The Skinny on Shimmer Sunscreen
Once upon a time, I tried my mothers Bain de Soliel. I remember it smelled lovely and made me feel like I was gleaming with sunshine. Today I learned that it was discontinued. And not only that, but it was SPF 4. Not 40- but 4.
At this point I set out on a hunt. THEE HUNT for the perfect golden glow with spf coverage because nothing is less sexy than skin cancer and premature age spots.
The tiktok dermatologists have put the fear of god in me. Every morning I spray my Milani with spf, and I apply sunscreen generously at the beach.
Whenever my skin feels dry, we get another layer. Bad for my base tan, but supposedly better long term. We’ll see.
When I go, I slather SPF 50, the least sexy of all SPFs (accounting for the fact that anything over 50 is obsolete in modern derma guidelines for SPF labeling. 30 is the MINIMUM y’all. Please heed). I was born fair but I’m cuban and I love the beach, so I trust in time my tan will come. Also - as easy as I tan do i burn, a deep brownish red that fades within the week but sometimes peels a thin layer of skin with it.
I’ve also had this idea bouncing around my head for a while. Specifically, a body butter with vibrant gold pigment and shimmer +++ SPF. In a truly ideal world, it has a nice mild vanilla taste a la Jessica Simpson’s edible beauty line.
Time to scour the depths of the internet.
Nothing quite what I’ve been imagining on google, the shimmer was either too subtle, or not the vibrant yellow gold I’ve been searching for. Etsy was a red herring. Plenty of gold body butter but no SPF. The search continues.
Added to the hunt now is a bain de soleil dupe with higher spf because pls I really don’t want to die of skin cancer at 50 or have to breathe in spray tan. I live in the sun, I just need the right tool to properly manage it. And I like the orange gelee.
Money being a limiting factor because duh, I do have a price limit. Under 30 with a preference for under 10.
Did I find my perfect SPF 50 gold body butter? No, I will probably just have to create and mass market that myself. But I will share with you now the results of my search.
Best Bain Du Soleil Dupe with a Higher SPF - Australian Gold Instant Tanner Gel Spray with SPF 30 ~$10
Best Drugstore Sunscreen Shimmer with Enhanced Coverage - Covergirl Shimmer with SPF 50 ~$10
Best GOLD body butter for shimmery skin -NO SPF - Goldylocks Body Butter - Etsy ~$25
Best Easy Face Sunscreen with no white sheen - Milani Setting Spray with SPF 30 ~$15
Goldylocks Body Butter- Etsy
