode nie-filtrowe, beda swojego lenistwa, badz glupoty, pozniej zalowaly.

Allie is a popular sunblock line (made by Kanebo) in Japan:
Allie to popularna linia filtrow firmy Kanebo:

One prominent Polish beauty blogger was very open on her blog on why she stopped using sunblocks on her body and started using lower SPF factor products on her face. My first reaction was "to each its own".

Oddly enough the same week that woman's post appeared, the US Surgeon General advocated the use of sunblocks with high SPF factors. But hey, what does some American dude who graduated from Northwestern and Harvard know? It's so much easier to trust your friendly beauty blogger who says she is not convinced that sunblocks are the answer, and oh gosh, they might even be harmful. Because she did her research. Faceplam.

And then, because my readers know me as pro-SPF50, pro-PA++++, the emails with questions started pouring into my inbox.

And that's the reason for this post. At the same time, it's also my contribution to the series Kosmetyczne Skarby hosted by the lovely Hexxana.

The question of whether it's sensible not to use sunblocks on exposed body parts and to use a relatively low SPF factor on the face, I decided to direct to somebody a lot more qualified to answer it than me. Namely, my dermatologist.

She likened not using proper sun protection, or not using sun protection properly, to driving in a car without fastening your seat belt. Because I don't need seat belts, if I drive carefully, right? So I don't need a high SPF sunblock, if I stay out of the sun, right?

She also extended the seat belt comparison to make another, quite interesting, point.
Just like buckling up doesn't mean we can start driving around like suicidal maniacs high on Red Bull and acid (everybody knows that seat belts are for extra protection only, right? you still need to drive carefully and obey speed limits), using sunblocks doesn't mean it's ok to go out in the sun and fry your body to third degree burns with a side order of skin cancer. And yet that's exactly what so many people do. They mistakenly believe that slathering a thick layer of SPF50 somehow makes sunbathing OK.

Well, you know what? Let them think that. And let them despair at the tragic state of their skin once they hit their 40s and 50s.

For the rest of us, who know that sunblocks offer that extra level of protection (similar to seat belts in cars, and bike helmets for cyclists) while avoiding direct sun exposure (while driving carefully, while biking safely), it's just a matter of common sense.

And because sunblocks are an important part of our skincare routine, it's worth sharing what we use, what works and what doesn't.

And though in the Northern hemisphere our summer is technically already over, here are my sunblock picks for 2014. And FYI, I use sun protection year round.

Pewna slynna polska blogerka kosmetyczno-lajfstajlowa otwarcie przyznala sie na swoim blogu, ze przestala uzywac filtrow na cialo i ze na twarz zaczela uzywac filtra z przecietnym SPF (juz nie pamietam dokladnie, chyba 25 czy 30). Moja pierwsza reakcja bylo "jej sprawa".

Zeby bylo jednak smieszniej, w tym samym tygodniu amerykanski Surgeon General wydal oficjalne oswiadczenie na temat ochrony przed sloncem, w ktorym zalecal uzywanie filtrow z wysokim SPF. Ale co on tam wie? Skonczyl Harvard i Northwestern i jest najwazniejszym autorytetem zdrowotnym w USA, ale ja go nie znam. On bloga kosmetycznego nie prowadzi, a ja wole wierzyc slowom mojej ulubionej blogerki. Bo ona zna sie na rzeczy, zrobila wlasny risercz i nie jest przekonana o efektywnosci filtrow. I twierdzi, ze nawet moga byc szkodliwe. Faceplam.

Jako ze chyba wszyscy wiedza, ze ja glosze ewangelie wedlug sw filtra SPF 50+ PA++++, sypnelo mi mailami z pytaniami co o tym sadze. Pytania zignorowalam (bardzo przepraszam), bo nie uwazam sie za osobe odpowiednio wykwalifikowana, zeby na nie odpowiadac. Zamiast tego, skierowalam je do kogos, kto zajmuje sie problemami skory zawodowo, czyli mojej pani dermatolog.

