Sunscreen. Not the most interesting of beauty topics to read about, but undeniably the most vital product in anyone’s arsenal to keep your skin looking young. Everyone knows they should use it, but not everyone is that diligent about it. Thankfully, there’s enough options out there on the market that there should be something for everyone.
Hawaiian Tropic is a brand I’ve grown to love intensely in the last 6 years or so. You want a continuous spray? You got it! You want your traditional cream lotion application? You got it. You want a sunscreen spray that you can put on top of your makeup? Guess what… they just launched one!
Say hello to the Hawaiian Tropic Duo Defence Refresh Sunscreen Mist SPF 30! Intended for use on the face (but can really be used anywhere), this handy little mister is a saviour for those who have been wanting something they can use to re-up their sunscreen after they’ve already applied their sunscreen. As far as I’m aware, there’s only one other brand on the market that has something like this, and it’s a far, far more expensive product (and I think only available in the US!).
Although I was exceptionally eager to try it out, I was initially a bit skeptical about the Duo Defence Spray. The directions actually says that you should spray the product on your hand and then apply to your face WITH your hands. I laughed when I read that, because no one is going to do it that way, and I wanted to test it out how consumers would actually use it: which is to say I was going to spray it directly on my face (with my eyes tightly shut) both with and without makeup on.
I’m most comfortable using a cream on my face because I feel like it delivers the most amount of coverage from the sun’s rays because I can SEE where I’ve applied it to my face. So I was *really* nervous that by switching to a spray mechanism for my face I was going to end up with a fried face. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case! I tried this two different ways: without makeup, as well as overtop of the makeup I was wearing on a given day. In both situations I was out for long hours in the middle of the day in roughly 30 Celsius heat, and I never once ended up with any burnt skin. I was amazed because I really thought a cream would have better overall coverage, but the spray is so good on this that it covers your face evenly without needing to rub it in. And I assure you… if this had missed a spot, I would’ve turned a horrid shade of tomato red.
Not unexpectedly, this does add a layer of shine to your face. If you are expecting to wear this on top of foundation, I would recommend wearing a matte foundation that day. No matter how much you like dewy skin, this will add the dew factor in, so you don’t need to double up with a luminous/dewy foundation AND the sunscreen spray (unless you actually want to look like an oil slick!). I applied this over top of bronzer, blush, highlighter as well as eye and brow makeup and had no ill effects to the makeup!
While I loved the Duo Defence Spray, I still need to mention other options because I’ve been loving these other two products for quite some time.
The Hawaiian Tropic Island Sport range comes in both a liquid and spray formula. They both perform equally, so it’ll really depend on which format you like the most. I do enjoy this formula immensely for running or playing soccer during the hot days as it doesn’t slide into my eyes when I get a sweaty forehead. For me, I prefer the liquid version over the spray because I grew up using sunscreen creams, and it makes me feel like I’ve got more control over where I’m putting it. BUT, the Island Sport spray is great for quick and easy touch ups when you need that extra layer applied.
If you’re looking for a more traditional formula, Hawaiian Tropic has their Silk Hydration Weightless Sunscreen. While I do love this sunscreen, and have gone through many, many bottles of this stuff since it was introduced into their range in 2016, I do have to point out that I don’t feel that it’s totally weightless on the skin. I have a tendency to glob my sunscreen on, and no sunscreen brand out there has ever managed to achieve that “weightless” feeling on my skin. It’s sunscreen, after all! I love this one though, and it’s handy that the pump pushes the bottom up so you can see exactly how much you have left in the bottle.
All of the Hawaiian Tropic sunscreens mentioned in this post offer up to 80 minutes of water-resistance (I won’t buy sunscreen without water resistance built into it), and I find they do hold up in the water. That being said, I do always re-apply once I get out of the water (as should you) because I’m extremely vigilant about always having a layer of protection between my skin and the sun. All of their sunscreens are winners, but I’m really excited by the Duo Defence Spray – it’s a wonderful product and one I’ll continue to stock in my skincare cabinet.
Hawaiian Tropic sunscreens can be purchased at shoppersdrugmart.com (and there’s a whole whack of them on sale right now including the Duo Defence Spray!) or on walmart.comwalmart.com.
The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration. Post contains affiliate links.
