Ranking Five Sunscreens I Used on Spring Break

Ah, tropical vacations. Basking in the sun, enjoying the waves, and hoping you get a glowing tan. As an avid pale person, I know that if I don't use the right sunscreen I won't get the tan but instead a very bright tomato-faced burn. That being said, I have tried numerous sunscreens during my college spring breaks, and here are my thoughts on all the ones I used:

5. Bare Republic Spray Coco Mango

Photo from Bare Republic Site

I really wanted to love this sunscreen. It smells great and feels very hydrating when you put it on. But it is so difficult to get an even application. Now, this could have been user-era, but my randomly-curved sunburn was not a fan. However, this formula is non-greasy which gives it bonus points for me.

4. Cerave Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen Lotion

Photo from Cerave Site

I specifically used the Cerave face sunscreen, which I did like. It provided good protection, I did not burn, and the formula is lightweight. My only two drawbacks were that the formula was hard to rub leaving a white cast, and when the sunscreen was set it easily rubbed off my face in small clumps. Overall, if you are just looking for face sunscreen and do not plan on putting any other products over your SPF, this is a good option.

3. Sun Bum Daily Sunscreen Moisturizer

Photo from Sun Bum Site

Hyram please don't come at me for using a sunscreen moisturizer! It was a gift and I promise I used additional SPF overtop this.

Anyway, I know scented products don't always get the best rep, but I enjoy the smell of Sun Bum products and they don't irritate my skin. If you are looking for a sunscreen that elevates the tropical vacation vibes, I would definitely recommend it. The moisturizer does not feel like an SPF moisturizer. If you are someone who can't convince themselves to put SPF on their face every day but still will apply moisturizer, this is a great option.

2. Native Mineral Face Sunscreen

Photo from Native Site

This Native face sunscreen was my holy grail last summer, and I never saw anyone talking about it on social media. So if you have not discovered this product yet, I highly recommend giving it a try. The sunscreen is lightweight, it blends in well, and I have yet to get sunburnt while wearing it. I prefer the non-scented one so I don't even notice it on my skin. If you are looking for a face sunscreen you won't mind putting on every day, this is the one.

1. Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen

Photo from Blue Lizard site

This sunscreen takes the cake for me, and I discovered it by searching "travel-sized sunscreen" so I could find some to pack in my carry-on. Blue Lizard is an Allure Best of Beauty 2022 winner, is made to help protect our reefs, and has smart-cap technology that changes with harmful UV rays.

I brought four travel-sized Blue Lizard sunscreens (3 oz each) for two people (one being 6'5) for five days in the Dominican Republic. We applied sunscreen two times each day for four of those days and only made it through 2 full bottles. Both of us are fair-skinned people who burn easily, and we hardly burned at all on this trip. If we would have applied the sunscreen the way adults do, we most likely would not have burned at all.

The formula was one that I actually looked forward to putting on my body every single day. My skin has never felt so smooth and hydrated after using sunscreen either. I enjoy trying new brands and new products, but Blue Lizard has made me a lifelong fan.