FOTD + Review: Clinique City Block Sheer SPF 25 + Sunscreen info/facts

Just got back from a weekend in London, was really lovely to be off work! Did lots of fun things and ate lots of yummy food - better get down the gym tomorrow to work it all off!!

What I am wearing: 

Face - Clinique City Block Sheer

Mac Face and Body Foundation in C5
Clinique Airbrush Concealer in Medium 3
Mac Moisture Cover Concealer in NC35

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

Illamasqua Brow Cake in Thunder

Elf Eyelash Primer

Max Factor Lash Extension Effect Mascara

Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow in Rose Gold

Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour in Peach Whisper

Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Deep 4

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Evasion

Necklace - Tiffany & Co

Top - Sheer floral top with faux leather shoulder straps - Topshop concession (Bought from eBay)

I took these snaps just as I'd got back and in them I'm wearing the product I am about to review underneath my foundation. I have been using it for a good few months and think it is ready to be reviewed! It's my current sunscreen of choice Clinique's City Block Sheer SPF 25, an oil-free face protector that not only protects your face from harmful UVA and UVB rays with it's Mineral sunscreen protection, but it also protects your skin from the environment (hence the 'city block' name). 

It's an all-round face protector that is great if you do find yourself in the city as all the dirt and pollution in the air does affect your skin and can lead to clogged pores, breakouts or worse!........

Selfgrowth.com says: Air pollution can be a main cause of pre-aging of skin and ozone is the basic element in smog which leads to skin cancer. Besides ozone the other reason of skin cancer is harmful UV radiation of sun. 

What Clinique say:

"  Sheer, broad-spectrum UVA/UVB daily sunscreen. Lightweight 

formula helps wick away perspiration and absorb excess oil. Perfect 

alone or as an invisible makeup primer. No chemical sunscreens. 

Appropriate for eye area and sensitive skins.  "

I like Clinique for the simplicity of their products, the packaging is always sleek and lovely and the products are all '100% fragrance free' which is great if you have sensitive skin as perfumes and fragrances in products often trigger breakouts/irritations. 'No Chemical Sunscreens' means that the sun protection in the City Block is from mineral filters. 

Physical suncreens protect your skin from the sun by deflecting or blocking the sun's rays. They use the active ingredients Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and Zinc oxide (ZnO) - these are the ingredients that give sunscreen that white colour and gives your skin a white cast when applied, the ingredients sit on the skin and physically block the sun. Physcial suncreens are generally stable, meaning that they will always provide good protection from the sun and do not need to be stabilised by other ingredients to make them effective. Titanium dioxide can be problematic for some people so be careful when you use mineral make-up or mineral sunscreens containing Titanium dioxide. Zinc oxide and Titanium dioxide are helpful in protecting against UVB and UVA rays, but not the full spectrum of UVA rays. Physcial suncreens are safe to use on skin and are FDA approved, they also don't cause free radicals.

Chemical sunscreens absorb the sun's rays. Some chemical filters can scatter sun rays, but mostly just absorb them. Active ingredients found in chemical sunscreens are: Octylcrylene, Avobenzone, Octinoxate, Octisalate, Oxybenzone, Homosalate, 4-MBC, Mexoryl SX and XL, Tinosorb S and M, Uvinul T 150 and Uvinul A Plus. Most chemical sunscreens are photo stable, however some are not. Avobenzone is notoriously unstable, however it can be stabilized when formulated in conjunction with other UV filters. Chemical filters tend to be more irritating to skin and some can cause allergic reactions, they offer more coverage against UVA and UVB rays than physical sunscreens - Avobenzone provides full spectrum protection against UVA rays. Chemical sunscreens are generally safe, however some chemical filters generate free radicals which can make your skin age. Many chemical UV filters have not been FDA approved in the States, but the ones used in sunscreens sold in Europe and Asia have been FDA approved.

For years it was thought that the UVA rays were the "safe rays", and that the UVB rays (the rays that actually burn you) were much more harmful as they were causing visible damage to skin. However, recent studies have shown that it is the UVA rays that cause long-term sun damage such a wrinkles and skin cancer -these rays accelerate the age-ing process as they penetrate the dermis of your skin (beneath the epidermis). UVA rays are ALWAYS present, no matter the weather or season. Sun damage can occur on cloudy and rainy days - scary huh? The UVA rays are actually so powerful that they can even penetrate some clothing and even glass. So while you may think you are protected in the car or at home, those rays could be penetrating through your windows and even your clothes! I don't believe that enough people really know about the sun, and just what it does to us and our skin. 

“Recent studies show that it takes relatively small amounts of repeated UVA exposure to cause photoaging in human skin.  Only nine moderate dosages of UVA are necessary before changes are evident.  (Lavker et al., J Am Acad Dermatol, 1995: Lowe et al., J Invert Dermatol, 1995)”

The active ingredients in the Clinique City Block Sheer are:

Titanium Dioxide 7.30% and Zinc Oxide 6.90%.

The product acts as quite a good make-up primer due to it's texture, make-up tends to hold and stick on top of it nicely, a plus!

A tiny bit of product squeezed out - the product
is a light flesh tone shade.

Smudged out so you can see the thickness of the
product, it is quite thick before blending in

Immediately after blending the product in - you
don't want to over work physical sunscreens into the skin,
as they will become less effective. The product should
sit on the skin and act as a barrier! As you can see, there
is a slight white cast when first applied

A couple of minutes after blending the product in,
the white cast is gone and you are left with a soft sheen
 ready to be worn alone or under make-up

 For me, the sunscreen doesn't feel heavy and greasy like most sunscreens you would wear on holiday, it feels light and silky and doesn't make my face produce more oils or look greasy throughout the day - perfect for everyday use. It claims to 'wick away perspiration and absorb excess oil', I don't know about that, I just know that my face doesn't look like an oil slick by the end of the day!

You can buy the City Block Sheer at your nearest Clinique counter or on the Clinique website and it retails at £16.00.

I hope this post was helpful! Lots more new posts to come.