Reviewed: Beauty Pie SPFs | Who What Wear

As a beauty editor, I’m often asked which skincare product makes the biggest difference in a routine, and my answer is always the same: SPF.

Wearing sun protection can give you both short-term and long-term benefits. In the long term, you’re helping prevent not only skin cancer but also sun damage, which can show up in the form of pigmentation, fine lines, wrinkles and skin laxity. In the short term, wearing SPF every day (not just on the days when it’s sunny, but even on cloudy winter days) can boost your complexion, improving redness, evening the skin tone and preserving skin’s collagen stores, helping the skin stay bouncy. In short, think of SPF as your skincare insurance, safeguarding your skin now and in the future.

However, it’s important to find an SPF that you like to wear that meets your skin’s needs and your lifestyle. Wearing the wrong one is often why people end up not wearing it at all. Perhaps you have oily skin and want a lightweight formula, or sensitive skin that might benefit better from a mineral SPF (which is less likely to sting your eyes, FYI). Some might prefer an SPF that doubles as their makeup primer, and others might want a tinted SPF to top up throughout the day. SPF can only do its job if you’re wearing it, so you might as well find one you want to wear to reap those sun-protection benefits.

I recently took a countryside escape to Beaverbrook and packed my three favourite Beauty Pie SPFs: the Traceless Mineral Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen + Primer (£17), the Featherlight Super Healthy Skin™ Featherlight UVA/UVB SPF 50 Sunscreen + Primer (£15) and the Luminous Mineral Skin Tint Broad-Spectrum SPF 40 Suncreen
(£17).

Beauty Pie has become my go-to for luxury-level beauty that’s on par with more expensive brands out there, and the SPFs are a firm favourite in the Who What Wear office. Scroll ahead to see how I like to wear them on rotation throughout every summer activity from a pool day to a picnic to cocktail hour.

When I arrived at the hotel, I made a beeline for the pool—it was one of the first days of the year that reached over 24°, so forgive me. Whether you’re headed to the local lido or spending the day at the beach, SPF is always a must when you’re out in the sun. For days spent poolside, I always call upon Beauty Pie’s Traceless Mineral Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen + Primer (£17). I have sensitive skin and find that this mineral formula plays well with my eczema-prone complexion, and it never stings my sensitive eyes.

This SPF 30 boasts a silky formula that melts into the skin with a non-greasy finish and, unlike many mineral SPFs, leaves zero white cast. I like wearing it on its own as it gives my skin a hydrated glow without being slick. (Someone actually stopped me to compliment my skin as I headed to the pool whilst I was wearing this.) For beach or pool days, I pair it with a waterproof mascara, a slick of brow gel and an SPF lip balm, and I’m good to go. This being said, as a primer, it also wears nicely underneath makeup if you want to follow up with foundation on top for day-to-day wear.

What’s more, it’s a vegan mineral SPF and contains niacinamide to help refine pores and brighten the skin, argan oil to nourish the skin and Indian beech seed extract, which shields the skin from oxidative stress. An SPF that boosts your skin as you wear it? Yes, please.

It’s imperative to reapply your SPF regularly, ideally every two hours and after swimming and towelling dry. A good rule of thumb is to apply two fingers’ worth of product to your face to ensure you’re applying enough to stay protected from the sun. The Traceless Mineral Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen + Primer has become a staple in my beach bag and allows for no-fuss top-ups in the sun to protect my skin on even the sunniest days.

Shop the Look