Product Review: Natural Face Moisturizer with SPF 30 and Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 from Block Island Organics

If you read my blog (thanks!) or know me personally, you know that I practice "safe sun". As a blonde-haired, blue/grey-eyed, pale-skinned woman of Celtic heritage, I burn easily, and have a greater chance of developing skin cancer. Because I have a family history of basal cell skin cancer and melanoma, and I also suffered many sunburns as a child, my risk is increased even more, so you can see why I feel this is so important.

One of the things I do in practicing "safe sun" is wear sunscreen every day. Every. Day. Not only does it protect my skin from burning, but I honestly believe it's the single greatest thing I do to fight the effects of aging. I know you've heard me say it before, but it bears repeating - while it's great that a lot of foundations now have SPF, most of us don't apply enough foundation for that to be adequate protection. I always wear a separate sunscreen to be sure that my skin is fully protected.

For my face, I have four minimum requirements for a sunscreen:

• must be mineral/physical only (chemical sunscreens can sting the eyes)
• SPF of 30 or more for everyday (minimum 50 SPF for beach or prolonged outdoor exposure)
• must have no added fragrance (my skin is sensitive and doesn't tolerate added fragrance)
• must dry to a matte/semi-matte finish (my skin is slightly oily and prone to breakouts, and I prefer a matte/semi-matte finish over a dewy finish)

Block Island Organics recently sent me their Natural Face Moisturizer SPF 30, and the Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30. Both of these products are formulated with clear zinc only (which protects against UVB, UV1 and UV2, so they offer good broad-spectrum protection), and are also vegan, cruelty-free, fragrance-free, and contain no parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, phthalates, or dyes.

The Natural Face Moisturizer with SPF 30 (3.4 oz. $27.99) contains some heavy duty moisturizing ingredients: shea butter, caprylic/capric triglyceride, and sunflower seed oil. It also has the benefit of antioxidants from green tea leaf extract, pomegranate extract (the shea butter also provides some antioxidants), and 22% clear zinc oxide is the active ingredient/sunblock. It also contains gluconolactone, which is an antioxidant/polyhydroxy acid (PHA).
To properly protect the face and neck, you should apply about a half teaspoon of sunscreen, so that is what I applied when using this product. It is a thick whitish-yellow cream that is not completely smooth, and I think it will work well for those who have skin that needs a lot of moisture. My skin tends to be normal/oily, and doesn't need much added moisture, so this left my skin looking quite dewy. Even after waiting 10 minutes for the product to absorb, blotting some of the excess away, and applying a water-based primer, my skin was still fairly dewy. I didn't have issues applying any of my different types of foundations, but the finish was always dewy in the end. I very much appreciate that this product is fragrance-free, contains only clear zinc oxide, and is made with organic and natural ingredients. In fact, this product made the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) 2016 Best Moisturizer with SPF list. While it didn't work well as a daily moisturizer for me, if you're looking for an organic moisturizer with SPF and you need a lot of hydration, this is one worth checking out.


Pros:

• mineral/physical sunscreen, so it starts working upon application, and no worries about it stinging the eyes
• SPF 30
• vegan, cruelty-free, fragrance-free, and contain no parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, phthalates, or dyes
• provides a lot of hydration for those who are looking for that type of product

Cons:

• may be a little too heavy for those with oily skin

Tip: Shake well before using! When I first opened this, I noticed that it had separated, so I recapped it and gave it a few good shakes, which helped a lot.


The Natural Mineral Sunscreen (3.4 oz. $19.99)  contains shea butter, coconut oil, and jojoba oil as moisturizers, green tea leaf and shea butter as antioxidants, and 22% zinc oxide as the active ingredient/sunblock. It also contains eucalyptus oil, but that didn't cause any issues for me. This product has a thinner, smoother consistency than the Natural Face Moisturizer.


I applied a half teaspoonful to my face and neck, and noticed that it left a tacky feeling to my skin. After about 5 minutes, it had dried down to a semi-matte finish, so I applied a water-based primer, which for the most part eliminated the tackiness. When applying makeup, I found that cream foundations (like Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream and It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream) applied pretty well, but liquids with silicones (like Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hour Foundation) did not. I experienced a little more shine than usual at around the 4 hour mark. As with the Natural Face Moisturizer, I think this product will work well for those who are looking for more hydration for their skin.


Applying the sunscreen to my arms and hands, I also experienced the tacky feeling immediately after application, but after about 10-15 minutes, it was more of a semi-matte sensation. There is a faint eucalyptus scent that dissipates fairly quickly. This sunscreen made the EWG's 2016 Best Beach & Sport Sunscreen list, so if you're looking for an organic sunscreen that is safe for babies/children or you need one that provides some moisture for your skin, this might be a good choice for you.


Pros:

• mineral/physical sunscreen, so it starts working upon application, and no worries about it stinging the eyes
• SPF 30
• vegan, cruelty-free, fragrance-free, and contain no parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, phthalates, or dyes
• can be used for babies and children
• provides some hydration for those who need that for their skin

Cons:

• can feel a little tacky on the skin if your skin is normal or normal/oily

You can read more about Block Island Organics on their website.

• Block Island Organics offers free shipping on orders over $50.
• If you sign up for their mailing list, you will receive 15% off your first order. 
• End of Summer Sale - 25% off with code SUMMER25 (8/17/16-9/6/16)

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