Summer should mean lightening up your beauty routines. But carrying more sun protection, exfoliators, moisturizers, foundations, and treatments around can weigh you down. If you’re planning a summer vacation, with baggage fees going up, who wants to lug a lot of beauty products?
These multi-tasking products will make life easier while they do great things for your face, body and/or hair. They are truly must-have skincare marvels for sun protection and for travel. Each of these products was selected because it has a unique feature, or several unique features. Read this round-up and see if the ones I love become your favorites, too!
I’m coming right out and saying this — this CC cream from IT (Intelligent Cosmetics) is my must-have product of the moment, and certainly for Summer. The tube makes it great for travel and the SPF 50+ makes it perfect for every activity I might encounter. CC creams are all the rage, but one more than that, this one doesn’t just have the SPF 50+ UVA/UVB protection along, it has a lot of anti-aging properties and a hydrating serum. IT (Intelligent Cosmetics) Your Skin But Better CC Cream with UPF 50+ ($38.00 1.08 fl. oz.) also features five shades from very light to medium deep. The light worked on my light/medium skin.
The medium was a bit darker, but not too bad either! The product can be blended out, but it’s relatively full coverage. According to IT Cosmetics, this CC cream can hydrate skin by over 79%. And the The product has so much going for it, you might wonder if it’s too good to be true, with peptides, Niacin, Algae, Vitamins A,C,B,E, hyaluronic acid and hydrolyzed collagen. It also contains a bunch of anti-oxidant and natural botanicals and extracts including Vitamin C, licorice root, avocado, grapefruit, and lime and lemon peel oils to brighten and color-correct skin. It also has aloe, jojoba, chamomile, colloidal oatmeal and flower waters to soothe and comfort even sensitive and stressed skin.
The product helps to smooth wrinkles, improve the texture of your skin, and perhaps, minimize your pores. The actives for sun protection are Titanium Dioxide 9.015% and Zinc Oxide 6.305%. The non-chemical sunscreen rated an impressive SPF 50+ is paraben, talc and cruelty-free. As I view it, this is a fabulous product for daily use, but if you’re going to be outside for a length of time, or at the beach or pool, I’d suggest wearing a waterproof sun protection product, otherwise, you’ll have to re-apply it every couple of hours if you’re perspiring, swimming or in the sun. Of course you’ll need an SPF for your body as well (this tinted CC cream is just for the face). For more information visit the IT cosmetics Web Site *also at QVC
BeautyADDICTS MineralSheer TINT SPF 20 offers you the best of mineral-based, oil-free, ultra-sheer tinted moisturizers plus SPF protection What I like so much about the BeautyADDICTS MineralSheer TINT SPF 20 ($32.00) is that there are seven natural shades to choose from plus a blend of natural (and antioxidant) ingredients like Ginseng Root Extract, and Vitamins A, C and E . This product really is a tinted moisturizer, not a full foundation, but it blurs imperfections nicely, so if you want to go “barely there without bother” on a casual day, or you want to use this as a base for another product, you can do it easily and with a decent amount of sun protection. More than that, the actives are glow” in seven natural shades.
A mineral-based, oil-free, ultra-sheer tinted moisturizer with an SPF 20 to protect the skin while appearing flawless and radiant! An outstanding blend of ingredients like Ginseng Root Extract, and Vitamins A, C and E as powerful anti-oxidants. Just a note, with seven shades you do have to pick the one closest to your skin tone. Even though mineral-based makeup tends to be “forgiving,” the medium shade I tried in this line was ashy and noticeably dark for my light, freckled skin.
Every line is different, which is frustrating but that’s why you really have to check the color charts, carefully. If I have any complaints, it is simply that while the actives are non chemical Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, nowhere on the web site or the box does it say the amount (and I had to squint and read the teeny tiny print on the ingredients list on the box to find any basic information). But that said, the slim tube does a lot in a natural way for skin, and it’s a good friend for your face! For more information visit the Beauty Addicts Web Site 
Every time I see a new product that proclaims it will give me a “natural” self tan, I cringe. I’m not a fan. But this product from Clarins is something so new and different, I couldn’t help but be excited about it. The Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster ($30.00) is not just any old self tanning product. it is made to be mixed into your favorite day or night moisturizer to gradually give your skin a faux (but believable) sunkissed glow. In fact, what this really does is make your favorite beauty cream into a multi-tasking wonder. WOW! When you’ve achieved the color you want, simply stop adding it for a while. Start again when you need a “boost.” Better than that, the Golden Glow Booster has a formula made from plant extracts that is s 99.%t natural, combining natural DHA and erythrulose with aloe vera extract to moisturizer your skin. After about 10 days, you should see a natural glow.
I didn’t use it for 10 days, because I’ve just been busy with other things, but I can see that the product does have amazing potential, and it’s from Clarins, one of the most celebrated leaders in skin care. The only thing you need to be mindful of is NOT to use it straight from the bottle, and you should NOT pour it into your moisutrizer’s bottle or mix it into the jar. Take the amount of moisturizer you’d normally use OUT, then do this: From the Clarins Golden Glow Booster Pum Bottle, press and dispense three drops into the moisturizer in your hand.
