Tropic Skincare Sun Care Discovery Kit

August 3, 2018August 19, 2025 - Vicki Leave a comment

I am sure so many of you are already aware of Tropic Skincare as a brand but just in case it has passed some of you by I just wanted to say a little about their ethics and values. Tropic is a 100% Natural, Cruelty-Free & Vegan company who base themselves out of their Surrey beauty kitchen & warehouse. They endeavour to keep as much of their processes in-house as possible, from development to manufacturing and marketing to dispatch. They produce effective products at such a reasonable price and they never, ever compromise on the quality of ingredients they use.

I’m excited to introduce you to the Tropic Skincare 4 piece Sun Care Kit. This kit includes their mineral suncare saviours in handy travel-friendly sizes.

I was very excited to put it to the test and the UK certainly came through with the warm, sunny weather! The Sun Care Discovery Kit Includes,

Sun Soothe Cooling After sun Lotion

Skin Shade Mineral Sun Protection SPF 30

Skin Shade Mineral Sun Protection SPF 50

Sun Balm SPF 50

Why is mineral sunscreen best, I hear you cry! I think Tropic can explain it better than I can, so here is their scientific take on mineral sunscreen:-

There are currently two types of sunscreens on the market, ‘chemical’ and ‘mineral’. Chemical sunscreens absorb UV rays and convert them into heat energy on the skin. Mineral sunscreens use natural actives to act as a physical barrier to UV rays. Tropic’s no-negotiations ban on harmful chemicals paved the way to developing a game-changing range of 100% mineral sun protection heroes your summer wouldn’t be complete without. Harnessing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to protect your skin against UVA and UVB rays, as well as an abundance of skin-boosting tropical ingredients, these luxury sunscreens are summer essentials.

Tropic sunscreen is gentle on your skin as well as protecting you from the harmful UV rays (which are linked to skin cancers) so your skin is in good hands! I live in (sunny) Cornwall and spend a lot of time outside so this kit is perfect to take with us in the car & the ideal size to keep one of the sunscreens in my bag for reapplying throughout the day.

Included in this Sun Care Kit are cabin-friendly 100ml versions of Skin Shade Mineral Sun Protection in SPF 30 and 50, as well as Sun Soothe Cooling After sun Lotion – so it is ideal for taking with you on your upcoming travels.

Tropic Skin Shade SPF 30 & 50

These smell just like the summer holidays and I love it. Despite them being mineral sunscreens and quite high factors they’re not too thick and once massaged into your skin feel smooth and lightweight on the skin. The SPF50 is a touch thicker and when applied has a slight white cast, but after a couple of minutes that completely goes away. These are both broad spectrum and water-resistant, so if you’re off on a beach holiday you will be set!

You can use these on both your face & body and I found them gentle on my skin, and they didn’t break me out. They also wear well under makeup. Although if you’re looking for a tinted SPF for your face then you need to try the tinted version, The Tropic Tinted Skin Shade SPF 50 – this is fantastic and a great makeup/skincare product.

• 100% mineral protection from zinc oxide and titanium dioxide
• Exotic kahai and roucou oils, rich in omega fatty acids, keep skin soft and hydrated
• Extracts of antioxidant-rich Australian kakadu and illawarra plum protect the skin

Sun Balm SPF 50

This is such a versatile, handy little product. I have been popping this into my handbag and taking it everywhere. It is a balm which can be applied pretty much anywhere including the ears, lips, face, feet or even your hairline. All those places that are exposed to the sun all day and are more prone to burning. I like to apply this throughout the day, or even if I’m just popping out for lunch or a quick walk, I will apply this to those exposed areas. I always worry about my lips and ears burning, so have been slapping this on at every opportunity.

It is a fantastic product to have to help protect against sun damage and contains natural ingredients which help soothe, heal and shield the skin from UVA, UVB and free radicals.

With nourishing extracts of tamanu oil, vitamin E and rosemary leaf oil
Zinc oxide provides broad-spectrum protection

Because this comes in a balm, it won’t leak in your bag and is fuss-free and very easy to apply. It isn’t thick or tacky, and you can reapply it super easily.

Tropic Skincare Sun Soothe

Apart from a cold shower, what feels better on the skin after a long day in the sun than a nice soothing after sun lotion!? Replenishing your skin after being out in the sunshine is almost as important as protecting yourself whilst in the sunshine.

This Sun Soothe not only relieves redness, it hydrates and nourishes sun-parched skin whilst also prolonging your natural tan. It instantly cools and feels comfortable and lightweight on the skin. This is one post-sun skin saviour that will keep your skin in tip-top condition.

• Aloe vera juice and menthol help to cool skin and relieve redness
• Argan oil and vitamin E deeply nourish
• Bisabolol and eucalyptus repair and calm skin in need of TLC

Tropic mineral sun care is not only kind to your skin, but is also kinder to the environment too,

A recent statistic shows that 4,000 – 6,000 metric tons of sunscreen washes off swimmers into the ocean every single year*. It’s also no secret that ingredients found in some chemical sunscreens have been linked to the bleaching of up to 10% of coral reefs across the globe, while also inhibiting the growth of baby corals*. These same ingredients have also been identified as hormone disruptors when absorbed into our bodies**, which, of course, isn’t ideal when these products are applied regularly throughout the sunnier months. Tropic’s range of mineral sunscreens keeps skin protected with formulations that are truly good for you, and the environment, without compromise on efficacy

You can browse all Tropics fantastic sun care on their website

Lacura Sun Care Range at Aldi

June 22, 2017February 18, 2018 - Vicki Leave a comment

Aldi have brought back their award winning suncare range for 2017, it has been revamped with a lovely new scent and easy to use packaging, oh and they have extended the range to include a few new products.

