Save Your Face: Paula's Choice Weightless Finish Sunscreen Spray SPF 30

So this isn’t as cheap as most of the things I recommend around here, at around $16 a bottle (though right now it’s half off! And there are frequently sales, so check often).

But it is the best. THE BEST. And one bottle of this lasts me over a year, even though I put it on my face at least 300 days a year. So you’re looking at about 5 cents a day MAX to protect your skin from cancer and wrinkles and age spots and all sort of other damaging things.


Now, I have fairly oily skin that breaks out when I use sunscreen with physical sun-blocking ingredients (like zinc or titanium). This is a chemical sunscreen made up of a blend of ingredients including Octinoxate, Oxybenzone, and Avobenzone. These ingredients are good and effective. Paula has information including references to research on all of them if you want to look it over. Just click the link above and then go to the Ingredients/Research tab.

For me, this is the best sunscreen I have ever tried, and I’ve tried plenty, because I have very fair skin that burns easily. First of all, it is not greasy. Spritz some on your hands, rub it into your skin, and in seconds you’re ready to put makeup over it. Second, it doesn’t smear into my eyes and burn. That’s one of the most frustrating things about sunscreen for me, usually. Third, it doesn’t make my skin break out. Fourth, as I mentioned above, one bottle lasts forever. Fifth, it doesn’t smell at all. Sixth (why did I start this numbering thing?), it has a bunch of other awesome ingredients, including anti-oxidants and anti-irritants to make your skin happy.

It’s amazing! I’m convinced that using sunscreen on a nearly daily basis for the last 8 years is one of the reasons people frequently think I look much younger than I am. Usually 10 years younger, though maybe they are just trying to get into my pants. Sunscreen isn’t the only factor, of course. My mother and maternal grandmother also have/had great skin with very few lines (I wish I had also inherited the lack of breakouts from them, but my sister got that), so it’s probably partly genetic. Also I don’t spend a lot of time outdoors for most of the year, except during the summer when I spend weeks at a time in the burning Italian sun (doing research! work!). But that is also about sun exposure. Protect your face! It’s worth it.

(Note: This product has been discontinued. For something nearly identical, see this post.)