SPF Tips: 3 Unexpected Sun Care Steps To Keep Your Skin Healthy

We're in the throes of spring—and with it, the promise of better weather, more outdoor time, and shedding layers of clothing. I, for one, welcome this change. Long, drawn-out winters beget happy springs and summers, no? And with my renewed dedication to spending as much time outside as I possibly can come a few skin care tweaks. Namely, I need to be more diligent about sun care.

Yes, I know that SPF is just as important in the winter as it is in summer (don't worry; we've written that story too!). And I know that you should apply sunscreen even when indoors, especially if you're sitting by a window and exposed to natural lighting. But the truth is, I am simply not exposed to as much UV in the winter since my home office doesn't have windows and the sun sets too early to accompany me on my post-work walks. 

A vital part of smart sun care is user behavior: We know that using SPF correctly plays just as much of a role as does the product. Sure, you may have a moisturizer with an SPF of 50, but that number quickly dwindles if you're not using enough. As board-certified dermatologist Angelo Landriscina, M.D., notes over TikTok, "The SPF of any product is based on using 2 milligrams per centimeter-squared on your skin, which is about half a teaspoon for the entire face." 

I'm going to be honest with you: One of my personal biggest obstacles to reapplying sunscreen is I don't know how to do it over makeup. Sure, you can reach for powders to pat on midday (and they are a good fix, if I do say so), but sometimes I'm looking for that soft, dewy look that loose minerals tend to blot and mattify away. 

Well, as beauty writer Hannah English shared in a recent Instagram post, you can actually achieve that soft-focus filter look with an SPF and a microfiber beauty sponge. In the video, she takes a makeup blender and applies her SPF of choice directly onto a dry sponge (dry is key, she notes, as a wet one will dilute the potency). Then she gently pats and presses the formula into the skin, over the makeup. Remember: SPF's purpose is to sit on the skin, protecting cells from UV damage, so it doesn't matter that it's sitting over makeup.