| Product: |
Ambre Solaire Kids Milk Colour SPF 40 |
| Date: |
02/05/08 (353 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Really good sun cream
Disadvantages: Funny sailor boy on the front!
After my first real glimpse of sunshine, so I'm told, my parents noticed that I had this rather large patch of skin which was darker than the rest of my skin. I was then thrown at a dermatologist and my parents were told that I had a rather large café au lait birthmark. Basically, pretty much a quarter of my body is darker than my normally fair skin, and when the sun touches, for want of a better word, that part of my skin the colour darkerns even more. After being prodded and inspected every year for the first 16 years the doctors came to the conclusion my birthmark was harmless but that I needed to keep it covered up or where a high SPF sun screen. I'm still not sure whether if I just let my birth mark darkern naturally in the sun bad things would happen, or whether it's just for cosmetic reasons.
Anyway (I'm getting to the point, I swear), the point is I have to wear a high SPF sun screen when my arm, back, and chest (not that I usually flash that about you understand!) is not covered... which means not just on summer days, but like now when it's warm enough not to need a jacket, but isn't brilliant sunshine. Believe me, I have tried and tested A LOT of sun creams!
I have no children, so I can't really comment on whether children love this sun cream, but I can give you a pretty good idea of what it's like, without smearing you with chocolate at the same time - bonus!
Here is my check list which sun creams must satisfy if I'm to buy it again:
1. Long lasting.
I don't mean they last all day, because they don't, but that it will last a reasonable amount of time. I need a sun cream that won't rub off my back if I sit on the sofa, and things like that. Kids Ambre Solaire sun cream does last a good few hours before needing to reapply it. The only problem you may find is that because the cream isn't sticky (I'll get to this point) there isn't a definite 'yes, it needs reapplying now', it's just a case of guessing, though I have an arm that goes darker if it rubs off so I can check! I would say that if you were to lie around without moving (like children often do) you should just reapply it as often as you would a normal sun cream, so every few hours. I tend to reapply the sun cream every two hours if I'm constantly in the sunshine, or every four hours if I'm wearing a light t.shirt. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Don't forget that sun light does seep through thin clothing, so although you may be wearing a thin t-shirt - YOU STILL NEED SUN CREAM!
2. Doesn't stain.
I remember when I was smaller, and high SPF sun creams (the highest was 30 then, the highest I can find now is 50) were white and creamy and didn't sink into your skin, I had applied sun cream, sat in the car and put my seat belt on. The sun cream then rubbed off my arm and stained the car and the seat belt white. Nice! It's very important to me that the sun cream I use doesn't stain clothing. There have been so many clothes I've had to throw away because I've been in a hurry putting on the cream, or I can't take my top off (without getting arrested!) to apply the cream and so it stains the sleeve of my top and so on. This sun cream doesn't stain clothing. I haven't, obviously, thrown the sun cream all over my clothes as I test, but I have got bits of sun cream on a few tops in the process of application and they don't leave an obvious white mark. There is a slight blue ish tinge on black tops, but nothing noticeable. This is the best sun cream I've used so far in terms of not staining.
3. Not sticky and greasy.
I hate, HATE, feeling like if I touch something my sun cream will rub off. A lot of sun creams, especially high SPF ones, can have a slightly sticky texture. It's not pleasant! I hate hugging The Boy, I hate going into other people's cars/ houses, I hate touching anything with my arm which has the sun cream on because I worry that it'll leave sticky marks. This sun cream, however, is fabulous! I can put the cream on, and it sinks into my skin really well, and it actually seems to moisturise my arm as well! I love this sun cream. I think this will definitely be a bonus on the beach. Normally I have a quarter of my body which has sand stuck to every part like I've covered myself with glue - it's gross and looks, well, weird! But as this sun cream isn't sticky, the sand shouldn't stick! I have no sand available, but I didn't get a bit of dirt on me (don't ask!), and it didn't stick to the part with sun cream on significantly more than the other parts of my body. It says on the bottle it is sand resistant, so I believe them blindly! You can also spray this on your face and it doesn't leave it shiny!
4. Must not smell funny.
As I have to wear this sun cream even on non-summer days I often get funny looks when people can smell I have sun cream on, but it's not boiling hot. I know it sounds silly, and I shouldn't care what other people think - but I dooooo! This sun cream does have a fragrance, but ti just smells a bit like some shower gels. It's not a typical 'sun cream' smell, and it doesn't smell like it has been fragranced, there's just a slight whiff of something (not flowery, not chemical like... just a smell!), but you can only smell it if you actually sniff your arm! It's not like the person sat next to you on the bus would be able to smell it.
5. Must be easy to apply.
I try and use spray bottle sun creams as you can control better how much sun cream is dispensed. This sun cream is easy to use - just press down on the top and out squirts some sun cream. My only problem with the application, is that the spray comes out quite forceful. It doesn't hurt or anything, but if you're trying to squirt some into your hand you will end up with splash back all over your body! I suggest holding your hand further away than you would normally when you spray the cream, and it should be fine! Spraying it directly onto the area also works. You still need to rub it in, but I suppose you could chase after your child spraying this repeatedly and you would end up covering them in it!
6. Must be water proof.
What is it with some sun creams not being water proof!? It sucks, because I can't go into the water without water proof sun cream. Anyway, no fear! This sun cream is water proof - it says so on the bottle, and it doesn't run off in the shower!
7. Must not spill in bag!
I always carry around sun cream with me, just in case! So anything that won't cover everything I own in sun cream is a bonus. This sun cream comes with a press on plastic cap which is pressed on really tightly. You can pick it up by the cap and it won't come off. It does actually take a little bit of effort to get the cap to come off. You don't need to be superman, but it is pressed on tightly enough that little Jim won't be able to open it and start eating the cream!
Conclusion
I love this sun cream. It is by far the best sun cream I have used so far. I have sensitive skin and this cream hasn't irritated it at all, which is good! It ticks every box on my check list, and so I'm going to continue using this. I would definitely recommend you use this sun cream. The bottle does have a picture of a cartoon sailor boy, which is a little disturbing, but other than that there's no real draw backs to this sun cream. BUY IT!
Oh, also, the cream comes out white, but dries clear.
Remember, avoid being in the sun between 11am-3pm, children under 3 should be kept out of the sun, and even if you are wearing a thin top the sun will still penetrate through.
The boring bits
Bought from Sainsury's for £5.99 for 200ml. I have a real problem with sun cream being expensive, but all the sun creams in Sainsburys were about this price, so it's not expensive in the sun cream world!
Protects against UVA and UVB with photostability (whatever that is!)
Contains cactus nutriflavones and Vitamin E. Again, no idea what they are, but the sun cream works, so I don't really care!
Visit www.garnier.co.uk for more information and for "sun-safe advice"!
Summary: Buy it... and remember kids, stay safe! =)
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