Subway Skin Analysis

True story: one of my favorite games to play in the subway when I'm forced to reduce my size by half so I can avoid touching the nasty, sweaty guy next to me in an over packed, rush hour commute is to analyze faces/skin of my fellow passengers (weird I know but I like to think of it as passion for my work). What I mean by that is I like to assess how these subway riders can enhance their natural features for a more youthful, radiant version of themselves. In some extreme cases it means paying a visit to derms office for injectables (hey I don't judge!), but more often than not my diagnosis consists of better protective and corrective skincare. And out of these treatment products the one "star"/absolute must-have is a sunscreen. I know, I know you have heard it a million times...well here's a million and one time! The number one cause of premature aging is sun exposure. I have seen people in their early 20's with full on crow's feet because they never thought sunscreen was necessary day to day, rather they viewed it as seasonal product to be applied in the summer beach months. Whether your only time seeing daylight is walking/driving to work or you spend all day outside running around after the kids you absolutely must use a sunscreen. Besides blocking damaging UV rays that wreck havoc on skin, sunscreens (especially those with antioxidants) have been shown to help repair damaged DNA while you are indoors. Meaning when they are not fighting off the sun, they are working to prevent collagen and elastin breakdown. Have I got your attention yet?! I thought so...

So in lieu of the fall/winter months and as requested by my dear readers, I have decided to do a 3 part blog series that covers base products used before makeup application. Traditionally called foundations this category has evolved to include other product forms. We begin the series with my favorite "go to," all-in-one product. Then on Thursday we will review the top foundation in the marketplace, but unfortunately this product does not contain any UV protection so on Sunday we will be discussing the perfect SPF moisturizer that can be layered with any foundation. Stay tuned!

Let us begin with my all-time, coveted (remember I only use this word when I mean it!) base product- the DDF Enhancing Sun Protection lotion SPF 30. There are a couple of things that just make me love this product....let me count the ways.

1. Formulated with self-adjusting, "smart" color spheres this lotion will even out and enhance your natural skin tone to give you that right amount of sheer coverage. How great is that? Self-correcting pigments that adjust to your unique color!

2. I always scrutinize the UV filters in products because I think that it's highway robbery if your sunscreen does not provide broadspectrum UV protection, meaning the product will block both UVB (the burning) and UVA (the aging) rays. UVA filters are a relatively newer concept as they are not currently regulated by the FDA. Here's the little loophole you may have not known of: the spf factor printed on your bottle (ie. spf 15, 30, etc) designates the protection against UVB rays only! So not all products are formulated to protect you against aging UVA rays. Right on point, the DDF Enhancing Sun Protection lotion is formulated with two physical sunscreen blockers- titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. These filters are oldies but goodies as they provide some of the most complete coverage against both types of rays.

3. Also included is DDF's proprietary Redox antioxidant complex that not only enhances the sun protection but works over time to fight free radical damage.

4. And one of the most important points for all us, at the end of the day we care about how this product makes us look immediately, this lotion is super light-weight absorbing immediately, leaving no shine or residue. Bask in just moisturized, supple, radiant skin!

Usage tip: Apply a nickel to a dime size amount evenly all over the face and neck (remember the proper product amount we talked about in the Aug 28th post?). For an added glow I like to mix the JK Jemma Kidd Mannequin Skin Complexion Enhancer (discussed in the Aug 8th post) with the lotion. In this case I mix a nickel size amount of the DDF lotion and a dime size amount of the Mannequin Skin in the palm of my hand and then apply.

The result: Perfectly protected, even skin...I guess I won't be analyzing your skin in the subway!