New additions to the Lacura 2017 collection include Clear Sun Sprays (£3.29) in SPF 30 & 50 providing a refreshing and quick drying formula that’s 100% transparent. The new fragrance encapsulates the essence of summer within the water-resistant Lacura Moisturising Sun Lotions & Sprays in SPF 15 and SPF 30 (£2.79) and Protective Oil Spray SPF 15 (£2.99).

This budget-friendly range is all 5* UVA rated and also provides UVB filters too. UVA causes the premature ageing of our skin, whilst UVB rays cause sunburn and lead to skin cancer.

I have been trying out 3 products from the range,

Lacura Moisturising Sun Lotion SPF 15 & 30*

This has your typical sun lotion consistency but instead of just being an SPF this formula actually helps to hydrate the skin and is also water resistant. The green tea & vitamin E aantioxidant-richich and help to soothe, protect against free radicals and nourish skin whilst the SPF30 helps to prevent skin from the damaging effects of the UVA & UVB rays. There is no getting away from that sticky feeling which comes from reapplying a lotion style sun lotion but this Lacura one has quite a lightweight fluid consistency which makes it easy to apply and leaves no white marks on your skin.

Lacura Refreshing Sun Spray SPF 15 & 30*

If a lotion is not your prefered formula when it comes to sun protection then fear not because Aldi also have a range of sun sprays in a water resistant transparent formula. This lightweight sun spray makes it perfect if you want to apply on the go. The fact it is a spray means it’s easier to apply on yourself in those hard to reach places, like your back. It is also handy to spray on kids that are in and out of the water on holiday because this can be applied even to wet skin.

This sun spray isn’t as moisturising as the lotion but it is lightweight, quick drying and non greasy. I tend to apply the lotion then top up throughout the day with the spray because it is nice and refreshing on the go.

Lacura Protective Oil Spray SPF 15*

I almost overlooked this product because I thought it was going to be greasy and sticky on the skin but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Once you spritz and massage this in, your skin feels satin smooth and with a healthy glossy finish. I was surprised at how lightweight and non greasy the formula is and it smells incredible too! Although this wouldn’t be my first choice for a facial SPF product, I do however like how it looks and feels on my legs so I will be using very generously on them.

This also gives you 5*UVA & UVB protection as well as being water resistant. At the moment this only comes in SPF15 but I would love it if Lacura would extend the range to include a few higher factors.

The Lacura range is incredibly budget friendly without compromising on quality, their prices range from £1.99 to £3.29, which means you now have no excuse for leaving home without applying your SPF! They have a great selection of sun protection for the whole family so make sure you stock up at your local Aldi store.

*This post contains PR samples

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Facial SPF 50+

May 6, 2014February 18, 2018 - Vicki 11 Comments

After being treated to a wonderful Spring Facial in Birmingham my facialist told me they’d noticed some discolouration/sun damage just around my eye area and it freaked me out. I have always thought I was quite good at applying a facial SPF but after hearing this I knew I had to step it up as I didn’t want it to get any worse.

I’ve been using the La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Dry Touch Gel-Cream* SPF 50+ for 6 weeks now and it has changed the way I feel about facial SPF. If like me you hate greasy SPF’s and that slippy feeling on your skin then this offering will be heaven for you. I have oily skin and so this Dry Touch Gel-Cream is my ideal match.

Let me tell you a little about the Anthelios XL Range, LPS have developed 3 targeted facial SPF’s, these are tailored textures for specific skin types, as you can see in the photo above. They’re developed to provide your skin with highly effective protection against UVA & UVB rays all year round.

Blue = Comfort, for normal to dry Skin
Green = Anti Shine, for oily or acne prone skin
Yellow = Ultra Light, for combination skin.

I was keen to find an SPF that provided maximum protection against UVA Rays. These rays are not filtered by clouds or windows and are present all year round. UVA rays penetrate the skin deeply and cause greying of the skin, wrinkles/sagging and cause skin cancer, It is these UVA rays that cause the premature ageing of our skin. So I was so pleased to read that the La Roche-Posay Anthelios range is specifically designed to give the best possible UVA & UVB protection. It offers up to 2X more protection than the European recommendations for skincare products. So you are in safe hands.

This Anti-Shine formula feels quite thick when you first apply it to the skin and it’s very white, but once on the skin it absorbs immediately and it feels like velvet, not at all greasy to the touch or slippy. It’s absorbed leaving no white marks or white cast. It gives your skin a matte finish and stays ultra dry all day long. I have been wearing this on top of my regular skincare (toner, serum, moisturiser) and under my makeup and it is amazing. It creates a nice smooth base for my makeup and it doesn’t make my foundation separate in fact I would say it works like a primer to keep my makeup in place & shine free all day long. I just don’t feel like I have an SPF on at all. Big thumbs up.

It is also,

Fragrance-Free, No Parabens and Hypoallergenic – Ingredients limited to a strict minimum.
Ultra Water Resistant – For up to 4 swims
Contains La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water – Offering natural soothing and anti-oxidant properties
Tested Under Dermatological Control & it won’t block pores so no nasty breakouts here!

This is now a step in my skincare regime that I won’t skip. I’m committed to using this every day as the effects of sun damage are irreversible. I have fair skin and a lot of freckles so this SPF50+ is now the minimum I will wear on my face.

I feel relieved that I have found a facial SPF that really works for me & that I can wear under my makeup without looking like an oily mess. I honestly can’t say enough good things about this La Roche-Posay Facial SPF & urge you all to try the one best suited for your skin type & let me know how you get on with it. I only wish I’d found this sooner & as I said it is a step I won’t be skipping, rain or shine!

Let me know if you have tried anything from this Anthelios range or if you have any recommendations from La Roche-Posay in general.

Products that are marked with a * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However, if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

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