July favorite - Invisible Zinc Environmental Skin Protector SPF 30

July is coming to an end and I can't wait to show you my favorite of the month - Invisible Zinc ESP Environmental Skin Protector SPF 30 (quite a mouthful, isn't it?)

It was completely unexpected - I bought this for my boyfriend who never wears a sunscreen. But as a beauty junkie who is still searching for her HG sunscreen, it's downright unforgivable not trying it out. So I gave it "a try", like everyday for two weeks, and I can now officially announce that I have finally found my HG sunscreen.

This is a 30ml travel sized product, they also come in 50ml.

I love the packaging - this pump dispenses just the right amount of product, you don't have to worry about taking out too much of the product.

It is said to be a lotion, I thought it is more of a light weight cream consistency. 

As I have mentioned earlier in this post, this is supposed to be a sunscreen for my boyfriend. Like many of the low maintenance guys out there, he hates putting "things" on his face (yes, that's what he calls skincare products, things!). In order to give him extra motivation to put on sunscreen regularly, I aimed for moisturizer with a SPF. Also, I was looking for a physical, rather than a chemical sunscreen, as I believe physical sunscreen provides better protection against UV light than a chemical one.

What they said:

Invisible Zinc ESP is a remarkable new high performance borad spectrum sunscreen + daily moisturiser, suitable for all skin types including sensitive skin. ESP's surface layer protection reflects UV radiation away, while an anti-pollution film assists in neutralising environmental pollutants.

Unfortunately, I haven't been out in the sun recently (bad weather!) so there's no way I can test its performance in UV protection yet.

Ingredients:

Active ingredient: Zinc Oxide 20%
Preservative: Diazolidinylurea, Phenoxyethanaol

I couldn't find the full list of ingredients anywhere on the bottle or in the package, but they do state a few ingredients that are not included:
No chemical SPF active ingredients ie no Homosalate, Oxyhenzone, Octyl Methoxycinnamate, Avobenzone, Octyl Salicylate etc
No Titanium Dioxide
No Parabens

After using it  in the morning for 2 weeks as all-in-one moisturizer, sunscreen and makeup base (boyfriend has been using it for 1 week), here's how we feel about it:

Pros:

• Light weight and easy to spread, not greasy at all. I even notice my skin is less oily, though my boyfriend only thinks it doesn't make him oiler

• Doesn't break us out

• Not irritating

• No funny smell like most sunscreens

Cons:

• Not very moisturizing, both of us have oily skin (boyfriend: acne-prone too), it's enough for summer, we may have to add moisturizer in winter

• It leaves a slight white cast which disappear after a while

Bottom line:

If you have oily skin like us and looking for a light weight sunscreen, I would recommend you to give it a shot.

I bought it from ASOS for £18.50. It can also be purchased at official Invisible Zinc website.