The curiosity of a beauty junkie in full force: Astrid wrote about a sunscreen oil in Summer, and I was intrigued. Add to that ultra-modern filters, a whopping dose of anti-oxidants and I practically started to salivate. Why it’s a good idea to try both sunscreen oils I tested in colder weather? See below!
Test objects
Let’s look at some face oils with spf and anti-oxidants! I tested Beyer & Söhne Dayshade (see Astrid’s review here) and Highdroxy D-Fence. You can both order them at pharmacies in Germany, or via Amazon if you don’t want to order at their respective brands’ stores. Highdroxy ships to the EU and Switzerland, while Beyer & Söhne ships worldwide. Both come in 30ml bottles (you can order samples, though). Dayshade is 49,90€ (ugh) and De-Fence is 39,90€. I got samples of both, because at this price point, I want to make sure I really, really, really like a product. And sunscreen is particularly tricky.
The formula – reason to be intrigued
First, filters: ultra-modern and state of the art. (Dayshade: Tinosorb S, Univul A Plus, Avobenzone und Univul T150; D-Fence: Tinosorb S, Univul A Plus, Uvasorb.) The majority of those aren’t water-soluble, hence, the oil. No mineral filters in there. UVA AND UVB protection. (Both have SPF 50.)
Second, anti-oxidants. Ever since I started to question my dedication to actives, especially acids, I became more and more fascinated with anti-oxidants. For me, there’s actually the opportunity to ‘pamper’ my skin, and giving it some treats on top of basic moisture. So, yay?
All the fancy anti-oxidants
Both sunscreen oils include very fancy anti-oxidants in their formula: Dayshade has tocotrienol, a form of Vitamin E, Asthaxantin, a carotenoid (both are excellent for fighting free radicals), and ceramides to strengthen your skin barrier. D-Fence contains Magnolia offocinalis bark extract – an anti-oxidant that is supposed to be 1000x stronger than the usual Vitamin E Tocopherol. It’s also supposed to be anti-inflammatory with anti-bacterial properties. On top of that it includes something called Defensil-Plus, a combination of plant extracts supposed to be also soothing, anti-inflammatory and generally anti-aging. It goes without saying that there’s neither fragrance nor alcohol in both oils.
How I use it for the best effect in winter
Both companies stress that it’s possible to use their sunscreen oils not as a primary sunscreen, but as a kind of booster. You can use them under your serums and moisturiser, or even mixed with moisturiser. (I wouldn’t mix it with serums, because most serums are water-based and mixing oil with water doesn’t go down very well, in my experience.) And that’s exactly what I did. I have rather dry skin at the moment, and used both oils to boost my usual routine and usual sunscreen. I still did my regular skincare routine, and here’s how that went.
My morning routine
My usual routine constists of cleansing, and then adding a toner, vitamin c serum, an essence, moisturiser and sunscreen. Because we’re dealing with oil, it still makes sense to me that I want it to sink in completely quickly. After all, I want to apply makeup over my whole face afterwards!
So here’s what I did: Cleanse my face. Apply toner. Apply some drops of oil onto my still damp face. This is important! After that, I apply my essence (usually mixed with my vit c at this point), and wait. The best application method is a light tapping motion.
At first, my face is very, VERY shiny and still moist to the touch, but after maybe 5-10 minutes, I could easily apply my usual moisturiser AND sunscreen over it without feeling it sliding all around on my skin. After that, I applied foundation with no problems.
Differences between D-Fence and Dayshade
While both formulas consists of oils, both contain different ones. If your skin likes squalane, go for Dayshade. D-Fence uses Caprylic Trygliceride, which you may know because it’s often used in cosmetics. It’s supposed to be light. My experiences slightly differ from what you’d expect after reading all of the above.
I would’ve thought D-Fence would be the bees knees for my skin, especially with all anti-inflammatory ingredients and the lighter carrier oil. But, surprise, it wasn’t. I didn’t like the musty smell, and my skin didn’t love it as well – it was slightly irritated, and not at all calm. On the other hand, Dayshade was a lovely surprise, because my skin seemed calm, smooth and nourished when I used it.
Effects?
Of course, I didn’t test both sunscreen oil long enough to see any effects from their respective anti-oxidants that take infamously long to make a true difference, anyway. I can also not attest to their suitability as a sunscreen.
But I can say that those might be for you if you want to give your dry skin a boost with some added benefits. I’m strongly thinking about investing in a bottle of Dayshade!
Please note that this review is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods, or money, for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
