Some tips for using sunscreen as part of your daily routine...because if you're like me, you've forgotten some bits since last summer:

1. Apply your sunscreen at least 20 minutes before going out into the sun. Reapply after any immersion in water, unless your sunscreen specifically says that it can withstand a dip in the pool/pond/ocean (though if you've got the time...go ahead and reapply, even if the product claims that it will stay on through anything short of an apocalypse.)
2. The order of the steps should be: cleanse, moisturize, sunscreen, makeup. Wait for your skin to dry, and the ingredient to totally blend with your skin, between each step. I break up my facial routine to give things time to sink in: cleanse, go downstairs and feed the cats / start the coffee, moisturizer and eye serum, comb hair, sunscreen (face and neck), brush teeth, go get coffee and fire up the computer, makeup. That leaves about 10-15 minutes between morning-facial steps. If you have any questions about product compatibility, take a list of your daily-routine products to a makeup or skincare counter, and ask if everything will work together with no problems, breakdowns, or not-specifically-good chemical interactions. (A member over at Majyk recently posted information that avobenzone, an ingredient commonly used in sunscreens outside of the US, is negated when combined with titanium dioxide - a primary ingredient in many MMU foundations and powders, including the ones that don't have an SPF factor.)
3. Make sure to apply the sunscreen thoroughly, and all over your face and neck (and arms, and backs of your hands). In the winter months, I'd gotten lazy and was only applying to my forehead, cheeks, and neck. When I started walking daily, I noticed darker spots beneath my eyes, back toward my temples. Guess where I was forgetting to apply my sunscreen? (I started applying it, and the discolorations went away. The rest of my face was still very Pacific-Northwest-winter pale, so the slight tan was extremely noticeable.)
4. Check the expiration date on your sunscreen. If it's a few months past the date, the stuff's probably still good; but if it's six months or more beyond the expiration date...go buy a new tube.
5. What SPF rating you should use will vary, depending on your skin and family history. I'm fairly pale, from a long line of fairly pale people (Irish and French, rather than Nordic, but still...), with a maternal-line genetic predisposition for things ending in "oma" (melanoma, among other fun things) so anything I can do to boost my sun protection...I do. I wear SPF 70, and have a longsleeved gauze shirt that I wear over my shortsleeved tops when I go on my walks. It provides sun protection but lets me feel the sun's warmth (and keeps me from swe- er, "glowing" too much.) I vaguely remember reading somewhere that once you get above SPF 50, the protection doesn't increase as much for each number added - so don't pay the extra $$$ for SPF 100 if SPF 70 is available and costs the same as the SPF 55.

As always, if you notice irritations, discontinue using whatever product(s) you recently started using, and check with your doctor. Your skin is the single largest organ you've got, and while it's awfully resilient, it's not indestructible.

I personally use Neutrogena Dry Touch SPF 70, and have for the past ten years. Before that I think I just kind of grabbed whatever was on sale, though for a while back in 1998-1999 I was using No-Ad and having decent success with it even though it did feel a little bit heavy and seemed to take a lot longer to absorb into my skin. I like Neutrogena because they're a brand of skincare products that I trust and have used since I was in my teens, it doesn't mess up my skin, it has both UVA and UVB protection, it has no scent that I can detect (though they say it's "infused with a light, fresh scent"), and the Dry Touch sunscreen...well, dries quickly. I don't feel like I've got to wait forever to get dressed/put on my makeup/go on with my life.

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