Ona porownala nieuzywanie filtrow, lub uzywanie ich niepoprawnie, do jazdy bez zapietych pasow bezpieczenstwa. Bo po co, skoro jezdze ostroznie? Wiec po co mi filtr, skoro unikam slonca?

Ale jej analogia miala rowniez druga czesc.

Kiedy zapinamy pasy w samochodzie, to nie znaczy, ze wolno nam jezdzic jak wariaci na haju (bo pasy to tylko ochrona dodatkowa, nadal musimy byc ostrozni za kierownica). Tak samo kiedy smarujemy sie filtrami, to nie znaczy, ze mozemy bezkarnie smazyc sie na sloncu do skwarka, z rakiem skory jako gratisowy dodatek. A tak wlasnie wiele ludzi postepuje. Mysla, ze skoro wysmarowali sie SPF50, to moga sie opalac.

Ale niech sobie mysla. Pogadamy znowu, kiedy beda po 40-stce.

Dla reszty z nas, to oczywiste, ze filtry to tylko dodatkowa ochrona, tak dla bezpieczenstwa. Tak samo jak pasy w samochodzie, czy kask dla rowerzysty. Nadal musimy unikac slonca (jezdzic ostroznie).

Wiem, ze wiele moich czytelniczek uwaza podobnie, i dlatego warto jest dzielic sie naszymi doswiadczeniami odnosnie filtrow. Stad tez ten wpis. Jest on rowniez czescia serii Kosmetyczne Skarby u Hexxany.

Wiec choc lato na polnocnej polkuli juz sie skonczylo, to tutaj moje filtry na rok 2014.
(Tak, uzywam filtrow przez caly rok).

On the left we have a very serviceable Hada Labo UV Creamy Gel SPF50+ / PA++++, which I use only for my body. It's the only Hada Labo sunblock that I find acceptable. But it's too sticky and dewy for my face. And when I tried it, it broke me out to the point of madness. On my arms and legs, however - perfect.

Po lewej mamy zwykly Hada Labo UV Creamy Gel SPF50+ / PA++++, ktory uzywalam jako filtr na cialo. To jedyny filtr Hada Labo, ktory u mnie jeszcze jakos ujdzie. Ale jest za lepiacy i za mokry na twarz. Kiedy eksperymentowalam z nim na twarzy, skutki byly oplakane - wysyp jakich od lat nie widzialam. Ale na rece i nogi  sprawdza sie swietnie.

Good points: it's cheap - around 800 yen plus tax.

Bad points: see above. 

Plusy: tani, okolo 800 jenow plus tax.
Minusy: wyliczone powyzej.

***

Next up we have Nov UV Shield EX SPF50+ / PA++++. I very briefly tried this sunblock last year (my friend was a fan) and I kind of liked it. So last May when I was shopping for sun protection, I decided to give it a chance.
It was an instant hit. Formulated specifically for sensitive and breakout prone skin, it has saved me this summer.

Kolejny zawodnik to Nov UV Shield EX SPF50+ / PA++++. Probowalam go na szybko w zeszlym roku (uzywala go moja kolezanka) i wydawal mi sie fajny. Wiec w maju tego roku, kiedy poszlam na zakupy filtrowe, dalam mu szanse.
Natychmiastowy hit. Formula specjalnie dla cery wrazliwej i sklonnej do wysypow. Po prostu uratowal mi twarz w lecie tego roku.

It's perfect for humid weather, or I suppose, for oily and combination skin in normal climate. It's nearly matte, doesn't leave a white cast and is super gentle. I used it extreme weather conditions (over 30 degrees Celsius and 99% humidity, in direct sunlight, while wearing a hat, though) and it survived buckets of sweat, held my makeup together, didn't break me out, and offered truly outstanding levels of protection - not a speck of tan on my face.

