Jane Iredale Powder-Me SPF Dry Sunscreen

RRP: £29.54

available in 3 shades: Translucent, Golden and Tanned

--What does the promo say?--

"Helps prevent sunburn and sun induced skin damage. Powder-Me SPF is an all over face and body powder which protects from UVB and UVA rays. With an SPF 30, it's an essential in the fight against the merciless damage caused by the sun. Because this remarkable sunscreen is a powder, it doesn't run where you don't want it – such as your eyes! It also starts working immediately. No wait for chemicals to be absorbed by the skin. Just layer the light powder on for immediate protection. And it's so easy to use. Powder-Me SPF is packaged in an innovative dispenser that ensures quick and even coverage. Apart from its active ingredient of titanium dioxide, one of the ingredients in this state-of-the-art sunscreen is a natural clay dried in the sun and completely free of contaminants and atmospheric pollutants. The ancient clay also contains minerals that nourish and calm the skin, helping sooth inflammation from too much sun exposure."

--Packaging--

This is a clear plastic pot with a screw-top opening for refills, which leads to a sponge for everyday application. In addition, there is a push-on lid which comes complete with its own mirror in the top. There are several advantages to this type of packaging: the transparent pot means you can see when you're running low, and the sponge is very good for targeted application (Italian makeup brand Pupa makes a similar pot which you can use to apply blusher). The fact that you can refill it is also excellent news and the mirror is very handy. However, I feel that Jane Iredale would do well to sell a brush version alongside this to help cover larger areas of the body, such as the legs, more quickly (Body Shop does something similar to this, and Colorescience's Sunforgettable mineral sunscreen also comes in this format).

--Application--

One is instructed to apply liberally and evenly over face and body, topping up every 2 hours (plus after swimming, perspiring or towel drying). So fairly standard across the sunscreen market. However, as mentioned above, I found that the sponge applicator made this easy only on smaller areas of the body (such as face, arms, hands and feet) and took much longer on larger areas (such as legs, chest and stomach).

--Appearance--

This will obviously depend on the shade you choose. Pick translucent if you are pale, the brand new Golden if you have an olive skin tone, or Tanned if your skin is darker than this. I found that Golden looked great on my arms, but was too dark for my legs and face. Some of us may need two! The sunscreen also appeared patchy on larger areas of skin due to the design of the applicator.

--Scent--

None. Perhaps a little bit of the sponge, if anything (a new-fabric kind of smell) but generally not chemical or artificially fragranced.

--Texture and consistency--

Being a mineral powder foundation, it's powder-light and you can dab it easily onto the skin. No signs of irritation or clogged pores were experienced while using the product.

--Effects on the skin--

As this product is endorsed by the Skin Cancer Foundation as providing effective UVA and UVB protection, it should come as no surprise that my skin was adequately protected from the sun and did not burn :)  Yay :)

--Value for money--

At nearly £30 this is expensive for a sunscreen, and it doesn't even have the consolation of refills being available (meaning you have to shell out the whole £30 each time you run out. However, the price is in line with other mineral companies - BareMinerals' powder sunscreen, for instance, is £25 (although at least that one comes in brush form). While there are clear advantages - the fact that there are no white streaks or stickiness as with some traditional suncreams, or the fact that its texture and consistency wouldn't change over time in the same way as a cream - it is a time-consuming way of applying sun cream and some people may feel happier sticking to use of this on their face and arms, while using a different sunscreen that's easier to apply to larger areas. It's a high-quality product, but its major design flaws (sponge applicator, no refills) need to be resolved to make it even more appealing to the mass market.

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