Mix it well with the moisturizer. Then apply the mixture evenly to your face, neck, and chest. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly and immediately after application (remember, there is self tanner in that mixture). Be patient! All good things take a little time to work. This is a gradual, subtle process, not an instant tan that will leave you looking like the great pumpkin (and who wants that, anyway)? You can get this online or at your favorite Clarins makeup counter. For more information Visit the Clarins Web Site. 
Also from Clarins is a multi-tasking sun screen DRY oil that you have to try, to believe. Clarins Sunscreen Care Oil Spray SPF 30 ($35.00) could be the one product you might have been searching for that works on both your body and your hair! This SPF 30 dry oil spray has organic Indonesian Nyamplung oil to protect both skin and hair from the drying effects of sun, salt water and chlorine, plus senna extract to protect against UV damage (SPF 30). Plane Tree extract fights free radicals. This ingredients is in a number of the sun care products from Clarins.
In case you’re wondering what Plane Tree Extract is or does, the betulinic acid in the plane tree’s bark helps to remove deficient cells and maintain optimal cellular integrity. If that’s not enough, there are also sun filters of Gold Cob, aloe vera (also soothes and softens) and Sycamore. The oil is water- and sweat-resistant and dermatologist tested. This is not the kind of “baby oil” that you might have used “way back when” which harmed your skin and felt sticky and greasy. Not by a longshot. This oil is dry. It adds a bit of a sheen and a light floral scent to your skin, making even parched skin look luminous, but it’s absorbed like a moisturizer, which means you’ll pump it out of the plastic bottle and smooth in on, and you’ll get the bennies without the bummer of oily residue.
When it comes to hair, it will make it “beachy” but it also makes it feel softer and shinier when you shampoo after your sojourn in the sun. In fact, it adds shine to hair that has been over-processed and looks “fried.” If you dislike the scent of sun screens you will love the floral scent that also freshens hair from last nights’ party. Note be careful if you apply a lot of this sun screen as oil and other skincare products might be more easily absorbed by certain fabrics –just common sense. You can get this online or at your favorite Clarins makeup counter. For more information Visit the Clarins Web Site.
Pacifica products are amazing!
I love air-free pump containers. They’re great for travel, and they dispense just the right amount of product, without tainting or contamination. The container is the first thing that caught my eye (and it is 100% recyclable, too), when I received a sample of the Pacifica Ultra CC Cream Radiant Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 17 ($18.00). SPF 17 is kind of a strange number for sun protection, but it’s enough for short period of sun exposure so good for every day as long as you’re not planning to bake in the sun (and you shouldn’t be doing that, anyway). This multi-tasking product protects your skin with non chemical 11.1% Zinc Oxide. The formula is very sheer, so you can use it under another, more full coverage product if you wish.
The paraben-free formula has coconut water to help moisturize your skin and anti-aging benefits from a bunch of botanicals, plus a very subtle jasmine fragrance which I barely noticed (but which is touted in the information for the product). It comes in just two tints: Warm/Light and the slightly deeper, Natural/Medium. Specially adapted color correcting minerals are supposedly going to match your skin tone. Neither of these is deep enough for darker skin tones but both will work for light to medium. I tried the Natural/Medium and it did blend into my skin, but it was still a bit too deep for me. The Warm/Light probably would have been a better choice. As with all foundations, it really takes a bit of experimentation or word of mouth (as with this review) to figure out what will work best for you, because one product’s “light” or “medium” may be entirely different in another brand. All in all, this is a lovely CC cream that could end up being one of your favorites for sun protection, anti-aging benefits, moisturizing and travel.
You can buy Pacifica in a lot of places including mass market retailers. 
*While I’m telling you about Pacifica, I am also just going to briefly mention that the brand has some really nitfy Hand & Body Lotion Wipes with Mositurizing Coconut Milk ($7.00/30 wipes) that comes in a re-sealable, soft-sided package for travel. These wipes are not cleansing wipes, but instead, moisturize your skin, in seconds. Each biodegradable cloth is scented with Pacifica’s signature fragrance blends (I tried Malibu Lemon Blossom which smelled softly floral and powdery, there is also an Island Vanilla scent). They are infused with coconut milk and skin loving naturals that are good for all skin types. Formulated without parabens, petrolatum, SLS, sulfates, phthalates. 100% vegan, cruelty-free. Pretty fantastic! Visit the Pacifica web site to learn more
glo-therapeutics Moisturizing Tint SPF 30 ($38.00) gives you sun screen and moisturizer in a handy, air-free. travel-friendly, 1.7 fl. oz. pump. One thing to really like about this particular tinted moisturizer is that it really does offer color choices from very fair to fairly deep. It’s also good for all skin types. The actives are: 5.0% Octisalate ; 7.5% Octinoxate; 3.0% Avobenzone and 4.0% Oxybenzone . This tinted moisturizer also contains something called “Isoeicosane,” n oil free emollient that provides a subtle sheen while leaving a soft satin texture on the skin along with Dimethiconeto condition and protect skin. The tints come from minerals — iron oxide to be exact, that adds natural color. We reviewed this product in a larger suncare review but I’m mentioning it again here-read the review 
Protecting yourself from the sun is important for both your health and your skin. The sun rays can be very harsh and unforgiving. Thanks for this helpful post.