Jest swietny na wilgotne, parne, upalne dni. Mysle tez, ze sprawdzilby sie znakomicie dla cery tlustej i mieszanej podczas zwykej pogody. Jest niemal matowy, nie bieli sie i jest bardzo delikatny.
Mialam go na twarzy podczas ekstremalnej pogody (ponad 30 stopni i wilgotnosc 99%, bylam w pelnym sloncu, choc na glowie mialam kapelusz). Wytrzymal strumienie potu, makijaz mi nie splynal, nie wysypalo mnie, i co najlepsze - zero, absolutnie zero opalenizny na mojej twarzy.

Good points: see above.
Bad points: it's pricey - about 2500 yen plus tax.

Plusy: zobacz powyzej.
Minusy: cena, tubka okolo 2500 jenow plus tax.

***

Next up is Anessa from Shiseido. Anessa is a classic suncare line that does not need any introductions in Japan. And as Shiseido products are usually very hit or miss for me, Anessa has been consistently great.

Kolejne filtry to Anessa firmy Shiseido. Anessa to klasyk przeciwsloneczny, ktory jest znany chyba kazdej Japonce.
Produkty Shiseido sa troche w kratke dla mnie, ale Anessa to stuprocentowy hit.

The small tube, that's a promotional size of Anessa Perfect Essence Sunscreen. Next to it we have Anessa Whitening UV Protector. Both SPF 50+ / PA++++.
Light, delicate, with zero white cast. And with superb sun protection power. I have used these two nearly all summer long in very harsh sun conditions. When I had to go outside and spend a long time in the sun, Anessa would provide the heavy duty protection I needed. And it worked. Not a speck of suntan on my arms.

Good points: see above.
Bad points: can be a bit pricey.

Mala tubka to promocyjna wielkosc Anessa Perfect Essence Sunscreen. Obok mamy pelnowymiarowa Anessa Whitening UV Protector. Oba lekkie, delikatne, nie biela sie, maja SPF50+ i PA++++. Super ochrona przed sloncem. Uzywalam w lecie podczas silnego slonca. Zrobilo, co mialo zrobic. Czyli - chronilo. Zero sladow slonca na skorze.

Plusy: wymienione powyzej.
Minusy: cena nie nalezy do najtanszych.

***

And now it's time for Alice:

I czas na Alicje:

DHC Suncut Q10 50+ Aqua Gel - seriously, they couldn't come up with a longer name?
I admit, I bought this SPF 50+ / PA++++ sunblock just because I thought the packaging was cute.
Luckily, the product inside didn't disappoint me either.

It's a very light gel, though it might still be too rich to use on the face for some people. I use it on my arms and legs and other exposed body parts that need to be protected from the sun.

DHC Suncut Q10 Aqua Gel SPF50+ / PA++++ juz chyba nie mogli wymyslec dluzszej nazwy? Kupilam, bo podobalo mi sie opakowanie, przyznaje sie bez bicia. Na szczescie produkt mnie nie rozczarowal.

To lekki zel, ale nadal moze byc zbyt tresciwy na twarz dla niektorych ludzi. Ja uzywalam na ramionach, nogach, itepe.

Dries clear to a satiny finish, doesn't leave any white cast, just another solid Japanese sunblock. This one also touts its skincare benefits.

Good points: see above, reasonable price (around 1500 yen, if I remember correctly)
Bad points: definitely product mainly for dry skin. Other skin types might be disappointed.

Wysycha do satynowego wykonczenia, nie bieli sie, po prostu solidny japonski filtr. Ten rowniez chwali sie swoimi wlasciwosciami pielegnujacymi.

Plusy: powyzej, cena przystepna, okolo 1500 jenow, jesli dobrze pamietam.
Minusy: cery inne niz normalna i sucha moga byc rozczarowane.

