Face Creams

Ever since I was a kid, my mother has stressed the importance of a proper skin care regimen. I dutifully wash my face in the morning and night with a proper cleanser, use toner, moisturizer and eye cream/gels. The only thing we disagree on was sunscreen in our day creams. This is because she uses sunscreen and tons of it. I have combination skin, so I hate feeling that icky, slick mess on my face all day. Plus, I end up with so much shine, I could be my own walking disco ball.

I pretty much just ignored my mother and her crazy sun fearing ways until very recently (timed around when I found my first gray hair). So the search began for a proper day cream with a SPF that didn't leave me feeling like a walking frying pan. At first, I tried what my mom used but obviously her being more matured it was just too oily.
I then visited Sephora, The Bay and even Body Shop and pretty much got samples of anything with a SPF in it for oily and combination skin. I tried quite a few options. There are two that really stood out in the great cream but not oily category and that was:

Ole Henriksen Herbal Day Crème SPF 15

You have to use a very minimal amount, or you do end up looking a little oily. The problem I had with it was mostly the smell. I love herbal tea, I just don't like the smell of it on my face. I really, really, really wanted to like this product, because it is a more natural solution, but at the of the day, I really hated smelling like a cup of herbal tea.


Shiseido WHITE LUCENT Brightening Protective Emulsion

I know, I know...stop looking at me like that. It doesn't say SPF. I asked and apparently Canada has very strict laws about SPF. You have to get a DIN number registered, which is very expensive. Some cosmetic and beauty companies chose not to do this, and just not list the product as having SPF in it. Trust me, it has it. In Asia and the US they have the SPF listed. This is actually my favourite out of everything I tried on. It has a really great finish. Not oily at all, no matter how much I put on. And has a great smell. I've been using it for weeks not and it really is super awesome. The only part that is a bit painful is the price. In Canada, you can expect to pay about $60 plus for it. Yikes.

Next step to turning into my mother...wearing giant hats on sunny days and gloves while driving. I'll update you when that happens