***

Next up is Astablanc Day Care Perfection UV SPF50+ / PA++++:

Kolejny filtr to Astablanc Day Care Perfection UV SPF50+ / PA++++:

Astablanc is a mid-range skincare line, from parent company Kose, with products that feature astaxanthin, among other things, as well as brightening and skin-tone evening qualities.
This year, I must say, this little tube is my Holy Grail sunblock.
Soft, light, moisturizing, non-sticky, delicate, strong (yes, it's both delicate and strong), it's a facial cream dressed up as heavy-duty sun protection. This is the type of sunblock that high-end western companies try to replicate and fail time and again.

Good points: see above.
Bad points: it's expensive.

Astablanc to linia ze sredniej polki w kierunku w gore firmy Kose. Produkty Astablanc, jak sama nazwa wskazuje, chwala sie astaksantyna w skladzie, i maja ponoc rozjasniajace, wyrownujace koloryt wlasciwosci.

W tym roku ta tubka to moj filtrowy KWC.

Mieciutki, leciutki, nawilzajacy, nie lepiacy, delikatny, silny (tak delikatny i silny), to raczej krem do twarzy maskujacy sie jako filtr przeciwsloneczny.
To dokladnie ten rodzaj filtru, ktory firmy zachodnie probuja zreplikowac, ale nie bardzo im to wychodzi.

Plusy: powyzej.
Minusy: cena.

***

And last, but not least, we have a spray:

I na koniec mamy filtr w sprayu:

DHC Suncut Q10 Spray SPF50 / PA +++. Somebody I know (and who shall remain namless), who saw this sunblock, and of course immediately had to try it out, was so taken with the sprayable form of sun protection that he simply said "it's mine now". And as long as you spray it on you hands first, it can be applied to the face as well.

Some people complained about the scent. Hmmm... That leads me to believe that there might be two versions of this product - one for Japan, and another for overseas markets, because it doesn't really smell at all.

Good points: so easy!
Bad points: can't spray it directly on the face.

DHC Suncut Q10 Spray SPF50 / PA+++ zostal mi zwiniety przez kogos, kto lubi podbierac mi moje kosmetyki pielegnacyjne. Sprobowal i przepadl, oznajmil, ze teraz ten jest jego.
Mozna go uzywac na twarzy, ale trzeba najpierw psiknac na rece, rozmazac na dloniach i potem smarowac na twarzy. Tego procesu nie lubie, wiec po prostu psikam sie na reszcie ciala.

Czytalam na zachodnich blogach, ze niektorym przeszkadzal zapach. Hmmm... Mozliwe wiec, ze sa dwie wersje tego produktu - jedna na rynek japonski, a druga na zachodni. Bo ta tutaj to wcale mi nie pachniala.

Plusy: latwy w obsludze!
Minusy: nie mozna psikac bezposrednio na twarz.

***

Today, I got two more sun protection products, both Lancome UV Expert XL-Shield, Japanese market versions. Hopefully soon I will be able to tell you a little bit more about them.

And of course, all the cushion foundations I use also have a high SPF factor (usually SPF50 +), but since we use such a small amount of the product, it doesn't really provide any substantial sun protection. So even though your bb cream or foundation lists a high SPF factor, remember that you still need to use a separate sunblock for effective protection from the sun.

Dzis kupilam dwa inne produkty do ochrony przed sloncem, oba to Lancome UV Expert XL-Shield, made in Japan, specjalnie na rynek japonski. Nie moge nic konkretnego na ich temat na razie powiedziec, ale jak pouzywam, to na pewno podziele sie moimi wrazeniami.

I oczywiscie moje podklady w poduszkach rowniez posiadaja wysoki SPF, ale poniewaz uzywamy tak niewielka ilosc produktu, nie da on nam wystarczajacej ochrony. Wiec nawet jesli dany krem BB czy podklad chwali sie swoim SPF, to i tak musimy sie smarowac osobnym filtrem dla pelnej ochrony przed sloncem.

A jakich filtrow Wy uzywacie?